New In Business NEED InFo HELP!!

JoeVolts

Hi ,
I'm just trying to start working like an electrician and I don't know exactly the rates that I need to charge and Second ,How or where can I get Customers?
If someone can help me ASAP ...
I was Lay off from the company that I was working for years doing industrial machinery Maintenance and Now I really want to be my own boss,I have a family to support!
I studing to get the Contr. Lic.

THANKS A LOT!!!

Joe Abraira from CA jobraira@highstream.net

Grumpy

I don't know industrial rates for electricians but you can consider checking yoru counties prevailing wages and base your rates on those. Prevailing wages are typically posted on your counties' web site.

If you were doing machinery maintenance why are you now going to be an electrician? DO you have electrician experience?

How to get customers? This depends if you are going to target general contractors or residential home owners or property managers. When starting out I suggest you target residential. Have your kids walk with you delivering door hangers. Kids are such cheap labor! Put an add in the neighborhood newspaper or church bulletin. There are so many ways to advertise!

JoeVolts

I was an Industrial maintenance guy with a good electrical knowledge .I want to start my own business but I don't know exactly how much an electrician charge out there you know...I don't want to be going too high or too low about prices.
regards
Joe

Grumpy

Like I said, check the prevailing wages for your county. You can probably find it somewhere on their web site. Look for their Department of Professional Regulation.

Speedy Petey

Prevailing wage is WAY out of line to with the real world in my area. Scale jobs are paying something like $35/hr for journeymen while a good rpivate, non-union, contractor is paying not much more than $22.

These are wages for an employee so you can figure what a contractor charges.
We charge +/- $40/hr for a mechanic and ~$25 for a helper. This is for a real "company" with insurance, comp, trucks, etc,. You know, overhead.
If you go around under bidding real contractors because you have no insurance or overhead you will get a BAD reputation real fast!

Joe Volts, don't take offense to this but from the sound of your 4 posts you are not nearly ready to go out on your own in the electrical field. I would consider working for a contractor for a while and get some field experience first. This trade is not something you can jump into because you know a little about electric.

__________________

Grumpy

I agree Petey, but if you've nothing to base your numbers on Prevailing Wage can be your base.

If you pay your guys 35, instead of 22, and you can sell the job; your going to get a much better quality installation and much better type of employee.

Take it how you want it.