Founder, Pillar
Stephen has spent more than a decade as a senior software engineer with a deep passion for building tools that help small businesses run leaner, faster, and more professionally.
He built Pillar after seeing how many trade businesses still rely on spreadsheets, sticky notes, and a patchwork of apps to manage real operations. Pillar brings scheduling, dispatch, estimates, invoicing, customer portals, and reporting into one connected platform — designed to feel as professional as the work the trades do every day.
Not every one-person operation needs software, and the honest answer starts there. Here are the signs pen and paper is costing you real money, what a solo operator actually needs, and the per-user pricing math to run before you sign up for anything.
Most handyman prices are copied from the guy across town or guessed at the front door. Here is the actual method: your true hourly cost, a minimum job charge, marked-up materials, and worked examples you can rebuild from your own numbers.
Subcontractors let you take on more work without more payroll, but they also create real risk: expired insurance, missed confirmations, and hours nobody can verify. Here is a practical system for managing subs without losing control.
Copy a complete contractor invoice template — itemized labor and materials, totals, deposit credits, and payment terms — then learn what each field is for and the four mistakes that quietly delay payment.
A ready-to-use service agreement template with every clause a field service business needs — parties, visit schedule, billing, exclusions, cancellation, and signatures — plus how to adapt it for HVAC, lawn care, pool, cleaning, and pest control.
Most plumbing prices are set by gut feel or by copying the shop across town. Here is the actual method: true hourly cost, materials markup, a service call fee, and a profit margin, with worked examples you can rebuild from your own numbers.
Every demo looks good. This buyer’s guide walks through choosing field service software the slow way: list your workflows first, run the per-user pricing math, test a real week before you commit, and plan the data migration before anything gets signed.
Paper work orders go missing, get soaked in the truck, and turn into illegible scribbles by the time anyone needs them. Going paperless isn’t about the trees. It’s about never losing the proof that a job got done right. Here’s how to make the switch without blowing up your week.
The estimate is where most jobs are won or lost, and the winner is rarely the cheapest. It is whoever gets back to the customer first, lays out the options plainly, and makes saying yes a one-minute job. Here is how to build estimates that close.
Most field service businesses are not short on work, they are short on cash. The gap between finishing a job and collecting payment is where margin quietly disappears. Here is how to close it.
Most homeowners check reviews before they call. The businesses that win the most work are usually not the ones doing the best work. They are the ones who ask for a review at the right moment, every time. Here is a system that makes asking automatic.
One-time jobs keep the lights on, but recurring service agreements build a business you can sell. Here is how to design, price, and automate maintenance contracts that customers actually keep.
Both pricing models have trade-offs. The right choice depends on your trade, job complexity, and how much pricing transparency your customers expect.
Your technicians spend their day in the field, not at a desk. The tools they rely on should reflect that reality.
A single no-show costs more than the lost revenue from that job. Factor in wasted drive time, rescheduling overhead, and customer trust — the numbers add up fast.
Panel upgrades, HVAC installations, and remodels often span multiple days. Without structured multi-visit tracking, details fall through the cracks.
Missed appointments, double-booked technicians, and invoices lost in email threads — if this sounds familiar, spreadsheets are costing you more than you think.
Practical field service tools built for blue-collar trades. Request a 20-minute demo or explore the platform.
