Do you love making changes to your home? Perhaps you’ve watched those home renovation shows on TV and thought, “I could do that.” Or maybe you’ve already decided you want to start a home renovation business but don’t know where to start.
If you’re thinking about kickstarting a career in home remodeling, you’ve come to the right place. Sure, professionally renovating houses is no walk in the park. The job requires a lot of physical and mental toughness to be successful. But it’s also not just a “man’s job.”
Making a business out of renovating properties is possible with the proper guidance. Here are some tips to help you get started.
1) Complete Your Licensing and Training
One of the requirements to operate a home renovation business is to obtain a contractor’s license. The license given by your local government clarifies that you have the proper knowledge and skills to work on large-scale renovation projects.
You want to get your contractor’s license and training so that you can start accepting high-paying jobs. Fortunately, you can learn everything you need to know to get licensed with CTC or other local organizations.
You should learn all the essential skills the job requires during the training and licensing process. It may be wise to start your career as a subcontractor working for a home renovation business so you can get a better idea of what’s to come.
2) Learn How to Budget for Projects
Like every business, there’s a vital need for proper accounting and budgeting skills. While home renovation budgets aren’t as large as commercial construction projects, you’ll still need to learn the correct way to allocate your financial resources.
Some of your top expenses will be:
- General overhead
- Labor/employee wages
- Materials
However, there will almost always be unexpected costs. Most experts in the industry recommend you set aside 10-20% of your total budget for unexpected expenses. If you set aside extra cash, you know that you’ll have more than enough to finish the job.
3) Become a People Person
No doubt, home renovating is a face-to-face business. That means you’ll be dealing with customers, partners, employees, and even government officials. As a result, you need to learn how to work and communicate with people if you want to succeed.
Remember, always treat your clients with respect and professionalism. Have straightforward ways of communication to keep them up-to-date on your progress. It’s normal for some clients to have unrealistic expectations, so you’ll need to convey your responses in a way that lets them understand why you can’t produce a particular outcome.
The same goes for partners and employees. You want to be enthusiastic and understand if you want to have a happy and productive work environment.
Final Thoughts
Getting into the home renovation industry certainly isn’t going to happen overnight. However, you can have an extremely satisfying and lucrative career if you put in the work. You can break down the barrier of entry much easier by following the above tips.
