Setting up your company

Setup asks only for the numbers you know. Everything else starts with typical numbers for you to check. It's a one-time job of about 20 minutes, and it pays you back on every estimate.

The six steps

1. Your company. Your name, the work you do (house exteriors, interiors, commercial), and how you price today.
2. Your crew. First, what you pay on top of wages: payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits, and how much of each paid hour is spent on jobs. Then everyone who paints, with their pay and overtime pay. Brushline works out what an hour of each person really costs you.
3. Your overhead. What it costs to run the business in a year, whether or not you're on a job, and what you expect to bill. Connected to QuickBooks? Fill it in from last year's Profit and Loss.
4. Your margins. Brushline suggests a target and a minimum margin from your overhead. Every estimate is priced to your target.
5. Your paint. What you pay for the paint you use most, after your contractor discount.
6. Your work speed. How long jobs you know well take, so the hours on every estimate match your crew.

Numbers marked "typical: check this" are starter values. They're fine to start with; change them when you know better.

Can I change things later?

Yes, anytime. See Changing your numbers later.