Timely analysis of the software, AI, and tools shaping the trades — written for contractors who don’t have time to track every vendor launch. When a new AI feature ships, a platform changes its pricing, or a major tool gets discontinued, we cut through the marketing and tell you what it actually means for a shop your size. No hype, no recycled press releases — just what’s worth your attention and what you can safely ignore.
No software company that matters to a small shop shipped anything this week. What moved was ownership — a multibillion-dollar deal closed on Monday — and, a few days earlier, a decent argument that the word every vendor is now stamping on its product tells you almost nothing about what you’re buying. Those two things … Read more
The data center boom is bidding for the same electricians you employ, at a 42% wage premium. The training money making headlines is mostly months old.
This week ran on a split screen. On one side, four of the biggest companies in America publicly declared the skilled trades shortage a national problem. On the other, software vendors kept doing what they have done all summer: shipping more AI features. Put them side by side and the honest takeaway for a small … Read more
Labor owned the week: JPMorgan, Google, and a robot bricklaying startup all bet big on the trades shortage, Turner and Townsend says labor is now the top construction cost driver, and QuickBooks Online reprices August 1.
This week: federal Pell money opens for short trades programs, insurers discount premiums for jobsite monitoring, copper whipsaws ahead of a tariff decision, and Jobber ships three quiet field updates.
If you’ve ever lost an evening rebuilding a material list across spreadsheets, texts, and three different project tools, this one’s worth knowing about. The Home Depot — a supplier almost every contractor already uses — now has free AI tools that turn a plain-language project description, or even a single-family blueprint, into a grouped, priced … Read more
A lot moved in the trade-software world this week, and the honest through-line is a useful corrective to the hype. The trade press has started reviewing “AI-native” platforms as the new normal, the most genuinely useful thing that actually shipped wasn’t AI at all, and the cost of all this software is about to climb. … Read more
If you run your trade business on QuickBooks Online, your subscription is about to cost more. Intuit has confirmed that monthly prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced are increasing starting August 1, 2026 (per Intuit’s official pricing-change notice). Here’s exactly what’s changing, who it hits, and what to do before the new rate … Read more
In peak season the calls you miss are the ones you most want. Here’s what an AI voice agent actually does for an HVAC shop — and which one fits your setup.
Roofing-specific tools like AccuLynx and JobNimbus, or a general platform like Jobber or ServiceTitan? The honest answer depends on whether you chase insurance work or run residential service — here’s how to decide.