Case studies

Malibu Plumbing: Streamlining Operations with Jobber ↔ QBO Integration

Client Background

Malibu Plumbing is a locally owned plumbing company serving Malibu and the greater Los Angeles area. Like many small service businesses, they were juggling multiple systems for scheduling, invoicing, and accounting. While they had Jobber set up for job management and QuickBooks Online for financial reporting, the two weren’t aligned—leading to duplicate records, sync errors, and messy tax handling.

We first connected in a Facebook group, where the owner was looking for help getting their systems under control.

The Challenge

  • Duplicate customer records across Jobber and QuickBooks
  • Inconsistent or incorrect sales tax application across Los Angeles County jurisdictions
  • Unclear rules about which platform to use for invoicing and payments
  • Manual corrections creating inefficiency and stress at month-end close

My Role

As a Fractional Project Manager, I came in under a short-term retainer to:

  • Audit and clean up Jobber and QuickBooks records
  • Define the “source of truth” for invoicing and payments
  • Implement correct LA County tax rates across service areas
  • Draft SOPs (standard operating procedures) so the team had clear, repeatable processes
  • Oversee the first live sync tests and troubleshoot errors

The Solution

  1. Client Data Cleanup – De-duplicated customer lists and standardized records between Jobber and QBO.
  2. Tax Rate Accuracy – Researched and applied updated city and county rates (Malibu 10.25%, Santa Monica 10.75%, Lancaster 11.25%, etc.).
  3. Invoicing & Payments SOP – Built a one-page workflow covering estimates → jobs → invoices → payments → reconciliation.
  4. Integration Refinement – Tested full workflows to confirm invoices and payments were syncing cleanly into QuickBooks.
  5. Visual Flowcharts – Delivered easy-to-follow diagrams so field and admin staff could follow the process without confusion.

The Results

  • Zero duplicate customers after cleanup
  • Accurate invoicing and tax application across Malibu service areas
  • Error-free Jobber ↔ QBO sync on first live test runs
  • A clear, documented SOP for invoicing & payments, making training and accountability easier
  • Owner peace of mind: no more chasing errors at the end of the month

Next Steps

With invoicing and accounting stabilized, Malibu Plumbing is now positioned to:

  • Expand SOPs into dispatching, collections, and customer service
  • Automate customer follow-ups and review requests through Jobber
  • Build profitability dashboards and cash flow reporting in QuickBooks

By stabilizing Malibu Plumbing’s back-end systems, I freed the owner to focus on growth instead of chasing down accounting headaches.

This is what I do best: step in as a fractional project manager, clean up operations, and leave a stronger system behind.

Have a similar project? Let’s talk: hello@saravanells.com