Sanitized recreationJob Cost Ready
Construction Operations System
Subcontractors, AP and job costing for a growing remodeler.
Ridgeway Renovations (fictional)Systematically Kelly · Business operations and systems integrator
Your business makes money. The back end shouldn't be a mess.
I set up, clean up and connect the systems behind contractors and growing service businesses: job costing, QuickBooks Online, CRMs, project and field tools, invoicing, AI and automation, hiring and HR systems.
Fixed-scope projects. Built in the tools you already use, tested on real work, and handed over with SOPs your team will actually follow.
Free. You do not need to know which service you need. Bring the problem.
Bring me the problem
Sound familiar?
- I do not know if we are making money on these jobs.
- We bought software nobody uses.
- Our systems do not talk to each other.
- We finish the work and invoice weeks later.
- Everyone says use AI. Where, exactly?
- Customers stall on price after a good quote.
- Every new hire is a scramble.
- The books are always a month behind.
You run the business. I set up the systems that run behind it.
Most of the time you do not need more software. You need the tools you already pay for set up around how the work really moves, connected to each other, and used the same way by everyone.
I figure out where the work breaks, fix it in your systems, and make sure it holds.
What I help with
Seven ways I help. One way to start.
Money and job costing
Know what each job made, bill it on time, and give customers a way to say yes.
- 01 Flagship for contractors
Job Cost Ready
Trust what each job actually cost. A fixed-scope project that connects estimating, accounting, labor, expenses and subs, verified on a real job before signoff.
Projects start around $4,000 depending on what we find. Try the free scorecard.
- 02
Get Paid Faster
Tighten invoicing and progress billing, pick the right AR and AP tools, and set up vendor and sub onboarding with W-9s, so money comes in on time and bills go out clean.
- 03
Customer Financing and Sales Setup
Research and set up third-party customer financing options, and build them into a clean quote-to-close process so more estimates become signed jobs.
Systems and automation
Make the tools you pay for work together, then automate what is worth automating.
- 04
Systems Setup and Cleanup
Set up, clean up and connect QuickBooks Online, your CRM, project and field tools so the work moves without double entry or chasing.
- 05
AI and Automation Implementation
Find where AI and automation actually help, then set them up with clear inputs, review checkpoints and guardrails, inside the tools you already use.
People and back office
Hiring, payroll and HR systems, and the back-office support that keeps it all current.
- 06
People and Hiring Systems
Set up the hiring process, role definitions, payroll and HR systems, review process and bonus structure, so growing the team does not mean more chaos.
- 07
Bookkeeping and Back-Office Support
Bookkeeping support and back-office help to keep records, bills, invoices and vendor files current, from me or a team I bring in and coordinate.
Not sure where to start?
Bring the problem, not the answer.
In 15 minutes we work out which path fits, or whether something else does.
How every project works
Diagnose, design, implement, verify, stabilize.
- DiagnoseI learn how the work really moves today: the people, tools, handoffs and where it breaks.
- DesignWe agree on how it should work, who owns each step, and what the tools need to do. That becomes a fixed scope.
- ImplementI set it up in the systems you already use where they can support it, and connect what needs connecting.
- VerifyWe test it on real work, not a demo, and fix what does not hold up.
- StabilizeYour team gets the SOPs, training and a short follow-up period so the new way sticks after I step back.
Fixed scope and one price, agreed in writing before work starts. Ongoing support is available after a project if you want it.
Portfolio
See how the work is built.
Twelve sanitized sample projects, each tagged to a service path. Every company is fictional and every number is illustrative. Each carries an honest label: Real capability, Sanitized recreation or Illustrative sample project.
Sanitized recreationGet Paid Faster
Billing Operations and Revenue Leakage Audit
Are we billing for the work we do, and only for the work we do?
Marlow Partners (fictional)
Illustrative sample projectAI and Automation Implementation
AI Workflow Audit and Automation Roadmap
Where AI and automation help, and where they would make a mess faster.
Elmwood Property Management (fictional)Tools I work in
I start with what you already pay for.
These are tools I have worked in across construction, professional services, real estate, hospitality and banking operations. Not partnerships, and I do not resell software. When a tool truly does not fit, I help you define requirements and compare options.
- QuickBooks Online
- QuickBooks Time
- JobTread
- ServiceTitan
- Jobber
- Housecall Pro
- HubSpot
- GoHighLevel
- Salesforce
- Zoho
- Pipedrive
- Airtable
- Asana
- ClickUp
- Monday.com
- Ramp
- Rippling
- Gusto
- Lever
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Dropbox
- PandaDoc
- DocuSign
- Dropbox Sign
- 1Password
Who I work best with
You know the work. I set up the business behind it.
Owners of growing contractor, remodeling, home-service and field-service businesses, and other job-based service businesses. You have real work and steady activity, and you are ready to change how things run.
You want a straight answer, would rather fix the real problem than add another tool, and want someone who will actually do the setup.
Where my work stops. I am not a CPA, accountant, tax advisor, attorney, lender or financial advisor. I set up the operations and systems and coordinate with your bookkeeper, CPA, attorney or other professional when their expertise is needed.
Customer financing work means researching and setting up third-party programs you choose. I do not arrange loans.
15-Minute Systems Fit Call
Not sure where to start? Start with a 15-minute call.
You do not need to know which service you need. Bring the problem. On a free 15-minute call:
- I learn what you need and what is getting in the way.
- You tell me how you want to solve it: your timing, your tools, how hands-on you want to be.
- I tell you straight whether and how I can help, or who might be a better fit.
- If it is a fit, you get a fixed-scope proposal with the work, the deliverables and one price. No obligation.
Free · 15 minutes · No pitch deck
It is a conversation about fit, not a sales script and not free consulting. If I am not the right person, I will say so.
Book a 15-Minute Systems Fit Call
Contractor with a job costing question? Try the free Job Cost Readiness Scorecard first.
Operator Notes
Practical notes on the business behind the work.
- Estimating
Change Order Process for Remodelers, With a Simple SOP
A practical change order process for remodelers: capture, price, approve in writing, track costs separately, and bill. Includes a short SOP you can adapt.
- Job costing
Cost Codes for Remodelers: A Starter Structure
A simple starter cost code structure for remodelers, how to keep estimate and actual categories aligned, and the mistakes that make cost codes useless.
- Job costing
Estimate vs Actual: How to Read a Job Cost Report and What to Fix
How to read an estimate vs actual job cost report, why the numbers often do not match, and the three checks to run before you trust the variance.
Common questions
What does Kelly Claiborne do?
Kelly Claiborne is a business operations and systems integrator for contractors and growing service businesses. She sets up, cleans up and connects the systems behind the work: job costing, QuickBooks Online, CRMs, project and field tools, invoicing and progress billing, vendor onboarding, practical AI and automation, customer financing setup, people and hiring systems, and bookkeeping and back-office support.
How do I get started?
Book the free 15-Minute Systems Fit Call. Kelly learns what you need and how you want to solve it, tells you whether and how she can help, and if it is a fit sends a fixed-scope proposal.
What is Job Cost Ready?
Job Cost Ready is a fixed-scope, fixed-price implementation for contractors. Kelly traces a real job, maps where the job-cost chain breaks, and builds the systems that connect estimating, accounting, labor, expenses and subs so you can trust what each job cost.
Are you a CPA, bookkeeper, lawyer or lender?
No. Kelly is not a CPA, accountant, tax advisor, attorney, lender or financial advisor. She works on the operations and systems side and coordinates with your own professionals when their expertise is needed.