26
Was told my pricing was too low and I was hurting other shops in town
A bigger contractor pulled me aside at the supply house and said my $35 per hour rate for trim work was dragging down the whole local market. I got defensive at first, but then I ran my numbers and realized I was barely covering overhead after gas and material markups. I bumped it to $50 and actually lost one cheap client but picked up two better ones who respect the work. Has anyone else had another business owner call them out on pricing and did you listen or tell them to mind their own?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
loganthompson1mo ago
Good on you for actually listening.
8
the_hugo1mo ago
Flip it around and think about what that contractor was risking by talking to you. He put himself out there with no guarantee you wouldn't just get mad and badmouth him around town. That took some guts and shows he actually cares about the trade, not just his own pocket. If he was purely selfish, he would have let you keep burning out at $35 while he scooped up the decent paying jobs. Honestly, the fact that he said something to you instead of just watching you struggle says a lot about his character and the kind of crew he runs.
3