Sept 2011 musings

[Energetic]

Last week i was preparing for an annual show and it got me thinking about what was going on in the same period last year.

This year we have a few enquiries and quotes to organise but have managed to spend quite a lot of time with the kids over their break.

Last year we had several weeks worth of jobs booked in advance, we were considering taking guys on, buying more vans and taking on a premises.

This year we are glad we were too busy to do any of that as our low overheads are keeping us competitive.

Somebody sent me this around that time...





So much has happened in the last 12 months, it feels like many years ago...

 

[Gavin A]

Last year we had several weeks worth of jobs booked in advance, we were considering taking guys on, buying more vans and taking on a premises.

that's exactly what we did, and tbh I don't think I'd have wanted to do it differently, well maybe a little differently in that I'd have moved earlier so we could have been doubling up our installs last summer when we had a backlog of 50 quotes by the end of the summer.

we didn't go too silly though, just ramped up from 1 team to 2 and put people on full time instead of per job contracts, and took on some extra admin support.

eta - I'd also not have spent a penny on advertising in that time if I had the time over again. Blood suckers the lot of them.

 

[Eco Deal]

I sold a system yesterday !!! but I on a new venture now boys ! solar put on the side for now

 

[SolarCity]

We won one yesterday and we look like securing another.

We are badly struggling though. Can't get enough sparkying work and our sideline work of partitioning and suspending ceilings has all but dried up. Thinking of doing a plumbing course but not sure whether it is worth it - or if I can afford it. Tough times.

 

[SRE]

Totally cheesed off but lack of solar work has made us focus on our other business renting properties and we're back up to full occupancy and they are all in tip top condition after being neglected for 2 years.

Off to San Francisco - at last! Will be exploring options when I get back, maybe with a more positive head on.

 

[solarsavings]

We won one yesterday and we look like securing another.

We are badly struggling though. Can't get enough sparkying work and our sideline work of partitioning and suspending ceilings has all but dried up. Thinking of doing a plumbing course but not sure whether it is worth it - or if I can afford it. Tough times.

Before you spend your money perhaps you should head to your nearest plumbers merchant and ask them how bad things are ;-)

 

[SRE]

I was talking to a couple of builders/plumbers/renewables guys yesterday on a Green Deal project we're working on and they both said if it wasn't for renewables they'd be struggling. One of them is booked out for 8 months doing commercial biomass mostly, nothing on pv at the minute. Both installers employ 15 - 20 staff. We've considered plumbing but decided against it at the minute. Too much cash, not enough work where we are - well respected heating guys with 25 year old business are only just keeping going.

 

[whinmoor]

Car repairs are the way forward. People are hanging on to their vehicles longer due to the downturn.

 

[Energetic]

I sold a system yesterday !!! but I on a new venture now boys ! solar put on the side for now

You're a mysterious fella... Anyone want to open a book on the new venture? Just quietly i reckon its floristry... ;-)

 

[SRE]

Funny you should say that ......

 

[JulianC]

I think most of us are in the same boat. I and my business partner know a whole raft of local tradey types: plumbers, landscapers, builders, carpet fitters, plasterers, sparkies, fencers, decorators etc. Not one of them has much in the way of work on. Many have none at all. We are starting to pick up more bits of domestic work (180 mile round trip to fit a shower yesterday!!) and water heater sales seem to be gradually on the up but, if it wasn't for the fact we both have tiny mortgages, working wives and cheaply funded lifestyles, we'd be in the doo-doo big time.

 

[Somecamel]

I've sold am Immersun and a PV this week with another PV on the boil, makes good sense getting on the immersun website as an installer as had a call earlier from someone else that wants one.

 

[JulianC]

Don't seem to be having much luck selling the Immersun. Bloody yam-yams appear to be too tight to pay £499 all in by the look of things. Even at substantially less than this if fitted alongside a PV installation there doesn't seem to be much interest. I am the only listed installer in a 20 mile radius. No bloody wonder. Shame really - great product that makes a lot of sense for a lot of people. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a 52" plasma screen, fortnight in Benidorm, crate of Stella or BMW badge so it'll never take off around here....

 

[SolarCity]

Before you spend your money perhaps you should head to your nearest plumbers merchant and ask them how bad things are ;-)

I know exactly what you mean. The thing is, without some of our other sideline trades, we wouldn't have survived the last couple of years. I know how bad things are for plumbers but it is a skill that I've always wanted.

 

[SolarCity]

A friend of mine is a floorlayer - he is bloody hopeless yet always has bucketloads of work. I'm not joking - we layed my downstairs Karndean floor together and the only rough parts were the ones he did. He is very much in to backhanders though.............