Trades & Careers

Electrician, lineman, welder, plumber. How to get in, get certified and get paid what the work is worth.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

What each college savings account actually does with your money

529, Coverdell, custodial, Roth, plain brokerage, I bonds. The real differences, the tax math, and which one deserves your first $200 a month.

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Leading a team through a mess you didn't make

The supplier burned down, the client went under, the parent company changed the rules. Your people still look at you first. Do this in the first 48 hours.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20267 min

Fix the rocking toilet before it eats your subfloor

A wobbling bowl has already broken its seal. Reseating it takes an afternoon, a few dollars of parts, and one bolt you must not overtighten.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

Startups6 min read

Read Item 20 Before You Read the Franchise Brochure

The disclosure document is 23 items long and boring on purpose. Two of them tell you almost everything you need to know.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Read the medical bill line by line before you pay a dollar

The first piece of paper the hospital sends you isn't a bill. It's an opening offer, and it's usually wrong in their favor.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

A Sagging Gate Is Three Problems, Fixed In Order

The post, the hinges, the frame. Diagnose it in ten minutes, fix it in an afternoon, and stop lifting the thing every time you walk through.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Ask for the review before you pull out of the driveway

The two-minute window after the job ends is worth more than every follow-up email you'll ever send. Use it, and stay on the right side of the rules.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Where AI Saves Your Small Business Time and Where It Doesn't

A simple test for every tool you're being sold, plus the jobs it genuinely handles and the ones it'll quietly cost you money on.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Read a map and compass in the order you actually use them

Set declination, orient the map, walk a bearing, and find yourself again when the trail disappears. No battery required.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Starting a Handyman Business Without Getting Fined

Licensing thresholds, the four holes in a cheap liability policy, and why hourly pricing quietly bankrupts good handymen.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Delegating When You're Convinced Nobody Else Can Do It

Track two weeks, price your hour, hand off the boring thing first, and budget for the mistakes that come with it.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideSkillsCal BrennanSep 23, 20265 min

Spotting a stroke or a heart attack in the first ten minutes

What to look for, what to say on the phone, and the four things to do before the ambulance turns onto your street.

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Write Your Quotes So The Job Can't Come Back On You

The number is the smallest part of a quote. The scope, the exclusions and the change-order line are what keep a good job from turning into a fight.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Your Beneficiary Form Beats Your Will

Most of what you own won't pass through your will at all, and the paperwork that actually controls it takes twenty minutes to fix.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

Skills6 min

Reset the breaker, then find out why it tripped

Business5 min

The culture you tolerate is the culture you have

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

When to do your own taxes and when to pay somebody

The test isn't how smart you are. It's whether your return contains judgment calls, and how many Saturdays you're willing to burn finding out.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

PartnerDude.com

Skills6 min read

Sharpen a chainsaw chain by hand, in the right order

If your saw is throwing dust instead of chips, ten minutes with a round file will give you back a saw that pulls itself into the wood.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

Older articles

Older Trades stories