You’re licensed, and ready to get started, now what? In this article, you will find all the basic steps to complete so you can start earning a living at your new profession.  We’re assuming you’ve already researched how to become a home inspector.  If not, click here for a great article on how to do that.

Local Government Compliance

Whether you’re starting a home inspection business or a widget making company, there will always be government compliance.  Check with the city you will be doing business in and make sure you have the appropriate local business licenses.  Some businesses may find it isn’t necessary to have a local permit unless they are renting retail/commercial space and or selling a physical product.

State Government Compliance

You will need to at the very least register a trade name with your state.  Google how to register a trade name in your state and find the appropriate government agency.  It usually doesn’t cost much, less than $100 to get a trade name.

Form a Legal entity

Don’t, however, mistake registering a trade name as establishing a legal entity.  To have a legal entity, you need to form a C-corp, S-corp, or an LLC.  We recommend to all of our students to establish a legal entity because it adds an additional layer of protection for the business owner.  In most cases, when an individual wants to sue someone over poor services rendered, they must sue the legal entity, or company.  As a result, any judgements will be against the company’s assets, not the business owner’s.

Without a legal entity like an LLC, the consumer will sue the business owner, and any judgements will be against business or personal assets.

Have a Marketing Plan

A good home inspection school like HI-TEC will teach you how to market your business. Setting up a website and paying for Google ads to put you first isn’t enough because people don’t trust a google search to choose a home inspector, they trust their real estate agent for a referral.  You’ll need a plan to accomplish the following:

• Meet as many real estate agents each week as possible
• Demonstrate your superior communication skills you learned in class
• Ask for the business with an effective call to action

What you will need to accomplish this are the following marketing tools;

• A quality website
• Business cards and brochures
• Flyers
• A quality real estate office presentation

There are many more details, and way too many to put in a brief blog, but these are the essentials.

Decide

Determination combined with activity leads to success.  Only YOU can decide the following:

• How much time you will dedicate to your business each week (marketing and inspecting)
• Whether you will get up in the morning and go marketing when there is no early morning inspection that day
• How you’re willing to listen to enough “no’s” to get to the “yeses.”

Closing

HI-TEC thinks like a school AND a business.  We teach starting your business in every class we teach.  It’s how we give you the high ground advantage in your new career.  We’re here because we’ve worked for the biggest schools in the country.  We know what students need to be successful, and how to best provide everyone with the knowledge and skills required to make home inspections a lifelong career. We don’t make sales pitches in class, and we teach the marketing in every class so you can get licensed, get marketing, and start recouping your investment right away.

Give us a call at 877.51.HI.TEC and let one of our admissions experts help you get the answers you need!