Category Archives: contractors license

If you’re a contractor, engineer, or someone looking to begin a career down either of these paths, you have probably wondered about the CSLB Class A General Engineering License. This license covers all the activities of a general engineering contractor in California – everything from planning an interstate highway project to fixing the irrigation system on the Capitol building. We’ll …
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You need to know so many different things to be a successful licensed contractor in California. From passing the CSLB Law and Business exam to knowing how to register as a business in California, to knowing the ins and outs of your local zoning and business codes — there’s a billion areas of knowledge that require a contractor’s understanding and …
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If you’re a general contractor or a person hiring a general contractor, there’s always a nagging question in the back of your mind: “What happens if something goes wrong?” In many states, there’s automatic legal protection for the public in the form of licensing, insurance, and contractor’s bonds, but many states don’t require contractors to be licensed or monitored by …
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As a general contractor, you have a broad and diverse skillset that covers many areas of construction, from budgeting to hiring to contracts and more – in addition to the various trade skills you’ve acquired over the years. General contractors know better than anyone that you need specialist knowledge to operate in the various trades that comprise any construction project …
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General Contractors: Team Captain The general contractor (GC) is the linchpin of on-site activities, making sure that everything runs smoothly, on-time and on-budget. They’re the ones actually getting their hands “dirty”, so to speak, working on the site itself and making sure that everything is going according to plan. With guidance from the CM and the PM, GCs are actively …
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You’re a contractor. You’ve just finished a job (with a contract!) and now, when it comes time for the client to hold up their end of the bargain – nada. “No worries,” you think. This client seems legit. They’ll pay, they’re just forgetful is all. Yada yada. Days go by, then weeks, and still nothing hits your account number. You …
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As a California contractor, if there’s one nuisance that will crop up time and time again in your contracting career, it’s building codes. Considering the mountains of red tape and bureaucracy that you have to go through to even get your contractor’s license or get a project approved, the last thing contractors want is to deal with building codes. These …
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If you’re a contractor, a journeyman, an apprentice or someone just normally interested in a career in construction, there’s a good chance you have your eye on someday becoming a general contractor. It’s an appealing proposition – general contractors make good money and doing inspections isn’t nearly as punishing on the body as a day of laying grout. And yet, …
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When you read articles about the construction labor shortage, it’s mostly with a tone of gloom and doom. Lots of projects are falling behind and whole metro areas need tens of thousands of new units for housing and commercial expansion. Of course, this level of labor shortage means that pretty much everyone in the industry is busy. But in this …
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If it hasn’t happened to your contracting business yet, it will eventually. You go to a client site to provide a consultation on a project and see that there are all kinds of problems with the existing setup. The client tells you that the person doing the work didn’t obtain a permit, even though you know they should have. Now …
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Being able to say that you work with sustainable construction materials can be a boon for your construction business. When you evaluate supplies for their sustainability, you’re looking at consumption, waste and regeneration. Most materials can be sustainable, but you’ll have to do some research to confirm that your supply line is following best practices. This means that even if …
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You’ve done all the preliminary work. You have taken the exam and passed. You just cleared one of the biggest hurdles toward your own contracting business. Now what? This guide shows you the next steps. Applying for a License Although getting your application accepted for the licensing exam and then taking it means that you are almost done with the …
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You’ve hit the books every night for many weeks. You’ve become confident in your skills. You have reviewed all the requirements and you can easily prove your work toward them. But how do you know that you’re ready for the exam? If you can answer yes to the items on this checklist, you may be good to take the next …
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As you start to develop more experience in your chosen field, you might decide to apply for another classification on your contractor’s license. For a small business, adding a new classification might noticeably expand your ability to provide services to various customers. If you think you might be ready, here’s what you need to know. Why Might I Add Another …
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Starting a career path that begins with a thorough education is both exciting and a little daunting. If you have been out of the school scene for many years, or if you are new to the idea of online education, you may need a little help to ease the transition. With these tips, you can make studying easier and more …
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Think back to your old studying habits in high school. How well did they work? If you are like most people, your favorite method of studying was to read the book, look up what you didn’t understand, and hope like heck you could remember the material when test time came around. Does this sound familiar? If so, you are one …
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2017 is expected to be a booming year for the construction industry with single family homes leading the way. In this blog, we review the predictions and make a few of our own. Much of the US Housing market is strong, and in many states such as California, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Idaho, the housing market has fully recovered …
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The B2B business connection between one contractor and another is not about competition but about creating a better end product and improved customer satisfaction. It is also about developing win-win relationships that boost your business and the business of your B2B partners. Keep reading to learn why this is important. The Customer and Marketing You might have noticed in recent years …
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An article that appeared in Fortune points out that Airbnb is on target to profit by $3 Billion by 2020. That is a lot of growth and something on which contractors should focus. There are a lot of construction opportunities around hot industries such as the travel industry which Airbnb is driving. How many construction opportunities do you miss? Do You Have …
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There are many opportunities in the construction industry, and many of those opportunities are perfect for small businesses and new construction companies. Is specialization right for you?  In this blog, we discuss some of the considerations of starting a construction company that specializes. What’s Your Passion? Someone once said when your job is doing what you love, it isn’t work. Do …
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A home-based construction company is clearly not going to work well out of an apartment but for some property owners, home based is the perfect location for starting a small construction company. In fact, there are many benefits for starting small at home and building your empire. Inside, we look at a few of these benefits so you can start …
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A home-based construction company is clearly not going to work well out of an apartment but for some property owners, home based is the perfect location for starting a small construction company. In fact, there are many benefits for starting small at home and building your empire. Inside, we look at a few of these benefits so you can start …
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Good news! The construction industry future is looking bright – commercial, residential, and industrial construction specialty lines are reporting strong year-over-year growth and forecasting steady increases in total projects and revenue into the foreseeable future. This sounds great on paper and it has many construction professionals charging ahead to grow their operations while the numbers are good and the outlook …
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So you’ve heard all about “going green” in construction circles.  It’s all too easy to list flimsy details like solar panels, recycled materials, and alternative power sources that make us all feel good about being eco-friendly in the way.  While these things convince both normal people and construction professionals that they are mindful of the Earth, have you considered that …
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A lot of new and prospective CSLS students assume that the hardest part of becoming a successful California contractor is passing their licensing exam. And while it’s true that some people do end up spending a few extra hours on studying, our 99.9% pass rate is proof that anyone who has the will and desire (along with the required work experience) can achieve their goal of self-employment.

So, if passing the test isn’t as big an obstacle as you might think, what is? Believe it or not, there isn’t necessarily one hard part about becoming a successful contractor – instead, it’s about being good at lots of little things at once. Here are just a few of the things you’ll have to juggle as a self-employed licensed contractor:
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