At some point you’ve got to make it official, and most guys either overpay somebody to do it or put it off until a client’s attorney or a bad job forces the issue. Here’s the short version of what you actually need, in the order you need it.

Short version: start simple, get an LLC once you've got real stuff to lose, and don't touch the S-corp election until you're clearing somewhere around $60K–$80K in profit and your bookkeeping is buttoned up.

If your business runs on phone calls (and let's be honest, most trades still do), you need to know where those calls come from. Not a gut feeling. Real numbers.

When undertaking construction projects, whether large or small, it's crucial to address potential risks and protect yourself from unforeseen circumstances. One significant aspect of safeguarding your business is securing contractor insurance. The short answer is YES. The long answer is also YES.

There are a few alternatives to Yardbook to consider that are specially designed to assist with managing various aspects of landscaping and service-based businesses, such as scheduling, invoicing, customer management, and more.

When considering alternatives accounting platforms, it's essential to evaluate the specific needs of your business, the scalability of the software, integration capabilities with other business tools, cost considerations, and user-friendliness.

Here's the thing nobody tells you when you claim your Nextdoor business page — "claimed" and "verified" are two different animals

So let's talk about the two things that actually make your Facebook page work: consistently posting and reviews.

Alright, let's talk about the one piece of free marketing most guys in the trades still haven't set up right: a Facebook Business Page.

If you're still running your leads out of a notebook, a whiteboard, or forty text threads with "Smith Job" and "Smith Job Gutters" in the names, you've probably heard a buddy mention JobNimbus at some point.

Look, I get it — another app, another login, another thing to "manage." But here's the thing about Nextdoor: it's not LinkedIn, it's not some algorithm chasing engagement, it's literally your neighbors asking "does anyone know a good [insert your trade here]" in real time.