"Bro" Deals
If you want a "bro" deal , your not my bro. I think as a contractor you go through 3 main stages in your career it starts off taking whatever you can to scrape by, most of the time killing yourself to get the work done. Then you expand a little and question what you are doing in this industry. Then it becomes fun again and you start laughing about a lot of stuff you used too get mad about. So back to bro deals its ok to do a project for cheap as long as your getting something out of it.
Learning is more valuable than money. I have done some projects for dirt cheap and used to beat myself up about it how I could've made so much money. But now I realize that those were huge learning experiences that I was able to take my time on, I wasn't paid great but it paid the bills and overall I learned so much from them that now I know what to charge next time. Its very hard to put a price on experiences and yourself in general.
What is your worth? How do you figure out how to charge a fair price? That is so difficult to do because there are so many talented people out there working for half of what they are worth. But in this market you have to find a balance between Hacks and the elite. Now if you are fortunate enough to become an elite contractor you don't have to worry about pricing because you have made your product standout above the rest your not a gamble. The rest of us are gambles to customers and it really comes down to how much of risk you are.
Contracting is legalized gambling. Your customers are taking a gamble on you and they consider their risk then evaluate how much they are willing to spend on you. If you have a portfolio with completed projects happy customers and a clean truck your low risk. But just having confidence when you walk in is far better than all that. Having confidence is key and very difficult to obtain and maintain properly. If you are over confident you are gonna be a snob and need back up a little if you start picking apart your work even though its perfect you may lose that confidence so its a balance.
Experience isn't everything. Just because you have 40 years experience doesn't mean you are the best, ya I may learn a couple things from you but your not a god. In todays world with technology I can learn so much just by going on the internet. Which is also a pain having that kinda resource because then some customers think they know what it takes to be a carpenter and do the things we do. You know someone is truly a master of their craft when you can watch a video of them doing something and think you can do it because they make it looks so easy.
There is a time and place for bro deals. When starting out to gain experience and for customers that you have a done a ton of business together. Although it shouldn't be necessary because you have spent your time in the trenches learning, hurting yourself, losing money to be the contractor you are, that is worth something. So be confident and just remember there is always someone cheaper than you no matter what. Charge a fair market price and do work!
