First, get a quick read on how many jobs and leads your business needs to break even. Then use the calculator below to price your next job exactly.
Step 1
Enter your average job revenue and monthly overhead. We’ll show you what it takes to break even at different profit margins. (Example numbers are pre-filled below — replace them with your own.)
What a typical job brings in. This is the price you charge the customer, not what it costs you to do the work.
This is NOT field labor or materials — those belong in the job price. This is what YOU need to pay yourself as the owner, plus every other fixed cost to run the business: rent, insurance, office, admin payroll, vehicles, software. Everything you pay whether or not you sell a job this month.
Out of every 10 leads that come in, how many do you actually sell? Sell 3 out of 10 and your close rate is 30%.
| Gross margin | Profit / job | Jobs / month | Leads / month | Revenue / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | — | — | — | — |
| 30% | — | — | — | — |
| 40% | — | — | — | — |
| 50%Floor | — | — | — | — |
| 60% | — | — | — | — |
Example above: a $5,000 average job, $15,000 monthly overhead, and a 30% close rate. Formula: Break-even Revenue = Overhead ÷ Margin, then Jobs Needed = Revenue ÷ Average Job Revenue, then Leads Needed = Jobs ÷ Close Rate. Enter your own numbers above to replace the example. 50% is marked as the floor, it’s where The Contractor Fight starts every contractor. Below that, you’re pricing to survive, not to build something worth having.
Step 2
Price this job the same way — materials, labor, subs, and everything else it actually costs you.
Total: $0
Charge this
$0
Enter your job costs above to see your number.
Formula: Price = Total Job Cost ÷ (1 − Target Margin). Margin and markup aren’t the same thing. A 50% margin means a 100% markup on cost. The Contractor Fight starts every contractor at a 50% gross profit target. It’s the fastest way out of the financial gutter, and the floor you build a scalable business on.
Build a business worth having
Knowing what to charge is step one. Knowing whether the rest of your business can actually support you charging it is a different question. Take the free Build a Business Worth Having Scorecard and find out where the gaps are.
The Contractor Fight®. No Excuses. No Victims. No Shortcuts.
