It’s high time to stop doing everything yourself. Hanging up the tools is a hard task, especially if you love what you do. But channelling that energy into managing and creating your own company will set you up for a future of success.
You might think – “things are working out pretty well for me just working for myself, I canny be bothered.”
But think of how much success you could have if you took a step back, and had a team working under you.
In this blog, we’ll give you tips for starting your own business and hopefully set you down the path to finally getting off the tools.
Focus on what you do well
Starting a new business ain’t fun if you’re crap at what you do. In fact, we’d say maybe work on getting good at it before you even think about your new business.
But if you’ve had years of great work, this shows you’ve got the expertise that will translate to your clients.
Make sure you’ve a good foundation of quality and quantity in your work ethic, and go from there.
Use your reputation
Word of mouth is still the main way that tradesmen get their referrals – I’d say around 70% of all jobs are got through this method.
In other words, having a strong reputation will make the world of difference to your clients.
So, one thing you need to be sure you’re doing is getting everyone you do a good job for to share their experience of working with you.
Think about your customers
Always think of new ways you could look after your client’s needs. this includes:
- pricing your services correctly
- managing their expectations from day one
- give them quick quotes.
Think about what it’s like to be on the other side of the deal – how would you want to be treated?
There are some stereotypes about tradies – if you don’t match them, you’ll stand out from the rest. And this makes you a more attractive proposition and should encourage repeat business.
Business is business
Don’t set yourself up just to be your client’s servant – if they’re asking for too much, tell em! You want to establish a strong relationship from day one that leaves nothing up to hearsay.
Doing great work should be enough for your clients, and if you’re flexible and honest, you should stand out from the rest.
Make sure you have proper terms and conditions that protect you in the event of an accident or mistake. This will make any difficult confrontations much easier to manage, and give you that extra professional touch.
Organise everything
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with the paperwork when you start your own business, because it means filing your taxes yourself with HMRC.
We recommend you use the latest software to save yourself massive headaches. Cloud accounting software is a game changer – you’ll be able to push out invoices from the comfort of your van. And you won’t have to worry about anything getting lost, as it will all be in one place.
Stay kosher
Whether it’s getting electrical or gas certificates or performing health and safety training, it’s not worth running a business without the proper badges to back you up.
If something goes wrong and you’re not trained, you’ll not only struggle to deal with it, but you could find yourself in real trouble with the law.
Plus imagine if something happened to a client, and it was your fault. Not great for your conscience, that one.
It’s an exciting and scary time in equal measure, and of course, this blog only really scratches the surface of what it takes to get your business going.
But once the ball is rolling and you’re in contact with us, you’ll never have to worry about a thing.
We don’t care how stupid your question is – just give us a call, and we’ll be more than happy to help.