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.
Texts sent by software from a local business number can be blocked when the number is not registered. What the carriers' brand and campaign registration asks for, the sole-proprietor path, the fees, why submissions get rejected and how long approval takes.
Taking more than $10,000 in cash for a job means filing IRS Form 8300 within 15 days, and payments on one job add up. What counts as cash, how the clock works, why splitting payments or deposits is a crime, and how to keep cash jobs clean on your books.
The do-not-call rules let you make a live sales call to a past customer for 18 months after the last purchase, and to someone who asked about your work for three months. That exception does not cover robocalls or autodialed marketing texts. The windows, the limits and a simple routine.
What a building inspector checks on a wood deck under the International Residential Code: footing size and depth, posts and beams, joist spans, the ledger and its fasteners, guards and stairs, and the attachments the American Wood Council's deck guide says never to build.
Federal law sets no deadline for a last paycheck; the states do, and some make it due the same day you let someone go. Seven states' rules side by side, unused vacation, what a late check costs, and a checklist for the day someone leaves.
Google switched off Business Profile chat and call history on July 31, 2024, and quote requests from the profile went with them. What a customer can still do from your profile, and how to make the call, text, website and booking buttons do the work chat used to.
The caller who asks for a number first is often protecting a budget, not shopping for the lowest bid. What the Federal Reserve's household survey says about what households can pay, the questions that sort buyers from shoppers, and how to meet a budget without cutting your rate.
The 2023 National Electrical Code put GFCI protection on 240-volt dryer and range outlets, every kitchen receptacle and, since its HVAC exception ran out on September 1, 2026, outdoor condensers. What changed in 210.8 and 210.12, and how to find which edition and amendments your job is held to.
The FTC's nationwide noncompete ban never took effect, but state law and case-by-case FTC enforcement still decide whether you can hold a crew member to one. What the states say, and what a non-solicit or confidentiality clause can do instead.
A deck price comes from five measurements: square feet, height off grade, feet of railing, stair risers and the old deck coming off. How each one moves the number, one deck priced in pressure-treated and in composite, and the published figures to check it against.
Two drywall quotes for the same room can be priced to two different finishes. How the Gypsum Association's Levels 0 to 5 become estimate lines, why hanging and finishing are priced apart, and how to charge for ceilings, stairwells and texture-matched repairs.
A garage door repair menu built from your parts and minutes, spring cycle ratings turned into a good-better-best choice, the safety check inside every spring price, and the bait-and-switch the BBB warns homeowners about.
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.
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