A little advice please?!

[Steveo88]

Hi, I have been a plumber for 9 years now (im 27), and I am now thinking seriously about starting my own business as I've always worked for someone else, and I feel confident that I can organise and run everything smoothly which can't be said for a couple of the companies I've worked for. I am starting to get a lot of private work recently and most due to recommendations. My questions are as follows; do you think I could get enough work to get by, as I am not gas safe registered (I can do pretty much everything heating engineers do I.e boiler installs etc but im no boiler engineer!). However, I am pretty much an expert at bathrooms I can do everything eg dotting and dabbing walls, tiling, boxing, stud walls, lay floors, screeding etc and obviously the plumbing side, and I am also good at other plumbing works like fitting kitchen sinks, maintenance work, all the odds and sods really, I'm literally just not gas safe so will that cause a huge affect on my business? Also not business related but I am doing a quote right now to fit a new toilet and sink in an extension that backs onto the kitchen, so it's a case of drilling through and running pipework from the kitchen sink to the new toilet and sink which is fine, however the guy said there was a drain in the garden and said the pipe ran to the edge of his extension and that he will dig it out for me so I can stick the soil pipe for the bog into it. I don't do any ground work can someone please tell me what's involved? I.e what's the proper way to run a soil pipe into the underground drainage. Any advice would be really really appreciated!!!! And I will also do my best to help everyone else on here if I can!

 

[Eric withy]

welcome mate first and formost if you are going to connect a soil pipe in to a manhole or drain would make sure its not blocked and water runs down ok then depending if salt glased plastic weather you can open up the manhole and connect to it or make a new one remember any change of direction should be a manhole for rodding the chit out
http://www.polypipe.com/cms/toolbox/Technical_Installation_Guide_Above_Below_Ground_Drainage.pdf

 

[Ray Stafford]

Hi Steve

Good luck! It sounds like you should be looking at concentrating on the premium bathroom market, particularly if you get on well with people and have the manner that customers are comfortable having around the house for a couple of weeks.

As for whether to do it, it depends on:

1) do you have the right mentality to be self-employed? If you are the nervous sort that loses sleep easily, I recommend against it
2) do you have a bit of money stashed away? If you have a new mortgage, 3 kids and a pregnant mrs, lots of credit card debt and HP, then probably not
3) if you have a wife, girlfriend or "significant other" - do you have their support? Not just "whatever you want dear", but actual active, positive support? Being SE can be a very emotionally isolated place
4) Do you have a business plan? Starting a business without a business plan is about as clever as starting a journey without knowing where you are going, or how to get there. This cannot be skimped, it cannot be copied from the internet, and "suck-it-and-see" is a direct route to the bankruptcy court. An absolutely fundamental rule of business is "if you don't have a competitive advantage, then don't compete". You have to know what your advantage(s) are, and how you are going to leverage them to build a workable business.

 

[jtsplumbing]

What's the completion like in your area , (Number doing same thing), what are you hoping to earn ? remember just because you are getting lots of private work in is Proberly due to the fact that you are employed, and are doing it less than a company, plus you are still getting a wage, Once that regular income go's then you will have to increase your costs, eg Van ,insurance & countless other things you will have to pay out for, and you don't get paid holidays, sick pay, then there are the quite times when you have time to ask yourself, Why did I give up a regular wage, Good luck but don't jump in to soon, being self employed is not all its cracked up to be.

 

[newcastle phill]

I think only you can really say.
Its not a question you can ask and expect to get a qualified answer.
It sure sounds promising but as above your personal circumstancesnhave to fit with your aspirations