Field Notes

The Boring Math That Builds a Trades Business

Straight talk from an owner who ran the truck, made payroll, and sold the company. No fluff, no theory — just the numbers that decide whether you're building a business or buying yourself a job.

From the field

How I Got Out of the Truck

18 years, one truck to sold. The three numbers that got me out of the field — and why getting them right was never really about the money. (369+ reactions when I first shared it.)

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The pay system · Step 1

How to Calculate Your Burden Rate

The "$25 tech" really costs you $52.67 a billed hour. Here's the exact math to find your real number — the floor every price has to clear before you make a dime.

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The pay system · Step 3

How to Pay Service Techs Commission

The pay-for-performance piece most owners freeze on. Base plus a cut of what a tech produces over their cost — the split that gets them to $80–100K and makes them stop watching the clock.

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Stop guessing. Know your numbers.

Blue Collar Pay turns this method into software — cost, flat-rate packages, quota, and commission, all in one place.

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