As the summer comes to a close the winds of change are taking the residential construction industry by storm. The law of evolution is culling the dead wood and contractors who are resistant to change are being replaced by the Next Level Contractor. Contractors who embrace and adapt to the changes will survive and those who do not will perish. These new contractors are investing in business coaching, education, sales training, marketing and best practices while things are slow. They know that when things rebound this will insure their prospects of success.

Now that the recession is a year old, most business owners  realize that former methods of doing business are producing poor results in this economy. The old ways of marketing, selling and running a business are giving way to new processes that require learning new business concepts. The new business training for today's contractors can help bridge the gap from old to new provided it includes implementation of the training into the business. In Webster's the definition of implementation is: "provide the power and authority necessary to accomplish or put into effect". Education and training without implementation is a complete waste of time and money. Failure to implement will lead to the same poor results. We all remember the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result".

The rush is on to provide lead paint training and coaching for remodelers, contractors and the trades! The list of EPA certified trainers continues to grow. Some providers will travel to your location.

In this youtube video the consumer is calling the shots attempting to broker unreasonable demands on the service provider.

I recently learned about a contractor who lost a suit from a homeowner who decided to stop paying for a completed project. It turns out the contractor did not receive several payments totaling over $40,000. He finished the job believing that the owner would eventually pay up. The contractor had never been sued in 15 years of business and has a good following in his community.

Before you know it April 22, 2010 will be here and any contracting company who works on homes built prior to 1978 will be required to be a certified renovator under the EPA Lead Rule. This rule effects remodelers, painters, plumbers, electricians and any trade that may disturb 6 square feet of areas covered with lead paint. Currently there are not enough trainers certified by the EPA. It is estimated that there are 236,000 contractors who need to be trained by April 2010! And currently there are only 4 certified providers in the entire USA! Do you think it is possible that everyone will be trained in time? Stay tuned for more information on available training providers. Hopefully contractors will be able to get training in there local market in time to avoid the stiff penalties that the EPA can impose. Penalties stated in their rule are up to $32,500 per violation, per day.

Should a contractor or entrepreneur market more or less in a tight economy when there are fewer fish in the pond?

The societal demand for green products and services is opening the doors to many new opportunities for the residential construction industry. Consumers are educating themselves in record numbers and more often than not, will have as much and sometimes more, up to date knowledge than contractors. Consumers are keenly aware and interested in the ROI of any green energy improvements and remodeling investments they will make on their home. They are profit buyers, who are demanding to know that improvements have value and pay back.

The clock is ticking for thousands of contractors involved in the renovation of homes. By April of 2010 all contractors who work on homes built before 1978 will be required to comply with the EPA Lead Rules. The penalties for violations; $32,500 per violation per day. This effects remodelers, plumbers, electricians, painters, heating contractors and any trade that is involved in the renovation of these older properties.

In a recent post about standard education for residential contractors, I spoke about the existing career path provided for students who want to become professional commercial contractors. In the current market the starting income for 4 year graduates with a degree for commercial construction can be as low as 50,000 per year.