Lom 3

• California Contractors License
• Florida Contractors License Exam
• Electricians Exam Preparation
• Electricians Exam Course
• California Contractors License Exam
• California Contractors License Exam Prep
• California Contractors License Course
• Electricians Exam
• Journeyman Electrician Exam
• Florida Contractors License

Becoming an independent contractor requires more than just knowledge of the trade. Of course, you do need to know your craft whether you are planning to become a general building contractor, an electrical contractor, or some other type of contractor, but there are lots of other things you’ll need to know as well.

You’ll need to understand basic accounting in order to run your business profitably. You’ll need to keep your financial records according to IRS standards, and calculate profit and loss, and other basic measures of the health of your business. You could hire someone to handle all the book-keeping and accounting, but unless you have the ability to check those records and to understand them, you’ll be at the mercy of their honesty, or lack thereof. Many a businessman has been ruined and driven to bankruptcy by unscrupulous accountants who had no oversight from the business owner.

You’ll also need to know basic business law. When you and your customer disagree over some point and you can’t settle the matter amiably, you may need to go to court to collect your money. Conversely, your customer may take you to court demanding that you complete a job or even that you pay damages for breach of contract. Understanding contract law and knowing shoes side the law is on in these disputes helps you to both avoid the high costs of going to court, and gives you additional negotiating power when trying to settle arguments.

Of course, you need to know the laws regarding job site safety precautions. If you get caught on the wrong side of this one, you could be looking at staggering fines or even jail time in some cases. Even more important is the fact that if you fail to follow proper safety procedures, someone could get seriously injured or even killed. Some of the safety regulations are just common sense, but others are less obvious and it may take some dedicated study to understand them all.

The rules regarding contracting also vary from state to state, for example, in California, a contractor with a general building contractor license, can’t take a job that requires only the skills of one specific trade. He can’t accept a job to rewire a house, for example, if all that is required is electrical work. Conversely, the electrical contractor can’t accept primary responsibility for jobs that require the skills of several different trades such as carpentry, masonry, plumbing or any of the dozens of other types of specialty contractors even if the job involves electrical work as well. Knowing these rules is important if you want to keep your contracting license.

In California, all of these areas are covered on the contractor’s license exam. If you don’t know them, not only can it lead to trouble down the road, but you won’t be able to pass the license exam in the first place. Maybe that’s why more than 60 percent of all those who take the exam in Claifornia fail on their first attempt. With proper preparation, you’ll not only pass the license exam, but you’ll have all the skills and knowledge to go on to a build a successful contracting business.