I have a question for those of you who have been long time in the trade. As i see this game there about 3 ways to set up your business. You could do strictly commercial work, you could do strictly service calls and short jobs like heavy ups and the like... things that take less than a week of work, You could do strictly large scale renovations and new houses. Now of course any electrician can do any of these things, but if you get deep into new houses and renovations, service calls become a distraction, because those owners demand a lot of hand holding and customized work. Commercial work is rigourous and after doing a 8-10hrs of that you wont feel like doing anything.
And besides the 3 take slightly different skill sets, tools sets, customer relations skills, they are just different.
Of course you could set up a company, hire workers and farm out who-ever is good at whatever to that job.
But I am trying to see a pathway from where I am,
I have a BS in Electrical Engineering as well as 14 years in the trade, I'll be taking my masters test this year, I'm married to a wonderful woman who has degree's in communications, adveritising and business management. (No that was not accident, it wasnt the main entrance requirement, but when you want to be a contractor, after she laid me out with her cooking skills it was a deal clincher).
The master that I work for now has a stable group of rich customers, that cant decided what they want to do in thier houses so we are constantly redoing, moving, adding rearranging this, that and the other in thier houses, their friends houses , so on so forth and we are also in good with several high end real estate agents. He is old with about 3 years left to work, before he hangs up his tool belt and becomes strict a permit writer.
What would you do?
I think i see more and more that the devices we use and the controls that we use are going electronic. Which half way makes me want to develop a buisness that can one stop , install and service the stuff that is too deep into electronics for your average electricians and so much power that your average electronics tech is scared of it.
But I love doing new houses with a passion. There is nothing quite like being off in the woods in a newly framed, huge house, on a bright sunny morning, with a new auger bit in your hole shooter and 4 or 5 thousand feet of romex to pull.
but those jobs, while time consuming tend to drag, and leave you for months without a check.
Also I hate the thought of managing people unless I found some guys who were really geeked on doing electrical work like I am.
Anyway... any thoughts?
And besides the 3 take slightly different skill sets, tools sets, customer relations skills, they are just different.
Of course you could set up a company, hire workers and farm out who-ever is good at whatever to that job.
But I am trying to see a pathway from where I am,
I have a BS in Electrical Engineering as well as 14 years in the trade, I'll be taking my masters test this year, I'm married to a wonderful woman who has degree's in communications, adveritising and business management. (No that was not accident, it wasnt the main entrance requirement, but when you want to be a contractor, after she laid me out with her cooking skills it was a deal clincher).
The master that I work for now has a stable group of rich customers, that cant decided what they want to do in thier houses so we are constantly redoing, moving, adding rearranging this, that and the other in thier houses, their friends houses , so on so forth and we are also in good with several high end real estate agents. He is old with about 3 years left to work, before he hangs up his tool belt and becomes strict a permit writer.
What would you do?
I think i see more and more that the devices we use and the controls that we use are going electronic. Which half way makes me want to develop a buisness that can one stop , install and service the stuff that is too deep into electronics for your average electricians and so much power that your average electronics tech is scared of it.
But I love doing new houses with a passion. There is nothing quite like being off in the woods in a newly framed, huge house, on a bright sunny morning, with a new auger bit in your hole shooter and 4 or 5 thousand feet of romex to pull.
but those jobs, while time consuming tend to drag, and leave you for months without a check.
Also I hate the thought of managing people unless I found some guys who were really geeked on doing electrical work like I am.
Anyway... any thoughts?
