Real Advice for Running a Contracting Business

Financing & Lending

0% Financing for Contractors: The Real Math Behind Same-as-Cash

Wisetack's published fees run 3.9% to 9.9%. The break-even math, true 0% versus deferred interest, and why two prices can backfire.

9 minRead →

Supply & Materials

Supplier Accounts for Contractors: Contractor Pricing, Net 30, and Credit

How supply house pricing really works, what the credit application asks for, and the moves that get you better numbers from ABC Supply, SRS, QXO, and White Cap.

11 minRead →

Fleet & Vehicle

Fleet Basics for Contractors: GPS Tracking, Fuel Cards, and Maintenance

Real 2026 pricing from One Step GPS, Fleetio, and WEX, a maintenance calendar that beats the breakdown, and the trailer weight rule most crews are breaking.

10 minRead →

Safety & Compliance

OSHA Basics for Residential Contractors: What Actually Applies to a Small Crew

The six-foot rule, the paperwork a small crew really needs, what the OSHA 10 card is and is not, the 2026 penalty sheet, and the free help nobody uses.

11 minRead →

Payment Processing

How to Get Paid Faster as a Contractor

Compliant deposits, milestone billing, ACH versus cards, and the follow-up sequence that pulls weeks out of your receivables.

9 minRead →

Legal & Compliance

Contractor Contracts 101: What Every Residential Job Needs in Writing

The twelve must-have terms, the notices your state already requires, and the deposit caps most contractors break without knowing it.

10 minRead →

Insurance

biBERK vs Hiscox vs Thimble: Online Contractor Insurance Compared

Two carriers and one agency. Who actually holds the risk, what each publishes for price, and when buying insurance by the day makes sense.

9 minRead →

Software & Technology

Buildertrend vs JobTread vs Contractor Foreman: Which One Fits a Remodeler

Custom quote, $199 plus $20 a user, or $49 a month. Real September 2026 pricing, and the pricing model tells you who each one is built for.

10 minRead →

Financing & Lending

Wisetack vs Hearth vs GreenSky: What Contractor Financing Actually Costs You

Three fee models, not three companies. Once you see how each one bills you, the decision takes about five minutes.

8 minRead →

Insurance

The Hartford vs Progressive vs Next Insurance: Which One Actually Covers Contractors

Two of these three are partly agencies, one stopped writing contractor general liability, and all three publish very different numbers.

9 minRead →

HR & Staffing

How to Hire Your First Employee as a Contractor

The true cost, the registrations, the three forms with deadlines, and how to find someone worth all of it, in the right order.

8 minRead →

Software & Technology

Best Photo Documentation Apps for Contractors (2026)

CompanyCam, Fieldwire, Raken, and the photo tools already inside your PM software, compared with real 2026 pricing.

8 minRead →

Equipment & Tool Rental

Rent vs Buy: When a Contractor Should Own the Equipment

Rent until your own rental invoices prove you should buy. The receipts test, the full cost of owning, and the 2026 tax angle.

9 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

Local SEO for Contractors: How to Win the Map Pack

A complete Google Business Profile, a steady drip of real reviews, and clear signals about where you work. All free, and Google publishes the rules.

9 minRead →

HR & Staffing

1099 vs W-2: How to Classify Your Crew Correctly

The IRS looks at how you actually work together, not at your paperwork. What it costs to do it right, what it costs to get it wrong, and the way out.

11 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

How to Build a Contractor Website That Books Jobs

Five things decide whether a contractor website books work: a tappable phone number, your own photos, the towns you serve, real proof, and speed.

11 minRead →

Accounting & Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping for Contractors: The Simple System

One account, one card, a job code on every dollar, and twenty minutes every Friday. Plus real 2026 software pricing and the mid-year mileage change.

9 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads for Contractors

Real 2026 cost per lead on both platforms, why the cheaper lead is often the worse lead, and which one to start with based on your trade.

9 minRead →

Legal & Compliance

Lien Waivers Explained: How Contractors Get Paid

Conditional before payment, unconditional after it clears. The four forms, the 12 statutory-form states, and what to read before you sign.

10 minRead →

Payment Processing

Best Payment Processors for Contractors

Helcim, Square, Stripe, and the processor inside your software, compared with real 2026 rates, plus the ACH switch that saves the most.

11 minRead →

Software & Technology

Best Estimating Software for Contractors in 2026

Quick-quote app, cost database, or takeoff platform? Four real options with July 2026 pricing and honest tradeoffs.

10 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

How Much Should a Contractor Spend on Marketing?

5-8% to maintain, 8-15% to grow, what leads cost in 2026, and a five-minute way to budget backwards from the jobs you want.

9 minRead →

Insurance

General Liability Insurance: Cost and Coverage

Real 2026 numbers, the five things your policy will not pay for, and the one exclusion that surprises almost everybody.

10 minRead →

Software & Technology

Buildertrend vs JobNimbus vs Jobber

Three good tools built for three different contractors. Real July 2026 pricing and how to pick by the shape of your work.

11 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

How to Get Contractor Leads Without Paying for Ads

Reviving old estimates, jobsite marketing, and a Google Business Profile that works: real ways to fill the pipeline free.

9 minRead →

Software & Technology

Best Roofing CRM in 2026: 4 Real Options Compared

JobNimbus, AccuLynx, Roofr, and Leap compared with current pricing and honest pros and cons for roofing companies.

10 minRead →

Software & Technology

Top 10 Tools Every Residential Contractor Needs in 2026

The ten categories of tools that separate the contractors who are growing from the ones who are grinding.

9 minRead →

Insurance

The Complete Guide to Contractor Insurance

Every policy in plain English: what it covers, who needs it, and what it should actually cost.

12 minRead →

Financing & Lending

How to Offer Financing and Close More Jobs

The single biggest close-rate booster most contractors still aren't using on their estimates.

11 minRead →

Equipment & Rental

7 Equipment Rental Mistakes That Cost You Thousands

The quiet leaks draining your profit every time you rent, and exactly how to plug them.

12 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

How to Get More 5-Star Google Reviews

A simple, repeatable system for stacking the reviews that bring the phone calls.

6 minRead →

Insurance

The Real Cost of Not Having Workers Comp

Skip it and one bad day can take the truck, the house, and the business you built.

6 minRead →

Software & Technology

7 Signs You Need Better Project Management Software

If three of these hit home, you've outgrown the notebook and the group text for good.

7 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

Contractor Marketing 101: Where to Spend Your First $500

No $3,000 agency required. Here's where every single dollar should go first.

7 minRead →

Marketing & Lead Gen

How to Build a Referral System That Runs Itself

Turn happy customers into a steady stream of pre-sold leads, without chasing them.

8 minRead →