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Money Management


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Margin Math 101
Many magazine articles advise contractors to apply a "professional markup" to their bids. But what, exactly, is a professional markup? Read more on
Predicting Cash Flow
Avoid interest payments and late fees by predicting how much money you need and when you'll need it. Read more on
Use Cold Weather Months to Heat Up Next Year's Performance
As we enter the New Year, what better time could there be to reflect on the business season that just passed and take stock of your performance. Read more about

More Articles

Isn't it time to budget?
No matter what quarter you're in, most of you have closed the books for the last month and you are able to see your progress to date for this business year. Are you happy with the... Learn more about
QuickBooks Pro vs. Contractor: Which Is Better?
As a certified QuickBooks advisor, I am asked by a lot of contractors who are already using QuickBooks Pro ($300 retail) whether upgrading...
Let BuildWorks Basic and Quicken Show You the Money
Compared with Timberline or Great Plains, Intuit's QuickBooks Pro is a simple entry-level accounting system. But "simple" is a relative term. For a small contractor...
Bidding Errors To Avoid
I've been a carpenter for 21 years and have had my own general contracting business for the last 16 years. Recently I...
How to Improve Your Business Immediately!
With this booming economy you must be making tons of money and enjoying the fruits of your efforts. No? Then you must be one of the 9 out of 10 contractors scrambling just to survive?Get Tips to
Allocating Overhead to Labor Makes Financial Sense
If I were to ask ten contractors how they calculate and apply overhead (indirect expense) to their estimates or time-and-material work...Read more on
Making the Markup Move
Builders become builders because they love to build things, not because they're passionate about sales calls and estimating. Learn How to
Five Reasons Contractors Lose Money
Contractors big and small sometimes find their companies in the red. Learn the 5 common reasons
The Golden Rule: When You Do the Work, You Get Paid
How much more money could you be making if you weren't chasing project after project only to find that the homeowner doesn't have a realistic picture of what their project...Read more about
Small Business Tax Tips that Can Make a Big Difference
Whether tax savings are put back into the business to make it grow or used to put you and your family into a better financial position, a good tax strategy is too valuable to...Read more on
Our Center for Managing Your Money is here to help you manage the financial side of your business. You are good at your trade, but often that ability does not translate into solid financial management. Frankly, it intimidates most people. As a result, ~we provide the kind of articles and advice that will help you to understand best practices when it comes to taxes or what to do with excess profits or how to build your business to grow.