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🕰️ 1. Revenue Isn’t the Problem, Cash Flow Is

You’re booked. Crews are moving. Schedules are slammed. But at the end of the month, the numbers don’t add up.

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“We had our biggest month ever, but my account’s barely moving.” — Every HVAC owner at some point

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The Reality:

• You’re spending before you collect (materials, payroll, fuel).
  
• You’re pricing without knowing your break-even margin.
  
• You’re getting paid weeks (or months) after job completion.
  
  

Fix It:

• Tighten billing cycles: Invoice at job milestones. No exceptions.
  
• Cash buffer policy: Collect 50% upfront on jobs over $3K.
  
• Track cash flow weekly, not monthly: Use a simple Friday dashboard.
  
  

Real World: One TradeSworn client boosted available cash by 28% just by enforcing milestone billing and automating collections.

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Read: What Numbers Should I Be Watching?

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⚖️ 2. You’re Pricing for Volume, Not Profit

If your pricing is based on what “seems fair” or what another shop charges, you’re gambling with your margins.

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The Reality:

• Material costs have jumped. Labor costs are up.
  
• You haven’t recalculated job costing since pre-COVID or pre-tariffs.
  
• You’re winning bids but bleeding profit.
  
  

Fix It:

• Price off your numbers, not gut feel: Know your real hourly cost.
  
• Set a floor margin: 15% minimum net profit target per job.
  
• Audit 10 recent jobs: How many actually hit that floor?
  
  

Tool: Download our "Price Like a Pro" worksheet to break this down in under 10 minutes.

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Want to tighten job-level pricing first? Read Is My Pricing Actually Making Money?

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📬 3. You're Too Slow to Bill, Too Easy to Pay

Slow billing kills cash flow. Loose collections kill profit.

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The Reality:

• Invoices go out days (or weeks) after wrap-up.
  
• You’re chasing checks instead of closing jobs.
  
• “Net 30” turns into “Net whenever.”
  
  

Fix It:

• Same-day invoicing: Build it into the close-out checklist.
  
• Automate payment reminders: Let software follow up so you don’t have to.
  
• Late fees aren’t rude—they’re professional.
  
  

Field Stat: The average HVAC firm waits 23 days to bill after job completion. Top performers? Less than 48 hours.

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🐍 4. Overhead Is Eating Your Margin Alive

It’s not what you charge. It’s what you keep.

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The Reality:

• Subscriptions, stacked software, and dead inventory leak dollars.
  
• Crew inefficiencies go unnoticed.
  
• Fixed costs ballooned, but pricing didn’t.
  
  

Fix It:

• Run A Quick Audit: Cut what doesn't ring the phone or roll a van.
  
• Benchmark Labor Output: Revenue per tech, per week.
  
• Update Break-even Monthly: Don’t fly blind.
  
  

Quick Win: One client cut $1,700/mo by consolidating four subscriptions and ditching a marketing retainer that hadn't delivered in 6 months.

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Read: How Do I Stop the Margin Slide?

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🧭 5. You Don’t Have a Financial Workplan

Busyness feels like growth. But without financial clarity, it's just noise.

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The Reality:

• You don’t know what “good” looks like.
  
• You have financial data but no decision-making dashboard.
  
• You’re flying blind, hoping hustle fills the gaps.
  
  

Fix It:
Set 3 core financial targets:

• Monthly Net Profit Goal
  
• Average Ticket
  
• Overhead % of Revenue
  
  

Use a simple scorecard: Print it. Post it. Share it. Review weekly, not annually.

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“You can’t grow what you can’t see.”

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Final Takeaway: You didn’t build this company to stay broke and booked. You built it to win—and that takes more than great service. It takes financial clarity, disciplined systems, and a plan that gives you control now and options down the road.

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🎯 BONUS: Want help fixing the cash flow leaks? Grab the free HVAC Financial Scorecard and start seeing your numbers clearly.