General Contractor

I’m a real estate investor looking for a contractor to partner with and open a construction company.

I’m looking for someone who’s an excellent tradesperson, who fundamentally believes in doing quality work, and is ambitious to grow their own company and leave a legacy.

You probably recently got your contractors license. You’re done working for someone else and ready to be your own boss. However, becoming a contractor didn’t teach you how to run a business.

• Do you know how to run marketing and sales so that you have more clients than you can ask for, and the right kind of clients who value good work and are willing to pay for it? Or are you running around trying to make fussy cheapskates happy?
• Do you have legal contracts in place to make sure that clients don’t stiff you for work you’ve done? Or sue you for damage that was there before you started?
• Do you have accounting systems set up so that in between the down and final payments you don’t run short of money for materials and overhead?
• Can you hire, train, and manage employees so that when you’re sick the work keeps going? Or will you have to pause everything because you're a one-man-band and go without pay until you get better?

These are the gaps that I know how to fill.

For my career, I build and run businesses as a Chief of Operations. On the side I’m a real estate investor, and I do my own work and remodeling. This is fun and I want to grow this business.

Running this company, we’ll make decisions together. I’m open to a 60/40 split (60% to you, 40% to me) You’ll focus on leading the work and managing the site, and I’ll take care of everything else.

What do I bring to the table?

• Marketing & Sales
• I can bring in clients. I’ll build up the company’s online reputation, leverage marketing tools to bring in leads, get on the phone to close those leads, and put projects in the calendar.
• Financial Acumen
• I’ll keep the accounts perfectly in order, the cashflow smooth, taxes/licenses/insurance paid, and profits optimized.
• I’ll think through how to set prices and manage project costs, so that we charge our clients fairly, pay all of our bills comfortably, and take home a good profit at the end of the day.
• When the time comes to hire employees, I can set up everything we need and run payroll
• Customer Service
• I know how to make clients feel educated, safe, trusting, and excited about the work we’re doing for them.
• I’m particularly good at building rapport with women homeowners, who often feel anxious about having a bunch of men they don’t know traipsing about their house.
• Handy Skills
• I have a foundational set of skills, including: basic carpentry, electrical, hanging drywall, sanding & mudding, painting, tiling, baseboard & molding, and finish plumbing
• Project Management
• When we get to the level of having multiple ongoing projects, I’m a wizard at keeping multiple balls in the air at once.
• I’ll set up a project management system, plan out materials purchases and deliveries, coordinate our staff time, and forecast cashflow so that we always have funds in the bank.

What do you bring to the table?

• Contractor License & Skill Set
• You’re a skilled contractor who got into this industry because you love the work. Money is important, but a job well done is the best reward.
• You have a well rounded skill set and you work mostly on residential remodeling and construction.
• Team Leadership
• On site, you’re a natural leader. You can size up a project, plan the steps out, organize the team, and make it happen.
• Ambition
• You’ve put in your time working for other people and learning the trades. Now you want to be your own boss, set your own schedule, keep more of the profit at the end of the day, and build a company that will take care of your family. You know we’ll need to work hard to do that, but working hard is nothing new. It’s how you’re built.

What’s the vision?

Let’s build a leading residential construction firm, known for doing beautiful work in Sonoma and Napa counties. Let’s invest in our community and our relationships to be the trusted, go-to firm for residential remodeling. Let’s keep our minds open and imaginations alive, tinkering with new materials and new techniques so that when change comes to the industry (because change always comes) we’ll ride the wave to even greater success.

We’ll start small, as every business does, and build our brand and reputation. At first it’ll be just you and I delivering projects. Then a couple hired hands. Over time we’ll train and hire employees, build out our client book, fill our schedule, hire out the things we like doing the least, and focus on what we’re best at. Ultimately, we’ll enjoy the life of being business owners conducting the symphony rather than operators polishing the instruments.

Big picture, starting with this company we’ll build a foundation of diversified assets and income streams so that when the next ‘08 comes around, our loved ones will have nothing to worry about.

Briefly About Me

Story: My parents both built their own houses and invested in real estate. Growing up, there was always some DIY project or other going on around the house. I followed in their footsteps, pursuing my own career while, on the side, investing in real estate. I was 25 when I bought and renovated my first property (a little 1/1 condo). Since then I’ve bought and renovated seven houses across three states, doing a significant amount of the work myself. When inflation rates spiked in ‘23 I took a break from buying properties. To make some extra money on the side, I started working as a handyperson for neighbors, then neighbor’s neighbors, then other folks. Now I have five star ratings on Thumbtack and Yelp, I’ve doubled my hourly rate from what I started at, and I’m regularly turning down work because there’s too much of it.

Some of my projects:

Thumbtack profile:

My Goals:

• Building stuff is fun. When a homeowner walks in and sees a project well done, the look on their face is priceless.
• I want to take this business to the next level.
• To do so on my own I need to go get my contractors license, which, by the traditional route, would mean putting my other work on hold to spend four years working full time under a licensed contractor. I’m just not interested in going from being a self-employed owner/builder to working on a crew of guys who are too busy judging me for being a woman to see that I’m a damn good tradesperson.
• Instead, I want to offer the value of my business skill set, find a contractor like you, and combine our strengths to achieve far greater success together than either of us would have alone.

My Values

• Build to Last
• I’ve remodeled poorly built 20-year-old houses, and well-built 100-year-old houses. The second kind is the legacy I want to leave. 100+ years from now, I want people to be warm and safe under roofs I’ve built.
• Relationships are the Foundation
• When you talk to old contractors, who have retired after great careers, one thing they all have in common is that they’re solid folk. They succeeded in business because they did right by people, partnered with other excellent tradespeople, and built trust in their communities.
• Be Ambitious
• What would an amazing outcome look like? Let’s go after that future and make it happen.
• Why settle for mediocre when we can be great?

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract

Pay: $25.00 - $150.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

License/Certification:

• CA Contractor License (Required)

Work Location: In person