Okay, you've passed your test and earned your contractor's license, obtained your city business license and have set up shop. Now you need to let everyone know you're in business!

You're going to need some business cards, and I know where you can get free business cards, in color no less! You can hand these business cards to people you meet and you can include them in mailings you send out. You can also get matching stationery with your cards.

Now that you've got your "supplies", you need to find customers. This can be difficult for new businesses but there are a few ways to go about it.

A good start can be had by using The Blue Book, a hard-cover "white pages" with many, many listings of construction companies, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers (etc.). This book is distributed nationally and is free of charge.

They also have a website at thebluebook.com where you can register your company as well as request the book. Although I suggest that you use The Blue Book, I recommend that you do not limit your search to The Blue Book. More and more construction related sites are coming on-line and the goodies these various sites are offering are tremendous.

As a contractor you can have a single-line advertisement (consisting of company name, address and phone number) for free in The Blue Book and/or you can purchase a more prominent ad.

There are other sites also where you can be listed as well as utilize the various construction management solutions that are posted at those sites (ie: our site!).

At last check, The Blue Book website offered an email section where you can email contractors that are listed at the site. The email program can be used to send letters of introduction to general contractors telling them who you are and requesting that they add you to their 'Invite-To-Bid' list.

An 'Invite-To-Bid' is exactly that, a letter from a general contractor inviting you to submit a bid for your portion ofwork on a project. On the flip side, if you are a general contractor looking for subcontractors to submit bids, then you can use The Blue Book website to find subcontractors in the fields that you need bids for.

Another source is www.agcsd.com. This is the Associated General Contractors of San Diego and they are in the process of creating a massive database of contractors, generals and subs. Matter of fact, if you have not provided them with your company information as of yet, then click here agcsd to go to their website and submit your info (it's free!).

BuildPoint.com is another good site. Slowly but surely, more and more sites helpful to construction are coming online.

Another good source is the yellow pages for contractors in your area.

The most important thing is to always be on the lookout for potential customers. If you see a project in process, stop by and drop a card. Even if they have already subbed out your portion to someone else, you might get a shot at the next one.

If you see a vehicle with signs (ie: painted, magnets, etc.) that reflect a construction company, put your business card under their windshield wipers. When you are out and about, hand your business cards out to people.

Use every opportunity you get to network with people. Get your name out there as much as you can.