Lynn, MAHIGH 47°F
LOW 40°F
Lynn, MAHIGH 47°F
LOW 40°F
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Home Improvement
Home improvement jobs are tough, but very rewarding. These businesses usually offer services ranging from repairing a hole in the wall to large projects like adding a room to a home.
What You Will Need To Get Started
- You don’t have to have a degree to do home improvement, but you should have experience and work to become a licensed contractor. There are also trade schools that offer programs for specific specialties such as electrical or plumbing.
- You should check with your local city or town to apply for a business license and certifications. For many of the jobs you perform, you will need permits.
- You will definitely need to speak with a lawyer about setting up a legal business entity, such as an LLC, and about contracts.
- This is a business with a lot of risks, so you need to make sure your private finances are separate and protected. You should get in touch with an insurance agent to make sure you have all of the insurance you need to protect yourself and your family.
- The permits, fees, and tools for home improvement can be expensive, so this is not a business that should be taken lightly. Be sure that you are fully protected before you get started, in case of injury or lawsuit.
How Much Can I Make?
- A successful home improvement business can earn $30,000 to $100,000 a year.
Thank you for your response.
Platos nod, you make some very good points. Most of these needs are met by people in the medical profession which is actually one of the industries that continues to grow even during these difficult economic times. I would encourage everyone to take a look at our article, "Who is Still Hiring?" (http://pdx.thebeehive.org/jobs/job-articles/who-still-hiring). As far as looking for people to help maintain a house and perform more general maintenance type duties, I would recommend networking and placing ads at places like churches and community centers.
Thank you Mr. Torres for your comment.
I have refined my first comment since I wrote it and would like to share some ideas that could provide assistance to the community of people seeking work and the community of job seekers of the age of about 56 and above. There are many people who need help in order to remain living in their homes, apartments and farms. There is a wide spectrum of needs ranging from personal assistance involving simple things like reminding and assisting the elderly or emotionally handicapped to take their medicine on schedule; take out the trash and clean the house, feed the pets, drive, wash clothes etc. Another group could be called "estate care assistance" which would involve maintaining the functionality of the home or buildings (roofing and plumbing are crucial). This would be for people who can not afford to hire licensed trades people as well as people who lack system knowledge or social skills to arrange for their maintenance. I have encountered a wide spectrum of people (including my own mother) with various restrictions who could afford to share their mutual assistance capacities with those who have a wide spectrum of assistance capacities to provide. How could it be worked out to bring these two groups and their needs together?
Platos nod, this is a very good but question and, unfortunately, there are no easy answers. I would not advise you to break from form by using a statement of interest in lieu of a cover letter and resume. You should keep a saved copy each time that you adapt your resume for a new position which should help you to save some time the next time you apply for a similar position. You should also take a look at the following articles: This article is filled with great tips for older applicants (http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38219.asp), this article has tips for older applicants regarding the interview process (http://www.ehow.com/way_5341230_job-interview-tips-older-applicants.html) and this article has feedback from job recruiters gave after reading the resumes of three older employees (http://www.aarp.org/money/work/employer_resource_ctr/recruitment/article...).
I have noticed that job search engines are designed for the young and middle aged job searcher. As a 62 year old home improvement skilled and licensed contractor I find that my applications for various job positions remove me from consideration due to my age. Since it is illegal to descriminate due to age no provision to deal with this defacto "limitation" is addressed in the job search engines and questionaires. Another frustration regarding applications and job application formats is that as a result of being 62 years of age I have acquired many skills that would make me a potential employee in many kind of jobs that the application is eleminating me from applying for. I do not know what to do to address or improve this dilemma. In some regards, being an older person makes me more knowledgable than a younger person who has only specific training or specific job experience and yet the value that a long and varied work life offers is revoked. This reality makes many, many hours spent resume adapting a total waste of time.
Is there a way of grouping and presenting employers interested in older applicants as well as younger ones?
Should I send a brief statment of interst in lieu of an adapted resume and cover letter and list my age with the sentence: "If your company is willing to consider hiring a 62 year applicant please respond for the whole enchilda" .. or some such thing?
Do you have any suggestions?