Contractor Business Starter Kit

Run the business side like you run the job. Estimates, invoices, pricing, contracts and job costing — set up once, used on every job. Instant download.

Most tradespeople don't lose money on the work. They lose it on the paperwork: a price that didn't cover the truck and insurance, extra work done on a handshake, an invoice that went out two weeks late. This kit fixes that.

What's in the kit

• Contractor Business Toolkit (Excel / Google Sheets)
  • Settings — enter your business info, rates, markup and terms once. Every other tab pulls from it.
  • Pricing Calculator — shows the hourly rate you actually need to cover overhead, pay yourself and make a profit. Price any job by margin, and see how much "20% markup" has been costing you.
  • Estimate — professional, print-ready. Your markup and sales tax are applied automatically, deposit and balance calculated, signature line included. Your cost stays off the printout.
  • Invoice — pulls the estimate in automatically, adds change-order lines, subtracts the deposit and sets the due date.
  • Job Costing — log up to 100 jobs. See your real profit on each one; anything under your target margin turns red.
• Service Agreement template (Word / Google Docs) — scope, payment schedule, change orders, hidden conditions, warranty, termination.
• Change Order template (Word / Google Docs) — get extra work priced and signed before you start it.

Built for

Electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs, carpenters, remodelers, handymen and any small trade shop that's still quoting on a notepad. Comes filled in with an example job so you can see how it all connects.

Details

• Instant digital download (.zip). Nothing ships.
• Works in Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer, Excel for Mac and Google Sheets. Templates open in Word, Google Docs or Pages.
• Licensed for use in your own business, on as many jobs and customers as you like.

Contract templates are a starting point, not legal advice. Contractor laws vary by state, so have them reviewed for yours. The sales tax rate in the workbook is a placeholder; set your own.

The work is the résumé. The paperwork should look like it.