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Income minus expenses equals gross profit. Your gross profit is the amount you use to run your company and create profits. Job-costing is how you can track the income and the costs you incur to perform each of your jobs. It’s how you get to see the gross profit you earn on each of your projects. Your perception of what you want to see from a job-costing system may be very different than another business owner’s concepts. Why? Because there is no single prescription that fits everyone’s needs.
Job cost reporting can reveal the true costs and profits for each job as they happen, allowing you to fix issues before they cost you… Are you keeping a close eye on your materials costs, ‘shopping’ for the best deals on equipment, and managing employees so that they are making more money than they actually …
In this article, I’ll explain gross profit percentage and markup, AND I’ll give you 2 free “Quick Conversion Charts” to print and carry with you to quickly calculate markup and gross profit percentage. To succeed in business, it’s important to understand two key concepts: gross profit (margin) and markup. Let’s start with some definitions. What …
You Found the Perfect Seminar… It’s the training resource you’ve been looking for to make the changes you want in your company. The main problem – your QuickBooks company file was set up wrong from day one. You’ve been making do, but haven’t been getting the job-costing information you need. Now you’ve found the solution …
Consider how these labor burden hiring decisions increase (or decrease) profits… Labor Burden Tip #5: Before You Hire, Know the Real Cost of Another Employee Hiring can help your business grow. More people can mean more work completed, faster turnaround, better customer service, and less pressure on your existing team. But here’s the point: adding …
3 Innovative Options to Conquer Construction Chaos Whether you’re a trade contractor in the electrical, plumbing, or HVAC specialties, a remodeler or custom builder, or in charge of dispatching technicians, this session is designed with your needs in mind. Discover how to Conquer Construction Chaos using three cutting-edge software solutions (ECI BuildTools, Bolt, and Thermogrid.) …
Every business owner needs to know how to calculate their gross profit margin (%) and net profit margin (%). After all, it’s what shows you how much profit you’re making! As a business owner or bookkeeper, the most important numbers you’ll ever need to know may very well be your profit margins. There are two …
Finding clients and providing products and services – that’s just the beginning! Here’s how to be more profitable with QuickBooks… Successfully managing your own company means that you need to get profitable – and stay that way. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t realize how their day-to-day financial info impacts their profits. To achieve consistent profitability, …
January to December… Our calendar encourages us to divide our personal and business lives into those 12-month chunks of time. But what could happen if we decided to break out of that traditional mind-set – especially when it comes to business planning? My “15-Month-Year” Business Planning & Coaching Session I recently sat in …
AI Workshops, Coaching, and Support for QBO: Change is in the air at Info Plus! After 30 years of helping businesses succeed with QuickBooks Desktop and job-costing solutions, we’re proud to announce our new name: Info Plus Consulting, Inc. That’s because we’re adding Profitability Coaching, AI Workshops, and Support for QBO to our lineup! This …
How Percentage of Completion Entries Fix Revenue Fluctuations for ‘In-Process’ Contracts The Problem with ‘In-Process Contracts’ Custom builders and project-based firms often invoice per contract stages over extended periods, from several months to over a year. As a result, income is nearly always booked either: Before costs are entered into your accounting system and/or After …
Starting or taking over your business’ accounting system can be confusing. So, let’s start by introducing some basic accounting concepts, principles & terms. First, it’s good to ask yourself, “Why is accounting an essential building block in my business?” Most people assume this is true and leave it at that. But in more concrete terms, …
(opens in new tab) Calculating your true cost of labor seems straightforward: compensation plus benefits should equal how much you’re spending on labor, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, business owners don’t have it that easy. There’s more to determining whether an employee’s time is being put to maximum benefits. It’s a hard fact, but without a current, …
Have you ever wondered how financial & accounting software could benefit your business? Learn to manage your own finances with QuickBooks… Every business faces the challenges associated with accounting. But for mid-sized and small businesses especially, the challenges associated with managing money can mean the difference between success and failure. As a small-business owner, you …
To run any profitable business (including roofing), you have to understand the basics of accounting, how to organize your Chart of Accounts, and the basics to set up your business financials. Find out how understanding your accounting system and making a few proactive updates can lead to increased profitability. Here’s the podcast: Organize your Chart …
In this interview, Diane and Dave Sullivan (host of The Roofer Show podcast) dive into what Diane calls the “Gross Profit Rollercoaster.” They explore why ‘highs and lows’ happen in a business (when the numbers aren’t lining up), and how to avoid those ups and downs. Why this matters to you: As Dave says, “You …
Labor Burden Information Tip #3: To See Accurate Job-Cost Reports, Assign Labor Burden Costs to Each Job. If you’re looking for ways to make your company more profitable, getting a handle on your fully burdened labor costs is a critical place to start because it can show you how to: Estimate labor costs more accurately, Price jobs to …
Increase Your Profits On Every Job (Part 1) Why Use “Estimate vs. Actual” Reports? Many company owners wonder why they should bother with job costing. They think they can simply watch their checkbook and wait until tax time to see how they did LAST YEAR. Unfortunately, by then, it’s too late to fix the problems …
… Increase Your Profits On Every Job (Part 2) How do you locate and charge for lost or invisible costs? Use these tips to be sure you find (and charge for!) lost or invisible costs. If you DON’T do job costing, it’s easy to miss various Time and Materials (T&M) costs that accumulate on a job. …
… Increase Your Profits On Every Job (Part 3) Job costing helps you spot (and eliminate) your low-profit and loser jobs! Every low-profit and “loser” job is wiping out the profit you’re making on other jobs! When you replace projects that lose money (or only yield minimal profits) with jobs that achieve your gross profit …
… Increase Your Profits On Every Job (Part 4) Here’s how to add 10% (or more) of your gross sales to your bottom line! The biggest mistake so many roofers make is to think that they’ll make more money if they sell more. BUT if you don’t have a stable and substantial gross profit on …
… My Canadian friend and colleague, Bryan Kaplan of Construction Consulting, recently sent an email about an experience with Purchase Orders that was so insightful I asked if I could share it with you. This quick read will provide you with a handful of Quick Wins! The Saturday Text… It was 11 pm on a …
Diane and Bracken Anderson (from busybusy) recently had a great interview-style meeting where we explored why job costing is critical for construction companies. Why this matters to you: When you understand what job costing is and how to get started with it, you can then focus on your winning jobs. And that means more profits for …
In this video, Diane Gilson is asked a series of questions about job costing, its importance for construction companies, and how to implement it. Why this is important: Job costing is the foundation of effective construction projects and company management. Without effective job costing systems that provide accurate and detailed job costing information, companies will …
Key Points QuickBooks Online Payroll provides three plans with different features to suit various business requirements. Payroll setup is easy with automatic tax calculations and simple employee data entry. Users can run payroll as often as desired and enjoy features like same-day direct deposit and tax filing. Complying with federal and state laws is made …
What is Job Costing? Job costing, also known by some as job order costing, is an accounting method used to track the costs associated with a specific job or project. This method is typically used in industries where goods or services are produced based on a specific customer order, and each order or job has …
Want your company to be more profitable? Almost all business owners are constantly working to make their company more profitable. And that’s a good thing, right? It probably is, as long as you achieve it morally and ethically. But is it worth it? Here Are 12 Benefits of Running a More Profitable Company These benefits …
Bulletproof Accounting for Long Term Business Survival Diane and host of The Best Business Podcast, Daryl Urbanski, reveal proven “success habits” that small and medium-sized business owners can use to leapfrog the competition and thrive. Why this matters to you: In this podcast, Diane delivers some simple (and high-value) startup and accounting system tips that …
From our Better Numbers – Better Business™ management series… Diane and Ken Horst demonstrate real-life examples of how you can spot common (fixable!) profit leaks so your business can become more effective, more efficient, and more profitable. Why this matters to you: You’ll discover an inexpensive, easy-to-use tool that can help you run the same …
Job Costing – The Difference Between Profitable Construction Companies and Those Who Struggle Unfortunately, in my 25+ years of experience working with construction business owners, one thing has become painfully clear to me. There are two types of construction business owners: Those who are using job costing reports and using them well and Those who …
What might you be able to accomplish for your company if you create employer or employee shadowing teams for a couple of hours? Or even a couple of days? Employer or Employee Job Shadowing – Could It Work For YOUR Company? A client recently told me that she wasn’t as pleased with the performance of a couple …
If you haven’t already read them, you’ll probably want to visit Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV of this “Tale of 4 Companies: A Job Cost & Gross Profit Drama” before beginning the following “Part V.” We’re joining Paul (owner of Paul’s Perfect Projects LLC), Walt (Production Supervisor at Paul’s), Jenn (Estimator …
Targeting Gross Profits: How Estimators and Project Managers Focus on Goals & Job Costs at Paul’s Perfect Projects If you haven’t already read them, you’ll probably want to visit Part I, Part II, and Part III of this “Tale of 4 Companies: A Job Cost & Gross Profit Drama” before beginning the following “Part IV”. As we …
Paul (of Paul’s Perfect Projects, LLC) tackles the gross profit problem by showing Dave his Estimate vs. Actual variance reports. (If you haven’t already read it, you’ll want to visit Part 1 of this “Tale of 4 Companies: A Job Cost & Gross Profit Drama” before jumping into the following “Part II”…) Paul’s Approach to …
Can you really affect your gross profit by setting up a job costing system? Is it worth the time, energy, and effort involved to measure and track your numbers? Let’s visit with the owners of four (hypothetical) companies; then decide for yourself which owner’s shoes you’d prefer to step into… As background to the story …
Learn how to implement a management accounting system – so you can make informed business decisions each day! Did you know there are different types of accountants and accounting viewpoints? Many business owners don’t. There are a handful of different kinds of accounting systems, but the two main kinds are management accounting and financial accounting. …
Learn how job cost accounting can help small-business owners take control over each job and their profits through cost and profit analysis. As a small-business owner, one of the best ways you can track the real progress of your business is through job cost accounting. In other words, if you keep track of your income …
Calculating overhead can be tricky, but QuickBooks can help you calculate and monitor your business overhead expenses more efficiently and effectively. Business Overhead Expenses: What They Are and How To Calculate Them Have you ever wondered exactly WHAT business overhead expenses really ARE? Do you know what YOUR business overhead expenses are? Or how to …
Yes, you may believe that job costing is a challenging facet of construction accounting! But with the right training and customization, you can easily master QuickBooks to achieve your goals! Why Construction Job Costing Matters Contractors and manufacturers must be able to accurately predict, record, and control the cost of each job. You’ll need to …
If you’re struggling to understand or measure your labor burden and its effect on profit, let BuildYourNumbers.com help you with our job cost and accounting tutorials. Labor Burden & Profits: Connect the Dots! Got employees? If so… What’s it cost to put them “into the field”? What should you be charging for their time? Should …
This article by BuildYourNumbers.com will teach you more about what you need to know about labor burden and its effect on profit. What exactly is it? How Does it Impact My Business? “Do my employees really cost this much?” While you probably have a good handle on your employees’ hourly wage or salary costs, and know …
Knowing how to calculate and interpret your Gross Profit percentage (margin) helps keep your profits high and your costs low. Learn how today… What is Gross Profit Percentage? Gross Profit percentage is a measure of profitability that shows your percentage of earnings AFTER you subtract the cost of “producing” those products or services. However, that …
Your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts is the foundation for your critical company reports. What unfortunate events can occur when it isn’t set up in the best possible way? Your QuickBooks Chart Of Accounts How you set up your Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks is one of the most important decisions you can make. It determines whether …
In this revealing transcript of the “Above vs. Below the Line Markups” video, Diane Gilson demonstrates two scenarios for determining your markup percentage based on where you account for production overhead costs on your P&L. While neither method is wrong, the second one builds more costs directly into the bid price, resulting in a more …
“Why aren’t we making more money? We’re busier than ever, I’m working harder than ever, but things just aren’t coming together like they should!” If this story sounds or feels familiar, you may want to sit in on this meeting to pick up some ideas on how to create Estimate vs. Actual Reports… It Just …