If you’re like most of the business owners I talk to, you didn't get into this work to spend your weekends staring at spreadsheets. You got it because you love building things—transforming a patch of dirt into a beautiful landscape or a rundown house into a home. You're a contractor, a landscaper, a builder... not a bookkeeper.
I get it.
And because you're so busy working in your business, it’s easy to feel stressed. You have a steady stream of jobs and money is coming in, but you never seem to have enough left over. You pay your crew, buy materials, and put gas in the trucks, but then you look at your bank account and wonder, “Where did it all go?”
You know your top-line revenue—the total amount of money you’re bringing in—but you can’t tell you the profit margin on your last five jobs. You have a sense that some clients are more profitable than others, but you don't have the data to back it up. You're making decisions based on your gut, and your gut is starting to feel a little queasy.
Maybe this sounds familiar. It’s a common problem for hard-working business owners in the trades.
The problem isn't that you’re not working hard enough. It’s that you don't have control of your finances.
You're trying to grow a business when you don't know the most important numbers. This leads to sleepless nights and a constant feeling of uncertainty. You might be making great money, but if you don't know where it's going, you can never truly feel secure.
Think of it like this: You wouldn't start a construction project without a blueprint, right? So why are you trying to build a business without a financial blueprint? Your finances are the foundation of your business, and without a solid understanding of them, your business is built on a shaky foundation. You deserve to feel confident, not constantly worried about what the numbers will look like.
Getting this control isn't about becoming a certified public accountant or spending hours every day on paperwork. It's about setting up simple, repeatable systems that give you the information you need, when you need it. It’s about getting the peace of mind and the data you need to make smart, objective decisions. These decisions will ultimately help you grow your business more effectively and, most importantly, give you back your time and energy to focus on what you love to do.
This week, here’s one simple action you can take:
Take just 15 minutes and list your top 5 business expenses from the last month. Don't worry about perfect numbers, just get the big categories on paper: fuel, materials, subcontractor fees, marketing, etc. This is the first step toward seeing where your money is actually going. This simple exercise will give you a quick snapshot of your spending and is the first step toward building your financial blueprint.