Books / The First 90 Days of a Trades Business
The First 90 Days of a Trades Business
by Steve Kennedy
License. Estimate. Build.
Ninety days, one week at a time, for an electrician, plumber, painter, carpenter or any tradesperson going out on their own: licenses and permits, insurance and bonds, the truck and the tools, estimates that make money, contracts and change orders, deposits and liens, sales tax, job records, helpers and winning work. Each week follows an invented electrical contractor, with plain steps, the mistakes people make, and five things to have done by Friday.
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Thirteen weeks
License · Days 1 to 28
- Week 1Your Trade, Your Market, Your First Jobs
- Week 2Licenses, Permits and Who Can Pull Them
- Week 3Insurance, Bonds and Safety
- Week 4Truck, Tools and the Shop
Estimate · Days 29 to 56
- Week 5Estimating That Makes Money
- Week 6Contracts, Change Orders and the Right to Cancel
- Week 7Deposits, Progress Payments and Liens
- Week 8Sales Tax on Labor and Materials
Build · Days 57 to 90
- Week 9Scheduling, Dispatch and Job Records
- Week 10Helpers and Subcontractors
- Week 11Winning Work
- Week 12Warranty, Callbacks and Complaints
- Week 13The Day 90 Job Review
A sample: how Week 1 begins
Week 1: Your Trade, Your Market, Your First Jobs The story.
Andre Bell gave Kessler Electric two weeks' notice on a Friday, and on Monday morning his old boss called him into the office.
Frank Kessler had hired Andre at nineteen, as an apprentice who could barely bend conduit. Twelve years later Andre was the electrician Kessler sent to the jobs that had to go right. Frank was not angry. He was curious.
"What are you going to do?"
What comes with the book
- The 90-day checklist: every "Before Friday" list in one file.
- A printable 13-week calendar.
- Estimating worksheet (Excel).
- Job contract outline.
- Change order form.
- Deposit and progress payment schedule.
- Job completion and sign-off sheet.
- Subcontractor onboarding checklist.
- Mechanic's lien notice calendar.
- Sales tax on labor and materials worksheet.
- State contractor licensing links sheet.
- Download every file from the book's bonus page; the link is in Appendix D.
- Works on paper, in a spreadsheet or in any system you use now. Each week ends with a short note on where All In One For Profit does that week's work.
- General guidance, not legal, tax or accounting advice.
What readers say
Free on an annual plan
Businesses on a paid annual plan of All In One For Profit get every book in the series free, inside the platform. See the plans at https://www.allinoneforprofit.com/pricing/, or take the setup assessment at https://www.allinoneforprofit.com/assessment/.
About the author
Steve Kennedy is the founder of All In One For Profit and All In One Nonprofit. He built the platform, and wrote this series, for the owners who do the work all day and the paperwork at night. More about Steve
The whole series
Six books: the small business owner, the private practice, the trades business, marketing a service business, running the books and your first hire: https://www.allinoneforprofit.com/books/