First off, I LOVE construction. I have a college degree, have been a sucessful corporate exectutive and made tons of money before, but I was misrable. I left the rat race to follow my heart, residential construction.
I’ve been trying for years to make a niche as a high end residential remodeler. I dream of jobs like Tom Silva on This Old House does. I work in a very wealthy suburb of San Francisco. Multi-million dollar homes are a dime a dozen. I see properties all over doing big additions, building lavish and expensive kitchens and bathrooms.
Sounds like life should be great, right? It’s not! I struggle just to pay the bills every day. My wife constantly tells me to “get a real job”. I’m depressed. My phone is dead, my email the same. Leads aren’t materializing the last few months. The only jobs I ever seem to get invited to bid on, they either want to do a dirt cheap hack job or have a budget so unrealistic it’s not even worth my time to unload the tools!
I have signage on my truck, on any jobsite. Very positive reviews on all the usual sites, Nextdoor, houzz, Yelp, google, etc. I have a very professional looking website that actually ranks high on a google search for local contractors. My past clients all rave about my work, and would gladly serve as references.
Im at a loss. How can there be all this work around, big jobs with big budgets, and Im not even invited to the dance? I feel like Im doing evertthing Im “supposed” to and nada.
Anyone else experince this? Solutions? Advice?
Replies
We just had a podcast listener ask a very similar question and I found this post while trying to help him out. Let's see if we can jumpstart this conversation, because I know it's a topic a lot of builders struggle with.
One of the ideas we talked about is building relationships with people in complementary businesses, which can be one of the best ways to get repeat referrals and target the right clientele. Find a local business-networking organization that has members who are high-end real-estate brokers, architects, interior decorators, etc. Or actually go directly to folks in these professions in your area and ask to take them out to lunch to talk about the kind of work you do.
Does anyone out there have some other good ideas for FlyingContractor?
(BTW: the podcast we covered this topic on is episode 170, and it will be live tomorrow: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/blog/fine-homebuilding-podcast)
FC,
I am curious as to the average or general age range for the people undergoing these large renovations/remodels in your area. If they are <40 I wonder if "advertising/networking" on some of the apps in that age range would help. I am in my mid 30s and I feel like most of my peers and colleagues use twitter, reddit, Instagram etc. I have personally purchased many products from craftspeople I have found by reading comments on Insta accounts we both follow. I end up following these people and their work. I also try to follow construction/architecture accounts just to see what creatives and craftspeople are doing.
Yelp and Google reviews seem like the gold standard for finding local businesses. However, if multi-million dollar homes are a dime a dozen, I would think contractors that work on them are as well. When I hired out some basic electrical work for my small renovation I ended up randomly selecting three outfits (from a great many) from a google maps search. After quotes, I went with the gut that seemed the "coolest". I now follow their blog (seemingly dated concept), consider them my go-to for all things electrical beyond my ability, and recommend them highly word of mouth. I know a few thousand in minor electrical is a bit more casual than a 5 or 6 figure renovation but we millennials are like that.
Basically, I am your consumer - only from a different income bracket. Just some thoughts. You're living the dream. Keep it up.
-dn
FC -
interesting post. I'm a homeowner in CT and I have the same problem as you, but flipped - finding a trustworthy contractor. Sure, there is a lot of competition, but I want someone who I can TRUST to do things the right way, the fine home building way.
Reach out to the guys on themoderncraftsman podcast or listen to some episodes. They face the same challenges and give strategies on how to overcome them. Marketing is key - FB, IG, etc - but trust is the most important thing. Do a great job, build that client base and the work will come. Also stop by houses being built and see if they need help.
I applaud you for going out on your own. Stick with it...
Hey Flying Contractor
First I just want to assure you that you are not alone in feeling this way. I have struggled for years with the depression and anxiety of a phone not ringing and no emails coming in, that could be a whole other discussion on ways to manage that.
My Experience is similar and still ongoing. I am lucky that now after 5 years I seem to have a constant stream of work coming in as a carpenter and remodeler. It is a mix of the jobs I have always wanted to do, as well as work to fill the time and keep the bills paid.
What helped me was thinking of my situation as two different problems. First was making a living, second was doing the work I dream of, the amazing remodels and renovations. Here is how I have solved both.
The only solution I have for the second problem, is simple but frustrating. It is just patience. It takes time for your market to find you and for the right customers to come your way. You can speed the process along a little with marketing and networking both traditional (ads) and new methods (ie. social media). Be strong and always do your best work and the right clients will find you.
The issue of making a living took me a while to figure out and required me changing my mindset a little. The point of running a business is to make money and to make money you need to have a product or service to sell and customers to sell it to. If you are trying to sell only to homeowners with no success, try selling your services to other businesses (builders, remodelers, property maintenance companies). This can be a good way to stay busy, keep the bills paid and keep you going until the jobs you want come your way. I found that while I worked (and still do) as a subcontractor I feel a little less pressure so my life is a little easier, and leads for jobs I want come from the businesses I work for. Other remodelers who trust me and no my skill set send me leads regularly now for stuff that is too small for them or not their specialty.
I really hope that you are well and that business picks up for you. Hopefully my experience can be of some help. All the best
Cheers
Hans
To be blunt.
Do you do top tier work?
How much top tier work have you done?
If you're the contractor doing top tier work you should have top tier sub's to network with.
Do you have the resources to eat $10k if there's a misunderstanding on the tile order and you have to own it?
Sounds like you're a one man show so go sub to a top tier builder an see if your skills are up to it. That builder will turn away plenty of work, go after it.
And multi-million dollar homes don't mean top tier work in most of the country. A 1200sf 50's ranch goes for over a million in many areas.
I'm just winding down a career working as service company on only top tier homes. First off I stopped advertising 7 years in during 2007. Your business card is all you should need and it should be better than any of your customers. nothing fancy made of wood or metal just a 130lb linen stock business card. Only wear double knee Carhart's, start with basic brown. Watch on jobs and only the finish trim or very skilled workers wear them and that's all they wear. I wore French Cuff white dress shirts with art deco cuff links and double knee's for 15 years. Client would comment to friends that my shirt would still be white when I finished for the day. It's things like that that get you the clients.
None of the small builders I know that do one house at a time on new builds even have a website.
Never take a kickback for a referral or pay one.
Have you asked your clients for help getting jobs? Walk their neighborhood knocking on doors and introducing yourself. Everyone within a block should know who you are and have your card when you're doing a job.
Please take this all as encouragement and pointers.
Good Luck