Audio · 5:30
How Much Should a Contractor Spend on Marketing? A Simple Budget by Revenue
A plain-English way to set your marketing budget as a contractor: the percent-of-revenue rule, the cost-per-job check that matters more, and where the money should go first.
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Chapters (7)
TL;DR
- A common starting point is 7% to 8% of gross revenue for a profitable small business, often cited from SBA guidance. Growing companies often spend more.
- The percent is only a starting point. The real test is what you pay per booked job compared to what that job is worth.
- Fix the leaks first: missed calls, slow replies and no follow-up waste the leads you already pay for.
- Spend in order: get found, answer fast, book and follow up, then turn up paid ads.
This narration was generated with Kokoro, a free, open-source AI text-to-speech model, using the "am_michael" voice. It was produced on our own computer, so the post text was never sent to a voice company.