4 Steps To Having A Successful Career As A Contractor
Working as a contractor is a great way to make a living and put your skills to good use. It may be that you love to paint or fix and build things. There are always homeowners looking for the right person for the job, and you want to make sure they choose you.
Working for yourself isn’t always easy, but it can be a rewarding experience when you approach it right. Below are four steps to having a successful career as a contractor so you can get ahead and enjoy a long-lasting and lucrative job and business.
Step 1: Establish Your Business & Protect Yourself
Begin by establishing yourself and your business in the right manner. Set up an office and phone number, and ensure you are licensed and insured. Protect yourself by getting tradies insurance and ensuring you’re covered if someone tries to find you liable for losses or damages.
Create a business plan and read up on what it takes to succeed being self-employed and what it will require of you. Make sure that you hire people and have workers on your team that you can trust and who will represent your business in a way that makes you proud.
Step 2: Market Your Expertise
Stand apart from the competition and ensure you get hired over the other workers by proactively marketing your expertise. Have a successful career as a contractor by ensuring people in your area know about you and your services.
You need paying customers to continue, and you can’t rely solely on word of mouth. Instead, set up a website, add decals to your vehicle, and engage your target market on social media.
Step 3: Be Professional & Honest
Another step to having a successful career as a contractor and business owner is to always be professional and honest in all interactions. You need to establish your brand and reputation and make sure that people trust you to do the work and do it right and well.
Use open communication and be available to your clients if they have questions. Be proactive and upfront about any delays in your work or progress. And make sure your clients know what to expect from you. Show up on time to appointments and adhere to all contracts and promises that you discuss with homeowners.
Step 4: Collect Reviews & Testimonials
One of the best ways to get more business and customers as a contractor is by a referral. In this case, you should get in the habit of collecting reviews and testimonials.
Highlight these reviews on your website and make sure that you share them with potential clients. The more positive reviews and feedback you have, the easier it’ll be to win new work. While also getting new customers to give you a call and use you again in the future. Also, be sure you’re ready for growth and to expand once the referrals and new business start rolling in.
