Keith Gossling, independent contractor spoke to the Midwest Entrepreneurs class at 4pm yesterday. Keith has been successful recently after struggling to get traction as an independent contractor. He was in the army for eight years and then a security and loss prevention specialist for big box stores such as Walmart and Shopko. He was tired of making $13 per hour and he also did not have good credit because he could not get ahead of his bills. He launched his business over ten years ago with the dream of making $250-$300 per day. It took him a long time to realize that dream.  He focused on acquiring the skills and clinetle to be competitive, but not the lowest bidder on jobs.

He observed those that had good reputations for quality and workmanship. He listened intently even when customers were difficult or abrasive. He worked hard on establishing good communication with sub=contractors because the biggest complaint was they “didn’t show up-or even call” when something went wrong. He intentionally doen’t mark-up subcontractors when he is the general or lead contractor. “It isn’t worth the risk to get in between the customer to make a few hundred bucks”.

Keith struggled until he had established good credit and could acquire the best tools and help. He has no full-time employees but he hires help as needed on a sub-contracting basis. “It exposes me to some liability, but I do not have enough work to hire a full-time crew and I would have to charge $5-10 more per hour just to pay benefits”. Keith claims he takes on jobs he has not done before and hustles to figure out the best way to do the job by reaching out to others. He beleives the difference in becoming sucessful was being straightforward and honest. He also credits some early customers such as Monmouth human resource instructor Karen Cates, “She was willing to recommend me and I can’t tell you how many jobs I landed from that one person”. He remembers why he has become successful and willingly deflects praise onto others.