Straight talk on getting paid
in the trades.
The economics of leads, the business of running a one-truck shop, and how the work really gets won — written by people who pull permits, not marketers.
The economics of buying leads
What Angi, Thumbtack, and HomeAdvisor leads really cost once the honest math is done — and the models that invert it.
The True Cost of Buying Leads for Electricians (Worked Math)
What do Angi and Thumbtack leads really cost an electrician per booked job? The worked math: shared leads, close rates, quoting hours, and no-shows.
Public recordThe FTC vs. HomeAdvisor: What the $7.2M Order Actually Said
A plain-English walkthrough of the FTC's HomeAdvisor case — the 2022 complaint, the April 2023 final order, the $7.2M, and the refunds — with primary sources.
Lead economicsShared Leads, Explained: Why 4 Contractors Pay for 1 Customer
How the shared-lead model works, the speed race it creates, and what it does to an electrician's real customer-acquisition cost.
Lead economicsHow Much Do Angi Leads Cost for Electricians? (Honest Math)
Angi doesn't publish a rate card. How Angi's lead pricing is actually structured for electricians — per-lead fees, ads products — and how to compute your real cost.
Lead economicsHow Much Does Thumbtack Cost for Contractors in 2026?
Thumbtack doesn't publish lead prices. How the pay-per-lead model actually works in 2026 — what sets prices, what budgets do and don't control, and the math to run.
Lead economicsAre Paid Leads Worth It for Electricians? A Worked P&L
Are Angi or Thumbtack leads worth it? A hypothetical solo electrician's month with lead fees vs. the same month restructured — and the break-even close-rate formula.
Lead economicsShould Electricians Charge for Estimates? The Cost of Free Quotes
What free estimates really cost a solo electrician per year, when free quoting still makes sense, and how to charge for diagnostics without losing jobs.
The business modelWhy Loadside Pays Electricians — and How We Make Money
Loadside charges electricians nothing and pays fixed rates per job. The business model stated plainly: the spread, the volume math, and what you trade for it.
Running a one-truck shop
Licenses, insurance, workers' comp, and what a solo electrician actually nets in Northern Virginia — the business side, worked straight.
Running a One-Truck Electrical Shop in Northern Virginia: The Operating Manual
The operating manual for a solo electrician in NoVA: the two licenses, the insurance floor, workers' comp, what to charge, the pipeline problem, and when to hire.
Virginia licensingVirginia Electrical License Classes: Journeyman, Master, Class A/B/C
Virginia's two-layer system explained: journeyman and master tradesman licenses vs. Class A, B, and C contractor licenses — with the actual dollar limits from the statute.
The insurance floorWhat GL Insurance Really Costs a Solo Electrician — and What Drives It
No fake premium quotes. What actually drives general liability cost for a solo electrician — revenue, limits, work mix, claims — plus the certificate logistics of sub work.
Workers' comp, worked straightDoes a Sole Proprietor Need Workers' Comp in Virginia?
Virginia's workers' comp rules for a solo electrician: the more-than-two-employees threshold, how sole proprietors and LLCs are treated, and why GCs demand the paperwork anyway.
Honest mathWhat Solo Electricians Really Net in Northern Virginia (Honest Math)
BLS puts the DC-metro electrician median at $75,930 (May 2025). The honest part: employee wage vs. solo gross vs. solo net — with the full deduction walk.
How the work really gets won
Every channel that fills an electrician's calendar — referrals, permits, search, networks — ranked and worked honestly.
7 Ways Electricians Get Work in 2026, Ranked by Real Margin
Every channel a solo electrician can use to fill the calendar in 2026 — lead platforms, referrals, GBP, job networks and more — ranked by what's actually left after true costs.
Category definitionWhat Is a Subcontractor Network? Job Networks, Defined
A subcontractor network (job network) sells and manages jobs under its own brand, then pays vetted independent contractors a fixed price to do the work. The model, defined honestly.
Permits · Fairfax CountyFairfax County Electrical Permit Guide for Electricians (2026)
How to pull a residential electrical permit in Fairfax County: who can pull it, filing the ELER permit in PLUS, scheduling inspections, and what draws corrections in Fairfax housing stock.
Permits · Loudoun CountyLoudoun County Electrical Permit Guide for Electricians (2026)
Pulling residential electrical permits in Loudoun County: LandMARC filing, the two-license rule, inspection scheduling, and what inspections look like in NoVA's newest housing stock.
Tech that earns its keep
AI receptionists, estimate builders, websites, and field software — what actually pays for itself on a one-truck operation.
Best Software & Tech for a Small Electrical Contractor (2026 Guide)
The no-hype landscape guide to tech for a one-truck electrical shop: phones, quoting, scheduling, getting found, and books — what pays back and what to skip.
Tech for the tradesWhat AI Can Actually Do for a One-Truck Shop (No-Hype Version)
How electricians and small contractors can use AI today — phones, quotes, reviews, photos, scheduling — with the honest limitation on each, and what AI can't do.
Tech for the tradesAI Estimate Builders, Explained: Photos In, Line Items Out
How AI estimating software for contractors works — rate cards, markup rules, photo scoping — what it gets right, where it fails, and what to demand before trusting one.
Tech for the tradesDo Contractors Need a Website, or Is Google Business Profile Enough?
The honest answer: GBP does more than most contractors think — but a website is the asset you own, ranks beyond the map pack, and compounds. What a contractor site needs.
Tech for the tradesServiceTitan Alternatives for Small Shops (1–5 Trucks)
Why one-truck shops look past ServiceTitan, and what to run instead — Housecall Pro, Jobber, Workiz, FieldPulse, or a spreadsheet — matched honestly to shop size.
Done reading about it?
Apply, take one trial job, and judge the model on a payday instead of a blog post.