You might have spent the last few years working on small-time jobs around town. Or Maybe you even fixed your Aunt Maggie’s sink for a few dollars and word started to spread around about your skills. But no matter what stage you’re at in your career, you can land much bigger jobs by getting certified as a contractor.
On average, just one American homeowner spends close to 10,000 dollars every five years on home repairs. But these are small time jobs. The real money is in the jobs that don’t require fixing a sink or installing screen doors.
For example, if you own a contracting business, you can earn a 6-figure annual income if you have the right skills and you’re adept at marketing. But getting licensed is often a requirement in many states for working on jobs over a certain dollar amount.
Here, we’ll explore how becoming a certified contractor can be lucrative.
Opening Doors in Your Community
As mentioned, you can run around town looking for contracting work and maybe get by doing small jobs here and there. But if you really want to land a big paying job, having a license is going to be essential.
Most states require that a contractor be licensed in order to work on jobs that exceed 5,000 or 10,000 dollars worth of materials plus labor. So if you think about it, these are the types of jobs that can earn you a decent monthly income. And you’re definitely going to want to take a bite out of this pie.
When you become certified contractor, you can bid on the bigger jobs, work with city planners, and position yourself on a much bigger playing field. Pretty soon, you’re going to be in on all of the new projects, and hopefully working on them as well.
You’ll Establish Authority in the Industry
Honestly, would you want to hire a contractor for any job without the proper licensing and certification? If you did, that would be like having your buddy who’s “pretty good” at carpentry build your house. And that’s a major construction accident waiting to happen.
As a certified contractor, you’ll have the authority to bid on jobs, and the credentials to prove that you’re competent and efficient at your job.
For example, if you answer a call to build a guest home for a homeowner in town and you show up with a portfolio along with proof of your licensing, that homeowner is more than likely going to be put at ease because of the expertise that you have.
Authority within your industry is essential to building a successful enterprise, and for building a long, successful career.
You’ll Have an Edge Over the Competition
You’re probably aware that you have a great deal of competitors working within your community. But many of these contractors might be starting out or trying to establish themselves. And many might not even have a license.
As mentioned, not having a contractor’s license limits the amount of money that you’re able to earn. So unless you want to keep doing odd-jobs for your friends and neighbors, getting a license puts you in an entirely new category and opens the playing field.
To put it another way, if there are 3 contractors in a city planning meeting and only you have licensing and certification, you’ll probably be the one to land that job. And the other two will most likely be sent packing.
The more verifiable experience you have, the better positioned you’ll be when it comes to landing the jobs that you want. And you’ll be able to keep the competition at bay.
In any career, you have to perform your own due diligence if you want to excel and be successful. And in the trade industry, climbing the ladder also means attaining licensing and certification if you want to be taken seriously during your career.
