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I am new to breaktime so please bear with me. I am in the military and have 3 years left. I have a fairly broad construction background from working before I joined the service and have did numerous home improvement projects for myself and others. I would like any advice and/or comments as what I can do now to prepare myself to reenter the construction trades and eventually become a general contractor. (i.e. books, courses, junior college, put a gun to my head?) Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks MB
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Hi Mark, I think it depends on how far you want to go. I can tell you my story. I recently went through the same transition you're getting ready to. I gave 20+ yrs to the AF mostly behind a desk but had always loved remodeling and construction. I made a hobby throughout that time of remodeling projects for myself and others. Also in the AF we had the "self-help" program which basically allowed us to remodel our buildings ourselves which gave me additional valuable experience. Before retiring 3 1/2 yrs ago I began first by getting "legal" - license and bonding. That's usually the first question clients ask - are you licensed and bonded. Most won't even touch you if you're not no matter how experienced or good you are. Check with your state and local agencies for the requirements in your area. I'd been accumulating tools for years but made sure I had the right ones and best ones for projects I intended to take. After that I put an ad in the newspaper classifieds and started low with the intention of gaining more experience while preventing complete starvation. From this I learned volumes about the types of customers there are, what projects to take and which of each to stay away from. I also learned that classified ad customers are usually spend-thrifts and weren't necessarily looking for quality over cost. Most of the projects were repair and minor renovation. Over time my confidence and ability increased. I began charging more and built up a clientle base. Friends told friends... etc. and it began growing like a living thing. Although I've had a yellow page ad for a year I've had to turn away nearly every caller in favor of repeat or referral customers who I feel are my real "bread and butter>" Personally, at least for now, I've decided to stay solo. (I love the work and don't want to be a manager again!) Pitfalls and lessons? Get a big vehicle to haul stuff in. Don't take more work than you can handle or you'll end up either making customers frustrated or working yourself to death. Always do one project at a time and finish it before moving on. Nothing aggravates a customer more than having a contractor tear apart his house and show up sporadically to finish it. Create professional proposals. I do mine in the computer using color and photos, pricing everything out as tightly as possible. This takes time but I've been told later by many customers that this is what sold them - even though my price may've been higher. I'm still learning but each day is an adventure. Its satisfying to be able to make people happy, make myself happy, and get paid for it! Good luck Mark.
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I am new to breaktime so please bear with me. I am in the military and have 3 years left. I have a fairly broad construction background from working before I joined the service and have did numerous home improvement projects for myself and others. I would like any advice and/or comments as what I can do now to prepare myself to reenter the construction trades and eventually become a general contractor. (i.e. books, courses, junior college, put a gun to my head?) Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks MB