The contractor back-office checklist most solo trades learn the hard way
One page. Pricing, paperwork, getting paid, and taxes — the stuff nobody hands you when you go out on your own. Free, no fluff, no daily emails.
- What to nail down before you quote your next job
- The paperwork that protects your margin when a job changes
- How to set up getting-paid so you’re not chasing checks
- The tax + bookkeeping basics that save you at year-end
Send me the checklist
Free PDF, straight to your inbox.
What’s on it
Four parts of the business, one page.
Pricing & estimating. Loaded labor cost, markup vs. margin, and the waste factors that quietly eat profit. Links to the free calculators that do the math.
Contracts & paperwork. The handful of documents — proposal, change order, lien waiver — that keep a job from turning into a dispute.
Getting paid. Deposits, payment terms, and invoice wording that gets you paid in days, not months.
Taxes & bookkeeping. What to track all year, the deductions trades miss, and how to not get burned at quarterly-tax time.
After the checklist
Tools that do the work for you.
The checklist points you at the free calculators and, when you’re ready to stop rebuilding spreadsheets, the template library — estimating, job costing, contracts, and invoicing built around how a real trade workflow runs.
Questions
Quick answers.
Is it really free?
Yes. The checklist is free — it’s how most people first meet Trade Templates Co. You’ll join the email list, and you can leave anytime with one click.
What do I get, exactly?
A one-page PDF punch list covering pricing, paperwork, getting paid, and taxes, with links to the free calculators and guides on the site.
How often will you email me?
Rarely. A note when a genuinely useful template or guide drops — not daily blasts or recycled “10 tips” filler.
Do I need to buy anything?
No. The checklist and all three calculators are free. The paid templates are there if and when you want to save the time of building them yourself.