The Trades Brief

The weekly newsletter helping skilled trades business owners hire smarter, price better, and understand what private equity is doing to their industry.

The trades business owner who prices by gut feel is leaving money on the table every single day. Here's the math.

Aug 4, 2026

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5 min read

The trades business owner who prices by gut feel is leaving money on the table every single day. Here's the math.

92% of homeowners prefer flat rate pricing. Fewer than 30% of contractors offer it. That gap is money walking out the door.

Adam Thomas

Most trades businesses lose everything they built in summer when winter hits. Here's how the smart ones don't.

Jul 28, 2026

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5 min read

Most trades businesses lose everything they built in summer when winter hits. Here's how the smart ones don't.

You're busy right now. That's exactly why you need to read this today, not in November.

Adam Thomas

Every trades business owner is looking for good techs right now. The ones finding them are doing this.

Jul 21, 2026

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5 min read

Every trades business owner is looking for good techs right now. The ones finding them are doing this.

89% of trades businesses trying to hire say they can’t find qualified applicants. The ones beating that number aren’t posting more jobs.

Adam Thomas

Your competitor is showing up first on Google. They're worse than you. Here's why.

Jul 7, 2026

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5 min read

Your competitor is showing up first on Google. They're worse than you. Here's why.

The guy outranking you isn't spending more money. He's doing three things you're not.

Adam Thomas

We looked at how trades companies handle emergency calls. Most of what we found should scare you.

Jun 30, 2026

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4 min read

We looked at how trades companies handle emergency calls. Most of what we found should scare you.

62% of calls to trades businesses go unanswered. Your phone might be your biggest leak.

Adam Thomas

A private equity backed competitor just moved into a small town. Here's what happened next.

Jun 16, 2026

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4 min read

A private equity backed competitor just moved into a small town. Here's what happened next.

A small shop's biggest competitive advantage isn't something you can buy — and a private equity backed roll-up just proved it.

Adam Thomas