Pay Attention to Your Reputation as a Contractor

The second you start working as a contractor, you begin to build your reputation. Your reputation is built on things like your personality, workmanship, creativity, flexibility, honesty, prices, timeliness, reliability, dependability, and more.

No matter what stage of your career you are in, you should always take a step back to look at your current reputation and what kind you want to have. Your reputation can make or break your current and future business.

A good way to keep a high reputation is to stick by your values and morals and industry standards. If a client wants you to cut corners to save them some money (whether by hiding a problem in the home or using cheap materials), this is a pivotal decision in what kind of contractor you are. You want to make sure all your work is done at a quality level and is safe. You don’t want someone to get hurt or there to be liability issues. Your work is a reflection of you, and if it’s not good work or a defect or injury occurs, your reputation will suffer.

Eventually, if you continue to do less-than-ideal work, word will get out that you don’t do quality work or your willing to break rules and future, potential customers will pass on the opportunity to work with you.

Despite the money, some jobs and projects that you will be presented with will never be worth risking quality and safety for. Your mindset should be that you do the work right or you don’t do the job at all, or else your reputation will be at stake.

Also, whether through an inspection or time itself, a lot of work that you cut corners with will eventually come out and your poor work and decisions will be exposed. You don’t want people to associate you with this kind of poor work. Likely, it will become very public when poor workmanship is discovered.

If you have a client who just cannot afford you, you need to decide who you want your clients to be. We understand that you don’t want to lose money, but you also don’t want to do poor work, just to complete a job. Determine who you want your client base to be and then deliver the quality work that is expected at that price range.

Always be honest with your clients and everyone you work with. Be upfront about how long things will last that you are working on. Disclose everything you are using and doing. If you do decide to do a cheaper “band-aid” fix type of job, let them know that’s what you are doing and it’s not a permanent solution to the problem. As the saying goes, “honesty is the best policy.” You want credibility to be part of your reputation.

With a great reputation, you will attract more and more clients. Work to build and protect your reputation because if you lose it, it may never come back.

Part of a good reputation is being a licensed contractor. Not only is it illegal in Florida to work without a contractor’s license, but people tend to not trust people who are not licensed.
At Licenses, Etc., we are a team of professionals who have helped thousands of contractors get their contractor’s license, so they are able to work. We make the process easy and fast for you. If you need to get your Florida contractor’s license, click our Florida Contractor’s License page or call 239-777-1028.

At Licenses, Etc., we are a team of professionals who have helped thousands of contractors get their license, so they are able to work. We make the process easy and fast for you. If you need to get your Florida contractor’s license, click our Florida Contractor’s License page or call 239-777-1028.