The Pros and Cons of Going Into Business For Yourself, Part Three
Some contractors prefer to remain small, but it’s almost impossible to earn big bucks unless you grow big.
(This article is the last of a three-part series. It addresses the downsides of going into business for yourself, and is aimed at field crews as much as the owners and managers who are our main audience. The previous two articles can be accessed from this magazine’s electronic archives at www.roofingcontractor.com.)
Most contractors start out as a one-person operation, maybe with the spouse pitching in, as we discussed last month. At most, they may have a partner and perhaps an employee or two. Few new contractors can afford to support multiple trucks and an office staff. That’s why they can expect to put in so many hours. Some people think one of the attractions of owning your own business is the ability to work at their own pace and take time off when they feel like it. That works in theory, but the reality for most small contractors is that survival means spending almost every waking hour either working or thinking about the business.