The highest form of love is accountability! I’ve got a few consulting slots left. I believe 4 total - if you have any interest let me know. I really only enjoy working alongside those that are committed to growing so please only reach out if you’re in a position to start implementing and growing your business. I will hold you accountable and help you make decisions. Once those are filled unfortunately unless someone drops out there won’t be any additional times available for the foreseeable future. I’ve been really enjoying helping implement, sharing our SOPs and spreadsheets we’ve built and all our best practices. The goal is to help you implement not just give you the information and hope you do it yourself If you’d like to speak with any of the current companies that I consult for I’m happy to make the connection.

I know some of you use subcontractors for a good portion of your work, and I assume you’ve developed a work order or job pay form for them, separate from the job details in HCP. Since we’re transitioning to a job-based pay structure, I’m trying to determine the best way to communicate compensation clearly. While they can see the job details and scope of work in Housecall Pro, I’m considering whether we should also provide a form that outlines the job and exactly how much it pays, or if it’s reasonable to expect them to calculate it themselves based on the hours allocated per task/job. I’d appreciate some insight into what you currently use for your subs—specifically, what your work order looks like and how you ensure they understand what they’re being paid for on each job.

Today was fun - we had to fire one of our newest employees (Estimator) Our follow up process, regardless of an approved or declined estimate requires that our team calls to get feedback on the experience with our employees. This form of feedback is the best, because it's directly from the clients you're trying to capture. Come to find out, a client told us that he had declined our initial estimate due to cost and that our employee called back on his personal phone and told the client he can do it personally for half the price. At this time, the client agreed and paid a 50% deposit. That is when things went south. Our now ex-employee ghosted the client, continued to lie about the reasoning, was driving our company vehicle, showing up in uniform all of which made the company look bad.. We made the easy decision to fire this employee, but would have never known this was going on behind our backs if it wasn't for a dialed in follow up process for EVERY client.. (Especially the ones who didn't approve). Needless to say, Handy's will be comping this gentlemen's project. It was an elderly man who wanted his shed redone for his wife's birthday. Don't be a shitty person. It'll always come back to bite you in the ass. Also, do happy calls ha!

I’m curious if anyone here has joined any professional handyman associations such as: > Association of Certified Handyman Professionals (ACHP) > United Handyman Association (UHA) > International Association of Professional Handyman Business Owners (IAPO). I’m exploring whether joining one of these organizations is worthwhile from a credibility and positioning standpoint — specifically to help separate a professional company from the “Chuck in a truck” low-ball segment of the market. If you’ve joined one, researched them, spoken with representatives, or have firsthand experience, I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts. Are there tangible business benefits? Has it helped with trust, marketing, pricing power, or networking? Any insight — positive or negative — would be extremely helpful.

I’m looking for recommendations on good places to get marketing design work done (brochures, flyers, literature, etc.). I recently tried working with a graphic designer/marketer from one of my networking groups. Her initial pricing was $300–$500 per design, which I agreed to. I then spent about an hour filling out a detailed brief explaining our company, goals, branding, and direction, followed by providing all images and draft text. I’m not a graphic designer—I just know what I like and don’t like. I expected the designer to take that information and turn it into something visually balanced and professional. Instead, I was told the text was “too much,” even though I clarified it was source content, not final copy. The first draft I received was honestly very poor and didn’t align with our brand at all. When I asked for revisions (most of the design needed changes), I was told it would cost an additional $175. There were no revision rounds included in the original price. Every designer I’ve worked with in the past has included at least 2–3 rounds of edits, so I ultimately canceled the project and was out the upfront cost. Now I’m looking for a better approach. I’ve used Hatch Wise and 99 Designs in the past for design contests—typically $300–$400—and you get dozens of designers submitting concepts, which I actually like. I’ve also heard Fiverr, and possibly places like Upwork or ClickUp or similar platforms, but I’d love real-world feedback. If anyone has had a good experience with a designer or platform, I’d really appreciate the recommendation. We’re expanding into commercial service and maintenance this year and want: - A professional brochure for that offering - A simple, clean warranty flyer to include in our presentation folders - And a few other updates to our flyers/brochures Nothing flashy—just polished, professional, and clearly better than what most competitors are handing out. Thanks in advance. I appreciate the help.