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Yes, kind of. I helped my aging father pivot from manual labor to running his own contracting business. It was, and continues to be, a lot of work, but it was t

Yes, kind of. I helped my aging father pivot from manual labor to running his own contracting business. It was, and continues to be, a lot of work, but it was the only way my parents could continue to pay their bills (Especially here in the Bay Area). There was a lot of learning when getting started, but the business is roughly a 10-person concern, and growing — all completely bootstrapped. Edit: More details on what it took to get started - Studying the materials one needed know to get a contractor's license - Actually getting licensed - Setting up an online presense - Acquiring our first customers - Earning a good reputation - Incorporating, hiring, worker's comp/various insurances ($$$$) One of the biggest ongoing challenges is competing with unlicensed contractors, and being able to hire enough skilled labor.

lgregg 8y ago
Sorry, I ruined your 1337 karma. What do you use to stay organized? I have a friend who was in the same position as you and they're around 15 people now. Their problem is staying organized, everything is paper.
- ProfessorLayton 8y ago
  Staying organized is a huge burden! One of the ways I've helped them organize, is by moving to digital communication wherever I can: - Customer leads are almost 100% digital (Website, Google Ads, Yelp). This means they can reply back and forth without having to call, so no paperwork is necessary until they're customers. Everyone involved seems to appreciate this. - Estimates and invoices are delivered digitally, we currently use Waveapps, which is good enough for the small business for now. This allows us to keep track of who has/hasn't paid yet. This is a huge help with staying on top of things. - My parents aren't tech people, so after much trying with iCal/Gcal, their best calendar to work with is actually an old fashioned paper one. Used to keep track of estimates, and project scheduling. - Ultimately we've had to hire a 3rd party to help with tracking worker hours, payroll, and taxes. Yes there's payroll software, but again because my parents aren't tech people and they're currently at their wits just running the business, it was best to hire outside help. I'd like to help with this, but I work full-time, and screwing this up can result in extremely steep fines to the business. - Really the only new paperwork we have to deal with on an ongoing basis is storing copies of customer contracts.

lgregg 8y ago

Sorry, I ruined your 1337 karma. What do you use to stay organized? I have a friend who was in the same position as you and they're around 15 people now. Their problem is staying organized, everything is paper.

ProfessorLayton 8y ago
Staying organized is a huge burden! One of the ways I've helped them organize, is by moving to digital communication wherever I can: - Customer leads are almost 100% digital (Website, Google Ads, Yelp). This means they can reply back and forth without having to call, so no paperwork is necessary until they're customers. Everyone involved seems to appreciate this. - Estimates and invoices are delivered digitally, we currently use Waveapps, which is good enough for the small business for now. This allows us to keep track of who has/hasn't paid yet. This is a huge help with staying on top of things. - My parents aren't tech people, so after much trying with iCal/Gcal, their best calendar to work with is actually an old fashioned paper one. Used to keep track of estimates, and project scheduling. - Ultimately we've had to hire a 3rd party to help with tracking worker hours, payroll, and taxes. Yes there's payroll software, but again because my parents aren't tech people and they're currently at their wits just running the business, it was best to hire outside help. I'd like to help with this, but I work full-time, and screwing this up can result in extremely steep fines to the business. - Really the only new paperwork we have to deal with on an ongoing basis is storing copies of customer contracts.