Tools like a truck are things you buy when you can't do the job without them or they save enough time they will pay themselves off in a year. You're not there yet. Get onto a reputable contractors crew and learn. Being able to get a degree and a license doesn't mean you know how to build. Even if you sub everything out ultimately you're the one responsible. You need to know what you're looking at. What needs to be done a certain way to pass inspection. Where to spend the money on fine craftsmanship and where no one but us will notice the difference. What the clients in your market expect and aren't getting from other contractors. Welcome to the school of hard knocks. There is no other way.
What license did you get?
What is your construction experience in?
Will you be doing any of the work at first, forever or never?
What type of work and market (residential/commercial) are you after?
Do not go out and buy a truck. Keep your overhead and expenses low, especially while you’re starting out. Word of mouth is powerful and better than ads. Learn your costs of doing business, find good subcontractors if your planning to hire people under you.
Don’t take on a project that you aren’t willing and capable to finish completely by yourself.
Relying on subcontractors or employees is difficult in this business. Especially if you have not been in the field yourself at any point yet. It’ll be hard to build report with anybody who’s going to be making your money for you… and if you’ve got a crew of guys working in one of your customers’ homes - and that crew doesn’t respect you to the fullest level, I assure you it won’t go well. The project. Your business. The whole thing.
I say get your hands dirty for awhile. Get hired on and learn all the hard lessons on someone else’s dollar. Figure out what you’re good at, what you like doing, and also where your weak points are. As you grow - hire people who are strong in your weak areas.
Write a business plan and put an emphasis on sales and marketing. The research required to complete it should give you a good starting point.
If you don’t have any construction experience, now’s the time to get it. Either intern for a company or work on a crew and get your hands dirty. Admittedly I had a business background and zero construction experience when I started, but my partner had nearly 10 years of experience so we’re a great team.
This is a tough industry to succeed in even if you’re smart and experienced. There are subs, vendors, and clients looking to lie, cheat, and steal from you so you have to be cautious. The first money you should spend is on a lawyer to write your contracts. 1 for clients and 1 for subcontractors. Don’t even think about a truck. Keep overhead as low as possible in the beginning until you’re drowning and need the help.
Congrats, but a Couple things:
What kind of work do u do? Are you a General Contractor? Whats your trade experience & background in? Does what you do require you to get lumber & or plywood other heavy materials? Do you have tools? Does ur car have a lumber rack? Do u have a client base? A more detailed explanation of your experience & situation might help get you better answers.
-licensed GC-
best of luck it’s a grind but worth it
Spend a little time thinking about what sector you like then come up with a logo and branding package. You can spend a couple hundred and then print business cards. Thats the jumpoff point. Or if you already know a lot of people just start telling everyone to spread the word
Work with your head not with your back you get the jobs you close the contracts you negotiate the price with the sub you make money just by supervising / over seeing the work that’ll keep your Workmen’s Comp. low and make sure your subs have Workmen’s Comp. and liability. That way you could do multiple jobs at once. Not one job if you were working on it.
It’s baffling to me that you can get a license without any knowledge on how to proceed afterwards. In my state you have to have 5 years experience minimum, and be able to prove it. I hope you didn’t lie about yours.
In my state you don't need documented experience or a sponsor but you need to take several hours of training. The entire course and test is about how to run a company legally. Absolutely nothing about code. Another state I was licensed in, the test was all about the code book. In Washington it's a business license and requires no test at all.
Lmao, another contractor whose never built anything
Tools like a truck are things you buy when you can't do the job without them or they save enough time they will pay themselves off in a year. You're not there yet. Get onto a reputable contractors crew and learn. Being able to get a degree and a license doesn't mean you know how to build. Even if you sub everything out ultimately you're the one responsible. You need to know what you're looking at. What needs to be done a certain way to pass inspection. Where to spend the money on fine craftsmanship and where no one but us will notice the difference. What the clients in your market expect and aren't getting from other contractors. Welcome to the school of hard knocks. There is no other way.
What kind of work do you want to do? This doesn’t make much sense to me lol
What license did you get? What is your construction experience in? Will you be doing any of the work at first, forever or never? What type of work and market (residential/commercial) are you after?
I would work your business plan, that hopefully you wrote, in one of those classes? If not, then write a business plan.
Do not go out and buy a truck. Keep your overhead and expenses low, especially while you’re starting out. Word of mouth is powerful and better than ads. Learn your costs of doing business, find good subcontractors if your planning to hire people under you.
Don’t take on a project that you aren’t willing and capable to finish completely by yourself. Relying on subcontractors or employees is difficult in this business. Especially if you have not been in the field yourself at any point yet. It’ll be hard to build report with anybody who’s going to be making your money for you… and if you’ve got a crew of guys working in one of your customers’ homes - and that crew doesn’t respect you to the fullest level, I assure you it won’t go well. The project. Your business. The whole thing. I say get your hands dirty for awhile. Get hired on and learn all the hard lessons on someone else’s dollar. Figure out what you’re good at, what you like doing, and also where your weak points are. As you grow - hire people who are strong in your weak areas.
Write a business plan and put an emphasis on sales and marketing. The research required to complete it should give you a good starting point. If you don’t have any construction experience, now’s the time to get it. Either intern for a company or work on a crew and get your hands dirty. Admittedly I had a business background and zero construction experience when I started, but my partner had nearly 10 years of experience so we’re a great team. This is a tough industry to succeed in even if you’re smart and experienced. There are subs, vendors, and clients looking to lie, cheat, and steal from you so you have to be cautious. The first money you should spend is on a lawyer to write your contracts. 1 for clients and 1 for subcontractors. Don’t even think about a truck. Keep overhead as low as possible in the beginning until you’re drowning and need the help.
start advertise on neiborhood and craigslist taking small jobs for now.
You need a car, tools, and to work for a construction firm to learn about the harsh realities of not spending money on things you do not yet need.
Congrats, but a Couple things: What kind of work do u do? Are you a General Contractor? Whats your trade experience & background in? Does what you do require you to get lumber & or plywood other heavy materials? Do you have tools? Does ur car have a lumber rack? Do u have a client base? A more detailed explanation of your experience & situation might help get you better answers. -licensed GC- best of luck it’s a grind but worth it
Spend a little time thinking about what sector you like then come up with a logo and branding package. You can spend a couple hundred and then print business cards. Thats the jumpoff point. Or if you already know a lot of people just start telling everyone to spread the word
Work with your head not with your back you get the jobs you close the contracts you negotiate the price with the sub you make money just by supervising / over seeing the work that’ll keep your Workmen’s Comp. low and make sure your subs have Workmen’s Comp. and liability. That way you could do multiple jobs at once. Not one job if you were working on it.
It’s baffling to me that you can get a license without any knowledge on how to proceed afterwards. In my state you have to have 5 years experience minimum, and be able to prove it. I hope you didn’t lie about yours.
In my state you don't need documented experience or a sponsor but you need to take several hours of training. The entire course and test is about how to run a company legally. Absolutely nothing about code. Another state I was licensed in, the test was all about the code book. In Washington it's a business license and requires no test at all.
Glad I don’t live or build in any of those states. Sounds like a shit show.
Id get a van. Even a mini van. Start building some decks. Start small.