Guides for trade business owners
Practical, plain-English guides on running and growing a trade business, written by Amine from KitFinch.
One topic per guide, each with sources you can check yourself.
Pricing your work
How to Price Cleaning Jobs
How to price cleaning jobs: build a fully-loaded hourly rate, add supplies and overhead, then decide when to quote hourly, flat-rate or per square foot.
How to Price Electrical Jobs
How to price electrical jobs: build a fully-loaded hourly rate, add materials and overhead, then decide when to quote hourly versus flat-rate.
How to Price Handyman Jobs
How to price handyman jobs: build a fully-loaded hourly rate, add materials and overhead, then decide when to quote hourly versus flat-rate.
How to Price HVAC Jobs
How to price HVAC jobs: calculate labor cost, overhead and margin, and decide when to charge hourly versus flat-rate for installs and service calls.
How to Price Landscaping Jobs
The formula for pricing landscaping jobs: labor cost, materials and equipment, overhead per billable hour and margin, plus hourly vs flat-rate billing.
How to Price Painting Jobs
How to price painting jobs: build a fully-loaded hourly rate, add materials and overhead, set your margin, and decide hourly vs flat-rate pricing.
How to Price Plumbing Jobs
The formula for pricing plumbing jobs: fully-loaded labor cost, materials, overhead per billable hour and margin, plus when to charge hourly vs flat rate.
How to Price Roofing Jobs: A Step-by-Step Method
How to price roofing jobs: build a per-square rate from labor cost, materials, overhead and margin, and decide when to bid hourly instead.
Software basics
How Payroll Software Works
How payroll software calculates pay, withholds and files taxes, and runs direct deposit, plus when a small business needs it over doing payroll by hand.
How to Choose Software for a Service Business
How to choose software for a 1-20 person service business: which jobs to solve first, one system vs several, and criteria that matter more than features.
What Is a POS System?
What a point-of-sale (POS) system does beyond taking payments: order entry, inventory, reporting, and which type fits a small restaurant or shop.
What Is an AI Receptionist?
What an AI receptionist actually does, how it differs from a human answering service, and how a small service business decides whether it needs one.
What Is CRM Software?
What CRM software is, what it actually does for a small service business, how it differs from field service software, and how to tell if you need one.
What Is Field Service Management Software?
What field service management software does for plumbers, HVAC and electricians: scheduling, dispatch, quoting, and how to tell if you need it.
Running the business
Selling your trade business
How buyers value a small service business (SDE multiples, recurring contracts, owner dependence), how to prepare the sale, and the trade-offs between a direct sale, a broker and a marketplace.