Topic
Growing the Business
The decisions that change the shape of the business: commercial versus residential, recurring revenue, marketing agencies, incorporating, and what makes a service business sellable.
13 articles · browse the full archive
Lead GenerationDo My Own Marketing or Hire Someone? 5 Tests
54% of owners run marketing alone, but only 35% have a Google Business Profile. Five tests that settle the DIY-or-hire question with evidence, not budget.
18 min
GrowthShould I Incorporate My Contracting Business?
Incorporating is a licensing and lead-flow event, not just a tax one. Five tests, the real income thresholds, and the order that keeps the work coming in.
17 min
Lead GenerationShould I Offer a Discount for a Review? No
Google bans the incentive itself, the FTC fines discount-for-five-stars, and 83% of customers who get asked leave a review anyway. What to do instead.
16 min
Lead GenerationHow to Fire a Marketing Agency and Keep Your Leads
The 9-step exit order for a home service business, starting with the one asset that unlocks every other one: your Google Business Profile.
17 min
Lead GenerationConstruction Marketing ROI: Measure It in 6 Steps
Construction marketing ROI is gross profit per marketing dollar, not revenue. A 30-day read understates it by half. The 6-step cohort method that fixes it.
22 min
GrowthResidential vs Commercial: Which Pays More? 2026
Recurring service runs about 55% gross and one-off projects 10% to 20%, in either market. Subs can wait 83 days on commercial. Which really pays more.
15 min
Lead GenerationWhat Should a Contractor Pay a Marketing Agency?
Agencies publish 20 percent of ad spend, then hold a $1,500 minimum. Below $8,000 in spend the minimum is the real price. Three tests to check any quote.
16 min
GrowthRecurring Revenue in a Trade Business: 5 Tiers
The average home service company churns 40% of customers a year. Best-in-class churns 7%. The gap is which tier of recurring revenue you built.
14 min
Lead GenerationContractor Marketing Budget: 1% or 12% of Sales
Builders are told 1 to 4% of revenue. Home service is told 8 to 12%. Both are right. Here is the math that tells you which number is yours.
14 min
Custom CRMHow Much Is My Contracting Business Worth? 2.6x SDE
Across 3,142 sold construction businesses the average price was 2.60x owner earnings, not revenue. Here is how to work out your own number honestly.
17 min
Lead GenerationIs My Marketing Agency Ripping Me Off? 7 Checks
Four checks you can run in an hour without asking your agency for anything, plus the fee-to-ad-spend ratio that separates a fair deal from a bad one.
16 min
Custom CRMWhat Makes a Service Business Sellable: 6 Tests
Roughly half of HVAC shops that go to market never sell. The gap between a 1.5x and a 4.5x offer is six records tests a buyer runs on your shop.
14 min
GrowthWhy Am I Busy But Not Making Money? 5 Leaks
Booked solid is not a business metric. Five specific gaps sit between a full schedule and a profitable year, and only one of them is your price.
15 min
Frequently asked questions
- What do Pavado's Growing the Business guides cover?
- The decisions that change the shape of the business: commercial versus residential, recurring revenue, marketing agencies, incorporating, and what makes a service business sellable.
- What is the best starting point in the Growing the Business collection?
- Choose the guide that matches your business, platform and question. This collection includes Do My Own Marketing or Hire Someone? 5 Tests; Should I Incorporate My Contracting Business?; Should I Offer a Discount for a Review? No. Check each article's examples and sources before applying it to your situation.