Blue Collar Pay — Get Out of the Truck

Sound familiar?

You're Good at the Work.
The Business Is Killing You.

Sound familiar? Good work. Wrong system.

Without a system, growth just means more hours — not more money.

01

Pricing by gut feel

No burden rate. No formula. Just hope the number covers costs. Some jobs make money. Some don't.

02

Can't duplicate yourself

Every job needs you on it. The business is you — and it stops when you stop.

03

No system for your helper

Nothing written down. Every job improvised. Consistency impossible. Scaling a dream.

04

Weekends gone, money tight

More hours doesn't mean more profit when pricing is wrong. You're building a job, not a business.

📞

The First Hire That Changes Everything

Flat rate pricing lets an office assistant run your phones — in the same language your techs use in the field.

Without a system

✕ Owner answers every call — only he knows how to price

✕ Office and field speak different languages

✕ No assistant can replace you on the phone

✕ Scheduling is guesswork

With flat rate pricing

✓ Assistant answers calls — she knows Pack A/B/C/D

✓ Office and field use the same language

✓ Jobs scheduled around package time blocks

✓ Owner is no longer the bottleneck

The philosophy behind the system

The Blue Collar
Pay Way.

I spent 20 years running emergencies as a firefighter captain. On every scene, same process: size up, identify what's critical, make the call, execute the plan. Same model. Different scene. Same results.

I built my trades business the same way. Five decisions every contractor has to make right — in the right order — to build a business that earns real money, pays good people well, and runs without you in the truck every day.

Owner coaching tech using Blue Collar Pay system

The owner shows the tech the numbers. The system made it possible.

01

Know What It Costs You

Most contractors price by gut feel. That's not a strategy — it's a guess. Your burden rate is what every hour of production actually costs the company. Run the formula: total annual expenses plus your net profit target, divided by working days, hours, and number of lead techs. That number is your floor. Every contract has to beat it or you're writing checks you can't cash.

→ Commission Engine: Setup & Expenses tab

02

Price the Work, Not the Clock

Time-and-material billing punishes your fastest techs and rewards your slowest. Fixed-rate labor packages flip that. Scope of work maps to a package. Package has a flat rate. The tech closes it, the company bills it, everyone moves to the next job. Your office can quote it. Your newest helper can understand it. Customers see one clean number — no surprises, no negotiation mid-job.

→ Commission Engine: Labor Packages tab

03

Set the Bar

Your techs need a target — a real one, not a number you made up. The dynamic quota is calculated automatically: burden rate multiplied by actual hours worked. The bar moves with reality. If you had a slow week, the bar reflects it. If your crew ran 60-hour periods, it reflects that too. Hit the bar and the company covers its costs and hits profit. Beat it and everybody wins.

→ Commission Engine: Commission Period tab

04

Share the Win

Everything above quota gets split: 60% to the crew, 40% to the company. The crew divides their 60% among themselves — weighted by each tech's contribution. That's not just a pay structure. That's peer accountability you didn't have to enforce. Techs hold each other to the standard because their paycheck depends on the team, not just their own day. The company hits its margin. The crew earns real money. Everyone has skin in the game.

→ Commission Engine: Reports tab

05

Lead & Scale.

When steps 1 through 4 are running, something changes. The owner stops managing individual paychecks and starts leading a team that manages itself. Techs know their number. The company knows its number. The quota board does the managing — you do the leading. That's when you can hire the next tech, add the next van, open the next market. The system scales because it's a formula, not a personality.

Culture

Techs have ownership. Accountability lives in the crew — not in the owner's time.

Buy-In

When people understand the math, they trust the system. Transparency builds loyalty.

Duplicatable

Same formula. New city, new trade, new tech. The system works anywhere it's installed.

"You can't lead what you can't measure.
You can't scale what you can't afford to pay."

Robert Kemp · Captain, Phoenix Fire Department
Founder, Blue Collar Pay · Sold Water Wise — December 2025

What the software actually does

Inside a
Commission Period.

A commission period is any block of working days you define — typically 20, but fully adjustable to match how your business runs. Here's exactly what happens from start to finish.

01

You Enter the Inputs

Period start and end dates. Actual hours worked per tech. Total labor sales for the period. Credit card fees and any discounts applied.

→ Period dates

→ Hours per tech

→ Gross labor sales

→ CC fees & discounts

02

The Engine Calculates

Quota auto-calculates from your burden rate × actual hours. Net labor sales are calculated after fees and discounts. Commissionable sales = everything above quota.

→ Dynamic quota set

→ Net labor sales

→ Commissionable sales

→ OT adjustment applied

03

The Split Runs

Commissionable sales split 60% to the crew, 40% to the company. Each tech's share is weighted by their contribution percentage — set by the owner, adjusted each period.

→ 60% crew split

→ Per-tech allocation

→ 40% company

→ Crew total vs quota

04

Reports Are Ready

One report for the company. One for each crew. One per tech. Print or download each one. Every number sourced and explainable — no surprises for anyone.

→ Company report

→ Per-crew report

→ Per-tech commission

→ Download & email

⚙ Adjustable Period Length

The commission period defaults to 20 working days — but it's fully adjustable. 10 days, 15 days, a full month — whatever matches your payroll schedule and how you want to run performance tracking. The quota and split math adjusts automatically.

📋 What Each Tech Sees

Their base pay, their commission earned this period, what the crew total was, and where they landed relative to quota. Transparent. Defensible. Every number explainable. No "just trust me on the math" conversations.

Sample Period Output — 1 Crew, 2 Lead Techs

20-day period · illustrative example

Gross Labor Sales

$42,800

Dynamic Quota

$31,200

$78.00/hr × 400 hrs

Commissionable Sales

$10,148

after fees, discounts & quota

Crew — 60% Share: $6,089

Tech 1 (60% allocation)$3,653

Tech 2 (40% allocation)$2,436

Company — 40% Share: $4,059

Above-quota margin$4,059

Quota covered overhead + profit✓

What the system actually builds

A Crew That Buys In.
A Business That Runs.

Flat rate pricing and performance pay don't just change how you get paid — they change the culture of your company. When every tech knows the scoreboard, when the pay is transparent and the system is fair, you stop managing performance. The team manages it for you.

Phoenix Fire Department crew — the origin of the SDM discipline

Where the Discipline Came From

Phoenix Fire Department — same crew, same process, every call

🚒 20 Years · Phoenix Fire

Water Wise Sprinkler Repair — full crew with vans

What It Looks Like in the Trades

Water Wise Sprinkler Repair — built on this system, sold December 2025

✓ Built & Sold · $850K+

📋

Everyone Knows the Rules

Flat rate labor packages mean every tech prices the same way. No favorites. No guessing. The customer gets a consistent quote and your crew operates off one playbook — not whoever Robert trained last week.

💰

Pay Is Transparent

Every tech sees their base pay, their commission earned, and what the crew produced. No black box. No "trust me on the math." When the numbers are open, your top performers stay — and the ones who aren't pulling weight know it without a confrontation.

🤝

The Crew Holds Itself

The 60/40 commission split goes to the crew as a group — divided by contribution. When one tech sandbags, the others feel it in their check. Peer accountability replaces owner enforcement. You stop playing referee.

"

I didn't build a team by managing people harder. I built a system where the right people stayed, held each other accountable, and took pride in the number.

— Robert Kemp · Founder, Blue Collar Pay · Former Owner, Water Wise Sprinkler Repair

The owner's view

Not Just Reporting.
How You Lead
and Scale.

Every commission period gives you a set of numbers that most contractors never see. Here's what owners actually do with them.

📊

Is My Burden Rate Still Right?

Expenses change. Fuel goes up. You add a van. If your burden rate is stale, your quota is wrong — and your packages are underpriced. Running a period every cycle keeps your number current. Adjust the rate, the quota adjusts automatically next period.

🔧

Are My Packages Covering Costs?

If the crew consistently misses quota despite full days, your packages may be underpriced for your market. The engine shows you exactly where the gap is — period over period — so you can adjust pricing before it becomes a cash flow problem.

👷

Which Tech Is Underperforming?

Per-tech reporting shows labor sales vs. hours worked for every tech, every period. Not in a punitive way — in a coaching way. This tech closed $X on Y hours. That's the conversation you have. The data replaces the guesswork and the drama.

📈

Can I Afford the Next Tech?

The burden rate calculator tells you exactly what adding a tech costs per hour — before you hire them. Run the numbers in the engine with one more tech in the model. See what the new quota looks like. See what revenue needs to look like to support it. Hire with a plan, not a prayer.

🗺️

Is My Market Pricing Me Right?

Now live in the Pricing Advisor: Enter your zip code and trade type — the engine pulls real competitor density, median household income, and Google review positioning for your market to recommend a calibrated price range. Know if your Pack A is priced right for Queen Creek vs. Scottsdale vs. Nashville.

✓ Live Now — Census + Google Places

🔄

Period-Over-Period Forecasting

Coming in V2: Track every period's results over time. Spot trends before they become problems — a crew drifting below quota, a seasonal dip, a pricing gap opening up. The data turns into a forecast. The forecast turns into a plan.

V2 — Founding Members First

Owner showing tech the Blue Collar Pay dashboard

Owner and tech reviewing the commission period together — transparency builds trust

This is how the owner gets
out of the truck.

Not by working harder. By having numbers that tell them exactly what's working, what isn't, and what to do about it — every single period. The system isn't just a pay calculator. It's your monthly business review, your tech coaching tool, your pricing audit, and your growth model. All in one place.

See It Live →

The operating system

Flat Rate Pricing.
Techs Sell Products.
Not Time.

Scope of work maps to a labor package. Package has a flat rate price. Materials are added separately at your markup. The clock is irrelevant.

✕ Time-based — the old way

✕ Tech says "about 2 hours" — customer negotiates

✕ Slow techs bill more — fast techs earn less

✕ No predictable revenue — every job a guess

✕ Impossible to train new techs consistently

✓ Flat rate — Blue Collar Pay way

✓ Scope maps to a package — price is set

✓ Faster techs close more — they earn more

✓ Predictable revenue — quota, commission, profit

✓ New techs learn 5 packages — consistent day one

Labor Package + Materials × Markup = Total Invoice

Labor covers overhead + net profit + tech commission. Materials are separate. Clean invoice every time.

Tech on the job — scope assessed, package assigned, signed

The owner runs the business — not every job

Built-In Field Judgment

Labor packages aren't locked to a single price. The tech applies a multiplier when field conditions require more time — identified during the property size-up, priced into the contract before anything is signed. No surprises for the customer. No unprotected time for the company. The platform guides this decision. It's part of the training.

Where this came from — and why it works in the trades

20 Years as a Firefighter Captain.
18 Years in the Trades.
One Model.

The SDM — Strategic Decision-Making Model was built by the Phoenix Fire Department to give any crew member — on any call, under any pressure — a repeatable process for making the right decision fast. Robert Kemp spent 20 years running that model as a Captain and Paramedic. When he built his trades company, he asked one question: what if the tech on every service call ran the same process? The answer became Blue Collar Pay.

🚒 Fire Service — SOP M.P. 201.01

Emergency Scene

Size-Up

Crew arrives on scene. Captain reads the environment before any action is taken. What are we dealing with?

3 Critical Factors Assessed

① Life safety — is anyone at risk?

② Fire conditions — what is the fire doing?

③ Rescue factors — can we go in?

Strategic Decision

Offensive — enter and attack. Defensive — protect the perimeter. Both are trained. Neither is wrong.

Tactical Objective Achieved

Life safety secured. Fire controlled. Crew protected. Mission complete.

🔧 The Trades — Blue Collar Pay SDM

Service Call

Property Size-Up

Tech arrives at the property. Read the environment before opening the tool bag. What are we dealing with?

3 Critical Factors Assessed

① Customer — can they authorize and pay?

② Trade awareness — is the scope within our capability?

③ Request for service — is this a real, billable opportunity?

Strategic Decision

Offensive — present the package and close. Defensive — protect the company and walk. Both are trained. Neither is wrong.

Profitable Objective Achieved

Correct labor package presented. Customer confirmed. Scope agreed. Work authorized before anything is touched.

🛡️

This Is Servant Leadership — Not Management

The owner doesn't stand over the tech and make every call. The owner builds the system — the packages, the training, the SDM framework — so every tech walks onto every property already equipped to win. You serve your crew by giving them the tools to succeed without you. That's how you get out of the truck. That's how they earn more. That's how the business grows. The full SDM training is inside the platform.

See the Full SDM Inside the Platform →

Built to last

A Career Worth
Keeping.

The trades burns people out because most companies don't have a system. 40 hours. Monday–Friday. Off weekends. Off holidays. Protected time that makes the work sustainable long-term.

Most Tradespeople Burn Out. Yours Won't.

When you offer 40 hours, benefits, a company vehicle, and performance pay — you become the company every skilled tech wants to work for. That's your recruiting and retention strategy.

While Your Techs Earn
$80–100K+
Company Nets 20–24%

Sold December 2025. Revenue at time of sale: $850K+. New owners added a tech — now running $1M+/yr rate with 4 techs at 24% net profit.

⏰

40 Hours. Monday–Friday. Non-Negotiable.

No weekend calls. Protected time builds a sustainable career.

🚐

Company Van Goes Home

Lives in the community he serves. Trust built house by house.

🏘️

Hire from Your Community

Performance pay gives local guys a real shot. Build people up.

Total Compensation Per Tech — 2025 Verified

Base salary ($30/hr × 2,000 hrs)	$60,000
Commission (performance-based)	$31,844
Company vehicle	~$12,000
Employer health insurance	$3,168
401k employer match	$2,061
Total compensation value	$109,073

Water Wise Sprinkler Repair LLC · Queen Creek AZ · Sold December 2025

At Time of Sale — 2025

Revenue run rate at sale$850K+/yr

Lead techs3 lead techs at sale

Avg gross per tech$91,844

Company net profit~20%+

OutcomeSOLD. Got out of the truck.

Same System · New Owners · Post-Sale

Revenue run rate at sale$850K+/yr

Revenue run rate post-sale$1M+/yr

Lead techs4 · 4 vans on road

Net profit24%

System usedBlue Collar Pay SDM

New owners — no prior service business experience. Added a 4th lead tech after the sale. Revenue run rate grew from $850K to $1M+/yr. Same SDM, same flat rate system, same commission structure. 24% net profit. The system works with any operator.

Every number. Every period. Right there in your hand.

The best form of leadership

Put Your Techs in the
Best Position
to Succeed.

Full empowerment. Full accountability. A system that runs itself — and builds the kind of company people actually want to work for.

The System
Operates Itself.

When labor sales revenue supports a full-time office manager answering phones as a CSR and dispatching techs — the owner steps out of the day-to-day. The system runs the business. The owner builds it.

Techs are held accountable to each other — not by a manager standing over them — by the commission system, the daily quota on the board, and the crew they rely on. That culture builds itself when the incentives are right.

This is the absentee service business. Professionally staffed. Internally accountable. Externally excellent. Attracting professionals who want to be part of something built right.

Full-Time CSR + Dispatcher

Labor sales revenue supports a full-time office manager — phones, scheduling, dispatch — all in the same flat rate language as the field. Owner never needs to answer a call.

Company Van + Company Card + Tools

Every tech has a fully equipped van, company card for materials, tools, and safety equipment, with a built-in van maintenance budget. Zero personal expense. Full professional setup.

Internal + External Customer Service

Treat your techs like professionals — they treat customers like professionals. The culture runs both directions. The owner giving back to the community through the ultimate in service.

Mutual Accountability

The commission system, the daily quota, and the crew they rely on creates accountability no policy manual can build. Techs hold each other to the standard — because it pays them to.

The Company Solo Operators Left the Truck For

The best recruiting strategy isn't posting jobs. It's building a company worth joining.

Working for themselves — the reality

✕No benefits · no van · no company card

✕All overhead comes out of their own pocket

✕No one covering when they're sick or slow

✕Pricing by gut — leaving money on the table

✕Weekends gone. No real path forward.

Working for the right company

✓$80–100K gross + full benefits package

✓Company van, card, tools — zero personal cost

✓40 hours · weekends and holidays protected

✓Transparent commission — they know exactly what to hit

✓Full sustainable protection. A career worth keeping.

Solo operators learned they could make more money working for the company than working for themselves — with an hourly guarantee, benefits, and full sustainable protection. That's not a recruiting pitch. That's a system so well built, the right people find their way to you.

Built in stages

Your Portal Gets
Smarter Every Month.

Founding members lock in $150/mo and get every new feature as it ships — no upgrades, no price increases.

Live now

Commission Engine

✓Burden rate calculator

✓Daily crew quota

✓60/40 commission split

✓Flat rate pricing advisor — 21 trades

✓Salary target engine ($80–100K)

✓Performance dashboard + reports

✓Tech commission reports

✓Download & email reports

Building now — V2

Performance Intelligence

⟳Month-to-month labor records

⟳Period-over-period trend tracking

⟳Cloud save — any device

✓Local market rate analysis by zip

⟳Package price adjustment alerts

⟳Automated tech report emails

⟳Trade benchmarking

Roadmap — V3

Full Business Platform

○ServiceTitan integration

○Jobber & Housecall Pro sync

○AI pricing intelligence

○SDM interactive training modules

○SOP builder

○Multi-location / franchise

○Competitor rate monitoring

🔒

Founding members get everything. Every V2 and V3 feature ships first — at the same $150/mo. No upgrade required.

Lock In Now →

Founding member rate

Lock In $150/Mo.
Forever.

We're in launch mode. First contractors through the door lock this rate for life.

Founding Member Rate — Limited Availability

$150_/mo

✓ 30 Days Free

No Credit Card

Cancel Anytime

Flat rate. Locked forever. No contracts. Cancel any time.

Full commission & quota engine

Up to 3 crews, 10 lead techs

Burden rate calculator

Flat rate pricing advisor — 21 trades

Salary target engine ($80–100K)

Performance dashboard & reports

Download & email reports

Secure client portal

SDM Field Reference Card — print for every truck

SDM Interactive Property Visit Training

SOP Builder — define your packages for your trade

⭐ Blue Collar Pay Founders Community

⭐ Direct founder support — Robert Kemp

Start My 30-Day Free Trial →

30 days free — no credit card required. After trial: $150/mo locked forever.

Future tiers start at $149/mo — founding members never pay more

👷

Blue Collar Pay Founders Community

Private Facebook community. Contractor to contractor. Direct access to Robert Kemp. Flat rate strategy, SDM training, first access to every new feature. The software gets you the numbers. The community gets you the edge.

Holding a tablet showing bluecollarpay.com

Start Your 30-Day Free Trial

Try It Free.
30 Days.

15 minutes. We'll walk through your numbers live. No credit card, no obligation — just a real look at what this does for your business.

Your Name

Phone

Email

Your Trade

Team Size

We'll set you up within 24 hours. 30 days free — full platform access. No credit card required. No spam, no pressure.

Still In The Truck? There's a Way Out.

You're Good at the Work.The Business Is Killing You.

The Blue CollarPay Way.

Inside aCommission Period.

A Crew That Buys In.A Business That Runs.

Not Just Reporting.How You Leadand Scale.

Flat Rate Pricing.Techs Sell Products.Not Time.

20 Years as a Firefighter Captain.18 Years in the Trades.One Model.

A Career WorthKeeping.

Put Your Techs in theBest Positionto Succeed.

The SystemOperates Itself.

Your Portal GetsSmarter Every Month.

Lock In $150/Mo.Forever.

Try It Free.30 Days.

Still In
The Truck?
There's a Way Out.