Pay your crew and yourself right with Profit First Payroll
A clear system so the people who built this don't get paid last.
ReadVol. 01 / Issue 2026 — The Blue-Collar Business Owner's Edition
Hands stay dirty.
Pockets stay full.
Payroll, audit protection, and Profit First setup built for contractors, trades, and independent restaurants. Stop overpaying the IRS — start paying yourself.
100%
Audit-handled, end-to-end
20m
Diagnostic call, no fluff
$0
Until you say go
Field Note 001
"My CPA never told me I could pay myself like this."
— Drew M., HVAC owner, Pittsburgh
Misclassified workers✕Surprise insurance audits✕Owners paying themselves last✕Tip reporting mistakes✕Overtime nightmares✕IRS love letters✕Workers' comp overcharges✕Cash-basis chaos✕Misclassified workers✕Surprise insurance audits✕Owners paying themselves last✕Tip reporting mistakes✕Overtime nightmares✕IRS love letters✕Workers' comp overcharges✕Cash-basis chaos✕
— Who we serve
Two trades. One playbook.
Blue Collar
Contractors, trades & shops
HVAC, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, auto, construction. We speak crew, equipment, and 1099 vs W-2 fluently.
Built for you
Restaurants
Independent kitchens & bars
Tip credits, FICA tip credit, service charges, and seasonal staff — handled so you can stay on the line, not on hold with payroll support.
Built for you— What we do
Payroll, plus the parts no one warned you about.
Profit First Payroll
Set up payroll so you, the owner, get paid first — every cycle, automatically.
Learn more about Profit First PayrollInsurance Audit Defense
We handle the workers' comp and liability audit so you don't lose a day on the truck.
Learn more about Insurance Audit DefenseWorker Classification
W-2 vs 1099, done right the first time. No more guessing — no more penalties.
Learn more about Worker ClassificationTip & Service Reporting
Restaurant tip pools, credit-card tips, and reported wages — all clean for the IRS.
Learn more about Tip & Service Reporting
— The Method
Pay yourself first — not what's left.
Most owners pay everyone else, then keep whatever's left in the bank. We flip the order. Profit comes out the moment money lands. Payroll, taxes, and operating costs work with what's left — not the other way around.
- 01
Diagnostic
20-minute call. We map your payroll, classifications, and audit risk.
- 02
Setup
We restructure your payroll the Profit First way — owner pay included.
- 03
Run & defend
We run it. We answer the IRS letters. You stay on the truck.
— Education Hub
Field guides for owners who'd rather be working.
How should I pay myself as a blue-collar business owner?
How much, when, and which bucket it should come out of.
ReadW-2 vs 1099: classify workers right or pay later
The single most expensive mistake we see, broken down by trade.
ReadReady when you are
Stop paying the IRS your overtime.
Twenty minutes. No sales script. Just a real diagnostic of where your payroll is bleeding cash, and a plan to plug it.
Book free meeting
— Founder story
Built by blue-collar, for blue-collar.
Profit First Payroll was founded by Matt Frechette, who brings 20+ years of hands-on experience in blue-collar environments. He's seen shops thrive — or unravel — because of poor cash flow, inconsistent owner pay, late crew checks, and workers' comp audit nightmares. PFP is built explicitly for trades and labor-heavy businesses: proper crew classification, project-based volatility, and protecting profit in high-risk industries.