Specialty trade contracting
Subcontracted trade work delivered to general contractors, where getting paid on time is the defining problem.
Six short steps. No email or account.
Family
Construction and contracting
Project-based building work with subcontractors, draws and long timelines.
- Priority decisions
- 8
Operating reality
What makes this different
The realities that change which tools can actually work for you.
You are usually paid by a general contractor rather than the property owner, so payment terms are longer.
Lien rights and preliminary notices are jurisdiction-specific and time-limited.
Certified payroll may apply on public projects, which ordinary payroll software will not produce.
Where to start
The decisions that matter here, in order
You do not have to take them in this order, and you do not have to take all of them. This is where most businesses like yours start.
- 1Accounting software
Track income and expenses so tax time is a report, not an archaeology dig.
- 2Invoicing
Send the bill, and let people pay it without writing a cheque.
- 3Business insurance
Cover the things that could end the business in one bad afternoon.
- 4Estimates and quotes
Send a professional quote quickly, and know when it is accepted.
- 5Time tracking
Know the hours worked, and which job they belong to.
- 6Payroll
Pay employees and handle the tax filings that come with it.
- 7Cash flow and budgeting
See what is coming in and going out before the account gets tight.
- 8Documents and client portals
Keep files organised and share them with clients securely.
Your next step
Answer six short questions about your specialty trade contracting business: your team, where the work happens and what you want to fix first. You get an operating plan in the order to tackle it, with the must-haves and comparison points for each area.
Answers
Common questions
- What software does a specialty trade contracting business need?
- Subcontracted trade work delivered to general contractors, where getting paid on time is the defining problem. The decisions that matter most are 8 areas, starting with the ones tied to how the work actually gets done and paid for.
- What makes running a specialty trade contracting business different?
- You are usually paid by a general contractor rather than the property owner, so payment terms are longer. Lien rights and preliminary notices are jurisdiction-specific and time-limited. Certified payroll may apply on public projects, which ordinary payroll software will not produce.