Sit down with us and let’s go over your numbers

Self-employment means freedom, right? Not so fast!

If you are a self-employed contractor you know that a lot of people are relying on you.

Your employees rely on you to keep them in groceries and rent. Your customers expect you to build the house of their dreams on an outhouse budget.

Your municipality loves it when you to build, sure, but they expect you to build within their very strict, sometimes burdensome, sometimes arbitrary rules. Your community expects you to be respectful of its culture and values.

And if all these demands isn’t enough, how about the demands you place on yourself? To do the right thing, to build a quality product, to take care of your kids and your spouse. To retire well. To stay healthy.

It really IS all on you.

Nervous?

Most of you are not, because you welcome these challenges. When others look at such a list of responsibilities, they shudder. You don’t because for you, it is all worth the independence that being in business affords. Simply put, you are more comfortable leading than following.

One of the benefits of being a leader is you get a chance to see, up close and personal, all of your weaknesses. You discover quickly there is stuff you don’t know. There are talents you don’t have. There is stuff you just don’t want to do (or you do it badly). You learn that part of leadership is knowing when it’s time to ask or help.

The whole point of Canadian Contractor is to provide that help. One of my frustrations over the 16 years that I have been involved in this magazine is that the help we can provide in a magazine is limited.

That’s why we have launched NextLevel Peer Groups. You’ll see it advertised in the magazine and elsewhere on this website. NextLevel is an opportunity for you to connect with other contractors doing similar work in non-competing markets for help, advice, and that little bit of peer pressure you need to get long term strategic things done.

It’s a big step up from publishing a magazine, but we know it is the only real way for you to be successful. Join us. Call me at 647-407-0754. Or email me at rkoci@canadiancontractor.ca. I’ll tell you more.