406 Consulting Group
Specialty trades accounting for plumbers, electricians, HVAC, and other contractors
Industry

You're Good at Your Trade. Your Numbers Should Be Too.

Most trade contractors are excellent at their craft and flying blind on their finances. We fix that — with break-even clarity, cash flow visibility, and the margin discipline to run the business you actually want. Serving plumbers, electricians, HVAC, framing, excavation, roofing, and specialty subcontractors across Montana and the Mountain West.

Why Specialty Trades need specialized accounting

Most specialty trade owners are excellent at their craft but have no visibility into their financial reality. You finish a big job, pay your crew, buy materials for the next one — and suddenly you're waiting on a check that's 45 days out. Cash flow is feast or famine. You're profitable on paper but constantly short on cash.

Revenue is up. You're busier than ever. But somehow there's less money at the end of the month. Growth without margin discipline is a trap — and it's common in trades. We build the financial systems that turn craft into a profitable, well-run business.

Common pain points we solve

Bidding on gut feel: you're pricing jobs based on experience, not numbers. Some jobs make money. Some don't. You're not sure which.
Cash flow whiplash: you finish a big job, pay your crew, buy materials for the next one — and suddenly you're waiting on a 45-day check.
No idea what your net margin really is: after materials, labor, fuel, insurance, and equipment — what's actually left?
Owner pay is whatever's left: you pay everyone else first and take what's left, with no structure or predictability.
Bookkeeping is an afterthought: receipts pile up, QuickBooks hasn't been touched in months, tax time is a scramble every year.
No benchmark for 'good': is a 12% net margin good for a plumbing company? Without industry benchmarks, you're flying blind.
Growing but not profitable: revenue is up, busier than ever, but somehow less money at the end of the month.

What we do for Specialty Trades

  • Break-even analysis: know exactly what you need to bill each month to cover costs and pay yourself
  • Cash flow forecasting: a 13-week rolling forecast so you always know what's coming in and going out
  • Job costing setup: track labor, materials, and overhead by job so you know which work is profitable
  • Bookkeeping: clean, consistent monthly books — no more scrambling at tax time
  • Owner pay structure: predictable, tax-efficient compensation
  • Industry benchmarking: compare margins, overhead ratios, labor costs against industry averages
  • Tax planning & prep: proactive tax strategy for owner-operated trades businesses
  • Controller Services: when you're ready to scale

The metrics we track

  • Break-even clarity — know your exact monthly break-even number
  • Cash flow predictability — rolling 13-week forecast, no surprises
  • Margin by job type — know which work is most profitable
  • Structured owner pay — consistent and tax-efficient
  • Clean monthly books — updated every month, not just at tax time
  • Benchmarked performance — know how you compare to top performers in your trade

Frequently asked questions

Related services

BookkeepingPayrollControllerCFOAdvisoryTax Preparation

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