Check a recent job’s contribution before copying a competitor’s price: evidence record
Use the scanner pricing question to identify current job-cost evidence while distinguishing contribution from net profit.
No signup. Enter reference codes, add records and download a CSV. Entries stay in the browser tab. Filled fields do not establish completion, approval or compliance.
| Job scope reference | Actual collected or approved price basis | Direct costs included | Rework or scope change | Overhead question | Pricing review decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illustrative: job-example-01 | 3000, invented example | 1950 direct costs, invented | 200 rework, invented | Remainder excludes overhead and tax | Compare similar jobs |
- The starting row is fictional and is not merchant evidence. Replace it with your verified internal record. Blank fields remain unresolved.
- Keep Yes, No, Not sure and Not applicable distinct. A reported answer is not an independent BlueFinch verification.
- Record one bounded check or decision per row. Add evidence dates and use unknown rather than zero when a value is unavailable.
- Do not enter card data, account credentials, customer information or private financial documents. Use internal reference codes.
- Filled fields do not establish completion, compliance, profitability or a revenue opportunity. Verify the actual acceptance result.
- Export deliberately to approved business storage. Browser edits are cleared on reload.
A competitor’s price doesn’t tell you what your shop spends to do the work. Look at a recent completed job and its actual scope. Distinguish what remains after direct costs from net profit. Your business still has overhead and other expenses to cover.
Use with this guide
Profit Leak Scanner
Review the methodology and current scope of Profit Leak Scanner.
Books tool
Review the methodology and current scope of Books tool.
Small Business Savings Audit
Review the methodology and current scope of Small Business Savings Audit.
Set a tint-shop second-vehicle reward without erasing job contribution
A second car still consumes film, installation time and shop capacity. Price the fulfilled credit against the job and costs you actually record.
Use the pricing check to identify missing evidence
The Profit Leak Scanner asks a simple question: do your prices cover today’s cost of doing the work, including materials, paid time, rework, and overhead? It doesn’t inspect job records or tell you to use one universal markup. If you answer No, you’ve got a review task. Not sure? Pull together the evidence before changing prices. Pick a job your staff can explain, and keep its scope intact. Comparing a simple job’s price with a complicated job’s costs will throw off the review. Use internal references in the worksheet, and keep actual customer documents in your business’s approved system.
Sources for this section: BlueFinch Advisors: Profit Leak Scanner methodology
Define the cost categories with the bookkeeper
First, be clear about which costs belong to the job and which belong in your broader operating picture. The SBA stresses proper records, cost-benefit analysis, and awareness of recurring and nonrecurring costs. Ask your bookkeeper to use a consistent accounting basis, not treat every bank movement as an expense. The Books tool supports enabled accounting workflows, but it can’t replace professional judgment about your records. Say exactly what your job calculation includes and leaves out. If the contribution figure is before overhead and tax, don’t call it net profit just because it’s what’s left after a simple subtraction.
Sources for this section: U.S. Small Business Administration: managing finances and cost-benefit analysis
Use a transparent contribution example
Suppose a fictional installation brings in $3,000, with $1,200 in materials, $600 in directly assigned paid labor, and $150 in other included direct costs. That leaves $1,050 before overhead, tax, or costs outside this example. Verified rework of $200 drops the remainder to $850. These made-up figures show the math, not an industry margin or a price you should charge. And they don’t prove every rework event could’ve been avoided. The real question is whether your pricing review uses the actual cost of the agreed work, not some outdated estimate.
Sources for this section: U.S. Small Business Administration: managing finances and cost-benefit analysis
Review scope and process before making a broad increase
A weak contribution on one job doesn’t mean every customer needs a price change. It could be an unusual scope, a missed approval, a costing error, or a recurring problem. Investigate before applying a blanket price change to every customer. Compare similar jobs using the same cost definitions and period, where appropriate. The Small Business Savings Audit helps review entered recurring and proposed expenses. But it doesn’t decide the right selling price for a particular job. Keep customer demand, capacity, and service promises in the business discussion. Don’t invent elasticities or sales forecasts. And the scanner’s pricing answer doesn’t generate automatic dollars of recoverable profit.
Sources for this section: BlueFinch Advisors: Profit Leak Scanner methodology
Use the job-pricing review sheet
Record the scope reference, price basis, and included direct costs. Keep rework or approved changes separate so the original assumption stays visible. Note which overhead question still needs review and who decides. An example row might say “direct labor estimate outdated, compare three similar jobs before revising the service price.” That is more useful than declaring the whole business underpriced from one example. The scanner runs locally and doesn’t verify financial statements. Use it to organize evidence and choose a proportionate next step. Bring in professional accounting support for classification questions.
Keep the original estimate separate from the final job review. If material costs change after quoting, record it. Don’t quietly replace the original assumption. The difference may reflect estimate validity, supplier pricing, or scope approval. It doesn’t automatically justify applying the same increase to unrelated services. Review comparable jobs before drawing a broader pricing conclusion.
Sources for this section: BlueFinch Advisors: Profit Leak Scanner methodology
Primary sources
BlueFinch last reviewed these sources on October 23, 2026. Check the linked sources for current requirements and product details.
- BlueFinch Advisors: Profit Leak Scanner methodology
- U.S. Small Business Administration: managing finances and cost-benefit analysis
Use this page for general business information. It is not legal, tax, or accounting advice.