At Christmastime of 2008 my husband became one of many people who lost his job. He worked for a California-based commercial construction company that had decided to move him to Texas in June. The market was better in Texas, he was told. It is. However, it is a good-ole-boy network, and difficult to break into. DH is a drywall estimator. He looks at a bid request, estimates how much it will cost to build, including labor, and adds on the contractor's mark-up.
He came out to Texas at the bidding of his former boss. We were hoping for lots of good things. Former employer (we'll call him FE) didn't really do any research on the market here. He didn't have reliable employees, he didn't know the pricing, he didn't know the competition or the contractors he'd be working for. DH had a gas card that stopped working, DH was getting reimbursed slower and slower, and several other clues. So when FE finally admitted that he was out of money, we weren't really all that surprised. Annoyed, but not surprised. DH was operating in the dark, but under complete faith, and FE acted in an incredibly irresponsible manner towards someone he was responsible for.
Be that as it may, DH found another job, doing essentially the same thing, except no responsibility for project management. This is fine with DH, as this is the least favorite part of his job. Only problem is that this new job is a $20K annual pay cut. We've just moved from an apartment into a house and are paying $400 more in rent per month. We can't afford a pay cut. So, DH is filing bankruptcy (many bills left over from the unfortunately recent ex).
He starts working, likes it lots. He's getting paid as an independent contractor while on a trial employment. He and I start talking, and realize that what he does, he could do on a larger production level, selling his estimates (less the contractor markup) to several dry-wall contractors. So, now we're starting our own business. He's estimating, I'm managing paper.
This leads to many, many questions.
Incorporation or Sole Proprietorship?
What to deduct and how?
Business plan?
Do I get to sleep again?
Monday, February 23, 2009
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