The unstable world economy forces everyone to make changes in their lifestyles. It doesn’t matter what you studied long ago, and what career you practiced for years. If your job role becomes obsolete, you must make a change and continue earning and supporting your family.
Many people chose to leave their desks and become contractors. There’s always a shortage of excellent contractors, so why not do it? On top of this, contractors earn excellent paychecks, and if you’re skilled with the tools, you should consider doing this.
In this article, we share six tips that will help you realize if you’re made for this job or if you need to make some additional changes. We will talk about what you need, and what you must know before starting this adventure. Follow up and learn more about the world of contracting.
- Be skilled in some of the contracting roles
If you have never changed a light bulb in your life, you probably won’t be a successful contractor. This job is for those who love DIY projects, constantly work with tools, and know how to make things work.
Contracting roles are in several work fields, such as plumbing, carpentry, electrical wiring, insulation, and others. You don’t have to be skilled in all of them. You may be an excellent contractor in one of these fields and be highly successful. Offer your services in some of these fields, and do some great work. If you do this, they will surely share your contact.
- Own your truck or UTE
Although not necessary, owning a UTE or truck will significantly improve your success. When you own your vehicle in which you can place tools and machines and get to a construction site, your job is halfway done. If you don’t own one, it will be much harder to do it.
If you don’t own a UTE, it’s best to make a small investment and get a previously owned vehicle. Transform it a little by adding aluminium UTE drawers, a toolbox, a roof rack, and similar accessories that will help you transport your work items from your home garage to the construction site.
- Handle the paperwork before taking off
Just like any other job, with earning comes responsibilities towards the government and yourself. Handle the paperwork before taking off. Ask your local administrative unit about the necessary work permits, ask how to handle the taxes, and think about insurance.
When you’re self-employed, no one covers your insurance, and contractors have difficult, and often risky jobs. Being a roofer means a constant risk of falling off, so you must be sure that the insurance will cover eventual injuries. If you employ a couple of people to work with you, that’s additional insurance policies that fall under the same company umbrella, so have this sorted before getting clients.
- Invest in top-notch tools
Sometimes, all you need is your imagination, a hammer and a screwdriver to get things done, but you won’t be as successful as those guys with cordless battery-powered machines. Modern times ask for modern equipment, so find yourself top-notch tools to help you get the job done perfectly.
Invest in your necessary tools and enjoy working. You may have some old tools in your garage, and they are great if you have no funds to start the job, but you will feel much better and be way more successful if you put in some dollars in modern equipment, machines, and tools.
- Inspect the market and find clients
Although the idea seems fantastic and easy to pull off, it’s much harder to start your career. A neighbourhood probably already has several teams of contractors operating there for years, and neighbours all share these contacts with them.
It’s challenging to make the first move, so to be sure that you have clients, you must inspect the market. Google the contractor jobs in particular areas, and if you can’t find any in some cities nearby, spread out some ads and wait for their calls.
Avoid trying to get clients in a competitor packed area. Only when you become highly successful and established as a professional will you be able to compete in these markets.
- Understand that contracting is different than office work
It’s often tough to make this transition. If you’ve been working in the office for years, it will not be easy to start working as a contractor. Think about whether you are eligible for this. Contractors often work in unbearable weather conditions – in the sun, in the rain, and when it is freezing outside.
There are no coffee breaks, and there’s often no lunchtime. Once things get going, you must finish them. On the other hand, there are also no bosses and all the office issues that so more me people can’t stand, so decide what you love.
