Advice on Starting up

[Koogatubac]

Hey guys, ive been mucked around for 4 years now, been working for different employers, from council work to posh houses (expensive sanitryware etc) and just been laid off (6th time in past 2years by the SAME employer!) the building site i basically ran on the plumbing side dryed up and my employer told me to take a week off (but has laid me off) he told me to ring him on friday so he can get me again and abuse me lol also been fixing so many faults that even self employed 'plumbers' have done to peoples houses such as stupid leaks or easy faults on unvented when you get trained to know etc

Ive had enough! And now going to give working self employed a go!
I need some advice of you experts! If you guys would be so kind!
Im taking my first step in selling my car to get a Transit Connect tomorrow. However can u guys tell me what i need to do.

I got a few things i know i need to do: such as getting my own gas number, need insurance for public liability and tools, need to set up a business bank account, need to get a good accountant. But not sure bout others.

Any advice what you guys can give me will be HUGELY appriciated!! As im wanting to get it all started!

 

[Destroyer2813]

Simple advice DONT BOTHER all you need to do is scrool down a bit and find out how may estabilshed self employed blokes are struggling for full days/weeks

 

[desrob]

Hey guys, ive been mucked around for 4 years now, been working for different employers, from council work to posh houses (expensive sanitryware etc) and just been laid off (6th time in past 2years by the SAME employer!) the building site i basically ran on the plumbing side dryed up and my employer told me to take a week off (but has laid me off) he told me to ring him on friday so he can get me again and abuse me lol also been fixing so many faults that even self employed 'plumbers' have done to peoples houses such as stupid leaks or easy faults on unvented when you get trained to know etc

Ive had enough! And now going to give working self employed a go!
I need some advice of you experts! If you guys would be so kind!
Im taking my first step in selling my car to get a Transit Connect tomorrow. However can u guys tell me what i need to do.

I got a few things i know i need to do: such as getting my own gas number, need insurance for public liability and tools, need to set up a business bank account, need to get a good accountant. But not sure bout others.

Any advice what you guys can give me will be HUGELY appriciated!! As im wanting to get it all started!

money does not seem to be an issue,your lucky,try stamp collecting.

 

[Barry98]

Simple advice DONT BOTHER all you need to do is scrool down a bit and find out how may estabilshed self employed blokes are struggling for full days/weeks

Sometimes though something is better then nothing mate

 

[Destroyer2813]

Sometimes though something is better then nothing mate

Agreed depends what back up funds you got, by the time you laid out everything your down a lot pretty quick, then to only get a set of tap changes and a pump or something stupid like that it can get quite worrying pretty quick

 

[Koogatubac]

Exactly! Im at north east in uk and have been on £75 a day. So i cud do few small jobs to get this money or even 2 outside taps and ive made more money than what i would 1.5days working for previous employer. I saved £7k through the past year because i knew this would happen. Im very organised and would like to say i know my stuff on plumbing side!
Any more advice would be great guys!

 

[Koogatubac]

I know a few people who are interested in jobs and most of my work will be coming from being a sub contractor, my old employer said he can give me 3 full days so i would just need to fill the other 2 for a working week or even if i need more money i would be working nights and/or weekends.
Im probly in the best time to start up since im still living at parents (24year old) and if it went '**** up' all i will lose is money ive done to start up!
Will be looking for any grants if any, must be something out there to help start up?

 

[JAP&H]

If you have transport and tools then you're good to go.

PLI is good to have but if you're mainly doing small jobs then delay it until boiler swaps, cylinder changes and unvented work comes along.

Self employed for last seven years never had a business bank account.

Shop around for someone to prepare books for end of year, doesn't have to be accountancy firm. It's also possible to DIY accounts.

 

[jtsplumbing]

Grants ! you wont get any help from this Goverment, not unless your from outside the UK, give it a go, your still at home so not got anything to lose, offer of 3 days from old boss, better than a lot of guys on here who dont live at home, What do you do when working nights / weekends ? Looks good being SE untill the work stops comeing in, still you do live at home so not so much of a problem.

 

[Koogatubac]

Cheers guys this is really good stuff!

'working nights/weekends' - i meant i was doing guvvies while i was employed by a company

So basically dont throw aload of money in at the beginning until earning enough to improve.

Ive only got boilers, pipework and flue gas analyser. Do you guys think i should straight away get cookers, fires? (i got 3 years remaining on my Gas)

 

[Rickster123]

What's guvvies? (for us southerners)

 

[jtsplumbing]

Dont bother with fires/cookers yet, see how it go's first, cookers ok but fires a pain in the backside, customer wants them fitted for next to nothing and it involves a lot of work. where are you in UK ?

 

[Koogatubac]

Guvvies are cash only jobs like side jobs lol

Im from Darlington near Newcastle, will it be worth getting cookers since i have 3 years left on my gas? I know lads who have water heaters on their ticket however they have never done them. Is it worth to get all of the scope?

 

[jtsplumbing]

Iv'e have them all inc LPG but only because I do static holiday parks, got fires but only service them to much involved installing fires for not much money, I would leave out doing any more ACS yet see if worth doing when 3 years are up, cant remember when last fitted cooker.

 

[tamz]

Fires are becoming a specialised thing (well the fitting of them is). The ones already fitted are seldom looked at unless by a landlord (who if they had any sense would take them out).
You will always get a few cookers or hobs to fit but NO ONE ever services them which is just as well because hardly anyone would know how to do it. Must be coming on 10 years since i even saw a water heater. If there is a bit off mains stuff near you LPG will pay for itself.

Btw your guvvies, homers, sidies call them what you will, will become part of your taxed earnings and once you start working for yourself they will stop because everyone thinks you will now be too expensive. I know this from experience. I once earned over twice my wage doing jobs at night and weekends but within 2 months of starting on my own, 90% of it had dried up. You will have to move further afield (your homies don't like to see you get above them) too find work.
It is not easy even in good times but you will never know until you try. Just think carefully before you do.

 

[Koogatubac]

Thnx guys! Yeah, i agree about the guvvies and its all about keep looking for the work! Ive noticed that theres ALOT of demand for 1 day heating jobs. I know you cant do these properly and to do 1 day heatings you have to cut corners however safety is the main priority!!

Thanks alot guys!!