Short, specific writing about the business side of a trade — getting leads, answering them fast, pricing without guessing, hiring in March, and staying on the right side of the texting rules. No growth hacks. No listicles.
We build software for home-service contractors. Each article here answers one practical question about the business side of a trade. Every article published since 20 October 2026 is written from named public sources (government agencies, the laws and codes themselves, published studies, cost guides and companies’ own price pages), listed at its foot, and its facts are checked against those sources. Every number we cite either names where it comes from (the publisher, the year and a link) or says plainly that it is our own example or assumption. Competitor prices also say the month we checked them (“checked October 2026”), link to the competitor’s own price page, and are re-checked every three months; a price we cannot re-check comes off. Nothing here requires you to buy anything.
Fixed price, cost-plus or a guaranteed maximum: which one fits a remodel, who carries the overrun in each, how allowances work and how they go wrong, and how to set the fee on cost-plus work.
OSHA says training only counts if the worker can understand it: in a language and vocabulary he knows, and not just a handout for someone who cannot read it. What the 2010 policy says, where to find Spanish-language training, and how to prove it landed.
What a registered apprenticeship commits a small contractor to, why joining a program someone else sponsors is often the easier road, how the hours count toward a state trade license, and what the GI Bill pays a veteran apprentice on top of your wage.
Why the card number on a notepad is a problem and the security code on it is never allowed, the safer ways to take a card over the phone and in the field, the receipt rule, and the PCI self-assessment for small merchants.
Homeowners are told to check your license, your insurance and your name before they hire you. An About page that answers those checks first: what to show, the claims you must be able to prove, the word California bans, and why the photos should be of your real crew.
Sole proprietors, partners and S corporation owners in the trades can often deduct up to 20% of their business profit. Who qualifies, why trades are not specified service businesses, the 2025 and 2026 income limits, how wages and an S corp salary change it, and what the 2025 law changed.
A letter demands payment for a photo on your website. Why an image found online is not free, what statutory damages and registration mean, how the Copyright Claims Board works, how to tell a real demand from a scam, and where to get photos you may use.
Google ranks the phone version of your site, and most of your customers see only that version. Mobile-first indexing in plain words, then five checks to run on your own phone with one thumb: tap targets, the call link, the form, speed and text size.
A truck wrap, a yard sign and a mailer never send a click report. How to give each one its own web address or phone number, why your main number stays on your Google profile, and the monthly count that tells you which piece earns its keep.
Whether you pay enough to keep your people is a comparison, not a feeling. How to check each person's rate against government wage data for your trade and area, bring the figures up to date, read the construction quit rate, and weigh the benefits bigger outfits offer.
How a chargeback works after a finished job, the customer's rights behind it, the deadlines you cannot miss, the evidence a card issuer actually weighs (signed scope, photos, sign-off, messages), and the habits that make disputes rarer.
Yelp tells businesses not to ask anyone for a review, and its software hides reviews it thinks were asked for. How the recommendation software works, what you can do on Yelp instead, and the FTC rule on trying to make a bad review disappear.
Six subjects, because those are the six places we watch contractors lose money.
Why traffic is not leads, and what has to be on the page before a homeowner will hand over a phone number.
The five-minute rule, missed calls, voicemail, and when a text beats a callback.
Getting the formula out of your head and onto paper so somebody — or something — else can run it.
Finding crew who are already employed, screening without resumes, and cutting interview no-shows.
TCPA and A2P 10DLC without the legalese, so you can text customers back without worrying.
Seasonality, margin by job type, and the winter decisions that decide how March goes.
If something on the business side of your trade is costing you money and nobody has written it down clearly, send it over. We would rather write the post you actually need than guess at a topic. No email capture required — just ask.
Or email support@tailgateoffice.com.
Step two takes about thirty minutes: instant quotes on your site, and every missed call logged and answered from one inbox. Free for 30 days, no card.
