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Hey, let me ask you something.

Have you ever finished a busy month—jobs rolling in, crews staying busy, trucks running all week—and yet, you still felt broke?

You wonder, “Where the heck did all the money go?”

I’ve been there. And I’ve worked with dozens of guys just like you—hardworking, booked solid, and still struggling to make the numbers work.

Today, we’re talkin’ about a tool most contractors think they don’t need… but absolutely do.

It’s called budgeting—and I promise it’s not just for accountants or big corporations. It’s for guys like us who want to take control of their business and finally make some real money.

A budget is just a plan for your money. That’s it.

Not a restriction, not a punishment—it’s a tool that tells your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.

Here’s why it matters:

1. You stop guessing. No more flying blind. You know exactly how much you can spend on materials, labor, gas, insurance—before the month starts.

2. You stop bleeding cash. You see what’s draining you. Maybe you’re spending $1,200/month on tools but only budgeting $300. That tells you something.

3. You sleep better. No more hoping you have enough for payroll or taxes. You’ll know—because it’s all planned out.

When you don’t have a budget, here’s what can happen:

• You say yes to every job—even the ones that lose money
• You overspend on gear and underpay yourself
• You forget about taxes, then get crushed in April
• You hire people you can’t afford
• You price based on emotion—not numbers

Story from the field:

I worked with a handyman named Derek. He had a crew of three, steady work, but every month was chaos. No budget, no plan. He was always behind—robbing Peter to pay Paul.

When we set up a simple monthly budget—on a whiteboard, nothing fancy—he saw he was overpaying on dump fees, had a subscription he didn’t use, and wasn’t charging enough on small jobs.

Within 90 days, he dropped $1,400 in waste, raised rates 10%, and finally gave himself a paycheck he could count on.

You don’t need QuickBooks or a CPA to budget. Here’s a simple way to do it.

STEP 1: Figure out your fixed costs

These are the bills that hit every month, no matter what:

• Truck payments
• Insurance
• Phone/internet
• Office rent or storage
• Software subscriptions
• Salaries

Add ‘em up. That’s your monthly overhead.

STEP 2: Know your variable costs

These change based on the job:

• Materials
• Subs/labor
• Gas
• Dump fees
• Job site supplies

Estimate what these usually are as a percentage of revenue. Track them for a month or two.

STEP 3: Pay yourself and plan for taxes

Don’t forget:

• Owner’s pay (you need to eat!)
• Taxes (set aside 15–20%)

STEP 4: Use simple categories

Set monthly dollar limits for each:

• Materials
• Labor
• Fuel
• Tools
• Profit
• Owner’s pay
• Taxes
• Misc

STEP 5: Review weekly

Spend 5–10 minutes each week looking at where you are compared to the plan.

Let me tell you about Angel, a guy who runs a small electrical business.

For years, he was undercharging just to stay busy. He didn’t track his numbers. Didn’t budget. Was making $180K in sales but taking home less than $35K a year.

We set up a budget. Found out he was spending nearly $2,000/month at Home Depot without trackin

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