Practical financial insights for trade contractors. No fluff, no theory—just what actually moves the needle on profit and cash flow.
The complete framework: profit optimization, cash flow management, tax strategy, KPIs, growth systems, valuation building, and exit planning. Based on 25 years and 100,000+ tax returns.
Three exit paths compared: private equity, strategic buyer, and family succession. Multiples, timelines, tax implications, and what each demands.
The entity structure decision can save or cost a contractor $20K-$50K per year. Full side-by-side comparison with recommendations by revenue level.
Three options for financial management, compared: what each does, what each costs, and which fits your stage as a $3M-$8M trade contractor.
A 90-minute meeting, once a quarter, that catches problems before they become crises. Here is the exact agenda and how to run it.
110,000 unfilled positions. 23,000 techs leaving annually. Here is how to win the talent war—and why it matters for your valuation.
Private equity acquired 800+ trade companies in 3 years. Whether you plan to sell or not, this consolidation wave changes your competitive landscape.
Selling for $2M is great—until $600K goes to taxes. Here is how to structure the sale to minimize the bite.
S-Corp salary, distributions, retirement contributions, and estimated payments—the tax-efficient way to take money out of your business.
Hitting $3M felt like an achievement. Growing past it feels impossible. The bottleneck is not the market—it is the business model you built to get here.
This single metric tells you more about your business health than total revenue ever could. Here is the benchmark and how to move it.
Recurring revenue is the #1 driver of valuation multiples. Here is the playbook to build a service agreement program from scratch.
If your business cannot run for 90 days without you, it is not a business—it is a job. Buyers will not pay a premium for a job.
Your P&L says you are profitable. Your bank account says otherwise. Here is why these two numbers diverge—and which one keeps the lights on.
Most contractors start thinking about selling 6 months before they want out. That is 2.5 years too late. Here is the quarter-by-quarter playbook.
Most contractors fly blind on their numbers. These 10 KPIs—tracked monthly—tell you whether you are building wealth or slowly going broke.
PE firms have bought 800+ trade companies since 2022. Here is their evaluation checklist—and what makes them walk away.
Full schedule, empty bank account. The problem is not revenue—it is the gap between what you think you make and what hits the bank.
Same revenue. Same profit. One gets $750K, the other gets $1.05M. The difference is entirely in how the business is structured.
More than half of HVAC businesses listed for sale never close. The two reasons are fixable—if you know about them 3 years before you list.
Trade contractors overpay taxes by $20K-$50K/year. Here are 12 legal strategies — S-Corp elections, R&D credits, Augusta Rule, cost segregation — most CPAs never mention.
Month-by-month breakdown of what a fractional CFO does for trade contractors in the $3-8M range. P&L intelligence, cash flow forecasting, tax projections, strategic advisory.
Should your contracting business elect S-Corp status? Real breakeven math at $150K, $300K, $500K net income. Reasonable salary rules, California considerations, and LLC-electing-S-Corp explained.
Your accountant says you made $200K last year. Your bank account says otherwise. Here's why the P&L is the wrong report to run your business on.
Stop wondering if you can make payroll. The 13-week rolling forecast gives you a 90-day window into your cash reality—here's how to build one.
Most contractors know their total profit. Few know which jobs made money and which ones bled it. Here's how to finally get job-level clarity.
You bid 25% markup thinking you'll net 25%. You won't. Here's the math error almost every contractor makes—and how to fix your pricing.
Your project manager is also doing estimates, dispatch, and collections. That's costing you 40% of their productive time. Here's how to fix the field vs office split.
That GC who slow-pays and nickels you on every change order? Here's how to calculate whether they're worth keeping—and how to let them go.
Most tax planning happens too late. Here's why your mid-year decisions matter more than year-end scrambles—and what to do about it.
Work-in-progress reports aren't just for bonding companies. They're the clearest view of where your money actually is. Here's how to read yours.
Most contractors think growth means adding more services. The profitable ones know growth comes from ruthlessly eliminating the work that doesn't pay.
Most contractors collect 10% deposits and wait 90 days for final payment. Here's why flipping that ratio transforms your cash flow overnight.
Most contractors never stop to ask: what should I keep doing, stop doing, and start doing? This simple framework separates growing companies from stuck ones.
Your service techs are your best salespeople—if they know what to say. Here's how to build a simple script they'll actually use and close more add-on work.
Growth doesn't solve problems—it exposes them. Here's what scaling your contracting business will reveal about your systems, your team, and yourself.
Your top salesperson closes at 40%. Everyone else is at 15%. Here's how to build a sales process that works without depending on individual talent.
One billing change adds 8% to your service agreement revenue with zero extra work. Here's the math on billing every 4 weeks instead of monthly.
Deep dives into the numbers that matter most for hvac businesses.
Annual budgets fail HVAC businesses because of seasonality. The 13-week cash forecast gives you a rolling 90-day view so you're never surprised by cash crunches again.
Forget generic KPIs. Here are the 7 HVAC-specific financial metrics that actually tell you if your business is healthy—with good vs danger zone benchmarks.
You bid 25%, you bank 8%. Here are the 5 specific levers HVAC contractors can pull to close the gap between bid and bank and hit real 15%+ net margins.
You're proud you never say no. But is your 24/7 after-hours service making money or losing it? Here's how to calculate if emergency calls are a profit center or a charity.
Your P&L says you made money. Your bank account says otherwise. Here's why HVAC contractors in the $3M-$8M range are profitable on paper but constantly short on cash.
Deep dives organized by the things that actually move profit for contractors.
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