The Contractor's Guide to Surviving Thanksgiving Week (Without Losing Money or Your Mind)

Thanksgiving week is coming. You know what that means:

• Half your crew wants Wednesday through Friday off
• Your clients expect projects to keep moving
• Suppliers are closed or running skeleton crews
• That progress payment you're counting on? Client's "out of town for the holiday"

And somehow, you're supposed to keep projects on schedule, maintain cash flow, AND spend time with your family.

Welcome to the contractor's Thanksgiving dilemma. But with the right tools and preparation, you can survive the holiday week without cash flow panic or project delays.

Here's how.

The Thanksgiving Week Cash Flow Problem

Thanksgiving week creates a perfect storm:

1. Clients delay payments ("I'm traveling, I'll pay you when I get back")

2. Suppliers want payment before the holiday (they're closing early)

3. Your crew expects their Friday paycheck (holiday or not)

4. Reduced billable hours but same fixed costs
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The result? You're paying out while payments in are delayed. Classic cash flow squeeze.

And it's not just one day. You're losing 3-4 productive days:

• Tuesday: Half-day (everyone's traveling)
• Wednesday: Skeleton crew, most gone by noon
• Thursday: Closed for Thanksgiving
• Friday: Good luck getting anyone to show up

How Truss Solves Holiday Cash Flow Challenges

Smart contractors use Truss to eliminate the holiday cash flow crunch entirely. Here's how:

1. Get Paid Before the Holiday (Even When Clients Are Traveling)

The biggest mistake? Waiting until after Thanksgiving to invoice completed work.
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The Truss Solution: Send invoices early with Truss payment links. Your clients can pay from anywhere—at the airport, from their phone, even on Thanksgiving if they want to clear their books.
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What happens:

• Client pays via link (no check, no mail delay)
• Funds hit your account same day
• You have cash available before the holiday
• No waiting 10+ days for checks to clear
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Learn more: How Truss Helps You Get Paid Faster

2. Pay Your Crew on Time (Without Wire Fees)

Your subs expect payment Friday before Thanksgiving. Your bank wants $30 per wire transfer.

Pay 8 subs? That's $240 in fees just to pay your own team.
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The Truss Solution: Free ACH transfers with instant access for your crew. Schedule payments in advance so your subs get paid Friday—even if you're offline enjoying turkey.
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How it works:

1. Schedule ACH payments for Friday, November 29th

2. Payments process automatically (you don't have to be online)

3. Your subs can get instant access or wait 1 day for free

4. You pay $0 in transfer fees

The math:

• Traditional bank: $30 × 8 subs = $240 in wire fees
• Truss: $0 in transfer fees
• Savings: $240 (just for one week)
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Learn more: Pay Subs & Vendors for Free

3. Use Balance Protection for Timing Gaps

What if that expected $15K client payment doesn't arrive before the holiday, but your supplier needs payment Tuesday?
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The Truss Solution: Balance Protection covers the gap automatically. Your supplier payment goes through. Your project stays on schedule. You pay a simple 1% fee for the coverage.
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Compare the costs:

Without Balance Protection:

• Supplier payment fails or gets delayed
• 2-day material delivery delay
• 4 workers sitting idle: $1,600 in wasted labor
• Client frustration about timeline
• Total cost: $1,600+ plus relationship damage

With Balance Protection:

• $5,000 supplier payment covered
• 1% fee = $50
• Project continues on schedule
• Total cost: $50

Balance Protection isn't for covering losses—it's for managing the timing gap between when clients pay and when vendors need payment. Especially critical during holiday weeks.
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Learn more: Truss Banking Features

4. Manage Everything From Your Phone (While You're With Family)

You deserve to actually enjoy Thanksgiving. But you also need to know your business isn't falling apart.
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The Truss Solution: Set up everything in advance, then monitor from your phone in 2 minutes:

Before the holiday:

• Send invoices with payment links (clients can pay anytime)
• Schedule sub payments for Friday (processes automatically)
• Enable Balance Protection (covers any timing gaps)
• Set up instant deposits (money available immediately when it arrives)

During the holiday:

• Quick phone check shows account balance
• See payments received in real-time
• Confirm scheduled payments processed
• Back to enjoying turkey in under 2 minutes
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The result: Your business runs smoothly while you're actually present with family.

Your Thanksgiving Week Action Plan With Truss

Here's exactly what to do:

Two Weeks Before (November 11-15)

Get paid before the holiday:

• Invoice all completed work now (don't wait until month-end)
• Send Truss payment links so clients can pay instantly
• Follow up on invoices over 30 days: "Can we get this processed before Thanksgiving?"
• Offer 2% early payment discount if needed (worth it for cash flow)

Set expectations with clients:

• Email all active clients about your holiday schedule
• Explain: "We'll be running reduced schedule Nov 27-29, closed Thursday-Friday"
• Set realistic expectations for what will be completed

Line up December work:

• Order materials for post-holiday projects (deliver after Thanksgiving)
• Lock in sub schedules for December 2-13
• Get client decisions on finishes/selections before holiday

One Week Before (November 18-22)

Lock in your cash position:

• Review which client payments should arrive before holiday
• Identify critical vendor payments that must go out
• Enable Balance Protection to cover any gaps
• Schedule sub payments for Friday using free ACH

Communicate with your crew:

• Confirm who's working which days
• Assign tasks for the shortened week
• Let them know Friday payment is scheduled (they'll appreciate the certainty)

Prepare for time off:

• Set up out-of-office messages
• Document current project status
• Give crew lead authority for minor decisions
• Use Truss for quick monitoring

The Week Of (November 25-29)

Monday-Tuesday:

• Complete critical project milestones
• Secure all job sites
• Confirm scheduled payments are set up in Truss
• Final check: Do you have cash to cover the week?

Wednesday:

• Send crew home early (they're leaving anyway)
• Final job site check
• Quick Truss account review
• Start your actual time off

Thursday:

• Enjoy Thanksgiving with family
• Do NOT check work email
• Optional: 2-minute Truss account check from your phone
• Be present with people you love

Friday:

• Confirm sub payments processed (quick phone check)
• Optional: Strategic planning time if you're motivated
• Or: Extend your time off (also valid)

Monday After (December 2)

Hit the ground running:

• Team meeting to review December priorities
• Check Truss account for any holiday payments that arrived
• Confirm sub schedules for the week
• Execute your December game plan

The Bottom Line

Thanksgiving week doesn't have to torpedo your cash flow or your family time.
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With Truss, you can:

✓ Get paid before the holiday (payment links clients can use from anywhere)  

✓ Pay your crew on time with no fees (free ACH transfers)  

✓ Cover timing gaps automatically (Balance Protection)  

✓ Manage everything from your phone (while actually enjoying turkey)  

✓ Start December strong (cash flow intact, projects on track)
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Two weeks of preparation beats four weeks of panic recovery.

And with the right banking tools, you don't have to choose between running your business and being present with family.

Get Set Up Before Thanksgiving

Truss gives contractors the financial tools to survive holiday weeks without cash flow panic:

• Get Paid Faster: Send payment links clients can use from anywhere. Instant deposits. No processing fees.‍
• Pay Subs & Vendors: Free ACH transfers. Schedule payments in advance. No wire fees ever.‍
• Business Banking Built for Construction: Balance Protection, up to $3M FDIC coverage, QuickBooks integration, no monthly fees.‍
• See Why Contractors Choose Truss: Real contractor stories, transparent pricing, construction-first features.
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Ready to eliminate holiday cash flow stress?

Get started with Truss → No monthly fees. Set up in minutes.

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Disclaimer: Truss provides tools to help contractors manage and streamline payments. However, Truss is not responsible for financial, legal, or employment decisions made by its users. Always consult with an accountant or legal professional for personalized advice.