Jobs

flash

I got my license about 2 weeks ago and I dont have any work yet. I was wondering if anyone had some good ideas on how and where to get some start up jobs in norcal or even just jobs in general. any advise wound be great!

Sparky Joe

Put your company in the phone book. And perhaps your local TV station was a web site that hosts free classified ads.

Speedy Petey

Flyers and the local "Pennysaver" (if you have that) are good for local work.

Also go out to places where you know contractors hang out and sell yourself. Go to lumber yards and supply houses and drop cards and get your name out there.

Put your name on the side of your truck and drive it around.

Get t-shirts made up. The $100/dozen is only a fraction of a yellow page ad and they last a long time.

I would avoid a huge yellow page ad. It IMO either says "desperate for work", or "I have HUGE overhead, so I need a huge ad, so I can get a ton of work, to pay the overhead". Also YP ads are extremely expensive. A plumber friend used to pay over $1200 a year for a modest ad. He said he would get 3 or 4 jobs a year from it and a TON of tire kickers. Of course this varies greatly from place to place and contractor to contractor. I have NO YP ad, and 99% of my work is either repeat customers/contractors or by referral.

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Sparky Joe

Didn't know about the priciness of phone book ads, but it does make sense to avoid them because most of a contractors work is repeat business or word-of-mouth. My old boss, when he was getting started and had a new family to support, said he would do anything a customer needed, from painting to digging sprinkler lines just so the seldom customer would have him back or reccommend him to others. I would hate having to do all that.

fridaymean

You might want to consider stopping when you see a jobsite. Ask to talk to the general contractor. (If he is not there call him) You most likely won't work at that job, but he may ask for a bid on the next one. (ONLY IF THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR IS NOT THERE) Custom homes are a good niche of the market.

mdshunk

The methods I used...

1) When I didn't have work, I spent every moment driving around, looking for projects underway and introducing myself.
2) A cheap ad in the local paper that ran every day for almost a year.

brian11973

The phone book is not way to go. One year, three listings. My partner & I had them under " general contractors, electric contractors, pole barn builders". We both have been electricans for 10 years, and had started building homes after work. The one year cost us 5 grand with three people calling from them, no jobs. Our real estate agent referred us to a more than half dozen, one time(?), odd job clients than this. The phone book sales guy said this is a back up to other advertising. You know, where they remember the name, but not the number. The 5 grand would have paid me for time & paper for alot of "conveinent store" flyers. These have resulted in actual paying jobs.

I agree with "mdshunk". Drive to a development and call / talk to every contractor there. This resulted with one new contractor to work for. If there is one contractor there call them five times, until they talk to you. They will ask for an estimate or tell you to get lost.

flash

thanks for all the help!! today i went walking for buisness to buisness handing out cards and talking to people. hopfully that helps get my name out there.

flash

when you guys say drive around do you mean drive to different jobs sites ans ask for the genral

mdshunk

Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Any construction whatsoever... commercial tennant refits, room additions, new houses... whatever. Anyplace you see construction trucks parked outside is fair game to stop in and ask somebody to point to the man in charge. Introduce yourself and chat him up. Stopping in a couple of very large electrical contractors isn't out of the question either, since they often need extra hands for projects tight on time, or will toss you a small job they don't want to fuss with and sub it to you. In any event, what you want to do it put your body physically in front of as many people who hire electricians as possible. Passing out flyers, cards, and advertising is fine and dandy, but when you're out of work, you need to go begging directly to the GC's.

Keep a cheap line ad in the paper every day for a long time. I'm convinced that's how I built a really nice service business. The profit from a day's worth of service calls is at least twice what you'd make in that same day ruffing a new house.

Sparky Joe

I just found a gold mine. Put a free ad on the local TV stations web site last Friday, had 1 call the next day and 4 more since then. Gonna be a busy summer, I love it.

Sassy

How did u manage to get a free TV ad

Sparky Joe

No I'm not on TV, though some people say I should be, haha.

The TV station has web site where I go for local news and the most accurate local weather, they also have a classified section on their site with a really nice lay out and a sub-section called "biz-ops".

You can place as many free ads as you like, I have one under electrician's and under remodeling.

I've had seven calls from it so far and have done 3 bids this week, not bad considering its only been their for a week and a half.

Also because it is so busy here right now I've had a couple calls from employers. I ask them about their wages and benefits just out of curiosty.

jensenconstruction

Hey Flash what part of norcal are you in? I'm in the bay area and always looking for good subs.

flash

no i am in the redding area

RobertWilber

give EVERYONE a card
CHAT UP ANYONE at all-everyone uses electricity
call other electricians that are working in your area
A lot of guys can use a hand now and then and are willing to pay a guy with a truck and tools
DON'T BE TOO PROUD!
Stick it out for 2 1/2 years, no matter what .. and you will be on easy street
DON'T GET GREEDY
and don't let yourself get stampeded into working for free because "we have a lot of work for you at a good rate, if you can help us out on THIS project ..."
Read this: "Of course I'll still respect you in the morning ..."

Disturbed Elect

I have been a Licensed Electrical Contractor For 10 Years in New Jersey and have had as many as 25 employees....My Advise, go back to work for a stable company. Unless of course you don't mind the following. Chasing after your money, dealing with people who sometimes own major companys who will screw you and go home to sleep like a baby, homeowners who can be a major pain in the ass,
trying to be honest and trustworthy when most around you are not, trying to pay your bills to suppliers when you havn't collected all you money yet, trying to pay your bills in general,and last but not least my favorite...Retainage, so you know also General contractor very rarely lay out there own money, most of there contracts have pay when get paid clauses. Which basicly means they don't front money. They are very smart and shrewed. Be carfull. I know of one GC that did 25 Million in sales and was compleatly debt free at the end of the year.He did not spend a dime of his profits to operate his buisness like us measly little Subs Do.

mdshunk

Why so grim, Disturbed? I'm in your state, and doing just fine. Unless there's an Amish hostile takeover of our state, people will still continue to use electricity. There's no shortage of quality work to be had.

Speedy Petey

Disturbed, I agree with MD. What is with posting this same thing on 6 threads? Are you upset about a situation in your life?

If it is so bad being a sub go out and sell your company to the end user. Do less sub-contracting work.
I'm just wondering what your motivation is for all these carbon copy posts.

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Sparky Joe

I was just about to start a new thread about this repeated gloom post from disturbed.

You don't live near any bridges do you? Go out, have a beer, and let things work themselves out tomorrow