Starter Playbook
Construction & Trades: The Dad-Teen Business Playbook
Everything you need to start a real business in the trades. Financial templates included.
1. Pick Your Trade
Start with what you know or what your area needs. The best first businesses for dad-teen teams:
- Landscaping / Lawn Care — Low startup cost, recurring revenue, visible results
- Pressure Washing — Equipment under $2k, easy to learn, high margins
- Painting (Residential) — Steady demand, simple operations, good margins
- General Handyman — Diverse skills, premium pricing, builds referral network
- Concrete / Hardscaping — Higher ticket, more specialized, less competition
Dad's Rule #1: Pick one thing. Do it well. Expand later. A 15-year-old who can perfectly edge a lawn and invoice for it is already ahead of most adults.
2. Legal Basics (Keep It Simple)
You don't need a lawyer to start. You need these:
- Business License — Check your city/county website. Usually $50-200.
- General Liability Insurance — $30-60/month for most trades. Non-negotiable.
- Separate Bank Account — Open a business checking account. Keep business and personal money separate from day one.
- Simple Contract Template — Scope of work, price, timeline, payment terms. One page is fine.
Dad's Rule #2: The teen handles the books from week one. Open the bank account together. Review the numbers every Sunday.
3. Pricing Your Work
Most new operators underprice. Here's how to think about it:
The Simple Pricing Formula
Job Pricing Worksheet
| Line Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Materials Cost | $___ |
| Labor Hours × Rate ($25-50/hr) | $___ |
| Equipment/Fuel | $___ |
| Subtotal (Direct Costs) | $___ |
| + Overhead (15% of subtotal) | $___ |
| + Profit Margin (20-30%) | $___ |
| Quote Price | $___ |
For recurring services (lawn care, cleaning), price weekly or monthly. For project work (painting, concrete), price per job.
4. Financial Templates
These are the three numbers sheets every operator needs. Print them. Use them weekly.
A. Monthly P&L (Profit & Loss)
Monthly Profit & Loss Statement
| Category | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | |||
| Service Revenue | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Material Markups | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Total Revenue | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Expenses | |||
| Materials | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Fuel / Transport | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Equipment (rental/purchase) | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Insurance | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Marketing / Flyers | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Other | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Total Expenses | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Net Profit | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Profit Margin % | ___% | ___% | ___% |
B. Job Costing Tracker
Job Costing Log
| Job | Quoted | Materials | Labor Hrs | Actual Cost | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Smith Lawn | $150 | $12 | 2.5 | $87 | $63 |
| $___ | $___ | ___ | $___ | $___ | |
| $___ | $___ | ___ | $___ | $___ | |
| $___ | $___ | ___ | $___ | $___ | |
| Totals | $___ | $___ | ___ | $___ | $___ |
C. Weekly Cash Flow
Weekly Cash Flow Tracker
| Week | Cash In | Cash Out | Net | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Balance | — | — | — | $___ |
| Week 1 | $___ | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Week 2 | $___ | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Week 3 | $___ | $___ | $___ | $___ |
| Week 4 | $___ | $___ | $___ | $___ |
Dad's Rule #3: Cash flow kills more businesses than bad work. Know your number every week. If cash is tight, collect deposits upfront.
5. Getting Your First 10 Customers
Forget ads. Forget social media. Here's what actually works for trades:
- Neighbors first. Knock on 20 doors. Introduce yourselves. Offer a first-job discount.
- Nextdoor app. Post in your neighborhood. Free and hyper-local.
- Church / community board. Physical flyers still work in trades.
- Do one job for free. Pick the house on the busiest corner. Do incredible work. Put a yard sign out.
- Ask every customer for 2 referrals. This is how you grow without spending money.
6. The Sunday Review
Every Sunday, dad and teen sit down for 30 minutes and review:
- ✅ How much revenue came in this week?
- ✅ How much did we spend?
- ✅ What jobs are booked for next week?
- ✅ What went well? What sucked?
- ✅ One thing to improve next week.
Dad's Rule #4: The Sunday Review is where the real learning happens. The lawn is just the classroom.
7. Scaling Up
Once you're consistently doing $2-5k/month, think about:
- Equipment upgrades that save time (time = money)
- Hiring help — start with day laborers for big jobs
- Adding a service — if you do lawns, add seasonal leaf cleanup
- Raising prices — if you're fully booked, your prices are too low
- Commercial accounts — higher volume, steadier income
The EBITDADS Promise: This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. It's a get-smart-early program. A teen who runs a real business for 2-3 years will understand more about money, people, and operations than most MBA graduates. That's the real ROI.