Business Growth

The Contractor's Weekly Dashboard: 5 Numbers to Track

You don't need complex analytics. These 5 numbers tell you everything about your business health—check them every week.

October 29, 2024

8 min read

Most contractors fly blind. They know whether they're 'busy' and whether money's in the bank, but they don't have a pulse on the metrics that actually predict success or failure.

You need a weekly dashboard—5 numbers that take 10 minutes to review and tell you exactly how your business is performing.

Number 1: Revenue This Week vs. Same Week Last Year

Why same week last year? Because service businesses are seasonal. Comparing January to December is meaningless. Comparing this January week to last January week shows you real growth or decline.

Up 10%+: You're growing. Figure out what's working and do more.
Flat (-5% to +5%): Stable, but where's the growth coming from?
Down 10%+: Red flag. Dig into why—is it marketing, capacity, or market conditions?

Number 2: Jobs Booked This Week

Revenue is a lagging indicator—it shows what happened. Jobs booked is a leading indicator—it shows what's coming. Track:

Total jobs scheduled for future dates this week
Breakdown by job type (diagnostic, repair, install, maintenance)
Average job value of what's booked

If booked jobs are declining, you've got a 2-4 week warning before revenue falls off.

“I used to only look at revenue. Now I watch bookings religiously. It gives me time to adjust marketing or promotions before things get slow.”
— Steve Marshall, Marshall Mechanical, Portland OR

Number 3: Estimate-to-Job Conversion Rate

Of the estimates you sent out, how many became actual jobs? This metric reveals pricing and sales effectiveness:

60%+ conversion: You might be leaving money on the table—prices may be too low
40-60% conversion: Healthy range for most service businesses
Under 40% conversion: Something's off—pricing, follow-up, or targeting

Track this weekly, but also by job type and tech. You might find one tech closes 70% while another closes 30%—that's a coaching opportunity.

Number 4: Average Revenue Per Job

Are your jobs getting bigger or smaller? Average revenue per job tells you:

Whether you're attracting high-value work
If your techs are effectively upselling
How your service mix is shifting over time

If average job size is declining, you might be doing more diagnostic calls and fewer installs—which changes your capacity and profitability math.

Number 5: Cash Position

Revenue is not cash. This is what actually matters: how much is in the bank and how long it lasts.

Cash in bank right now
Accounts receivable (what you're owed)
Accounts payable (what you owe)
Weeks of runway at current burn rate

Target: Always have at least 8 weeks of operating expenses in cash reserves. More during uncertain times.

Track Your Numbers Easily

Local Business Pro's dashboard shows these metrics at a glance—no spreadsheet required.

See the Dashboard

Setting Up Your Weekly Review

Make this a ritual:

Same time every week: Monday morning or Friday afternoon works for most
10-15 minutes max: If it takes longer, you're overcomplicating it
Document trends: Keep a simple log of your numbers week over week
Take action: Each review should result in at least one action item

Warning Signs to Watch For

Combinations of metrics that indicate trouble:

Revenue up, cash down: You're growing faster than you can collect—AR problem
Bookings up, conversion down: Marketing is working but sales/pricing is off
Average job falling, bookings flat: You're doing more work for less money
All metrics declining: Time for urgent intervention

The Bottom Line

Five numbers. Ten minutes a week. That's all it takes to have a clear picture of your business health. The contractors who track these metrics make better decisions, catch problems earlier, and grow faster than those flying blind.

Start this week. Your future self will thank you.

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About Local Business Pro Team

The Local Business Pro team combines decades of experience in service businesses, technology, and customer success to create content that helps contractors grow.

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