📨 Contractor’s Digest – Daily Rundown (Monday, May 5th, 2025)

📨 Contractor’s Digest – Daily Rundown
📅 Monday May 5, 2025
🛠 Helping Contractors Win More Jobs, Increase Profits & Avoid Costly Mistakes

🚧 Today’s Rundown
🔹 Feature Story: What to Do If ICE Shows Up About Your Crew
🔹 Business Tip: Turn a Slow Week Into a Strong One
🔹 Tool Spotlight: Best Employee File & Documentation Apps

🏗️ Feature Story: What to Do If ICE Contacts You About an Employee
It’s every contractor’s worst-case scenario: You get a call—or a visit—from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about someone on your crew.

Don’t panic—but don’t wing it either.

🚨 Step-by-Step: What to Do If ICE Contacts You

✅ 1. Ask for Identification
Before doing anything, request official credentials and the reason for the inquiry.
ICE agents are required to show proper identification.

✅ 2. Review the Warrant or Subpoena
If they’re asking for records, they need:
• A Notice of Inspection (NOI) for I-9 audits
• A Judicial warrant to enter non-public jobsite or office areas
⚠️ A “detainer” is not the same as a warrant. Know the difference.

✅ 3. Protect Employee Rights
Do not give ICE information you’re not legally required to provide.
Do not allow a search without a proper warrant.
Do not attempt to verify immigration status yourself or take adverse action based on a rumor.

✅ 4. Call Your Attorney Immediately
Have a labor/employment attorney on standby.
If you don’t have one, reply to this email and we’ll send you a vetted referral list by state.

✅ 5. Document Everything
• Who contacted you
• What they asked for
• What you gave them
• What actions (if any) were taken
This protects your business if any dispute or claim arises later.

🚀 Pro Tip:
Conduct a quarterly internal I-9 audit for all employees.
It’s not just about legality—it’s about preparation.
📩 Want our “Contractor’s ICE Response Protocol” cheat sheet? Reply and we’ll send it to you.

📌 Business Tip: Turn a Slow Week Into a Strong One
Every contractor hits a slow week now and then—subs unavailable, weather delays, job starts pushed back.

But how you use downtime separates the pros from the paycheck-to-paycheck guys.

🧰 Here’s How to Maximize a Slow Week:

✅ 1. Tidy Up Loose Ends
Close out jobs, chase final payments, upload photos to your portfolio, and collect reviews.
That stuff stacks up—and now’s the time to clean house.

✅ 2. Work ON the Business
• Audit your estimates vs. actuals
• Update your contracts and client materials
• Improve your lead follow-up process
• Build or improve your SOPs

✅ 3. Strengthen Your Marketing
• Film a job walk video
• Write a blog post or send a newsletter
• Follow up with 10 old leads
• Ask 3 clients for referrals

✅ 4. Train Your Crew
Use this time to cross-train staff, introduce new tech, or walk through mistakes from recent jobs.

✅ 5. Prospect for Land, Partners, or Big Projects
Block 2 hours to evaluate new land, pitch a joint venture, or schedule coffee with a referral partner.

🚀 Pro Tip:
A slow week isn’t a problem—it’s an opportunity.
The most successful builders don’t wait for jobs to appear. They use downtime to build systems and pipelines.

📩 Want our “Slow Week Productivity Checklist”? Reply and we’ll send it your way.

⚙️ Tool Spotlight: Best Employee File & Documentation Apps
Keep your hiring docs, I-9s, insurance certs, and HR notes organized and secure:
🔹 BambooHR – Ideal for growing contractors with multi-crew ops
🔹 Gusto – Payroll + hiring docs in one simple platform
🔹 Google Drive + Naming System – Low-cost DIY option
📦 Want a sample folder structure and onboarding checklist? Reply and we’ll send it over.

😂 Contractor Humor:
Why don’t contractors tell jokes during inspections?
Because one bad punchline could fail the whole job.

📣 Call to Action
🔥 Forward this to a GC or crew boss who could use a smart protocol.
📬 Not subscribed yet? Get the free eBook:
“Top 10 Mistakes Contractors Make in Marketing” → contractorsdigest.com 

👷‍♂️ Stay compliant, stay ready,
— Benjamin Patton
Contractor’s Digest