No matter what the state of the economy, there is one trade that will rarely experience a loss of demand on their services – and that is the building trade. If you take pleasure in DIY and can demonstrate a certain acumen, and you are unhappy with your current employment circumstances, then you may want to consider settling yourself up as a general builder.
Do it properly, and you will soon find that you have work coming out of your ears.
It takes a degree of investment and preparation though to get yourself to this point. So follow our simple guide to setting up your own building company, then wait for the first enquiries to come dropping through your inbox.
Book Yourself Onto Some Training
As a general jobbing builder doing DIY type jobs in people’s homes you do not necessarily need any qualifications However, the more you can learn, and the more certificates you can tuck under your belt, the more your skills, confidence and ultimately reputation will grow.
So get yourself down to the local college and book yourself onto some basic trade courses – anything that particularly interests you, from plumbing to bricklaying. While you may not want to specialise in these areas, the more you know and can accomplish yourself, the wider the variety of jobs you can go for. It will also give you knowledge and insight should you need to draft in more skilled jobs in the future as you build and scale your own business.
Cover Your Back With Indemnity Insurance
Make sure you cover your back in the case of any accidents and incidents with professional indemnity insurance specifically for builders. While this is an expense, it is a relatively small one when you consider what unexpected events could cost you.
If working for individual households the insurance may not seem like a priority. However, if you were keen to expand into more lucrative commercial type projects, such as getting onto the local council tendering list, then having insurance becomes a professional necessity.
Invest on Your Tools of the Trade
Invest well when it comes to your tools. Cutting corners by buying cheap never works – the tools always end up breaking or not doing a proper job, which will end up costing you even more either in repairing the damage or losing work.
Some of the most fundamental tools that you will need include: electric tools such as power hand drills, height access equipment and ladder accessories, a cheap to run practical van, protective clothes such as goggles and gloves. Look after your equipment. Invest once, invest for life. Over time your tools will becomes an extension of you, and give you the confidence to tackle ever more complicated (and thereby lucrative) projects.
Establish Your Presence Online
Having a presence on Google is the most important marketing decision you can make. Google has established an effective local marketing tool which is proving immensely successful for many small businesses – Google My Business. This enables you to register your business with Google based on your location. The more proactively you use your GMB page with updates and testimonials, the more your business will feature high up in relevant Google searches.
You can also underpin this with a proactive use of social media. Every time you complete a project, take some photos and ask your customer for a testimonial, then make sure you feature these across your social media channels, and on Google. While a website is also useful it is also expensive. Focus instead on consistent and regular posting on your social media channels. This is both free and can proactively build engaged audiences who will be willing to like and share your work.
