23yo starting up

tomo1988 · Sep 16, 2011

Hi,

I'm from west yorkshire 23 years old finished my apprenticeship two and a half years ago, sick of working for my fat t**t of a boss so jacked last week. I have decided to start up on my own.

Already bought a van (new transporter)
getting sign written tomorrow
got NICEIC coming out in a few weeks, already got two
jobs lined up for that
done business plan for next 48 months
got t-shirts printed
got business cards
got letterheads (quotes)
got website
shipping flyers out tomorrow, mainly to houses that are up for sale rent etc....
gona go on foot to all local estate agents round my area to see if the want my services

Already got some work lined up through my brother who owns his own plumbing and heating firm.

Just wondering if anybody had some helpfull advice regarding rates, quotes etc.......

Thanks
JT

GOODWIN · Sep 18, 2011

tomo1988 said:
Hi,

I'm from west yorkshire 23 years old finished my apprenticeship two and a half years ago, sick of working for my fat t**t of a boss so jacked last week. I have decided to start up on my own.

Already bought a van (new transporter)
getting sign written tomorrow
got NICEIC coming out in a few weeks, already got two
jobs lined up for that
done business plan for next 48 months
got t-shirts printed
got business cards
got letterheads (quotes)
got website
shipping flyers out tomorrow, mainly to houses that are up for sale rent etc....
gona go on foot to all local estate agents round my area to see if the want my services

Already got some work lined up through my brother who owns his own plumbing and heating firm.

Just wondering if anybody had some helpfull advice regarding rates, quotes etc.......

Thanks
JT

seems good mate nothing like a soft landing with alot of it i guess done on your old bosses time (nothing wroing with that) just one minor thing noticed you said give quotes i only give estimates the smarter clients will realise their different, some may disagree but untill theres someway of time travelling or seeing into the future for unknown problems i'll only give estimates, also be aware of T & Cs contracts you need to use and included the 7 day cooling off rule thing (google it or you part p provider will tell you about it)

good luck

Richard Burns · Sep 18, 2011

Get insurance

tomo1988 · Sep 19, 2011

Yeah got £2.000.000 insurance, just forgot to list it

this might seem a stupid question to a lot of people but how do i go about getting a account with a wholesaler?

sparks72 · Sep 19, 2011

tomo1988 said:
Yeah got £2.000.000 insurance, just forgot to list it

this might seem a stupid question to a lot of people but how do i go about getting a account with a wholesaler?

Walk in and ask for a credit application form. Simples!.

equinox · Sep 20, 2011

Good on you mate. Been thinking of doing the same thing myself!

SW1970 · Sep 20, 2011

Word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Feed it if you can. Could also draw up "typical" pricing sheet for standard items. Small amount of stock for van in case you come across bits and pieces damaged (e.g. sockets, pendants etc) whilst doing other jobs. Also draw up simple accounts structure and paperwork process and use it from day one so you're not in a panic towards end of tax year.

Dunc · Sep 20, 2011

Good on you fella, the only bit of advice I would have is don't let people take advantage of you because of your age. Some people just won't take you seriously unfortunately and I learnt this through experience. I started out when I was 21, I'm now 4 and a half years in, got a good lot of work booked in and have my full NIC Approval. Learnt a lot of hard lessons in the first couple of years but if you do a good job at a good price and look after your customers you'll do well. Something that works well for me is offering a 1 year guarantee on everything I install. It doesn't always work in your favour but as long as you install good quality equipment you won't go far wrong.