Your First 30 Days in TradeOps Collective — The Checklist
Don't jump around randomly. Follow this checklist. It takes 30 days to see the impact. Week 1: Foundation Day 1: Introduce yourself in Community Discussion (who you are, what kind of trades, what problem you're trying to solve) Day 1: Download the Invoice Template Pack from Money & Finance (saves 5 hours/week) Day 2: Download the Cash Flow Tracker (shows you exactly where money is stuck) Day 3: Watch "How to use the Invoice Template Pack" training (10 min) Day 4: Set up the Bookkeeping System in your spreadsheet or QB Day 5: Download one of the Sales templates (Proposal Template or Closing Script) Day 6-7: Rest or start implementing—no forcing it Week 2: Cash Flow Fix Watch "Cash Flow Fundamentals for Contractors" training (15 min) Plug your last 3 months of income into the Cash Flow Tracker Find where money is sitting (slow customer payments, subcontractor timing, material costs, labor absorption) Watch "Payment Terms Negotiation Script" (8 min)—implement with your next invoice Post questions in Community Discussion (we answer same day) Week 3: Lead Flow & Sales Download the Lead Capture System from Marketing (organizing leads, follow-up process) Watch "How to Stop Missing Calls" (10 min) Set up one lead source (Google Local Service Ads or community referral tracking) Review one Sales template and adapt it to your specific service Share your lead strategy in the group (we'll give feedback) Week 4: Operations & Crew Download the Job Management System from Operations Watch "Scheduling Reality: Managing Subs and Crew" (12 min) Set up job tracking for your next 5 jobs (test it) Download the Crew Workflows guide (your team process—searchable) If you're using Jobber or Wave, hit the "Tools I Recommend" section for setup guides By Day 30: You've eliminated 5+ hours of admin work per week (Invoice Template alone does this) You know where your cash flow gets stuck and have a fix in motion You have a lead capture system running