To a brand-new CSLS graduate, or someone who is hoping to earn their California contractor license
soon, having too much work can seem like a wonderful problem. In fact, your mind might start to drift
to fantasies about what you would do with all that cash, rather than focusing on the problem of being
committed to more hours than you have available.
For veteran contractors, though, having too much business can be almost as bad as having too little. So,
how do you “dig out” when you’re overbooked? Here are a few things you can do to help the situation:
Prioritize. Once you realize you have too much work and too little time, the first step is to figure out
which projects have to be finished now, and which jobs or tasks should be done at some point. In other
words, you have to prioritize projects (or even customers) so you can tell which ones are most critical.
Explain to clients. Once you’ve taken the first step and have a realistic sense of what you can do, and
need to do, the best thing to do is confess the situation to any customers who are going to be affected.
Let them know what has happened, and consider negotiating “extras” or a slight reduction in your fees
if that’s what it takes to keep them happy. The last thing you want is for minor delays to turn into bad
reviews that hurt your business in the future.
Share and subcontract. If you have so much work that you can’t possibly handle it all on your own,
consider bringing in other contractors, or even subcontracting part of the project out to someone you
trust. Although it’s always difficult to pay someone else to do the work, it could be your best option.
Plan ahead more carefully. Once you have caught up, take steps to ensure that you don’t fall behind
again. For instance, you might want to schedule a bit more carefully, or limit yourself to a certain
number of open estimates and proposals at any given time to ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed in
the future.
The best way to deal with too much work is to budget your time in the same way you would your money
to avoid bottlenecks and scheduling conflicts. The better you are as a contractor, the more likely you are
to get overbooked from time to time. Use these tips, though, and you can turn what would’ve been a
stressful situation into something fun and profitable.
No other school can match CSLS when it comes to helping construction professionals reach their
dream of becoming licensed contractors. Click here to learn about our programs or contact an
admissions professional today…
