Contractor Business Tips
Practical guides on job costing, payroll, expense tracking, and running a more profitable contracting business.
The Best Way to Track Receipts on the Job Site
Shoebox of receipts, a pocket full of crumpled paper, a text to the office at 6pm. Here's a system for capturing job site receipts the moment you buy — without typing a single line item by hand.
Job Costing vs Bookkeeping: What's the Difference?
Your books tell you what the company spent. Job costing tells you which job spent it. Here's why contractors need both — and what each one can't answer on its own.
Crew Scheduling for Contractors: How to Plan the Work Week
Scheduling your crew by text and memory works until it doesn't. Here's a simple system for planning which crew members go to which job site — and keeping payroll accurate.
Construction Payroll: How to Pay Your Crew by Project
Generic payroll software doesn't know what a job site is. Here's how project-based payroll tracking works — and why it matters for your job costs.
How to Know If a Job Is Profitable Before It Ends
By the time you invoice, it's too late to recover lost margin. Here's how to track profitability mid-job so you can course-correct before costs spiral.
Contractor Profit Margin: Why Most Contractors Guess Wrong
The average contractor thinks they know their margin. Most are off by 10–20 points. Here's why — and how to fix it.
Construction Expense Tracker: Spreadsheet vs Software
Spreadsheets are free and familiar. Software costs money. Here's an honest look at where each one breaks down for contractors — and when it makes sense to switch.
How to Track Job Costs for Contractors (Step-by-Step)
Most contractors finish a job and then find out if they made money. Here's a step-by-step system for tracking job costs in real time — so you know before the invoice goes out.
More guides on the way
How to Pay Subcontractors: A Contractor's Complete Guide · How to Do Bank Reconciliation for a Construction Company