How to go about hiring a plumber

How to Go About Hiring A Plumber

Unless planning a remodeling or construction project, most residential plumbing needs are «emergencies.» A drain is backed up, a toilet will not turn off, a disposal is not functioning, or a pipe is leaking. If you do not already have a great plumber, you’ll need to take steps to find the right person for the job (unless it’s a 3 am emergency). Below you’ll find several tips for hiring the best plumber for your money.

1) Locate a listing with a local address.

A plumber with only a toll free listing or no address might not be a local company.

2) Look for a qualified plumber.

Qualified plumbers are almost always licensed with the state. You can usually check the license status of a plumber and sometimes look at their complaint record. If not, you can check the Better Business Bureau. The plumber may or may not belong to a union, depending on where you live.

3) Make sure the plumber is insured.

As with any worker you allow in your home, make sure the plumber provides you with a copy of their insurance. You do not want to be on the hook for any worker injured on your property or for damages they might cause.

4) Request an estimate.

When you contact plumbers, tell them you want an estimate. Some plumbers charge for estimates: try to find one that does not. Review the estimates carefully and determine exactly what you are going to be paying for and what is not included, how long the project will take and the date of completion.

5) Ask for specific plans.

Have them show you whenever possible exactly what they will be doing. Plumbing can often run into work beyond the scope of an original diagnosis, so ask for the hourly rate for any work not described. For instance a small copper pipe leak near a hot water heater might reveal the hot water heater is bad. Or when one leak is repaired another one is discovered or created. Make sure any work not expressed in writing will require your written approval.

6) Get more information.

Ask every plumber how long they’ve been on the job, if the total cost includes the final clean up, and what guarantees are there with their work or the installed parts. Ask about the name brands of the particular parts the plumber will be working with. There are many alternative materials available today. For example CPVC is a great replacement for copper. This chlorinated polyvinyl chloride material has some definite advantages over copper pipe. These pipes and fittings do not scale and corrode which eliminates failure and the material does not promote condensation which can cause damage to walls and contents.

7) You should also ask what experience the plumber has had with your particular problem and inquire about any permits that might be required for your project and if the plumber will be responsible for applying for them.

8) Some repairs require the removal of drywall or other structure material to access the area and make the repair. While most plumbers will not be fixing these issues, make sure you know exactly what they will be doing to get to your problem so you will know what else might need repair.

9) Make sure the plumber is going to clean up and mess made by the repair. While they might not replace tiles that had to be removed or patch drywall, they should leave the area clean.

Keep in mind, the lowest estimate may not necessarily be the right one for you. This person will be in your home so make sure you feel comfortable about them. Consider how they answered your questions and how much experience they have, and their references. Skilled plumbers who are familiar with working with the public should take the time to discuss the issue, how they intend to repair it, and their overall estimate. If the plumber has an attitude and does not want to explain things, you should move on to the next one.

How do you measure the risks and rewards that are associated with your business

How Do you Measure the Risks and Rewards That are Associated With your Business?

Entrepreneurs are risk takers by nature. Whether it is the formation of a new venture or the expansion of existing business, entrepreneurs face different types and degrees of risk before any rewards can be realized. In pursuit of their dreams, entrepreneurs come to realize the delicate balance that exists between risks and rewards.

It’s a given fact that starting and running your own business is inherently risky. In fact, according to the Small Business Administration, the risk of failure is extraordinarily high for entrepreneurs starting new ventures. Nearly 10% of all firms fail each year and nearly 61% of manufacturing firms close their doors within the first five years of operation.

The small business failures are sobering statistics. So, before you “bet the farm” on that new business venture or the expansion of your existing business, calculate and understand the potential risks and rewards. First, it’s critical that you understand and assess how much risk you can tolerate in your new venture or the expansion of your existing business. Make sure you have a realistic view of your business opportunity and the upsides and downsides associated with pursuing it.

The rewards for launching a new business or expanding an existing business, however, can be great. Studies show that entrepreneurs account for a large proportion of the country’s wealth and entrepreneurs have higher savings rates than that of traditional workers.

It is important to determine how much risk you can withstand in a new venture or the expansion of an existing business. Before you even consider launching or expanding an existing business, you need to have strategies in place to offset potential losses or unforeseen challenges. As you assess your potential risk factors, be brutally honest and consider these questions:

* How many years can you go without making a profit?

* Can you tolerate possible financial loss?

* Can you survive the loss of all your invested capital?

* Have you taken steps to mitigate risk with insurance?

* Are you sharing personal risk with investors?

* Have you set aside savings to cover potential losses or dry spells?

* Do you have a contingency plan if you lose a key client or employee?

* Can you afford to risk your capital, services, and reputation?

A feasibility study is a great tool that can help you to assess risk and reward. It provides a detailed investigation and an analysis of factors that influence your project to determine whether or not the project is viable. The study examines the economic, marketing, technical, managerial, and financial aspects of your proposed business idea. The feasibility study is based on a cost benefit analysis of your actual business, and the study is used to support your decision-making process. A feasibility study is an effective way to safeguard against the waste of resources of time, people, or money that may be exhausted before an idea or project is deemed viable.

Whether you are applying for a SBA business loan, seeking funds for expansion or plant modernization, or deciding which steps come next in growing your business, a detailed feasibility study will give you the professional support that you need to make your case. A thorough feasibility analysis investigates the impact that each of following issues can have on your idea or project:

* Economic (labor, utilities, transportation, economic impact, etc.)

* Marketing (availability, plans, competition, targets and potential, etc.)

* Technical (site, equipment, modernization, constraints, etc.)

* Financial (cash flow, costs)

* Managerial (assessments, recruiting, training, and development)

The result of the feasibility study is a thorough analysis of the feasibility of your proposed business idea or project. If your idea or project is deemed feasible from the results of the study, then the next step is to proceed with a formal business plan.

Income protection- protecting you when you are unable to work

Income Protection- Protecting You When You Are Unable To Work

Just as it is important to buy home insurance and motor insurance, it is also important to buy income protection. You can never know what is going to happen in future. You can become sick or incapacitated and be unable to work. If you are unable to work, it means that you will not be able to get your monthly salary. Under such circumstances, it will be hard to meet your everyday expenses.

Provides Regular Salary

Wage coverage policy is designed to cover you in such situations. It provides you with a regular salary till the time you are able to return to work. Income protection coverage will help you take care of your everyday needs like food, gas, school fees, clothing, and other expenditures.

One might ask — Why do I need wage coverage policy when I can avail of paid sick leave or other government unemployment benefits? The fact is that many employers make it very hard for one to avail of paid sick leave benefits. Moreover, it takes time to secure unemployment benefits from the government.

Deferment Period

Wage coverage policy, on the other hand, provides coverage that you need and for as long as you need. When taking an income protection plan, you will notice that there is a deferment period added in the plan. Deferment period simply refers to the period when you have got off work and you are not covered by a wage coverage plan. The policy holder has to make his/her own arrangements during this period.

Policy holder is given the option of choosing the deferment period. The choice should be made by first analyzing how long you will be able to live off your savings. This will ensure that the income protection plan will start at the right time. In other words, you will not have to worry about money to take care of your needs.

A Better Option

Wage coverage policy is a better option than paid sick leave or other government unemployment policies, because it is easy to avail of benefits under the plan. When you make a claim on the plan, the company will seek a medical confirmation regarding your physical condition. Once they can confirm that you are medically unfit to return to work, your claim will be accepted.

You will stop receiving the benefits once you get back to work. Most income protection plans do not limit the amount of benefits you can receive; however, the policy holder has to start making payments on the plan once he/she has got back to work.

Wage coverage policy is a better option than other available options because policy holder can link his/her benefits to the current inflation situation. This simply means that the benefits that the policy holder will receive will increase over the period. This will ensure that you will have sufficient funds at any given point.

When shopping for wage coverage policy, it is important to get quotes from several companies. Compare the income protection plans offered by different companies. Compare the cost of processing the plan. Will it enable you to get mortgage if you need to do so in the future? Before you sign the contract make sure that you are clear about every point. If you have any doubt, do not hesitate to have it clarified.

With a good wage coverage policy you can rest assured that you will always have funds to meet your needs even if you are unable to work due to some medical reason.