Working as an independent contractor, or working for yourself is incredibly difficult. In this economy that we are living in it is more important than ever that we represent ourselves professionally and do the work that we say we can do. Many people are skeptical and if you go into a job site and misrepresent yourself you are not only sacrificing the job you are intending to do but also making it more difficult for the person next in line who may be able to do a better job. It’s been said more than once that we should get everything in writing and that is a valid point; however, I like to take people at face value.
Make sure that if you bid a job that you can do the work that the client expects. If you can’t, be a big enough person to admit to the client that you’re in over your head. It’s not fair to them or yourself to try to do something you are inexperienced with. Just gently back down and say they need to find someone with more experience.
Working for yourself is incredibly difficult but with time and patience you can build up a name for yourself and eventually you will find people coming out of the woodwork looking for you rather than you having to seek them out. Just make sure that you do things in a timely manner, act professional always and do the best job you can do always. Remember that there are clients out there who are hiring you because they expect high quality work and they are hiring you because that is what you are known for.
As self employed persons we have to set our selves up to a higher standard than someone who is employed for someone else. The reasoning behind this is that when something goes wrong we have no one else to blame but ourselves. It is tantamount to our integrity that we go into a job and bring 110% to the work we are planning to do. This not only involves construction but also artists, photographers and anyone involved in music. Taking responsibility for how your job comes out is up to us and if we do less than a good job we are setting an example that may make things harder for the next person in line for a job.
Remember to always do a good job and represent the self employed people out there in an integral manner. Pride yourself and be dignified in your work and always remember that the client comes first.
