Yeah I know I ripped that saying off a famous movie but it applies to the topic I want to discuss today and that is getting paid from your customers & contractors.
I know this seems like a no-brainer but actually this is a very real problem in our industry.
With the economy the way it is and people trying to get the most out of every dollar they spend it just makes getting paid that much more difficult. I find that more contractors are having a hard time getting paid & that of course trickles down to us subs when it comes time to pass out the checks.
I have found that living in a resort community is wonderful for the most part but also it can be a pain when dealing with customers that are not from your state because it makes it that much harder to get a final payment when the job is complete.
I hear the same excuses all the time ("I left my check book at home,I already put the check in the mail", etc...) this can be very frustrating when you have to make payroll and you have soo many bills for materials. The customers never seem to get those facts.
The most frustrating thing of all is that I usually deal with customers that have 4 to $500,00 homes and were talking about mere pocket change to them.
So be aware that when you have your own business that the actual labor it took to finish the job is only a part of the process of getting paid.
