Electrician Talk banner

Free Book About Contracting

10K views 78 replies 46 participants last post by  LAElectrician 
#1 · (Edited)
Want to read a free book about contracting?

Since I originally posted this, there has been a lot of racquets to read my book. Thanks for your interest! For people who want to read it, I just put up a page where you can send me your email address. This will allow me to get the book to you. Here’s the link: Million Dollar Contracting

Update: 14 February 2023 - I have now put my edited book up for reading. If you have already submitted your email address, I have now sent you the access link.


I own a 30-person electrical contracting company in Los Angeles, in business since 1979. I'm semi-retired now, which means I maybe spend 5-10 hours per week on the business, mostly because I still enjoy interacting with my great employees. In 2020 I attained a goal I had set many years earlier - financial independence. I still get an income from my company of a few hundred thousand dollars each year, which is one of the reasons I doubt I'll ever sell the company. At this point, because of my great customers and excellent staff, it's a money-making machine, whether I work any particular day or not. So why would I want to sell it?

I’ve just finished writing a book that covers many aspects of starting, expanding, or salvaging a contracting business. Would anyone be interested in reading it? Before publishing it, I’ll be happy to make it available at no charge for my Electrician Talk friends. I could put it on the internet for free for a short period of time, hoping to get any constructive feedback you wish that could help me improve the final draft.

Here are chapters of the book:

Acknowledgements
Should You Read This Book?
Chapter 1. What Does a Successful Contractor Look Like?
Chapter 2. Setting Up Your Contracting Company Properly
Chapter 3. Marketing Your Contracting Company
Chapter 4. Promotion Rules and Tips
Chapter 5. Promotional Techniques - 46 ways to get new business
Chapter 6. Websites Designed to Make You Money
Chapter 7. Internet Marketing
Chapter 8. Sales
Chapter 9: Doing the Work
Chapter 10. Collecting Money from Slow-Paying Customers
Chapter 11. Collecting the Money from Slow-Paying Genera Contractors and Management Companies
Chapter 12. Collection Rules and Tips
Chapter 13. Making a Profit
Chapter 14. Admin Systems—Office Procedures and Paperwork
Chapter 15. Hiring Employees
Chapter 16. Managing Employees
Chapter 17. Starting and Expanding Your Business
Chapter 18. The Story of How John Built a Successful Contracting Business
Chapter 19. Tips for Success in Business
Chapter 20. Salvaging a Struggling Contracting Business
Chapter 21. End Game—Planning for Retirement
Chapter 22. Final Word
Glossary
Appendix A: Further Reading
Appendix B. Building Wealth, Part 1. Introduction
Appendix B. Building Wealth, Part 2. The 11-Step Wealth Building Program
Appendix B. Building Wealth, Part 3. Final Steps of the Wealth Building Program—Investing in Income-Generating Assets

If anyone is interested in reading it, please click here: Million Dollar Contracting
 
See less See more
#35 ·
Add me to the list please.

I would like your thoughts on this, please.

One of our biggest problems as a fire alarm system installer was bidding to specifications. We were NICET 4 and knew the specifications were wrong in many places on the bidding sheets we obtained from contractors. We had the dilemma of bidding to the existing specs or bidding according to code and what we called the "Make it Work" option. Some of the parts/pieces were not compatible or not UL listed, or not something or other.

Do you waste your time bidding on something that will not work or not pass inspection or submit your own re-engineered, obviously more expensive plans that will work? When you do this, you risk alienating the contractor and tipping off the other bidders about the inaccurate RFQ specs.

Just once we would have liked to have a contract where you didn't have to have change orders just to make it work.
 
#37 ·
I would never bid a job with specifications that I knew were wrong in some way. What I would do is go to whoever is in charge of the project and let them know that there are problems with the specifications and, if it was simple, just supply the right information and bid the job with the right specifications. If there was a lot of work and redoing the plans I would suggest to the project manager that they pay me to redo the plans to make them accurate and per code. If the people running the project we’re not interested in fixing their plans, I would move on. My goal as a contractor is always to work with ethical, honest, and competent people and companies. Anyway, I appreciate your dilemma and hope things work out!
 
#36 ·
I am no longer a contractor with no thought of going back, but have shared my book on basics here for years. I think it is great that you are doing this as a member here. I know this is a very requested topic from members new and old.
 
#39 ·
Has anyone else looked at the page give by the OP and thought of a phishing scam?

Give me your email and I will tell you where to down load the book. Scared me.

Your not paranoid if they really are after you.
 
#40 ·
Hey, SWDweller, I just saw you post. I'm not phishing you, but don't know how to prove it to you. In a short while I'll have the book up on a new website and send it to the 20+ guys who have requested it so far. Perhaps you might hear some feed back from them after they get access to the book, and then decide you will be safe giving out your email.
 
#49 ·
Want to read a free book about contracting?

It’s been less than 24 hours since I first posted this, and there already seems to be a lot of racquets to read my book. Thanks for your interest! For people who want to read it, I just put up a page where you can send me your email address. This will allow me to get the book to you. Here’s the link: Million Dollar Contracting

I own a 30-person electrical contracting company in Los Angeles, in business since 1979. I'm semi-retired now, which means I maybe spend 5-10 hours per week on the business, mostly because I still enjoy interacting with my great employees. In 2020 I attained a goal I had set many years earlier - financial independence. I still get an income from my company of a few hundred thousand dollars each year, which is one of the reasons I doubt I'll ever sell the company. At this point, because of my great customers and excellent staff, it's a money-making machine, whether I work any particular day or not. So why would I want to sell it?

I’ve just finished writing the first draft of a book that covers many aspects of starting, expanding, or salvaging a contracting business. Would anyone be interested in reading it? Before publishing it, I’ll be happy to make it available at no charge for my Electrician Talk friends. I could put it on the internet for free for a short period of time, hoping to get any constructive feedback you wish that could help me improve the final draft.

Here are chapters of the book:

0. Should you read this book?
1. What Does a Successful Contractor Look Like?
2. Have your contracting company properly set up
3. Marketing
4. Promotion
5. Different methods of Promotion
6. Your Company Website
7. Internet Marketing
8. Sales
9. Production
10-A. Collecting the Money
10-B. Collections - Customer Collection System
10-C. Collections – Customer Honesty
10-D. Collections - Collection Rules and Tips
11. Make a Profit
12. Admin Systems
13. Hiring Employees
14. Management Tips
15. Starting or Expanding Your Business
16. The Story of How John Built a Successful Contracting Business
17. Tips for Successful Contracting
18. Salvaging Your Contracting Business
19. End Game
20. Final Word
21. Glossary
22. Other Reading

If anyone is interested in reading it, please let me know on this thread and I’ll arrange for you to get the book. Thanks!
Sure!!
 
#50 · (Edited)
Update: 3 August 2022 - I have now put my book up for reading. If you have already submitted your email address, I have now sent you the access link.

If you haven't already submitted your email address, Here’s the link: Million Dollar Contracting
 
#51 ·
Want to read a free book about contracting?

Since I originally posted this, there has been a lot of racquets to read my book. Thanks for your interest! For people who want to read it, I just put up a page where you can send me your email address. This will allow me to get the book to you. Here’s the link: Million Dollar Contracting

Update: 3 August 2022 - I have now put my book up for reading. If you have already submitted your email address, I have now sent you the access link.


I own a 30-person electrical contracting company in Los Angeles, in business since 1979. I'm semi-retired now, which means I maybe spend 5-10 hours per week on the business, mostly because I still enjoy interacting with my great employees. In 2020 I attained a goal I had set many years earlier - financial independence. I still get an income from my company of a few hundred thousand dollars each year, which is one of the reasons I doubt I'll ever sell the company. At this point, because of my great customers and excellent staff, it's a money-making machine, whether I work any particular day or not. So why would I want to sell it?

I’ve just finished writing the first draft of a book that covers many aspects of starting, expanding, or salvaging a contracting business. Would anyone be interested in reading it? Before publishing it, I’ll be happy to make it available at no charge for my Electrician Talk friends. I could put it on the internet for free for a short period of time, hoping to get any constructive feedback you wish that could help me improve the final draft.

Here are chapters of the book:

0. Should you read this book?
1. What Does a Successful Contractor Look Like?
2. Have your contracting company properly set up
3. Marketing
4. Promotion
5. Different methods of Promotion
6. Your Company Website
7. Internet Marketing
8. Sales
9. Production
10-A. Collecting the Money
10-B. Collections - Customer Collection System
10-C. Collections – Customer Honesty
10-D. Collections - Collection Rules and Tips
11. Make a Profit
12. Admin Systems
13. Hiring Employees
14. Management Tips
15. Starting or Expanding Your Business
16. The Story of How John Built a Successful Contracting Business
17. Tips for Successful Contracting
18. Salvaging Your Contracting Business
19. End Game
20. Final Word
21. Glossary
22. Other Reading

If anyone is interested in reading it, please click here: Million Dollar Contracting
I have signed up. Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to share you knowledge, experience, and legacy you have built. I look forward to the read.
 
#57 ·
I signed up. I learned a lot from one of your previous threads about your service company. You gave me the goal of starting my own company but with the focus deeper into service and further away from construction. I have a lot to learn, and clients to land, but this book will be a good read. Thanks for documenting everything in your head from decades of running a profitable business. It's a shame people can't do this anymore without people claiming "life coach" or things like that.
 
#61 ·
I’m not clear on what you’re asking here, but if you want to get a copy of the book go to the beginning of this thread and you’ll find a link there that will allow you to get access to the book. If you’re having any problems with this just PM me and I’ll help you out.
 
#65 ·
How long will you make this available for members?

With a bunch of small jobs, 2 young kids, and a rental property 3 hours away I might not get around to reading it as quick as I'd like to!

Any idea on when it will be available for purchase?
Thanks for your comment and question. I'll probably be shutting down access to my web version of the book in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to give people following this thread at least a week's warning. I'm working with an editor right now and I would guess that the finalized book will be available in Kindle and paper versions in 2 -3 months.
 
#67 ·
Thanks so much, but probably the only things I don’t need is spelling and grammar corrections. I’m having the manuscript copy edited right now for grammar and spelling errors, also including making the writing smoother as well. But if you have any other recommendations about what should be in the book that isn’t or if you find any factual errors or disagreements with any of my advice I would love to hear about that!
 
#68 ·
Oh wow. I've been looking for this kind of advice for so long. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with us. I am exactly where you were 40 years ago. My electrical contractor business has been running for 4 months, I just started. 32-year-old journeyman electrician with 10 years of residential and service experience. I manage my business alone with my truck and my wife (and my little daughter) who helps me with papers work at home when she has time. I have my little garage next door to my house and I literally printed off some of your tips and they are in my garage office. Thank you very much Kim.
 
#73 ·
Here is an example. This is a set of double doors leading into a retirement community dormitory. It is spec'd with fire doors and electromagnet door holders on the walls.

WALLS?

Wood Fixture Ladder Wood stain Hardwood

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Fixture Ladder

Building Ladder Wood Fixture Floor
 
#74 · (Edited)
Want to read a free book about contracting?

Since I originally posted this, there has been a lot of racquets to read my book. Thanks for your interest! For people who want to read it, I just put up a page where you can send me your email address. This will allow me to get the book to you. Here’s the link: Million Dollar Contracting

Update: 3 August 2022 - I have now put my book up for reading. If you have already submitted your email address, I have now sent you the access link.


I own a 30-person electrical contracting company in Los Angeles, in business since 1979. I'm semi-retired now, which means I maybe spend 5-10 hours per week on the business, mostly because I still enjoy interacting with my great employees. In 2020 I attained a goal I had set many years earlier - financial independence. I still get an income from my company of a few hundred thousand dollars each year, which is one of the reasons I doubt I'll ever sell the company. At this point, because of my great customers and excellent staff, it's a money-making machine, whether I work any particular day or not. So why would I want to sell it?

I’ve just finished writing the first draft of a book that covers many aspects of starting, expanding, or salvaging a contracting business. Would anyone be interested in reading it? Before publishing it, I’ll be happy to make it available at no charge for my Electrician Talk friends. I could put it on the internet for free for a short period of time, hoping to get any constructive feedback you wish that could help me improve the final draft.

Here are chapters of the book:

0. Should you read this book?
1. What Does a Successful Contractor Look Like?
2. Have your contracting company properly set up
3. Marketing
4. Promotion
5. Different methods of Promotion
6. Your Company Website
7. Internet Marketing
8. Sales
9. Production
10-A. Collecting the Money
10-B. Collections - Customer Collection System
10-C. Collections – Customer Honesty
10-D. Collections - Collection Rules and Tips
11. Make a Profit . There are a lot of catch phrases at this point. You can read an essay on inflation at https://samplius.com/free-essay-examples/inflation/, where everything is already written down.
12. Admin Systems
13. Hiring Employees
14. Management Tips
15. Starting or Expanding Your Business
16. The Story of How John Built a Successful Contracting Business
17. Tips for Successful Contracting
18. Salvaging Your Contracting Business
19. End Game
20. Final Word
21. Glossary
22. Other Reading

If anyone is interested in reading it, please click here: Million Dollar Contracting
Great set of books to read, thanks for the work done.
 
#75 ·
Thank you everyone for all the feedback you have given me for my rough draft of Million Dollar Contracting. With your help, I have now finished the final draft of this book. If you would like to see it, you can find it here. I'm intending to publish this book soon on Amazon, and also, in a couple of months, intend to make an Audio version available. But for now, I'm offering the book free to everyone at Electrician Talk.
 
Top