The monthly owner dashboard is one page of about twelve numbers that describe your HVAC company's health: margin, labour productivity, agreements, marketing, cash and a few operating signals. Each line has last month, the same month last year and a target. We build it from your own exports, add a short note on anything that moved, and review it with you by phone.
It is not bookkeeping and it does not replace the statements your own CPA prepares. We are not accountants, and we are not an HVAC contractor; this is coaching on the numbers you already have.
The twelve lines
These are the lines most owners settle on. Some companies drop one or add one, but the list stays short on purpose.
Revenue and margin
- ☐ Revenue by job type: replacements, repairs, maintenance, add-ons
- ☐ Gross margin by job type, from margin by job type
- ☐ Average ticket on service calls
Labour
- ☐ Revenue per paid technician-hour, from technician-hour revenue
- ☐ Utilisation: billed hours divided by paid hours
- ☐ Callback rate on work completed in the last 30 days
Agreements
- ☐ Active members and net change this month
- ☐ Renewal rate on plans due this month
Marketing and sales
- ☐ Marketing cost per booked job, by channel
- ☐ Booking rate: booked jobs divided by inbound calls and messages
- ☐ Replacement close rate on in-home visits
Cash
- ☐ Weeks of fixed cost in the bank, plus receivables over 60 days
The boxes are there to tick during review, nothing more. A full printable version, with how to calculate each line, is in the owner dashboard checklist guide.
How a review runs
Each month follows the same order, so it becomes routine:
- Totals first. Does dashboard revenue roughly match what your accounting software shows? If not, we find out why before reading anything else.
- Red lines. Any line more than an agreed distance from target is flagged. Usually two or three per month.
- One cause each. For each flagged line we agree the most likely cause, using the other lines as evidence.
- One action each. A single, specific action with an owner and a date. Next month starts by checking it.
What is included
- Setting up the twelve lines, with definitions written down in plain language.
- Targets agreed from your own history, not from published industry figures.
- Monthly preparation from your exports, or a review of your team's version.
- A monthly phone review and a short written summary of actions.
- A quarterly look back at whether the targets still make sense.
Who it is for
Owners of HVAC companies from about three trucks upward who want a regular, honest read of the business without waiting for quarterly statements. It is also useful for owners preparing for a sale or a partner buy-in, because buyers ask for exactly these operating numbers. If an exit is on your horizon, Sedighi.ca handles that advisory work separately.
Timeline
- Month 1: lines and definitions agreed, first exports collected, first dashboard built.
- Months 2–3: targets settled and the review rhythm established.
- Month 4 onwards: routine monthly reviews.
The schedule and price are confirmed in writing before we start.
How results are measured
You should be able to tell, within five minutes of opening the page, which two numbers need attention this month and what is being done about them. We report against targets honestly and do not promise any particular improvement.
What changes after six months
By the sixth monthly review most owners notice the same shift: conversations with their managers become shorter and more specific. Instead of "it feels slow", the discussion is "utilisation dropped four points because the north zone took on two new subdivisions". That is the real product of a dashboard: a shared language for the business, written down.
Mistakes to avoid
- Too many lines. Thirty KPIs means none get read. Twelve is plenty.
- Changing definitions. If utilisation is calculated differently in March, March cannot be compared with February.
- No targets. A number without a target is trivia.
- Reviewing without acting. Every flagged line gets one action and a name beside it.
See pricing for how engagements are quoted, or contact us to send last month's exports.
Frequently asked questions
Is the dashboard a piece of software?
No. It is a one-page document with fixed lines and targets. You can keep it in a spreadsheet, a PDF or printed on the wall. What matters is that the definitions never change from month to month.
How is it different from my monthly financial statements?
Your CPA's statements are the official record and follow accounting rules. The dashboard uses operating data, such as booked jobs, paid technician hours and agreement renewals, that statements do not show. The two should agree on the big totals.
How long does the monthly review take?
About twenty to thirty minutes by phone once the dashboard is settled. The first two or three reviews run longer while we agree targets and definitions.
Can my office manager prepare it?
Yes, and that is often the goal. We set up the lines, show your team how to fill them, and then review rather than prepare.