Skilled Trades
You mastered a trade. The books never got the same attention.
You Didn't Apprentice for This
You put in the years. Apprenticeship, licensing exams, long days learning from someone who’d been doing it for decades. You got good at the work. Good enough that going out on your own made sense. Your own truck, your own schedule, your own name on the business.
What the apprenticeship never covered was quarterly estimated taxes, expense categorization, payroll tax deposits, and a growing pile of receipts that somehow needs to become a tax return every April. You trained to be an electrician or a plumber, not a bookkeeper.
We work with tradespeople across the Tampa Bay area who are excellent at what they do but need someone competent handling the financial side of the business. That’s what we’re here for.
Out on Jobs All Day
Most tradespeople are out the door before sunrise. You’re running service calls, finishing installations, quoting new work, dealing with suppliers. The day doesn’t leave room for sitting at a computer categorizing transactions in QuickBooks.
So bookkeeping gets pushed to the weekend. Or it gets pushed to tax season. Receipts live in the glove box. Invoices go out a week late. The accounting file you set up two years ago hasn’t been touched since. We see this pattern constantly with trades businesses, and it’s completely understandable. You were busy doing actual work.
Who We Work With
Who We Work With
Electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, welders, pipefitters, and other licensed tradespeople running their own businesses in Riverview, the South Shore, and the greater Tampa Bay area. Solo operators and small crews alike.
Where You Are
Where You Are
You have steady work and a solid reputation. The business is real and growing. But the financial side hasn’t kept pace. You know things need to be more organized, you just haven’t had the time or the expertise to make it happen.
Where the Money Gets Lost
Trades businesses have specific financial challenges that a generic bookkeeper won’t always catch. Vehicle expenses, tool purchases, licensing fees, materials bought for jobs, subcontractors brought in for overflow work. Every one of these has tax implications, and if nobody is tracking them correctly, you’re leaving money on the table every single year.
Then there’s the cash flow problem. You buy materials out of pocket, complete the work, send an invoice, and wait. Meanwhile payroll is due Friday and your supplier wants payment by the 15th. Being profitable on paper while feeling cash-strapped is incredibly common in this industry. It doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It means the timing needs to be managed properly.
Vehicles and Equipment
Vehicles and Equipment
Your truck is a business asset. Your tools are business assets. Section 179 depreciation and proper mileage tracking represent real savings. If nobody is recording these correctly throughout the year, you end up overpaying on taxes and not even knowing it.
Subcontractor Compliance
Subcontractor Compliance
Bringing in help on bigger jobs is normal. But every subcontractor paid $600 or more in a year needs a 1099. We make sure W-9s are collected upfront and 1099s are filed on time so you don’t end up with IRS penalties over paperwork you didn’t realize was required.
Back to the Work
You didn’t get your license and start a business so you could spend evenings doing data entry. You did it for the independence, the earning potential, and the pride of building something with your own hands and your own reputation.
We take the financial work off your plate. Monthly bookkeeping, payroll for your crew, tax preparation, and the kind of ongoing oversight that keeps you out of trouble and helps you actually understand what the business is doing. You focus on the jobs. We make sure the numbers are right when it matters.
Monthly Bookkeeping and Tax Prep
Monthly Bookkeeping and Tax Prep
Books closed every month. Expenses tracked and categorized properly. Quarterly estimates calculated so April doesn’t blindside you. Tax returns prepared by a CPA who understands trades businesses and knows which deductions apply to your situation.
Payroll and Compliance
Payroll and Compliance
If you have employees, we handle payroll processing, tax deposits, and quarterly filings. If you rely on subcontractors, we manage the 1099 process from W-9 collection to year-end filing. Either way, you stay compliant without having to think about it.
Tampa Bay's Small Business CPA Firm
First Step:
A Short Conversation
Tell us about your business and where you need support. We'll walk through your situation, answer your questions, and give you a clear quote.
