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How Much Should You Really Be Charging?

EnergizeUsEdu
The number one question I receive is tied directly to the fact, most contractors are still guessing when it comes to pricing.

Overhead.
Profit.
Labor rate.
Trip fees.

They think just because they throw a number they hear their competitors use, thats all that they need.

It may work, but how and what do you divide these funds is just as important for your business health.

If you don’t know how to do the math, you’re not building a business. You’re surviving check to check and think you need more work, when you do not.

So here’s the plan:
This Tuesday & Thursday on IG, I’m walking you through our Contractor Price Builder Worksheet FREE on instagram live.

We will cover:

- How to calculate your real hourly rate
- The difference between markup and margin
- Why profit is a non-negotiable
- And how to price with confidence

Join the session.
Bring your numbers.

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👋 Welcome! Introduce Yourself Here

Aiden Schneider
RavinBuilders said:
  • Name or nickname: Kevin Choquette @ravinbuikders
  • Trade(s): Decks and Backyards. Previously home builder/remodeling/commercial
  • Where you’re based: Rhode Island
  • What kind of work you do: Big Deck Energy
  • Biggest win lately: 220 lb bigeye tuna 🎣
  • What brought you here / what you’re hoping to get out of this community: Colab with the homies 🤙
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@RavinBuilders we're gonna need some proof on that tuna
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👋 Welcome! Introduce Yourself Here

Aiden Schneider
SlimBrick said:
Jessie Demler / SlimBrick
Commercial masonry foreman that gets to lay brick/block occasionally 😂
Northern Utah
Lay brick, block, or stone and put out job site fires.
Every day I get to come home to a happy pup and beautiful wife, that’s always a win
Aiden brought me here. S/o CompanyCam haha hopefully going to see a really great online community of tradespeople and those within CompanyCam as well since I love everyone I know within the company!

🤘
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@SlimBrick but who is your favorite?
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What is the best business advice you ever received?

John Talman
nick said:
"Spend 80% of your time on the 20%."

Assuming that 80% of the results come from 20% of the work, spending 80% of your time improving the 20% will get you further than trying to improve the other 80%.

In other words, focusing on making the "good" even better is more worth your time than trying to make the "okay" better.
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I dig this, @nick
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Most Contractors Problems Are Communication Problems

EnergizeUsEdu
I learned this the hard way - I always assumed people knew or understood what I needed, instead of communicating because I did not want to have the hard conversation. I wanted to be liked more than understood.

But here’s what I’ve learned the hard way:
Most mistakes, delays, and drama on a jobsite don’t come from bad workers — they come from unclear instructions.

It’s not that people don’t want to do good work.
It’s that we assume they understood what we meant.

And when assumptions lead the conversation, everything breaks down.

So I built this visual to help myself, my team, and now other contractors get clear.

What’s one breakdown you’ve had that could’ve been solved with clearer communication?
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Saying You Want Growth.. If You’re Not Willing to Change

EnergizeUsEdu
Everybody says they want to grow…
but no one talks about what actually needs to change.

You can’t keep doing the same thing, with the same habits, and expect new results.

At some point, you’ve got to ask:
If I keep running my business like this… am I gonna get what I really want?

This is where I stopped, and created this graphic for our company to review.
What do you think? Does it hold value?
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Walt Disney sketched his empire on a napkin. Here’s ours

EnergizeUsEdu
Walt Disney once sketched the future of his entire company on a napkin.
Studios, parks, licensing, characters, media, all connected, all feeding each other. Like an eco system.

That inspired me to create our own.

This is my flywheel, for our 5 year plan.
Every piece in here, from trade schools to disaster relief, HR services to supply chain, events to real estatse, connects to one mission:

Build people. Build systems. Build opportunity in the trades.
With Builders and Leaders.

I’m not trying to run a business that survives year to year.
I want a ecosystem that outlives me, one that pushes the skilled trades forward, from every angle.

How about you all? What gets you fired up? What is your vision?

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The Crazy Path We Choose: Why Are We Really Doing This?

EnergizeUsEdu
Let’s be honest, it takes a certain kind of crazy to walk away from a steady paycheck, health benefits, a pension, and 401(k)…

…just to trade it for stress, uncertainty, no consistent work, and no safety net.

And here we are.

Every one of us who left a “sane” path to start our own thing made a decision that doesn’t make logical sense to most people.

We chose the crazy path.

Most people won’t understand that we didn’t choose this because it’s easy.

Either way, When the stress hits, do you question it?
When you look around at people with benefits and security, do you wonder if you made the wrong call?
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You Quit Your Job to Start a Business — So Why Gamble on a Used Truck?

EnergizeUsEdu
Everybody says the same thing:
“Just buy a used truck, it’s cheaper.”

Yet, That same truck breaks down 3–6 months later.
Now your jobs are delayed. You’re borrowing vehicles from your spouse or rental.
You’re stressed out and behind on bills. And suddenly the “cheaper option” is costing you way more.

Here's my personal take:
You quit your job ... You are betting 100% on yourself, to care for your livelihood.
If you’re betting your whole future on this business — why risk it with a vehicle that might leave you stranded?

I hate blaming others, or the lack of accountability. So if I can control one variable — like my ability to show up to the job, that will pay me for my services... I’m going to do it.

But that's just my opinion. My hot take, What do you all think?

I created this visual for myself to follow and share whenever anyone is deciding to get a vehicle.
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Everyone Wants to HIRE the “3–5 Year Guy” — But Why?

EnergizeUsEdu
Once again, contractors are falling into the same pattern.

I keep seeing posts on Instagram that say: “Must have 3–5 years experience.”What do you guys think about this?

Here’s my take:
It’s because most people want someone they can toss straight into the field.

No training. No culture building. Just go-go-go.
But that’s how we end up with more bad hires than good ones.

Here’s the truth:
Hiring talent doesn’t fix broken systems. If you don’t know what problem you’re solving — even the “perfect” hire won’t help.

So I made this visual graphic to help.
This is how I think through hiring when I know I’m ready to grow.

What are your thoughts?
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👋 Welcome! Introduce Yourself Here

John Talman
EnergizeUsEdu said:
Name or nickname: Will Betances

Trade(s): Electrical Contractor | Educator

Where you’re based: Connecticut

What kind of work you do: We specialize in residential, commercial, and clean energy installs through Energize Us LLC. I also run Energize Us EDU Inc., a nonprofit focused on apprenticeship training, leadership development, and workforce education.

Biggest win lately: Built a 7-figure business in under 4 years. Recently featured in Forbes, RE+, and on track to train 1,000+ tradesmen & women in our flagship event through our national programs.

What brought you here / what you’re hoping to get out of this community: I’m here to connect with other builders, share resources, and raise the bar for what it means to be a contractor in today’s world, breaking old stigmas related to the construction industry.
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Hey Will!! Great to see you here!
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We Hired for Skill & We Got Burnt.

EnergizeUsEdu
When I first started hiring, I focused on work ethic and skills. We all look for the 3-5 year guy in the field.

That’s how I saw every other electrician hire. Until we’ve trained side-by-side with leaders from the Ritz Carlton, studied what world-class hiring really looks like, and built our own system to bring it into the trades.

But after years in the field, and now in my own electrical contracting company, I’ve learned that’s not enough.

The trades have a people problem because we skip the part that matters:
Character. Trust. Vision.

And it’s how we filter now.
What do you all think?

What do you guys think?
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Do Electrical Contractors Understand Costs ?

EnergizeUsEdu
I’m not talking about materials and labor.

I’m talking about the real costs, not just the bare minimum ... the hidden stuff that slowly eats away at your margin while you’re out chasing the next job.

After spending the last few months traveling with contractors across the country, I keep seeing the same problem:

Everyone talks about revenue or price like it means anything
So here I created another visual...

A Blueprint to Understanding Cost — Because I’m tired of watching good contractors work hard and still stay broke.
This is everything that goes into the number before you even think about profit.

What do you guys think?
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Why do most contractors copy what they see — and wonder why it doesn’t work?

EnergizeUsEdu
Hey Everyone

My names Will, Im an Electrical Contractor out in the New England area (Connecticut / Massachuseets)

Last year and a half, I been traveling the US speaking and working with contractors, working with them in the field and hosting podcasts...

And something surprised me and it's starting to become a pattern in our industry.

The biggest mistake I see tradesmen-turned-business-owners make?

They chase what someone else is doing, when It comes to pricing, life styles, how they even act — Instead of figuring out what they actually need.
Before you start hiring, expanding, or throwing money at tools, you need to ask yourself:

What am I really trying to fix?

That’s why I built this visual — a Blueprint to Defining Success — so we stop copying other businesses and start building with purpose.

Would love to expose myself now and ask what do you all think?
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