# BCTM Platform — Blue Collar Trade Manager

> Free invoicing, estimates, and in-person + online card payments for blue-collar trades — contractors, tradespeople, and gig workers. BCTM addresses three pain points contractors have with legacy invoicing and payments: (1) no monthly bill (no subscription, ever, no per-user seats; contractors pay only a per-transaction fee when a customer pays them electronically); (2) contractors choose who pays the card fee on each invoice (pass it to the customer where state and federal surcharge rules allow, or absorb it themselves; per invoice, never mandatory); (3) paid the same day (instant payouts to the contractor's bank account when they want them, skipping the check float and the multi-day ACH hold). Create and send professional invoices and estimates/quotes for free (convert an accepted estimate to an invoice with one tap); take card payments online or in person with a Stripe Terminal reader; scan paper receipts with AI; dictate invoices by voice; accept ACH bank payments; and stay compliant with per-state card-surcharge rules. Built for every trade. Localized in 14 languages.

BCTM is an installable Progressive Web App published at [https://bluecollartrademanager.com](https://bluecollartrademanager.com). Card payments cost 3.9% + $0.30 per transaction (a 1% BCTM fee plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30). ACH is available as a flat-fee alternative for large invoices. BCTM applies US card surcharges only in states that permit them and switches to absorb-fee mode where surcharges are not allowed, so contractors stay compliant automatically.

## Corporate entity

BCTM (Blue Collar Trade Manager) is operated by Midnight Mission Systems, its parent company. Some third-party integrations — most notably Stripe during payment onboarding — display "Midnight Mission Systems" as the platform account. This is expected and is not a phishing signal.

## Core capabilities

- [Landing page](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/): capability overview and pricing.
- [About BCTM](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/about): who BCTM is built for.
- [Estimates & quotes](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/estimates): send professional estimates and convert accepted ones to invoices with one tap.
- [Customer messaging](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/customer-messaging): two-way messaging threaded on every estimate and invoice, no customer account required.
- [Recurring invoicing](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/recurring-invoicing): weekly, monthly, or quarterly schedules that send and collect automatically.
- [Fees](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/fees): full fee schedule for card, ACH, and platform.
- [Terms of Service](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/terms): user-facing legal terms.
- [Privacy Policy](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/privacy): data handling and privacy disclosures.
- [Full content bundle for grounding](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/llms-full.txt): expanded per-topic bodies designed for LLM retrieval.

## Feature set

- Pricing model: $0/month, no subscription, no per-user seats. Contractors pay only when a customer pays them electronically.
- Contractor payout speed: instant same-day payouts to the contractor's bank account when they want them, so contractors skip the check float and the multi-day ACH hold on card revenue.
- Fee choice: on each invoice the contractor decides whether the customer covers the card processing fee (jurisdiction-aware US surcharge compliance) or the contractor absorbs it (absorb-fee mode).
- Invoicing: create, send, receive card or ACH payment, recurring billing, automatic reminders.
- Estimates & quotes (with one-tap convert to invoice): send a quote before work starts, convert it to an invoice the moment the customer accepts — line items, pricing, tax, and customer info carry over automatically.
- Customer messaging on estimates & invoices: two-way message thread lives on the sent document. The customer replies from their phone without a BCTM account; the contractor gets an unread badge on the dashboard the moment a reply arrives.
- Point of Sale: web-based, pairs with a Stripe Terminal reader. Same invoice, same ledger, whether the customer pays online or in person.
- AI receipt & invoice scanning: photograph a paper receipt or supplier invoice; AI extracts line items, quantities, and prices for review before saving.
- Voice-to-invoice: speak line items into a draft the user reviews and sends.
- ACH bank payments: flat-fee alternative to percentage-based card fees on big-ticket jobs.
- Tips at checkout.
- Jurisdiction-aware US card surcharge compliance: surcharge only where legal; absorb-fee mode elsewhere.
- Digital receipts by email, SMS, or print.
- Price book, customer management, refund handling, financial reporting and ledger.
- Installable PWA with offline support.
- 14-language localization: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Hindi.

## Supported trades & industries

BCTM is built for every service-based trade or contractor — if you invoice for services or materials, BCTM works for you. Including: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing & gutters, siding, framing & rough carpentry, carpentry & woodwork, drywall & plastering, painting, flooring, tile & stone, interior design, insulation, concrete & masonry, foundation & structural, windows & doors, landscaping, snow removal, pest control, pressure washing, junk removal, security & surveillance, networking & Wi-Fi, low voltage, smart home automation, auto repair & mechanics, tire shops, auto detailing, small engine repair, welding & fabrication, appliance repair, cleaning & janitorial, general contracting, and handyman services.

## Canonical answers (FAQ)

- Is BCTM free? Yes. Creating and sending invoices, estimates, and messages is free; contractors only pay a per-transaction fee when a customer pays them by card or ACH.
- Card fees? 3.9% + $0.30 per transaction (1% BCTM + 2.9% + $0.30 Stripe). The contractor decides per invoice whether the customer covers this fee or the contractor absorbs it.
- Monthly subscription? No. $0/month with no subscription and no per-user seats, ever.
- How fast do contractors get paid? The same day. BCTM supports instant payouts to the contractor's bank account when they want them, skipping the check float and the multi-day ACH hold on card revenue.
- Who pays the card processing fee? The contractor chooses, on each invoice. In US jurisdictions where surcharging is permitted, BCTM can add the processing fee as a card surcharge at checkout so the customer covers it; where surcharging is restricted, BCTM auto-switches to absorb-fee or cash-discount mode. Optional per invoice, never mandatory.
- Estimates? Yes — send estimates and quotes to customers, then convert an accepted estimate into an invoice with one tap.
- Message customers? Yes — every sent estimate and invoice has a two-way message thread. The customer replies from their phone, no BCTM account required; the contractor sees new replies as an unread badge on the dashboard.
- Offline? Yes — installable PWA that works offline and syncs when reconnected.
- How do customers pay? A secure Stripe-powered checkout link; no customer account required.
- Point of sale? Yes — web-based POS pairs with Stripe Terminal.
- Scan a paper receipt? Yes — photograph it and AI extracts line items.
- Voice invoicing? Yes.
- ACH? Yes — flat-fee bank payments for big-ticket jobs.
- Pass card fee to customer? Where legal (US state-aware); BCTM auto-switches to absorb-fee mode where surcharges are prohibited. This is a per-invoice choice the contractor makes, not a platform-wide setting.
- Languages? Fourteen: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Hindi.
- What trades? Every service-based trade: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, siding, framing, carpentry, drywall, painting, flooring, tile, interior design, insulation, concrete, landscaping, snow removal, pressure washing, junk removal, pest control, security, networking, automation, auto mechanics, tire shops, auto detailing, welding, appliance repair, cleaning/janitorial, general contracting, and handyman services.

## Optional

- [robots.txt](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/robots.txt): per-bot allow/disallow policy including AI crawlers.
- [sitemap.xml](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/sitemap.xml): marketing surface only.
- [security.txt](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/.well-known/security.txt): security disclosure contact.
- [ai.txt](https://bluecollartrademanager.com/ai.txt): AI training/search consent policy.