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Transparency is Everything

Transparency is Everything

Make it known

John Wilson
December 03, 2025

Hello home service operators,

Growth can come from many places. More trucks. More marketing. More tech.

But did you know that it also comes from transparency? When you open up your P&L and show your team where the money actually goes, everything changes.

I talk about the importance of transparency below, but first, your resources for today.

Learn how to fix your lead leaks, boost quality, and turn more calls into booked jobs (and get your questions answered live)
Get 20% off your first purchase at WeSupplyTrades with a free PRO account
AI anxiety is pushing UK youth toward the plumbing industry
From The Green Rush To The Silver Tsunami: Plumbing For Gold
The cold weather is here, and that means one thing…
Where do you weigh in on the “to cover or not to cover” debate

Ad Credits and Marketing Advice

With 2026 right around the bend, now’s the time to get your advertising and marketing strategy in order. Service Scalers can help you with both this week.

Sign with Service Scalers before December 31, and they’ll cover up to $5,000 in ad spend to kickstart your growth.
Service Scalers’ CEO Sam Preston is holding a live session tomorrow on turning leads into booked jobs and revenue.

Don’t miss the opportunity to grab free ad spend and free advice from a marketing and advertising expert.

Profit Gets Real When Your Team Understands the P&L

Most owners think their team “gets” the financials. They don’t.
They hear $2.5M in revenue and assume you pocket $2.5M.

That disconnect is one of the biggest threats to alignment, morale, and long-term profit.

You fix it by opening the books enough for your team to understand how the business actually works.

Show Them Where the Money Really Goes

When your team sees the real cost structure, everything changes.

Payroll: $850K
Materials: $500K
Marketing: $220K
Plus trucks, insurance, fuel, benefits, software, training, and repairs

Suddenly “profit” stops sounding like greed. It becomes the engine that funds raises, new hires, new services, and the next stage of growth.

Why Transparency Creates Profit

When people understand the math, they start making smarter decisions.

They turn off trucks.
They stop wasting materials.
They avoid freebies.
They take care of the equipment.
They look for efficiency.

Because they finally understand that every percentage point matters.

Profit isn’t an owner perk. It’s the scoreboard that decides how fast the business can grow.

Your Job: Build Systems That Catch the Leaks

Transparency only works if you use it to tighten the ship.

Here are the high-leverage places owners lose money without knowing it:

Fuel: Are gas cards being used for personal vehicles?
Materials: Do you have controls, or are techs buying whatever they want at supply houses?
Meals & incidentals: Are lunches and random purchases slipping through?
Marketing: Are you tracking actual return, or just writing checks?
Inventory: Is shrinkage tracked?

Leakage is invisible until you build systems to surface it.

Three Things You Can Implement This Week

Share your cost structure with the team.
Don’t dump the entire P&L. Just show the big buckets.
People rally around what they understand.
Tie compensation to profit, not just revenue.
Techs should feel the difference between a healthy month and a sloppy one.
Create one weekly “leak review.”
Fuel variance. Material overages. Marketing spend.
If something looks off, fix it fast. Don’t let it run for months.

If You Want a More Profitable Company

You don’t need a new CRM.
You don’t need a new truck.
You don’t need a new marketing agency.

You need a team that understands how profit works, why it matters, and how their daily behavior moves the number.

When you get everyone aligned around that, profit stops being a mystery.
It becomes a system. A habit. A culture.

And that’s when it compounds.

Save On Your Next Supply Order

Real people, real service.

Transparency is a must. Don’t forget it.

How do you feel about today's newsletter?

👊 John

Disclosure: Some of the content and links in this newsletter are sponsored or affiliate links, which means we may receive payment or earn a commission if you click through or purchase. However, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.