Chambersburg, PA
(717) 331-2154

Three trades, on purpose

Built for people who run something, not people who just file something.

Pierre names three industries on purpose, because the tax problem in each one is specific, not generic. If your business does not sit in one of the three below, the work is still available. These are simply where a planning engagement pays for itself fastest.

See business tax planningBook a strategy call

15.3%

Self employment tax, on top of income tax, on every dollar of profit a sole proprietor or single member LLC reports.

The problem, in plain terms

Most trade owners are structured the way they happened to start, not the way that actually fits their income.

Most contractors, owner operators, and home service owners run as sole proprietorships or single member LLCs. Every dollar of profit gets taxed twice: once as income, and again as 15.3% self employment tax, with no ceiling on how far it reaches as the business grows.

An S-Corp election, a reasonable salary determination, and a retirement contribution strategy exist specifically to address this. None of it happens on its own. It has to be set up, and it has to be reviewed as income moves.

The three, in detail

Who each one is, and the specific reason planning tends to pay off here.

Contractors and construction

General contractors, excavation, HVAC, roofing, and electrical.

Why it converts to real savings

  • Profit that swings hard from one job cycle to the next.
  • Real tax inefficiencies that build up quietly across a good year.
  • Little to no proactive planning before this, just a return filed once a year.

Logistics and trucking

Owner operators, small fleet owners, dispatch company owners, and freight brokers.

Why it converts to real savings

  • Deductions complicated enough that most preparers miss half of them.
  • An entity structure that was never optimized for how the business actually earns.
  • Multi-state exposure and an equipment strategy that needs a real plan, not a guess.

Home service businesses

Plumbing, landscaping, cleaning, pest control, and restoration.

Why it converts to real savings

  • Growth that outpaces whatever structure the business started with.
  • An owner making every decision, with no one checking the tax side of them.
  • Real sensitivity to return on every dollar spent, which planning is built to protect.

What planning has actually returned

Three anonymised engagements he publishes himself.

General Contractor

$180K profit

S-Corp election plus a salary split, Solo 401(k) contributions, and equipment depreciation.

$18,500

Estimated annual saving

Owner-Operator (Trucking)

$95K profit

Per diem deductions, Section 179 on equipment, and multi-state tax planning.

$12,200

Estimated annual saving

Plumbing Company

$220K profit

S-Corp plus a reasonable salary, SEP-IRA maximization, and a vehicle and equipment strategy.

$24,800

Estimated annual saving

Results vary based on individual circumstances. These are illustrative examples.

Two thresholds. If you clear either one, the call is worth having.

$60,000 or more in business profit, or $100,000 or more in personal income. Below that, a well filed return usually does the job. Above it, structure starts to matter more than the filing does.

See business tax planningBook a strategy call

$24,800

The largest of the three published savings figures above, from a plumbing company at $220K profit.