Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
All the women I know work harder than any of the men I know, men like to play
All the women I know work harder than any of the men I know, men like to play
Welcome to the forum. Although you can post in any forum, the USA forum is here in case of local regs or laws
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Women rule the world, men know this and are jealous and insecure so they squash women
Women rule the world, men know this and are jealous and insecure so they squash women
C
Ch4 plumbing
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Are you GS Toggles? If so send Gasman a PM and you can gain access to the GS forum.
Are you GS Toggles? If so send Gasman a PM and you can gain access to the GS forum.
C
Ch4 plumbing
C
Ch4 plumbing
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Ho Dancinplumba
Although I am grateful for your support, my post really isn't about the equality war and I don't want to start or be involved in the battle of it. I do plumbing because I love it and am good at it, I've earned my stripes so to speak. I only posted this as I am interested to hear the advice fellow trades people have to offer me, they are the experts after all in our field. I would'nt go into a ladies fashion shop and ask them the question of starting a plumbing business would I ? Relax, its all good 😉
Ho Dancinplumba
Although I am grateful for your support, my post really isn't about the equality war and I don't want to start or be involved in the battle of it. I do plumbing because I love it and am good at it, I've earned my stripes so to speak. I only posted this as I am interested to hear the advice fellow trades people have to offer me, they are the experts after all in our field. I would'nt go into a ladies fashion shop and ask them the question of starting a plumbing business would I ? Relax, its all good 😉
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
When we started Miss Plumb, it was my mrs who started the business sfter walking away from her job in local authority. She is time served, worked in all teh different areas as yourself, and is now a building services design engineer. The thing that she found, and this goes against what people are saying, was that she didnt need to go for the stereotypical single mums or older people, she had a knack of being able to sell herself well to the customers and on average got 75% of the jobs that she priced. Her big downfall came when she did alot of work for a builder who had a contract to refurb council properties. She did 6 full systems and he paid on the dot, then she did another 10 and he paid in dribs and drabs, £100 her and £100 there. This meant she couldnt pay her merchants and had reached her limits for getting gear so as a word of warning, be careful who you work for (obviously this happens to everyone, not just female plumbers), id hate to see you fall foul as she did. Everything has worked out for the best and now she works with me designing ans specing biomass district heating systems and plantrooms.
When we started Miss Plumb, it was my mrs who started the business sfter walking away from her job in local authority. She is time served, worked in all teh different areas as yourself, and is now a building services design engineer. The thing that she found, and this goes against what people are saying, was that she didnt need to go for the stereotypical single mums or older people, she had a knack of being able to sell herself well to the customers and on average got 75% of the jobs that she priced. Her big downfall came when she did alot of work for a builder who had a contract to refurb council properties. She did 6 full systems and he paid on the dot, then she did another 10 and he paid in dribs and drabs, £100 her and £100 there. This meant she couldnt pay her merchants and had reached her limits for getting gear so as a word of warning, be careful who you work for (obviously this happens to everyone, not just female plumbers), id hate to see you fall foul as she did. Everything has worked out for the best and now she works with me designing ans specing biomass district heating systems and plantrooms.
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Hi Missplumb,
Thanks for the great advice and warnings, I shall take that on board 😉 Make em pay after each install/ leave a few snags until payment received maybe?? hehe. Am sorry it happened though, like you say it can happen to anyone and any business. Glad to hear you are both doing so well now 😉
Thanks again
Hi Missplumb,
Thanks for the great advice and warnings, I shall take that on board 😉 Make em pay after each install/ leave a few snags until payment received maybe?? hehe. Am sorry it happened though, like you say it can happen to anyone and any business. Glad to hear you are both doing so well now 😉
Thanks again
C
Ch4 plumbing
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Spot on advice, you sell your business not your gender, or Creed! Custards know what your about as soon as you step through the door and start talking and offering advice, get out there and start quoting see how you go.
Spot on advice, you sell your business not your gender, or Creed! Custards know what your about as soon as you step through the door and start talking and offering advice, get out there and start quoting see how you go.
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
The fundamentals for succeeding in business are the same for everyone. Make sure you provide a quality service, at competitive rate and people will continue to use and recommend you.
The number of jobs I get simply because I sent a price over when I said I would, turned up when I said I would and take an interest in the home or work required keeps me busy. I am never the cheapest but always do as I have quoted and make sure I respect the customers home. I'm not trying to preach but these simply basics have kept me in business over the last five years with no advertising and just word of mouth referrals, and business has never been so good for the last six months.
Good luck and don't give up, also make sure you have a good bottle of red at home for the days that don't go quite to plan!
The fundamentals for succeeding in business are the same for everyone. Make sure you provide a quality service, at competitive rate and people will continue to use and recommend you.
The number of jobs I get simply because I sent a price over when I said I would, turned up when I said I would and take an interest in the home or work required keeps me busy. I am never the cheapest but always do as I have quoted and make sure I respect the customers home. I'm not trying to preach but these simply basics have kept me in business over the last five years with no advertising and just word of mouth referrals, and business has never been so good for the last six months.
Good luck and don't give up, also make sure you have a good bottle of red at home for the days that don't go quite to plan!
R
REDSAW
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
they have been in some of the houses i have been in, perhaps there the reusable ones.lol
R
REDSAW
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
anyone tried these?.lol
wouldnt mind a case like that...in black
anyone tried these?.lol
wouldnt mind a case like that...in black
Last edited by a moderator:
R
Ray Stafford
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Hi Toggles. I would say welcome to the forum, but I see you have been a member for a while.
Thats an excellent start
From reading the rest of the thread, I'm not sure whether you are intending to
a) run a plumbing business. As a complete non-sequitur, you happen to be female or
b) you plan to run a plumbing business, specifically marketing and promoting yourself as female, and hoping to gain competitive advantage from the latter.
If its the former, then you probably have some minor perception issues to overcome, and no doubt there will be a few thumbless flipwits who think they can increase their standing by belittling you, but nothing you wouldn't get in any of the male dominated fields.
If its the latter, I think that there are probably some great opportunities in areas where there are a large number of relatively well off, single women. I can see it working in (for example) south west London, but not so much in less affluent areas. With a bit of inventive PR, I bet you could get some free marketing from local press.
Notwithstanding the above, its the same pitfalls as every new start plumbing business:
1) Failing to understand the overhead of running a business and therefore underpricing work
2) Giving credit to people who you shouldn't give credit to, and being surprised when they don't pay
3) Not keeping on top of the paperwork - particularly invoicing and credit control
4) Not understanding the difference between cashflow and profit
I reckon 99% of all the bad debts we have ever taken come down to a combination of these factors.
They are the four horseman of the self employed businesspersons apocalypse.
Only if the quality of work was at least as high as my own.
Never eat yellow snow.
And if you have false teeth, dont sneeze when standing at a urinal. Although this one is probably of limited value to you.
You're welcome.
Hi Toggles. I would say welcome to the forum, but I see you have been a member for a while.
Thats an excellent start
From reading the rest of the thread, I'm not sure whether you are intending to
a) run a plumbing business. As a complete non-sequitur, you happen to be female or
b) you plan to run a plumbing business, specifically marketing and promoting yourself as female, and hoping to gain competitive advantage from the latter.
If its the former, then you probably have some minor perception issues to overcome, and no doubt there will be a few thumbless flipwits who think they can increase their standing by belittling you, but nothing you wouldn't get in any of the male dominated fields.
If its the latter, I think that there are probably some great opportunities in areas where there are a large number of relatively well off, single women. I can see it working in (for example) south west London, but not so much in less affluent areas. With a bit of inventive PR, I bet you could get some free marketing from local press.
Notwithstanding the above, its the same pitfalls as every new start plumbing business:
1) Failing to understand the overhead of running a business and therefore underpricing work
2) Giving credit to people who you shouldn't give credit to, and being surprised when they don't pay
3) Not keeping on top of the paperwork - particularly invoicing and credit control
4) Not understanding the difference between cashflow and profit
I reckon 99% of all the bad debts we have ever taken come down to a combination of these factors.
They are the four horseman of the self employed businesspersons apocalypse.
Only if the quality of work was at least as high as my own.
Never eat yellow snow.
And if you have false teeth, dont sneeze when standing at a urinal. Although this one is probably of limited value to you.
You're welcome.
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
any repeat buisness from those types ill work for mates rates
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Apologies if that came across as derogatory was meant as a joke ,
I dragged my bird out to fit some rads few months back after endless remarks about how easy my job was and the bird done well.
As i said already a woman here advertising woman plumber so must be scope for it .
Cant imagine how it would go down if someone advertised male plumber tho
Apologies if that came across as derogatory was meant as a joke ,
I dragged my bird out to fit some rads few months back after endless remarks about how easy my job was and the bird done well.
As i said already a woman here advertising woman plumber so must be scope for it .
Cant imagine how it would go down if someone advertised male plumber tho
D
Dotty
Re: Female Plumber Starting Own Business
Here! I just cottoned on you're offering me mouth to mouth.....
That's a first on this forum!
**BOD doesn't count. .....
Here! I just cottoned on you're offering me mouth to mouth.....
That's a first on this forum!
**BOD doesn't count. .....
Official Sponsors of Plumbers Talk
Similar plumbing topics
- Ray Stafford
- UK Plumbers Forums 2
- slp property maintenance
- Gaining Plumbing Experience
- plumber&dumber
- UK Plumbers Forums
- secret squirrel
- UK Plumbers Forums
We recommend City Plumbing Supplies, BES, and Plumbing Superstore for all plumbing supplies.
