Building a General Contractor Business in Florida: Trends and Tips
Construction in Florida is booming: the tourism industry, as well as snowbirds seeking warmer weather, spur strong demand for buildings of all sizes, from hotels to small business buildings. In addition, Florida’s fierce and tempestuous climate means that repair work never ends, as hurricane season often damages buildings, requiring careful maintenance.
A general contractor license in Florida is one of the best ways to develop a stable income for those who enjoy managing complicated projects and working with their hands, but it can be a difficult field to break into. Approximately 5,000 general contractors are working in the Sunshine State, so it’s essential that you fully understand the industry while also making savvy business decisions that will expand your reach. Today, we’ll discuss some of the most crucial components of building your general contractor business in Florida from the start and beyond.
Receive Your General Contractor License
The first step is learning about general contracting and receiving your license. You need a general contractor license to bid on any projects in Florida, so even if you have handyman skills, you need the licensing to prove you’re qualified.
Receiving this license requires training and completing a rigorous exam to test your knowledge; the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation outlines the concepts that will be tested, including business knowledge and technical acumen.
As a great deal of material must be absorbed, many aspiring contractors find it helpful to take a Florida general contractor license exam prep course, even those who have received a degree in building and construction from a four-year college. These courses will test your comprehension and ensure you have everything necessary to succeed.
Study Business to Stay in Business
While you’ll need basic business and finance knowledge to pass the exam, this may not necessarily prepare you to run a successful business, which requires formal and informal training. You can learn many of these things from business courses, such as those offered at a community college, but some elements aren’t necessarily transmittable by text alone. Before you launch your own business, you may find it helpful to take on a managerial position in an established construction firm; this will also provide you with useful contacts that can help you find your own work in the future.
By working with a successful business owner, you can see the everyday work that goes into maintaining a business and gather helpful tips, such as handling angry customers or presenting bids in a way that entices the client. Of course, you will not want to be direct competition for your former employer, so you may choose to specialize in particular forms of general contracting, like commercial or residential services.
Don’t Skimp on Advertising Materials
You can’t get a steady retinue of clients if no one knows about you, so you must develop a strong online and offline advertising campaign. This will depend greatly on your niche: if you do general contracting work for residential customers, flyers and web advertisements might work well, while if you do high-end commercial contracting for office buildings, you’ll likely want to hone in on face-to-face networking with associated pamphlets, business cards, and presentations.
Regardless, having a website is a must: this, too, is an advertising tool, so hire a professional web developer to create an attractive and functional website where interested customers can contact you directly for quotes. You can also explore the world of Search Engine Optimization, which focuses on getting you higher in Google search results through developing great content and building a strong web presence. As many general contractors are not yet relying on this essential advertising tool, you can be at the forefront of your field by embracing new technology.
Maintain a Professional Storefront
You might think that your storefront doesn’t really matter: after all, you’re out on job sites most of the time, perhaps visiting the office once a day to drop off paperwork and talk to your workers before heading out. However, having a professional physical presence reassures customers that you’re not a fly-by-night company that will take their money and run.
Even if you don’t invite clients back to your office to discuss the work and sign contracts, ensure that your building is well-maintained and attractive, especially its exterior: remember that clients may look you up on Google Maps as part of their research, and they may be turned off by a shoddy storefront, especially as you’re in the business of making their own businesses beautiful.
Little things matter a great deal in any business, whether a well-designed website or an aesthetic office, so commit yourself to caring for these minor details and providing quality work. Once you understand the industry and are fully licensed to tackle any task, don’t lose sight of what it truly means to run a business, as that deserves just as much attention as any construction site.