Best resource for a building contractor

[Peter Brooks]

I was just wondering if anybody had a suggestion for the best resource

- book, DVD, other - that teaches how to actually survive as a building contractor.

Not the detail of how to lay bricks or similar, but how to do the whole job from estimating quoting, managing the staff and your customer and delivering on-time.

Any ideas?

[jloomis]

I am a Building Contractor and my problem these days in surviving as a Building Contractor is finding work! I hate to say it, but a person can learn how to mix the ingredients, kneed the dough, heat the oven, and produce a nice loaf of bread, but trying to find a customer is the hard part.

To get back to your original question though, learning through working with another contractor would be best. Either it be in the field or in the office, hands on and learning through trial and error, and hopefully not the latter.(ladder) john :)

[Bill]

These days many younger people are quite self centered. The "me" generation. Don't be that way. Place yourself in other's shoes. This includes employees as well as customers. Treat others like you would want to be treated.

And the customer is the boss! Don't forget that.

And last but not least, learn how to add. "Watch the pennies and the dollars will mind themselves!" Very important in business to know that a few pennies saved here and there adds up to dollars. If you watch those pennies, you will make a lot of money. On the other hand, if you have the attitude of "it is only a dollar, no need to worry about the expense", you will lose your shirt! (Scream bloody murder if someone in your company buys something they could have purchased for a bit less elsewhere or did not need to buy at all...)

Example if you need a piece of equipment just once, can rent it, and can charge that cost to the job, there is no expense to you. If on the other hand you buy that piece of equipment, there is an expense. BIG difference on the books!

-OR-

You may have a lot of profit a certain year and may be looking at a big tax bill. Perhaps buying that piece of equipment would be the best choice so far as taxes go. Do the math and figure out what is best!

I once saw two companies fighting over a large bill (thousands of dollars) due toward the end of the year. The company which owed the money wanted to pay the amount owed so they could write it off of their taxes. The company which was owed the money did not want the additional income on their books (more taxes) and refused to send a statement until after the 1st of the year! Back and forth they went!

[PeterD]

And so foolish. If on a cash accounting basis, which most small businesses are, all the reciever of the money had to do was wait until after the first to deposit the check--it doesn't matter what date was written on the check. The sender uses the date he wrote the check, so he's happy too.

This is a very common situation. Surely you would not hold a check for a long period of time, however.

[RicodJour]

This is a good place to start:

R

[drills83]

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[Matt Barrow]

"drills83" SPAMMED in message news: [e-mail]...

Now there's an oxymoron.

[PeterD]

I wonder if it is still an oxymoron if both statements are untrue?

[Peter Brooks]

- [e-mail]...

Not necessarily - all tools are 'quality tools', but some are 'high quality tools', some 'really bad quality tools' and some 'ok quality tools'.

Thanks for all the interesting replies to my original question, by the way!