🏆 Top 10 Best Practices

How top contractors use Obra to grow their business faster than the competition. These 10 habits make the difference between a hustler and a CEO.

3.2x
Faster quotes
47%
More leads
28%
Higher margins
12hr
Saved per week
1
📸 COMPARE + SOCIAL POST

Post every before/after within 24 hours

The #1 lead-generator for contractors. Every finished job becomes a post. Top contractors post 5-8 times per week — not 1-2. Compare generates the image, Social Post writes the caption.

Example: A remodeler in Van Nuys went from 200 to 3,400 followers in 6 months. 2 posts/day. Booked 4 new jobs directly from Instagram DMs last month alone.
🔀 Open Compare →
2
📸 RECEIPT SCANNER

Scan every receipt the moment you get it

Receipts in your truck glove box cost you money — lost tax deductions, missed project cost tracking. Top contractors scan at the register, right there. 5 seconds saves hours at tax time.

Example: A roofer saved $8,400 in deductions his first year using Obra. Previously he'd lose 30% of his receipts.
📸 Open Scanner →
3
💰 SMART ESTIMATE + TRAINING

Train the AI on YOUR past prices, never Google's

Generic estimates lose bids. Your pricing wins them. Upload 5-10 past contracts → AI learns your exact markup, labor rates, material preferences. Every new estimate matches how YOU quote.

Example: A painter uploaded 12 past jobs. His estimates now match his typical pricing within 3% every time. Closes 2x more bids because prices are realistic, not random.
🧠 Train Your AI →
4
📋 PROJECTS LOG

Log every day — 30 seconds, every job

Daily logs protect you in disputes. When the client says 'you didn't do X', you have photos + notes from that Tuesday at 2pm. Also: you see exactly where your money is going per job, live.

Example: One contractor won a $12K dispute because he had daily photo logs. Another caught a $3K labor overrun mid-project by watching his P&L update live.
📋 Open Projects →
5
📝 QUOTE + 🧾 INVOICE

Send quote same day, invoice same day

Most contractors lose bids because they send quotes 2-3 days later. The client already hired someone else. With Obra: you quote on site before you leave. Job done? Invoice on the spot, get paid 40% faster.

Example: A plumber boosted close rate from 35% to 68% just by quoting on site. Customers sign before they call the next plumber.
📝 Create Quote →
6
⭐ REVIEW REQUEST

Ask for a review within 48 hours — every time

Reviews = free leads forever. The window to ask is small: 48 hours after job completion. Obra generates the ask message personalized to each client with their Google review link. Top contractors get 40+ reviews/year.

Example: A kitchen remodeler went from 8 to 73 Google reviews in a year. Now ranks #1 in his area. Leads come to him — no more chasing.
⭐ Send Review Request →
7
💵 TAX TRACKER

Track mileage and deductions — weekly, not yearly

The IRS mileage deduction is $0.67/mile in 2026. If you drive 50 miles/day for work, that's $8,375 in deductions per year. Track it weekly — not at tax time when you've forgotten 70% of your trips.

Example: One contractor owed $14K in back taxes. After 3 months of using Obra tax tracking, he found $6,200 in previously-untracked mileage deductions — cut his tax bill in half.
💵 Open Tax Tracker →
8
👷 JOBS PORTAL + 🚪 DOOR-KNOCKERS

Never work short-staffed again

Your crew bails, client is pressuring, you're stuck. Post a job in 60 seconds, reach 100+ workers instantly. Need leads instead? Hire vetted door-knockers who bring pre-qualified appointments — not cold numbers.

Example: A roofing company hired 3 bilingual knockers through Obra. $9,000 spent → $340,000 in closed jobs. 37x ROI.
👷 Find Workers →
9
💬 AI CHAT + 🧠 MEMORIES

Use the AI as your co-pilot, not a search engine

Stuck on a permit question? Client arguing about scope? Need a fast contract clause? Ask Obra Assistant. It knows California code, OSHA rules, your pricing (when trained), and your preferences (memories). It's faster than Googling and more accurate.

Example: A contractor saved $1,200 in legal fees by asking AI Chat to draft a change order clause. The lawyer reviewed in 15 minutes instead of writing from scratch.
💬 Open Chat →
10
📊 DASHBOARD

Check the dashboard every Friday

15 minutes, every Friday. See this week's P&L. Which projects are bleeding money? Which clients aren't paying? Which tools are getting results? Top contractors are CEOs, not hustlers. They make decisions from data, not from gut feel.

Example: A general contractor spotted a 15% margin drop in 2 weeks using the dashboard. Traced it to one supplier's price hike — switched suppliers, restored profit.
📊 Open Dashboard →

Which practice will you start with today?

You don't have to do all 10 at once. Pick one. Make it a habit this week. Then add the next.

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