How To Move Ahead ?

Diesel65

Guy's I have been around the forum for a while now and enjoy it. It is now time to put myself in the line of fire.
I have been in the HVAC sheetmetal trade as a sub-contract installer for 26 years all of which I have been self employed. Over the years I have done just about everything in construction and last year got my State CGC license so that I could expand my services (Mainly steel erection) which I have done in the course of my career. I had a web site built and obtained all the necessary business documents, cards and Insurance at considerable expense.

However I kicked myself in the butt over Christmas and realized that I am an a/c guy (DUH !!), so I took and passed my State class "A" a/c test.

I have added a brief description of our services on the website and that is all I think I can do at this time, I have to hold my a/c license under my GC for 12 months before I can either set up a DBA or new corp.
I know I made a mistake! but does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can proceed at this point without looking like a complete idiot as far as advertising and such. My company is incorporated as a construction co, and yet I want to drive home the a/c service.

Chris Johnson

I've got both a GC and specialty license, I spend 90% of the time doing just the specialty stuff and when things get quite or I have a lull in business I have the option of doing other things as well.

__________________
Chris

Diesel65

I am going to do the same thing Chris, it is just the fact that I got it bassakwards from the get go and when I make contact with people I feel stupid introducing my a/c company as " !@#$&^ construction Inc" or do you feel that this does not matter?

Mike Finley

Why don't you just change the name of your company? All it should take is filing an amendment to your articles of incorporation with your state.

Diesel65

The website address and all business documents are in the construction name,and that is some serious money that I spent on all of that, plus it is working well for me.

My plan was to set up a DBA after the 12 month period but the more I think about it the more unproffesional this all seems to me, so what is it saying to my potential customers?


If I have to spend more right now to make it right I will, I guess I was hoping for a quick fix.

I cannot believe the mess I got myself into with this, I am usually pretty dilligent in my thought process.

Mike Finley

Well, at least it will be tax deductable.

Plus 5 years from now the $500 it will cost you will be forgotten compared to all the hundreds of thousands of dollars you have made since today.

All you need is a new domain name and you have them clone the site over to it, and change the name on the pages. Business cards are dirt cheap, unless you have some really fancy promotional material you've paid for I would just get it done and move on.

You can keep both web sites running for a while until the new one catches on.

I changed our company name from Rocky Mountain Custom Home Improvements a couple of years ago to Rocky Mountain Bathrooms, when I finally figured everything out. I still have the other website running, why? I really shouldn't but at $100 a year and a few jobs leads that come off of it, I just let it run. It cost me probably $500-1000 to make the changes, but that's the cost of doing business.

Good luck with it, I'd just get it over with and move on and be able to concentrate on more important things.

Diesel65

Thanks Mike, what you say makes perfect sense, much appreciated.

Sometimes it pays to air your dirty laundry in public.

I wish we were talking hundreds of thousands !!!

Pat

Mud Master

I don't think having construction in your legal name is wrong, even as an HVAC service.

I worked as a site foreman & a superintendent for a company for 8 years, and thier company is called "Strayer contracting". They did commercial interiors(metal framing,sheetrock & finishing,acoustics,etc). Anyway 3 years ago they got into mechanical.

Thier legal name is still "Strayer contracting", but thier mechanical(HVAC) trucks say "Strayer Mechanical". If you were to call thier office it would still say contracting, and all legal documents say contracting, but they advertise as mechanical.

It is not so much your name that makes you who you are..it's your service that will make your name.

__________________