Starting my own business....any advice?

[accountantpete]

Business cards and personal networking - get yourself known.

Then it's just the usual - target peer leaders and do a professional job to generate referrals.

 

[Spinney]

Are you qualified to sign off the electrical work?* If not, it might be worth trying to find a local sparks who can, who might be able to give you a good rate/fit in at convenient times in return for repeat business.

*I'm assuming that fitting lighting may need some kind of qualified sign-off. If not, please ignore this post!

 

[Raging Squirrel]

Thanks for all the above info!

"I supply and fit suspended ceilings and light fittings."

Perfect.

You say your clientèle will be businesses, shops, schools, surgery's, hospitals, sports facilities etc etc. Might you also be selling to shop-fitters, or people having shops fitted? If so, you need to think clearly about what you offer to each of those very different kinds of customers, then use your design and communication skills to craft messages to meet their needs. Think less about 'what I offer', and more about what they need - then mould your 'offer message' to their needs. (My guess is, eg, that whereas a local shop might go direct to you - to get a good price for 'that bit' - a school or hospital would be more likely to want to just use one contractor to refurbish a ward or eight classrooms, so if you fit into that picture, it would be as a sub-contractor to a main shop-fitter type company.)

What, in each case, is the message? And what's the medium? As has been said above, you'd do well to get at least some kind of a website together, even if it's pretty basic, along with business cards you can give to people, along with 'check out my website'. It doesn't have to be big or fancy, just enough so that when people take a quick look (which is all 9/10 will bother with/have time for), the impression they get is: 'well, he looks kosher'. My wife did some poking around recently and came up with these people - http://www.create.net - have to say, I found the software pretty intuitive and easy to use, and the results look good.

I'd guess that when it comes to shop-fitters, you might actually find it worth phoning around, using Thomson or yellow pages or something. My guess would be that those kinds of businesses are often run by people who like to do things on the phone/in person, rather than going by flyers or whatever. Nine out of the first ten will probably say no, but one will want to meet you, and once you get started, you're in business.

Don't get discouraged. Getting started is the hardest by far. But once you get off the ground, if you do good work and don't muck people about, more work will follow.

Fantastic suggestions there, I will definitely be getting a website up and running. I have a few contacts in the trade, fiancé's uncle works for Jewson so he could be giving my business cards out to any shop fitters that come in.

 

[Raging Squirrel]

Strange, IMO it's a very competitive industry, I used to install my own in the 1990's. I'd add on lighting design to your portfolio, if you can design as well as install systems then that's a big plus, shop displays, galleries, everywhere needs to know how much light they need & where they need it (working plane etc). Free programmes are now available so you can!

Things are moving fast in the lighting industry and IMO electricians move s.l.o.w, try and get into something new/different.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI7Vx0m40Zc

Thats what i was thinking, not limiting myself to just one thing. Lighting design and such would broaden my area of work. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Raging Squirrel]

If you are unemployed, see about going on the New Enterprise Allowance scheme. £65 a week for 13 weeks then £33 a week for the next 13 weeks to give you a bit of a financial cushion. They send you on a 2 day business course - you don't have to go but its very helpful and there are about a dozen other business starters there. I made some useful contacts.
Ring up the HMRC and get on their free, one day book keeping course, very useful too and they show you how to do your tax return online using baby steps and small words (just what I needed).

Vistaprint is your friend. I got my magenetic cars signs, business cards, some flyers and a ton of free stuff from them.

If not unemployed, see if there is some sort of business enterprise trust start up scheme locally to you. Our Mark has just found one to help him set up his dog biscuit treat business. Free courses with a wealth of info. They assist all sorts of businesses.

Good luck. Its well worth striking out on your own. What have you got to lose.

I am currently unemployed, so using the NEA scheme and exploiting everything they have to offer is on the cards.

I was looking at Vistaprint today, they have some great stuff on there.

 

[Raging Squirrel]

Are you qualified to sign off the electrical work?* If not, it might be worth trying to find a local sparks who can, who might be able to give you a good rate/fit in at convenient times in return for repeat business.

*I'm assuming that fitting lighting may need some kind of qualified sign-off. If not, please ignore this post!

Not qualified to sign off the work, but will aim to gain qualifications to do so. On the plus side, the fiancé's brother is a qualified spark and her dad is a builder!

 

[Arch]

My clientèle will be businesses, shops, schools, surgery's, hospitals, sports facilities etc etc.

Can I suggest making sure someone proof reads your advertising and web site and so on?

(Meant to be a serious point, not a snide comment!)

 

[Spinney]

Can I suggest making sure someone proof reads your advertising and web site and so on?

(Meant to be a serious point, not a snide comment!)

Just post it on here first - there will be plenty of people to correct any errors!

 

[Raging Squirrel]

Haha, usually my spelling is fine, I've just typed sugaries on my tablet and surgery's popped up in autocorrect.

 

[YahudaMoon]

If you are unemployed, see about going on the New Enterprise Allowance scheme..

Is this for lone parents only ?

 

[Saluki]

Is this for lone parents only ?

No, its for anyone who wants to start a business who has been claiming income support or JSA for 3 months or more. It used to be 6 months but there is a recession on so they said 3 months to get people motivated.

I went on the new enterprise allowance. the few extra quid on top of my meagre earnings over the first 6 months were a Godsend. Lots of support there too.

 

[fossyant]

Before you think of being self employed you will need public liability insurance for what you are doing, and if you don't yet have a trade in that area or suitably qualified, you better get it first.

Nothing like doing a botched job and someone getting hurt, you will end up in jail.

You need to be suitably qualified before you set up doing any building type work.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Good advice...but as a halfway house, if you do nothing else, get a hole puncher and a ring binder. Everything you need to keep, hole it, stick it in the folder. Then whatever else, you have everything neat, in one place, in chronological order.

To add to this, number each receipt, and write this number in your cashbook or your spreadsheet or whatever. That way, you or whoever needs to refer to that receipt, such as your accountant or the tax man, can go straight to it.

Also, don't forget your cashflow. Remember you need to pay tax on your profits - the tax man takes a dim view if you get to the end of January (assuming you're a sole trader) and can't pay up. Don't forget VAT. You must register if your turnover (not profit) is over £79000 in the last 12 months, or you expect it to in the next 30 days. That's £6583 a month, and it's a rolling 12 months, so it's not based on your accounting year.

 

[Raging Squirrel]

Before you think of being self employed you will need public liability insurance for what you are doing, and if you don't yet have a trade in that area or suitably qualified, you better get it first.

Nothing like doing a botched job and someone getting hurt, you will end up in jail.

You need to be suitably qualified before you set up doing any building type work.

Already enquired to see if I need a CSCS card just incase. Liability insurance is in hand too, just need to get the quotes.

 

[buggi]

i once had a little part time nail business. the biggest mistake i made was newspaper advertising. it cost £50 quid a week and i NEVER had one answer from it. Same with local publications (the kind you get through the door with all loads of businesses advertising in it). Total waste of money.

The best way to advertise was through Yellow Pages. i had a free one liner in the book (for which i still get calls 5 years after i closed my business, i suppose people keep the books) and i paid £17 to be added to Yell.com website, of which i would get at least 3 calls a week, so by far the most successful advertising. I think girls in offices wanting their nails done for Friday night would just nip online and get the details, Think about your clients and, if you were them, and you needed your services, where would be the first place you'd look for a number??? that's where you should advertise.

the only other thing i would say, and it may or may not relate to your kind of business, is that i bought a lot of fancy nail polishes, gels etc (like glitter tips) and hand creams etc thinking that when my clients saw them, they would want to try them and buy them. But all they ever really wanted was white tips/pink (the classic french look) so it took time to recoup the money from unused stock that i'd bought hoping it would boost sales (although they did make the place look pretty). I suppose this translates that you should maybe tailor your business to specialise in the most popular services or stock, and only add additional services or obtain additional stock if and when they are requested.

hope that helps.