Some good advice there especially the part about spreading around the work between multi clients. I sent out one feeler letting a past client know I was making myself available and heard back about a major remodel, but not expected to start before Fall 2018. I will continue to send out feelers and would leave this job if any old or new client called for about two to four weeks of work. I have already left this job once, last fall to do just that...keeping as many people happy as possible. By associates I do mean other operators like me with their own businesses who call when they need to move a big job along a little faster...or refer each other when not available. One is licenced and charges full retail and scares some people away. So he'll refer me at some middle price and make a $5 an hour kick-back for himself. The time I lost $5k to our cities then second largest developer, I had a contract, two pages, written by myself and signed by an agent. There were seven progress payments built in, and the right to walk if any payment was missed. He got me on the last two progress payments as I started more than one section before getting paid for the prior. Plus, the field agent (superintendant) changed mid-job. He was the only one I really trusted. With screwy judges, and lying defendants, it does not help. I even had a clause of 100% per year interest on unpaid balances, and am told by lawyers that's not legal!? I would be owed $100k by now. My biggest job to date was a $64k bid, with lengthy contract (theirs) that was fulfilled and paid perfectly with no call backs for problems. I had 12 weeks to complete before late charges kicked in. An associate had worked for them before so there was some trust. I survived but came close to screwing myself underestimating one aspect of the work, hell all of it. Worked with a lot of employees and two subs, one of which my associate who kind of saved my ass on the aspect I underestimated. He was good at it. Overall not worth it at my stupid bid price. I was called to bid again by them for another project but looked at the blueprints and declined. I also declined a big condo job where a high school classmate (then superintendant) got me in the door to bid. The blueprints must have cost $100 just for the paper the roll was so huge. Those could have been life changing opportunities but I felt undercapitalized after that first risky venture that did not really help my bank account. Don't know why I just didn't throw out some rediculous number and terms. My enthusiasm for this work waxes and wanes. When I was most confident, turns out I was most at risk, to the point of foolishness. So about contracts. I don't call myself a contractor anymore, and if I write something down it will be called a "Working Agreement" with possibly some "Work Orders" ...assuming I write the paperwork. Contracts that major developers and builders write are written by lawyers, maybe even their lawyers. They are one sided and throw only a couple of bones to protect the subcontractor. My two-page contract should have protected me but didn't, when faced with dishonest people on all sides. Even then, the main thing I needed in court was documentation that I was on the scene, and had completed the last two sections. That's why my main emphasis is on documentation even more than signed contracts. With a smart phone and an awareness of what documentation is valuable, I can theoretically create something that is as binding as any contract. For example, if I now require my client to acknowledge, DAILY, the hours and the rate I have logged into the daily log sheet, it's some pretty damning evidence that I was on the property, and was being encouraged to work and continue to work for x,y and z. Any hours x wage that has been acknowledged is like a mini contract. Leaves little wiggle room. The basic law is that if people are accepting services from people expecting to be paid, they are bound to pay. Logs help a lot, which is why I keep descriptions of what I do daily. Getting the client to acknowledge my logs, DAILY, is icing on the cake, when combined with pictures and snapshots of checks issued thus far. Thus far, I have been negligent in getting people to acknowledge my logs and was horrified to find out my client wasn't even looking, having lost the link buried deep in her email. With email search engines, there's no excuse for that, but I can't excuse myself for assuming people are watching my bill grow bigger by the day. Once, when I had a problem, the woman didn't even acknowledge I had sent a link to my log. Probly not a coincidence she never acknowledged ANYTHING about the growing bill. Technically, the time sheet IS A DAILY INVOICE, that can only be ignored upon an agreement to pay upon some agreed schedule. And there again is where I have allowed too much leeway. So that is all changing. People will have to acknowledge my logs daily until they can be trusted to pay weekly. One reason I don't call myself a contractor is I am unliscenced and an explicit contract would be evidence of illegal activity. So I keep the business small and word of mouth. I'm just under the radar, "neighbor helping neighbor". I am an "operator". I don't call myself a "carpenter" because that is a union term and I'm not in a union. I only have associates...and documentation. Other than "client" I don't really know what to call people who hire me. "Customer" doesn't sound right. "Boss" is worse. "Client" seems right because a lot of custom work is consultation oriented. I avoid "builders" like the plague.
Good1 Check out this site. They have a whole section on bidding, scheduling, how to run your business, etc... A really good source of info for a contractor. http://www.jlconline.com/
Very interesting. I enjoyed reading this article: http://www.jlconline.com/business/the-carpenters-company_o About a confidential trade book of how-to and/or how to price various phases of work back in 1700's Philadelphia and surrounds. One thing in short supply is the inside workings of the more successful businesses. I only wish I did decades ago what I do now, instead of specializing so much in framing and siding for builders. My idea now is, if the lumber/hardware store sells it, I install it (make it work) except for advanced electical, advanced plumbing, and HVAC...extending the hands of people who want to upgrade their existing home. It's a lot like "handy-man" except I specialize in wood products and structure. But I'll work with any product and each year add a few first-time experiences to the resume (I don't really have a resume). I buy Porter-Cable tools first, and other brands if P-C doesn't make it. My motto is: "If you can't do it with Porter-Cable tools, you probly shouldn't be doing it". I keep handy their whole line of portable battery powered tools, which end up doing 70% of the work, and rely more on the screw gun (driver), than hammer and nails. I'm not embarrassed to look up youtube how-to videos if needed, and watch them on my phone as I implement the work. My current client watches building shows on TV whenever not watching Ellen, or NYPD Blue...shows like the Treehouse Masters and remodeling shows. I have thought about filming too, but have not implemented yet. Generally a job will start with a large general purchase that the client pays for directly, and is delivered by a truck. After that I'll make smaller purchases with my own reserves, and add them to the time/materials log with 10% added for my trouble. It's not a profit center as much as a service, as it takes tons of time to shop the big lumber/hardware stores. I will usually have to hit the stores every two or three days, but on this job, the client is doing all this small item shopping as I request items. They go to town every day anyway. I didn't drive for six weeks. Anyway, I am in my golden years, semi-retired, averaging 30 hours a week in season and 24 or less in the winter, if at all. I show up whenever I want, usually within a two hour window, quit the day when I want, and take breaks when I want, as long as I want. I only make sure to keep accurate/honest time logs most often to the minute. If something needs to be done faster, I would suggest calling an associate before I would increase my hours. This way I don't burn out like what happened before when I had to take three years off and lost everything in that contraction, starting in 2007-8.
Ok, i'm finally out of the bank, cash in hand. Taking the evening off, celebrate this phase of successful collections campaign. How do i feel? Not much better than earlier today, but better than few days ago before they called to make sure i understood they had plans to pay. They left the house, said i might find something to eat inside. Went inside after they left and picked up check on table. Drove it an hour to the bank. Too big for small credit union, so they had to call and verify some info before would cash. At first, no one was picking up cause of unknown call. i had to arrange the connection, after first figuring out why my phone was dying and not charging. Got it all done before the bank closed. Lotta work. Never again.
The deadbeat who is not paying you is solely responsible for your lost wages and Trump had absolutely nothing to do with it. Put the blame where it belongs.
You've misread it. The client, who wants Trump assassinated, had been probing me for political allegiance, while allowing my bill to grow grossly out of proportion. I think i had every reason to believe there was a connection.
Ok like I said, I finally cashed a check for full payment almost a couple days ago, taking the following day off to celebrate a successful collections campaign by doing nothing and eating/drinking heartily. Now I am back on the property awaiting the results of the terms I put on the table in order to continue working. I took enough time off that I think I was sufficiently calm and cool to positively handle the negotiations, without going too far with the blame game. Before starting I made it clear that I neither wanted, nor needed, a two week vacation. I reminded her of this once or twice more when she kept saying she would like to see things getting done. And to stay on the positive side, I told her I don't respond well to the stick side of the equation, and named three new terms to get on the carrot side of the equation. There's going to be a calendar on the wall with pay dates marked in color for weekly periods. I'm going to get a 10% raise regardless of anything I do or don't do. I'm getting a 25% raise for any day I start work before noon and get in at least 6 hours. And she has to acknowledge and ok my logged hours daily. I was of such a mind to present these terms as benign as possible. I don't blame her for acting like she needs to think about it, otherwise it might tempt me to ask for more. But these are really not negotiable and so I haven't actually started working yet while shes out on errands, thinking. Like any negotiation, I think it's better not to bluff. So I wont mind reporting back that it was rejected and so, I rolled up and went home. Either proposition has its advantages.
Yes Arnie. I'm in my 50s and work a 30 hour week, everybody's ideal lifestyle. Like I said, I'm in my golden years with tools and experience, low overhead and some savings. Don't have to prove anything to anybody. I've been explicit about the 30 hour week, and during the winter if people get more than zero they should be happy as I don't work the winter. I worked this winter and got enough done some people should be grateful, not pretending to forget about payday. This winter I have been averaging 24 hours a week. I've proved already you don't get respect busting your butt under the sun 80 hours in two weeks like what happened on some other job. If a person is determined to pay as slowly as possible, ignoring requests or the obviousness of a need, then that's how they're going to be. I'm not in the big stupid markets for a reason. I'm not anywhere at 7 AM, so I'm not in the union. I like work to be the last thing i do in the day, so will start late and generally quit when the sun quits. So with the seasons my days will get longer. Could this be a problem for some clients? Could be yes. Seems my current client has had a belief that the first couple hours of anyone's day is wasted on getting started, getting warmed up, or something. That's not me. All my time is efficient as I am well awake before starting. If things really need to move fast, that's where I would suggest increasing the crew size with associates. One associate I have is a morning person. If he can't start by 11 AM he doesn't start at all. When I'm working with him I adjust more to his schedule for as long as I can stand it. Keep in mind I have burnt out on this career three times and resurrected it three times from nothing. If anything, it has taught me there are no rewards for hard work....only for smart work. I noticed my start hours drifting just before the third time I burnt out. Could have been depression or wisdom or both. All I know is the most hellish, torturous times of my life are associated with mornings.