Being a contractor can be hard work, but it does come with a few upsides like getting to chose the work you do, not having to answer to anyone as you make your work! The hard parts do tend to outweigh the good parts though, the long hours of doing very exhausting work, and when you are a contractor, it is all on you to get the next job. You may find that you are finding life a bit tough, but there are some things you can do to make it a bit better for yourself!
1) If you can afford it, find yourself a team
Getting a team together could be ideal for you and your efforts to make your time a bit easier. If you find you are struggling to find enough time to fit all the work in, it might be a good idea to hire a couple of people to help you. This means you’ll be able to take on more work than before and you will also have a little team going on. You could work on big projects together or separate and different, smaller jobs were done.
2) Get online and start marketing
If you don’t have a website for yourself yet, what have you been doing? Getting online is one of the easiest ways you could find yourself new work. It is also an excellent way to show the pictures of all the work you have done before. Build yourself a website, go with something easy that has templates you can use, and it won’t take you anytime at all!
3) Get the legal side sorted out
Working for yourself is full of mystery regarding getting your taxes paid properly and just getting all your financial affairs in order. If you can do it yourself, that’s great! It may take up quite a bit of time though. Consider looking for an accountant for contractors as this may make your life a little bit easier! You can spend more time out there working and less time worrying that you have everything in order.
4) Find yourself a better van
If you started your contract a couple of years ago and are still using the same van that you were back then, it’s probably time to go in for a better one. Maybe one with a bit more space might be nice! You have to consider these things as investments into your contracting. You are saving yourself time by being able to carry more in one go, and this will help you in the long run. It shouldn’t be too expensive as well if you get a good deal on your current one!
5) Organize your life as well as you can
When you plan your work, it is really easy to try and squeeze in as much as you can. How else will you make enough money? However, it is imperative to make sure you have a good work-life balance. If you don’t, you will start to resent your work which is never fun for anybody! You will feel better in yourself over all, which will help you in your contracting endeavors.