Pictured above is a dodo bird, and if you are not saying atop of recent technology odds are you and your business will become like the dodo: extinct. Technology is advancing in leaps and bounds, and at times it can seem intimidating, and confusing. There are many easy to use tools that will help you stay atop your game, save you time, save you money, and make your business run more effectively. Here is a short list of time tested tools I know, love, and have been using to reduce my overhead, and save time.

If you are paying for virus protection, or worse have no protection: STOP IT! A computer virus can lead to lost profits, destruction of computers, and even theft of important company information such as your credit card details, or worse your customers credit card details! If you are in need of -free- virus protection check out Avast: http://www.avast.com . Avast is one of the largest, and oldest anti-virus software companies in the world. Avast even offered mobile versions ideal for smartphones, and tablets.

Business cards are one of those little annoyances that can really pile up. The contact information a business card has to offer is important, and yet the record keeping involved with them can be a time consuming burden. Rather than be left hunting for lost business cards, there are smartphone apps that let you take a photo of the business card, and then automatically save the contact details straight into your phone! One of the most beloved of these business card apps is Card Munch: http://www.cardmunch.com/ . This free little time saver has been around for years, and is useful in countless applications. I find this app to be a real life saver on a busy convention floor.

Mobile digital storage of important files, or even just backup space for important files can be expensive. When out of the office, or even needing to share a project email is slow and prone to being out of date! There are a variety of services that let you save files to a cloud, and then access or share them anywhere in the world to anyone. Box offers 10 free gigs of space: http://www.box.com . Drop box offers 2 free gigs of space: http://www.dropbox.com . Google Drive offers 30 gigs of free space: https://drive.google.com/ .

In our industry there will always be a need for the ability to create spread sheets, write documents, and create presentations. Having to buy programs for these tasks can be very expensive, certainly when you consider that you have to buy the programs per machine. https://www.openoffice.org/ offers fro free a word processor, a presentation maker, and more!

Have you heard of or seen a QR code? If not, are you living under a rock? QR codes are more than just a means to get someone to go to your website, they can be used to generate digital business cards and more. One of the top things I commonly suggest to construction professionals is that they link a QR code to a portfolio of their best work, and have the QR code on their business cards! Did you know that you can generate a QR code for FREE? Did you know you can do custom colors and designs with your QR code? https://www.unitaglive.com/qrcode offers free QR codes that you can customize to your needs. Don't let someone sucker you into paying for a QR code - these babies can easily be made for free.

Happy contracting, and may your business have a great New Year!

*I recieve no endorsements, payments, or referal perks for having recommended these free tools. I am a life long Marketing Professional who likes to think outside the box and currently work for: www.prosweep.com .
**Image credit: wikipedia.org

Most people check their email every day. Some check it once a day; others check it hundreds of times in one day.

Instant communication in mass form is the easiest way to get information to your current customers and potential customers on a widespread scale.

The important points to remember when considering an email marketing program are:

• Ensuring you are reaching your target audience
• Sending useful and relevant information
• Using existing programs and applications to achieve a streamlined marketing program and see how effective yours is

Consider who is on your mailing list. You should periodically go through and ensure your contacts are up to date.

What is the message you are trying to convey? If you are looking for new clients, you may be sending different information than to a distribution list comprised of current or past clients that want to stay in touch.

Ensure customers have a way to sign up to receive updates from you, either on your website, at your office, or via email, and always offer a way they can unsubscribe from distribution lists if they choose to.

The kind of marketing program you choose, be it topics related to your specialty, keeping clients apprised of business developments within your company, or sending out monthly updates on completed projects, must speak to your target audience.

Important updates in the industry such as standard changes or regulation revisions can be important to your customers. it'shows that you are well informed and up to date on current laws if you share this information with clients.

Showing company growth and longevity is an important thing for your customers to see. Share the news of new employees or a corporate anniversary and make them feel like part of your company family. Your clients may be used to speaking to the same person when calling your office and any change in that routine deserves an announcement.

Showcase your work using a monthly newsletter! Your clients like to see projects you've finished and they may get ideas for new contracts they would like to complete with you. Quality photos, with permission, are a great way for clients to see what you can do.

There are many companies that offer applications for streamlined email marketing.

A few companies with easy available programs are www.sendicate.net and www.mailgun.com. Applications on these sit's allow you to send and receive email and also have capabilities to track clicks, subscriptions, and essentially the effectiveness of your campaign.

They are professionals with tried and true methods of getting information to clients effectively.

You can experiment with layouts, types of information, and pictures to see what your customer base responds to best.

Maybe your clients prefer large, color photos. Others may like stories or testimonials included in your marketing emails.

Find what works best for your clients and ensure you are providing information they find useful and relevant.

Using tools available and understanding your customer base will ensure an effective and informative email marketing program.

Original Post: Contractor Hero Blog

?Hillary 2016!?, shouts a man from the crowd of over 10,000 at the Temple Universitybasketball arena during Hillary Clinton?s Q&A session with USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi after her Keynote speech last night at Greenbuild 2013 in Philadelphia.

Ms. Clinton, realizing that the comment had to be addressed since everyone in the arena heard it, replied, ?There are some hecklers that I Don't mind so much.?

So does that mean?.well, right now, it doesn?t matter because Hillary was there to talk about green building and sustainability. Talk she did, and with knowledge and tenacity she spoke.

Ms. Clinton stressed that not only is green building good for the environment and human health and well-being, but it's also good business! This is the win-win phenomenon of green building that has always made so much sense. When you invest in sustainable building and improvements, not only are you providing work for the construction industry but you're saving money on energy and creating healthier more productive places to live and work. This is the economic ripple effect that can occur when people invest in construction work. And there is even more potential for a domino effect when the construction improvements are sustainable in nature.

Ms. Clinton, you're bangin? your figurative hammer right on the head of Constructonomics.

And if Ms. Clinton gets her way when she?s pres?ummm, I mean, if Ms. Clinton?s visions come to fruition, there will be a lot of literal hammers banging on heads of real nails in the midst of many more sustainable construction projects. And the ripple effect of sustainable construction or dare I say, Constructonomics, will snowball into a full blown wave of economic benefit. (Three metaphors in one sentence ? not too bad!).

Jon Bon Jovi, who played for an hour and a half after Hillary?s speach, sang (first with a solo acoustic guitar and then with the full band),

?Whoa-oh, we are half-way there. Whoa-oh, we are livin? on a prayer?.

I think this, once again, applied quite metaphorically to our situation because our planet is just about livin? on a prayer while Hillary Clinton is half way there??half way to 2016.

February 14, 2014 by The California Contractors License Guru LET?S TAKE A MINUTE TO DISCUSS CSLB APPLICATION DENIALS AND THE APPEALS PROCESS.

it's a boring subject I know, but it's good information to have if you find yourself stuck in the AIU vortex.

If your application is denied by the Application Investigation Unit, Section 485 kicks in.

Upon denial of an application for a license under this chapter or Section 496, the board shall do either of the following:

• (a) File and serve a statement of issues in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
• (b) Notify the applicant that the application is denied, stating (1) the reason for the denial, and (2) that the applicant has the right to a hearing under Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code if written request for hearing is made within 60 days after service of the notice of denial. Unless written request for hearing is made within the 60-day period, the applicant?s right to a hearing is deemed waived. Service of the notice of denial may be made in the manner authorized for service of summons in civil actions, or by registered mail addressed to the applicant at the latest address filed by the applicant in writing with the board in his or her application or otherwise. Service by mail is complete on the date of mailing.

The key here is that 60 day deadline to file your appeal request. I would suggest filing your appeal as soon as possible to get the appeal process started.

From here Section 487 applies and it outlines the Hearing process.

If a hearing is requested by the applicant, the board shall conduct such hearing within 90 days from the date the hearing is requested unless the applicant shall request or agree in writing to a postponement or continuance of the hearing. Notwit'standing the above, the Office of Administrative Hearings may order, or on a showing of good cause, grant a request for, up to 45 additional days within which to conduct a hearing, except in cases involving alleged examination or licensing fraud, in which cases the period may be up to 180 days. In no case shall more than two such orders be made or requests be granted.

The important part in this section is that the hearing shall be conducted within 90 days of the hearing being requested. Unless you, the applicant, request or agree to a continuance. I wouldn?t agree to a continuance because I wouldn?t want to give the board the ability to delay the process any further. If the OAH grants a request for extension, you're stuck with it. The CSLB likes to say that the process can take 4-6 months, but I think this is a scare tactic. Section 487 suggests that a hearing could take place in as little as 3 months.

After a hearing request is submitted, Section 488 comes in to play.

Except as otherwise provided by law, following a hearing requested by an applicant pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 485, the board may take any of the following actions:

• (a) Grant the license effective upon completion of all licensing requirements by the applicant.
• (b) Grant the license effective upon completion of all licensing requirements by the applicant, immediately revoke the license, stay the revocation, and impose probationary conditions on the license, which may include suspension.
• (c) Deny the license.
• (d) Take other action in relation to denying or granting the license as the board in its discretion may deem proper.

This one is interesting because of item (c). This suggests that the CSLB could deny the license? again. What's curious is that it was a denial that led you down the appeal/hearing path in the first place.

So there you have it, some interesting facts about CSLB application denials and the appeals process.