# Guides for trades business owners

Long-form playbooks for the biggest jobs in running a trades business: pricing work profitably, answering every call, setting up QuickBooks, handling taxes, hiring and paying technicians, and putting AI to work in the office.

## AI and software

- [How to Use AI in a Trades Business: What Works, What Doesn't](https://www.brix.so/guides/ai-for-trades-businesses): What AI really does for contractors in 2026: calls, follow-up, writing and books, where it falls short, the guardrails, and a 90-day rollout plan.

## Calls, AI receptionists and answering

- [How to Never Miss a Customer Call (Even When You're on a Job)](https://www.brix.so/guides/never-miss-a-call): Trades playbook for every call: measure missed calls, text back in seconds, cover after hours, compare AI and live answering, and book on the call.

## Field service software

- [How to Choose Field Service Software: A Buyer's Guide for Trades Shops](https://www.brix.so/guides/field-service-software-buyers-guide): Neutral buyer's guide to field service software for trades: must-have features, pricing models, total cost math, QuickBooks sync, contracts and demos.

## Hiring and payroll

- [How to Hire Technicians and Build a Pay Plan That Works](https://www.brix.so/guides/hire-and-pay-technicians): Hire and pay field techs right: where to find them, interviews, hourly vs. commission vs. flat-rate pay plans, overtime math and W-2 vs. 1099 risk.

## Money and accounting

- [How to Set Up QuickBooks for a Contracting Business](https://www.brix.so/guides/quickbooks-setup-for-contractors): Set up QuickBooks Online for a contracting business: pick a plan, build a trades chart of accounts, turn on projects and classes, and keep job costs clean.

## Operations and dispatch

- [How to Grow a Home Service Business from $500K to $2M](https://www.brix.so/guides/grow-a-home-service-business): A $500K to $2M growth playbook for home service owners: revenue math, leads, booking and close rates, ticket size, memberships, hiring, systems, cash.

## Pricing and profit

- [How to Price Contracting Jobs for Profit: The Complete Guide](https://www.brix.so/guides/how-to-price-jobs): How to price trades jobs: true labor cost, overhead per billable hour, profit margin, materials markup and flat rates, with worked numbers.

## Taxes

- [Taxes for Contractors: The 2026 Guide for Self-Employed Trades Owners](https://www.brix.so/guides/contractor-taxes): How taxes work for self-employed contractors in 2026: SE tax, income tax, quarterly estimates, deductions, 1099s and payroll, with IRS sources.

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