How to Succeed With your Own Construction Business - Table of Contents:

• Taking the Plunge
  • Learning the Hard Way
  • But Is It Right for You?
  • Are You Up to the Challenge?
  • The Next Step
  • Choosing Your Name
  • Registering Your Company Name
  • An Employee Identification Number
  • Getting a Business and Contractor's License
  • Getting Bonds and Insurance
  • What About a Franchise?
• Knocking on Opportunity's Door
  • The Professional Look
  • What Do You Have to Offer?
  • The Next Step
• Digging Up Business
  • Creating a Logotype
  • Institutional vs. Promotional Advertising
  • High Dollar Advertising
  • Your Media Choices
  • Qualifying Leads
• Making the Sale
  • A Hard Lesson
  • That Important First Impression
  • Sell Yourself Before You Sell the Job
  • Sell the Value of Remodeling
  • Listen, Listen, Listen
  • Bid Specifications, Not Ideas
  • Don't Let Money Do All the Talking
  • Polishing the Proposal Folder
  • The Final Step
  • Selling the Next job Off This One
• Dealing with Clients
  • The Handyman
  • The Purchasing Agent
  • The Manipulator
  • The Perfectionist
  • The Deadbeat
  • The Fall Crazies
  • The Pre-construction Meeting
  • The Change Order
  • Job Completion
  • Summing It Up
• Making It Legal
  • The Smart Contract
  • Complete Agreement
  • A Contract Checklist
  • Time and Materials Contract
  • Collection Troubles
• Financing
  • Money Sources
  • Getting Paid
  • Contractor Financing
• How Much to Charge and How to Bill It
  • The Options
  • Your Prices Are Based on Your Costs
  • The Profit Question
  • Contract vs. Time and Materials
  • Bidding or Negotiating for Work
• Estimating with Accuracy
  • Estimating Methods
  • The Estimating Take-Off Form
  • Putting Your Estimate Together
  • A Math Primer for Estimators
  • A Sample Estimate
• Scheduling the job
  • The Basics of Scheduling
  • Choosing the Right System for You
  • Staying on Schedule
  • Scheduling Software
• Finding and Keeping Good Employees
  • Hiring Employees
  • Hanging On to the Good Ones
  • Firing Employees
  • Working with Subcontractors
• Running an Efficient Office
  • The Equipment You Need
  • Managing Your Time
  • Computers or No Computers
• The Paper Shuffle
  • The Federal Tax Forms
• Keeping the Books
  • Breaking the System into Parts
  • Managing Cash Flow
  • Totaling Up for the Year
• Buying Insurance
  • Kinds of Insurance
• Looking Ahead
  • You're on Your Own
  • For Further Information
• Index