June 2016 – Florida Contractor Forum

Contractor Products, Tools, and Gadgets

On: June 29, 2016May 25, 2016 By: admin

contractor products There are a million tools, products, and gadgets out there for contractors to use! Some are more practical than others, but they can all enhance a contractor’s job performance by aiding him or her in whatever they need to be doing on the job.

Below we share some products that are new this year that can really help bring your contractor game to the next level.

Cat phone – Cat phone and Note Vault teamed up for a promotion that works great for a contractor’s business and lifestyle. The promotion: buy a Cat smartphone and get four months of a NoteVault Pro Account free. Cat phones are strong and durable phones – great for job sites. They can withstand more than the average phone. The NoteVault is a cloud and mobile technology created for construction and infrastructure project teams. This is a live reporting system that allows contracting teams to communicate and collaborate on any project to keep people on track and on budget. People can see changes and details on a project in real time so projects get managed more efficiently. This promo is their way of combining the “brains” and “brawn” so contractors have an ideal tool at their fingertips.

Urban Armour Case – On many jobs, a contractor will need to bring his or her laptop to a site. Computers are fragile, and job sites are full of many hazards. Accidents can happen. These cases are form fitting and are a hard shell with impact-absorbing corners. For even more protection, there is a dual lock screen closure that secures the display in the shut position while the computer is being moved.

POWERSTATION 247 – This is a solar energy usage and storage system with built-in battery storage. It’s good for large and small projects for homeowners and business owners. This system delivers clean, renewable energy to a building or house. It helps the user not to be dependent on traditional energy supplies, which is a more efficient use of energy and an alternative source of electricity. It comes in different sizes and is easy to install and use.

Other notable products: VisionPro thermostat, Sandvik DS2710 drill, PayPanther, DeWalt heated jackets, VitroGlaze and Jotashield Extreme.

Having the best new products is great, especially if you want to step it up a notch over other contractor, If you’re currently looking to apply or renew your Florida contractor’s license or need help forming your business, contact the team here or call 239-777-1028. We can help make the process easy and fast.

Preparing for the Contractors Exam

On: June 22, 2016May 25, 2016 By: admin

contractors exam Just like many other professions, contractors have to prepare and take a contractor’s license exam. In Florida, a contractor must pass this exam in order to be a licensed general contractor. In Florida, a certified contractor is a contractor who has a certificate of competency issued by the.

In Florida, a licensed certified contractor applicant has to have a passing score on all the parts of the Florida DBPR/BET qualifying examination, be at least 18 years old, meet educational and experience requirements, pay all applicable fees, obtain work’s compensation coverage, demonstrate financial responsibility, and have good moral character. Test takers need to review the license categories before registering for an examination. People must take the proper tests to make them eligible for their license. Most exams are open book. In Florida, the test is around $215, which includes all fees.

There are a few ways a person can prepare for the exam, which can depend on a person’s learning style and what’s available around him. Many people like to study on their own. For these individuals, books and reference materials suggested by the state are great resources for studying. The PSI Online Bookstore and iContractor.net are third-party booksellers of contracting-based books. There are also several organizations online that offer web-based practice exams and courses for people to take. Organizations like Dewalt and PSI Learning Academy offer practice exams. Some home-study based courses in Florida include Cam Tech School and Gold Coast Schools.

For those who need a classroom setting, there are schools across the country that offer courses and tutoring for specific exams and education courses. Some schools and bookstores in Florida include: AES, 4EzExam.com, Sane Fe College, Gulf Coast School of Construction, KCC Estimating & Construction Services, Inc., Florida International University, Contractor’s Library in Hudson, and more.

There are many ways a person can prepare for the contractor’s exam. It is up to the individual person to decide which method is best for them in order to pass. Once you pass the test, if you are looking to apply for your Florida contractor’s, the team here can help make the process easier and faster. Call us at 239-777-1028 to help you get your license as soon as possible.

Getting Liability Insurance as a Contractor

On: June 15, 2016May 25, 2016 By: admin

Contractors should get liability insurance. Better to be safe than sorry, right? This coverage helps protect business owners, contractors, and homeowners from liability related to on-job accidents, products, and other forms of liability like contractual liability. Worker’s compensation cannot protect people from liability, but this insurance can.

As a contractor, it is in your best interest to purchase contractor liability insurance. This insurance protects the contractor, the business, or the assets of the business when it’s being sued. Many jobs will require you to have this insurance in order to work. You have a better chance of being hired by a homeowner or a business owner if they feel like they are protected, and saw that you took measures to protect yourself and them. You can often bid for work without this insurance, but are unable to actually work without it. As a reminder, contractor’s liability insurance doesn’t protect contractors again poor workmanship or construction defects.

This insurance is important because claims against contractors happen and can be very expensive. General contractor liability insurance isn’t required by Florida, but many counties do require it. In Florida, covered claims can include bodily injury, property damage, negligence, personal injury, general damages, compensatory damages, and damage from slander or false advertising. In Florida, most companies consider this insurance essential. By contacting the county that you plan to work in, you can find out if insurance is required.

Shop around for the best liability insurance for you. Research different insurance companies and ask fellow contractors what companies they’re using and why. Make sure to look at these company’s ratings. Also, you’re researching to get the best quotes you can too. For general and building contractors these are the minimum amounts for general liability insurance are around: $300,000 bodily injury and $50,000 property damage. Make sure you receive proof of insurance from whichever insurance company you choose to go through. This certificate of insurance usually need to be shown before you can start a job, or needs to be at the job site. Also, make sure you receive the original certificate and not a copy.

Protecting yourself as a contractor is important – it not only saves you money, but it gives you peace of mind. Even though it’s not required by the state, it is in your best insurance to get yourself insured.

If you have questions about general liability insurance, looking to apply or renew your Florida contractor’s license or need help forming or running your business, the team here can help make the process easier and faster for you. Please call us at 239-777-1028 to get help from us right away.

Great Contractor Web Tools

On: June 8, 2016May 25, 2016 By: admin

Contractors need to be on top of everything in their industry. Why? For many reasons! By staying up with current technologies, rules, developments, contractors remain relevant, knowledgeable, on top of their game, and are able to compete with other contractors for jobs. There are many technology tools out there to help contractors bring their expertise and business to a whole other level.

Here are some great web tools contractors should use to help them better themselves and their career as a whole.

BRL-CAD – This program is a cross platform, open-source modeling system. It included interactive 3D solid geometry editing, high-performance ray-tracing support for rendering and geometric anaylsis, image and signal processing tools, network-distributed framebuffer support, path-tracing and photon mapping support for realistic image synthesis, and more! This CAD system has been used by the U.S. military for more than 20 years to model weapons systems. It is a collection of more than 400 tools, utilities, and applications with more than a million lines of source code.
Inkscape – This is professional-quality vector graphic software that is able to run on Windows, Mac OS X and GNU/Linux. With this program, contractors can create graphics, illustrations, icons, logos, diagrams, web graphics, and maps.
Wufoo – This program is an online form designer that can help contractors create all kinds of forms, like contact forms. This platform has more than 300 templates to work with and even allows the user to collect payments online through the forms.
Basecamp – This is a web-based project management tool. This helps keeps everyone working on a project on the same page. Everything a person needs for this project lives in the same place, and it’s all organized. Basecamp allow lets people know what they should be doing on a project.
LinkedIn – This social media platform allows people to create professional pages for themselves. In this tool, contractors can advertise/showcase themselves and their business. People can also promote other people’s skills and expertise on this site, and even write reviews.

Some other great web-based tools: Google Docs, Gimp, PDFCreator, Imperium, ProcessMaker, Dropbox, and WordPress.

Staying on top of things in the contracting world is crucial to a successful career. The above tools can help a contractor plan, organize, and work better. If you’re currently looking to apply or renew your Florida contractor’s license or need help forming or running your business, the team here can help make the process easier and faster for you. Please call us at 239-777-1028 to get help from us right away.

Great Book Resources for Contractors

On: June 1, 2016May 25, 2016 By: admin

contractor books Contractors have a lot to think about, know, and learn on a daily basis. A contractor’s job is constantly evolving as time, guidelines, methods, the environment, and people’s needs change. This means, a contractor has a lot to know whether he or she is about to become a contractor or has been one for many years.

Once a contractor has earned his or her contractor’s license, the learning doesn’t stop! New information to be learned can include: how to run a business, workplace safety, ongoing training, and more. There is so much information out there, and at times, it can be overwhelming. Here at Licenses, Etc. we’re here to help point our contractor clients in the right direction and help them succeed in their careers.

Below we’ve gathered a list of the best book resources for contractors. These books offer the latest and best industry news, practices, and tips. These resources can help a contractor improve their skill set, increase business, better communication skills, increase value to a customer, and more.

501 Contractor Tips by Greg Vanden Berge – This author has worked in the construction business for more than 30 years. He offers unique business techniques that have worked for him and many other contractors. He shares his own successes and failures. This book offers contractors tips to make more money, build a better business, and be more successful.

The Power of Positive Pricing by Matt Michel – In this book, Michel addresses a common mistake that many contractors make: pricing poorly. He says pricing must be figured out for everything else to work correctly. According to him, pricing is about strategy and presentation, not just a billing rate.

HVAC Spells Wealth by Ron Smith – This book is a wealth of knowledge on service contracting. Smith, a Contracting Business Hall of Fame member, wrote this to explain how to run an HVAC company from start to finish. This book has been read by thousands of contractors, distributors, alliances, vendors, associations, consolidators, and manufacturers.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber – In this book, the author dispels any myths around starting a business by showing how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He shows the distinction between working on your business and working in your business.

Knowledge is power; the more contractors known about their field and the business world, the better their services and value will be to the customer. These are just a few titles, but there are plenty of more books out there to help contractors with other tips or to prepare for the exam.

If you’re currently looking to apply or renew your Florida contractor’s license or need help forming or running your business, the team at here can help make the process easier and faster for you. Please call us at 239-777-1028 to get help from us right away.