LK...wasn't suggesting "stealing" anyone's work from your employer. Obviously there are companies out there that specialize in say remodel only, residential only, commercial only or industrial only. It would seem to me that you can make "contacts" with people as you go that may want you to do the type of work that your employer does not do. I have never had to sign anything that says I can't do work for someone after I leave that employer. I know that those agreements like the non-compete ones are out there...I just never had to sign one. I was approached by a company that we were doing work for and asked to come and do some more work for them on the side and I refused it because I knew it wasn't right...I even went to my (at that time) employer and told them of the work that customer needed.
You know some bigger companies do not want to mess with smaller jobs too. There are a variety of reason you could have built up a customer base. For example, lets say you did a job for a customer when you were working for your previous employer, they liked your work and found out that you were opening your own business. They have a friend that needs some work done so they tell them to call you. I see no problem with that. Or you may have worked with another trade on a job, say an HVAC company. One of the guys you worked with (past job) recommends you to one of his customers. See what I mean? Or would these be stealing to you?
Anyway...thanks for the responses I have gotten so far. I have heard good and bad about the yellow pages, and I sure don't have that kind of money to spend on one form of advertising. If you can spend that kind of money for one ad in the yellow pages as a one man shop...great, you are really doing well. I would worry that if I got a really good response (enough to pay for those big ads, that as a one man shop I would have to turn a lot of work away which in turn wouldn't give me such a good name regardless of the quality of my work. Personally, I depend a lot on word of mouth to get my customers, but was thinking of possibly trying to expand a bit.
