Contracting

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mtnelect

mtnelect

HVAC & Electrical Contractor
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Contractor, C10 & C20 - Semi Retired
I would like to thank all of you who decide to go into "Contracting". You are all very courageous and deserve the highest award for faith in mankind !
 
After spending five years fighting the GC and with five different attorney firms. Then settling in the hallway outside the court room (before trial) for what my attorney fees were. I gave it up, for only dealing with owners.
 
You mean subcontracting?
That's what I do. I much prefer it to end users.

Seems every customer wants to know all the hows and whys, and I just don't want to teach somebody new every day.

There are half dozen other reasons I prefer to be a sub. Overall, it's just more predictable. And that suits me
 
I really enjoyed being a contractor, the only down side was the customers. :)
 
I liked being my own boss but the bad economy was too much, plus I was over 50 when I started. I had some good projects but a lot of junk and a lot of wasted time giving quotes to tire kickers. I was too far gone when some recovery came along.
 
I love wiring, but I hate contracting. I'd love to work with someone who is the opposite.

Just point me in the right direction, say "wire that", and pay me what I'm really worth.
 
I started my EC business 3.5 years ago, at first it was nerve racking not knowing when the next job would come up. Lots of hours spent screwing around at home while I knew other guys were out there working. After about 6 months word got around, I had a nice steady amount of work and was loving it. Now I'm so freaking buried in work. Had 3 employees come and go in less than 6 months, a 4th if you count the guy who said he'd come in, twice, and never did. Treated them top notch and paid well, never lasted more than a month. I never thought when I started this that TO MUCH work was going to be what shut me down. Customers have really not been my problem; I can handle people. Now I don't know what to do, I've worked 7 days a week a lot of the last 2 years, I'm burned out and not even 40. I can't even turn work down; people refuse it and tell me to get it done as soon as possible. I'd like to just shut it down, but I've got so many people relying on me to be there.

Sorry about the rant lol.
 
User Name said:
I started my EC business 3.5 years ago, at first it was nerve racking not knowing when the next job would come up. Lots of hours spent screwing around at home while I knew other guys were out there working. After about 6 months word got around, I had a nice steady amount of work and was loving it. Now I'm so freaking buried in work. Had 3 employees come and go in less than 6 months, a 4th if you count the guy who said he'd come in, twice, and never did. Treated them top notch and paid well, never lasted more than a month. I never thought when I started this that TO MUCH work was going to be what shut me down. Customers have really not been my problem; I can handle people. Now I don't know what to do, I've worked 7 days a week a lot of the last 2 years, I'm burned out and not even 40. I can't even turn work down; people refuse it and tell me to get it done as soon as possible. I'd like to just shut it down, but I've got so many people relying on me to be there.

Sorry about the rant lol.
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Proper pricing can reduce the work load. They will find someone else if you are not there.
 
User Name said:
I can't even turn work down; people refuse it and tell me to get it done as soon as possible.
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Gotta learn to say "No", or at least "Not in the next three or four weeks." and mean it. Working weekends? Better be charging a premium for that, too. And no one can work 60+ hour weeks for months on end and not become a wreck. An occasional sprint or emergency job is one thing, but have to make that only occasional unless that's most of the business.

There are a fair number of contractors who won't take on new customers when the established ones are keeping them busy, especially for service work. (Try getting tree service after a wind storm. If you haven't hired a company before, don't expect to get them right now.)
 
zbang said:
Gotta learn to say "No", or at least "Not in the next three or four weeks." and mean it. Working weekends? Better be charging a premium for that, too. And no one can work 60+ hour weeks for months on end and not become a wreck. An occasional sprint or emergency job is one thing, but have to make that only occasional unless that's most of the business.

There are a fair number of contractors who won't take on new customers when the established ones are keeping them busy, especially for service work. (Try getting tree service after a wind storm. If you haven't hired a company before, don't expect to get them right now.)
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Yup, that's pretty much my business model as of the last couple months, I'm taking care of my regular bread/butter customers first, anyone new I try my best to turn them away gently, or I tell them I'm months out. I never thought I'd need to tell anyone no, so I wasn't prepared for it, and didn't want to run out of work, but I see now that's not going to be a problem. And if I do run out, well I need that vacaction time ;), or I can always help someone else.
 
User Name said:
Yup, that's pretty much my business model as of the last couple months, I'm taking care of my regular bread/butter customers first, anyone new I try my best to turn them away gently, or I tell them I'm months out. I never thought I'd need to tell anyone no, so I wasn't prepared for it, and didn't want to run out of work, but I see now that's not going to be a problem. And if I do run out, well I need that vacaction time ;), or I can always help someone else.
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I've been through slow, busy, slow again before. It can be hard. Went through about five years in a row where once harvest season related projects were done I had little lined up for the rest of winter, the past two years however there seems to have been plenty of work through the winter.

Do have to learn how to tell clients you can't do it at times even though you might not want to upset them.

My wife worked for a local floral shop not so long ago. Owner of the place has not run such an operation before, and has been running this one maybe about 5 years now. She won't say no to anyone, though she works herself to death and my wife was one of few employees that felt obligated to help her out as well. Others had to go at closing time, my wife got talked into staying several hours into evening many times.

This woman wouldn't even tell someone "I don't have what it takes to do what you want before it is needed", but rather would send someone 40 miles to the next big town to purchase what was needed, and still sold it for a net loss after what all went into it - just to make the customer happy. It will only work for so long if you do that very much and you get all burned out.
 
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