When Jason Lofton formed QTI Inc., his contracting business, he made an important early decision: He positioned the company as a prime contractor. 

Not that you should never work as a subcontractor – “You have to be willing to take work nobody is willing to do to prove yourself,” Lofton says – but marketing QTI as a prime contractor also helped shift customers’ perceptions, too.

And being a prime contractor was ultimately where he wanted to be. Primes have more control of a project’s money, and they tend to have higher visibility in the marketplace, Lofton said.