#trades
Track trades, investments, and portfolio transactions
Small HVAC and plumbing shops sell for 2.0x–3.5x SDE while assembled PE platforms exit at 17x–20x EBITDA — that multiple arbitrage powers the roll-up wave. Here's what determines your number, why $200K of rejected add-backs can cost $1.3M at closing, and how clean books protect your price.
How independent RV repair shops should structure their books to track retail vs. warranty vs. insurance labor rates (warranty often pays 10–25% below retail), age manufacturer reimbursements that take 2–3 months to arrive, and verify a tiered parts markup against a 50–60% gross margin target.
In most states taxidermy labor — not just materials — is subject to sales tax, and accurate mount pricing requires materials, labor, and allocated overhead; this guide covers job costing, sales tax rules, and cash flow forecasting for a trade where most revenue lands in a three-month season.
A practical bookkeeping playbook for solo and two-to-five-truck handyman operators — ASC 606 treatment of time-and-materials and flat-rate work, state licensing dollar thresholds, W-2 vs 1099 subcontractor exposure under the 2024 DOL rule and state ABC tests, Section 179 and de minimis safe harbor for trucks and tools, and the four KPIs that show whether the schedule is profitable.
A working guide to bookkeeping for mobile auto glass shops — ASC 606 revenue recognition across insurance, fleet, and cash-pay jobs, ADAS recalibration as a separable performance obligation, Section 179 on calibration equipment and cargo van buildouts, worker classification under the 2024 DOL rule, and the KPIs (installs per tech-day, calibration attach rate, per-truck contribution) that predict whether the operation survives.
How residential roofers and storm restoration contractors should handle ASC 606 variable consideration, Section 460 elections, supplemental claim revenue, customer deductibles under state law, OSHA fall protection costs, and the KPIs (squares per crew-day, gross margin by channel) that separate profitable shops from busy ones.
How HVAC contractors should structure their books: deferred revenue under ASC 606 for maintenance plans, EPA Section 608 and AIM Act refrigerant recordkeeping after the 15-pound threshold and R-410A phase-down, Section 179 deductions for service vans, and the five KPIs that actually predict cash flow.
Painting contractors lose margin in three places — unmeasured prep hours, a wrong burdened labor rate, and unreserved callbacks. This guide shows the chart of accounts, EPA RRP cost treatment, warranty reserve journal entries, and lender-grade KPIs that keep residential and commercial painters profitable.
A practical accounting framework for septic and onsite wastewater operators — splitting residential pumping, grease, portable toilet, inspection, and repair revenue; reconciling disposal manifests; expensing vacuum trucks under Section 179; and reserving for drain-field warranty claims.
A guide to the bookkeeping decisions that move locksmith margins — separating emergency from standard revenue, per-SKU transponder inventory, Section 179 van elections, ALOA licensing tracking, and dispatch-software-to-GL reconciliation.
A working playbook for mobile mechanic bookkeeping — tiered labor rates, a parts markup matrix targeting 58% gross margin, actual-expense vs 72.5-cent standard mileage, Section 179 on scan tools and upfitted cargo vans, comeback warranty reserves, and quarterly Schedule C obligations.
How tree care companies should structure their books — separating workers' comp class 0106 payroll, allocating bucket truck and chipper hours per job, reserving for e-mod surges, and pricing crews off a true burdened cost-per-hour rate.
