Anyone who has been living in Florida for over a year is likely familiar with the time of year that the snowbirds come down to Florida which many like to refer to as the “Florida Season.” This season is formally considered to be from October-April, and it is an impossible time of year to miss with the changes in population and traffic being so drastic.
A lot of the “snowbirds” that come down to Florida during this time of year are waterfront property owners and since they’re only in town seasonally, the majority of them utilize this time that they are in town to get upgrades, repairs, etc. on their homes. This is one of the main reasons that the marine construction industry tends to get a lot of momentum during this time of year since a lot of these property owners are looking to install boat lifts to protect their vessels, docks to facilitate their waterfront access, complete repairs on existing seawalls before hurricane season. begins, and a wide array of other needs that would entail a qualified marine contractor to complete the work. If you’re an experienced marine contractor, then you’re more than likely familiar with the permitting process and the different applications that are required to be submitted when you’re completing projects within Florida & Federal waters which can add up to be an extremely time consuming process when piled on top of all of the day-to-day aspects of running a marine construction business.
If you’re reading this and you are someone that spends hours on the back end of their business focusing on the permitting side of your projects then outsourcing your permitting work for your projects is one of the best things you can do to free up your time!! Truth is, if you take the time to ask yourself which aspects of your business you truly enjoy doing then dealing with the permitting process and the paperwork it entails is likely at the BOTTOM of your list of things you enjoy doing within your business. By hiring a team of specialists and outsourcing this part of your work you’ll reap the benefits of maximizing your time, having a team to handle project management aspects of your projects, and a quicker turnover rate on your permit approvals as a direct result of having a team that dedicates their time to your projects getting started.
Maximize your time
The first benefit and in my opinion the biggest benefit to outsourcing your permitting work, especially during these next couple of months, is the ability to free up your time. Outsourcing different aspects within your business allow you to take a step back and work on your business instead of in your business. When you’re running a business you go through seasons where you start to build a lot of momentum and by implementing processes within your business that allow you take a step back and prioritize your time, you’re able to gain clarity on exactly what you need to do on a day-to-day basis. Oftentimes, for contractors that does not include sitting behind a computer for hours dealing with the back and forth correspondence that inevitably comes along with the permitting process.
Time is your most valuable asset, and by outsourcing your permitting work and freeing up your time you’re able to focus on aspects within your business that are more valuable and directly drive your sales such as customer interaction and different marketing ideas that you probably have in your back pocket and haven’t gotten around to simply because you don’t have the “time”. If you’re someone who constantly finds themselves putting things aside and maybe even missing deadlines within your business simply because you’re so involved in aspects that you could hire a team to take care of, then outsourcing your permitting work to a qualified team is the perfect and a big place to start that could really change the dynamic of your business in the best way possible.
Specialized Team Handling Project Management Aspects of Your Projects
This second benefit goes hand-in-hand with the idea of maximizing your time. When you hire a team to take care of the permitting process with you, there is someone taking care of project management aspects of your project for you, which is inevitably time consuming. Our team here at Breezy Permits handles all of the correspondence that takes place within the permitting process while aiming to streamline the process as much as possible for you. Of course our exact processes vary depending on the scope of work but typically our process for marine construction projects is as follows:
1. Research + Obtain Correct Permit Application(s) & Supplemental Documents: Our process starts with obtaining the correct permit applications and any supplemental documents that could be required for your projects. This part of the permitting process alone can take us a lot of time if you’re unfamiliar with the municipality that your project is in since there are different ways to access the forms/documents with each municipality. In some cases the only way to access the forms is by having a building department permit official send them over through email, which can be tedious for a busy contractor with a busy team.
2. Fill out Application(s) + Collect Signatures : Next, after obtaining the proper application for the city your project will be in, we fill out the applications and collect signatures from both the contractor and the homeowner. Our team here is also able to offer online notary services for the applications, which is super simple and convenient if you’re ever in need of it.
3. Submit your Applications + Track Approval Process: After getting all the necessary signatures and receiving the plans/drawings for your project we go ahead and submit your applications. Once you submit your applications you’re always assigned to a reviewer that is taking care of your project and you need to make sure that someone is staying on top of the correspondence and any reviews that the reviewer may need for your project in order to prevent any unnecessary delays. This is the same for both environmental entity applications and City applications. Not only do we make sure to stay up to date on all comments + reviews, but we also keep you updated on the status of your project along the way, that way we know that at the end of the day you have a piece of mind on the status of your projects.
4. Record your NOC : We also record your Notice of Commencement after collecting signatures on it, making sure that you receive your certified copy to post at the job site for your first inspection.
5. Send Approved Permit Documents : Lastly, after the process has been complete and we have received the approved permit for your project we will send over the approved permit documents.
If you currently take care of the permitting process in house then you’re inevitably familiar with the fact that the entire process detailed above typically requires a lot of back and forth correspondence throughout the entirety of the permitting process. Oftentimes business owners tend to overlook the fact that these time consuming aspects of their business aren’t the aspects that are directly driving the growth of their business. The reality is that many business owners tend to wear all the hats rather than taking a step back and realizing that their time is best spent doing the things within their business that they enjoy and that are driving their sales and growth. Outsourcing the right things within your business could be life changing for you and your team. If you find yourself struggling to constantly juggle every aspect of your business, then outsourcing your permitting work to a qualified team that can dedicate their time to handling project management aspects of your projects, will leave you with a huge weight taken off of your shoulders.
Quicker Turnover Rate on Your Projects
The last benefit on our list is directly correlated to the fact that by hiring a team of specialists for the permitting side of your projects, you automatically have someone dedicating and focusing their time on making sure your projects get approved. This inevitably leads to a quicker turn over rate on your projects, which will make all parties involved filled with satisfaction.
When you have a quicker turnover rate on your projects, not only are you able to generate more business, but your clients will be happier than ever. Oftentimes the permitting process for marine construction projects can be lengthy but by handing this over to a team of specialists you can significantly streamline the process.
When you outsource your permits to a team of specialists you allow room for your business to grow! It is easy to get sucked into the day-to-day of your business but it is important to take a step back and reflect on the things that are taking up the most of your time, and then taking the time to ask yourself which of these things are truly driving your business forward. Oftentimes, the parts of your work that are truly driving the growth and momentum in your business aren’t centered around day-to-day email correspondence and tracking the approval process for your permits. By taking the time to be honest with yourself and focusing on the things that are directly correlated to the growth of your company while simultaneously outsourcing the aspects that could be handed off to someone who specializes in that kind of work, you can significantly change the dynamic of your business and your life for the better.
Time is life’s most valuable currency, are you prioritizing your time and putting it where it matters most? If your answer is no and part of your headaches stem from the permitting side of your business, then it might be time to outsource your permits to a specialized team!!! (then I’ll backlink our website where it says specialized team)