Price so you actually make money

The most expensive mistake a new owner makes is pricing by copying a competitor or guessing what feels fair. Your price has to cover your real costs AND pay you — otherwise you're literally paying customers to work. Build the price from the bottom up and you'll never underprice by accident.

Do this

1. Add up what a job actually costs you: materials, gas, tool wear, and your hours at a real wage.
2. Add a profit margin on top — the business's cut, separate from your own labor.
3. Only then glance at the market, to sanity-check your number — not to set it.
4. If your honest price makes you nervous, that's usually a sign you were undercharging, not overpricing.

Build your price from the bottom up

Stack it, don't guess it:

Materials & supplies .............. $30 Gas / travel / tool wear .......... $15 Your time (2 hrs @ $40) ........... $80 ---------------------------------------- Your cost ......................... $125 Profit margin (say 25%) ........... $31 ---------------------------------------- PRICE ............................. $156

Now check competitors. If they charge $120, you're not "too expensive" — they may be quietly working for free. Hold a price that pays you.