New American Tradesman™
New American Tradesman
The trades are short on people. The office is emptying out. That's an opportunity for the tradesman who can bridge both worlds.
New American Tradesman is the business-side publication for the trades - for owners running the business, and for anyone leaving a desk to build one. Pricing, crew management, marketing, cash flow, leadership. Not how to do the trade. How to run it.
Price the job right · Run the crew tight · Get paid on time · Keep more of it
Latest Articles
Business Setup & Legal
The Cleaning Company Employee Handbook, Built to Survive a Wage Audit
No law makes you write one. The wage cases piling up against cleaning services are a good argument for writing it right.
Cash Flow & Financials
The Feast or Famine Cycle Is a Cash Flow Problem, Not a Sales Problem
Why construction money comes in waves, and how struggling shops get ahead of the gaps instead of scrambling every Friday
Career Pathways
How Long It Takes to Become a Licensed Plumber
The honest answer is measured in hours, not years, and the hours are not the same in every state.
Regional & Market Demand Data
Average Pay for an Electrician in New York: What the Numbers Actually Say
A field guide to the money, before you commit four or five years to the trade
Business Setup & Legal
Bonds and Insurance in Construction: What Actually Protects You, and What Just Protects Everyone Else
Two products, two opposite jobs. Confusing them is how a thin-margin shop ends up paying out of pocket.
Leadership & Crew Management
The Difference Between a Manager and a Leader
And why your most profitable crews depend on knowing which one you actually need
Tools
Break-Even Calculator
A fixed-cost tracker, break-even calculator, profit margin calculator, and pricing target tool — built for pricing real jobs, not spreadsheets.
Open Break-Even Calculator→Labor Burden Calculator
Find the true fully-loaded hourly cost of an employee: payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits, and non-billable time, not just the wage on their paycheck.
Open Labor Burden Calculator→Bid Margin Calculator
Check a proposed bid against your target margin before you send it: your actual margin at that price, the minimum price that hits your target, and the dollar gap if it falls short.
Open Bid Margin Calculator→Tradesman Interview Guide
A 30-minute structured interview framework for hiring tradespeople: what to ask, how to score answers, and where candidates commonly slip. Pick a trade below for role-specific technical questions and red flags.
Open Tradesman Interview Guide→