There are a considerable amount of people who have said to themselves at one point or another that they should get into the trade business. These people seem to have a natural talent for manual skills, yet have not put them to good use as they think that starting their own business would be too difficult. This is not the case however, in fact starting up your own tradesman business can be relatively simple as long as you have a plan! So here we look at the first few steps you can take to begin your new career:

Get your Paperwork

In order to find work as a tradesman you will need to be properly certified, as these days most people only hire tradesmen that they feel they can trust to do the job properly. There are a number of ways you can become certified, such as undertaking an NVQ qualification where you can start as an apprentice and learn more about the trade which you are moving into. As a tradesman you will probably start by specialising in just one type of service, such as carpentry, plumbing or kitchen fitting, so you need to make sure you have the right type of qualification. If you need to work with gas at any point you must by law register with the Gas Safe Register which you can do so by following the Nationally Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS).

Know the Law

In order to ensure that all tradesman provide a certain level of service the government created the The Supply of Goods & Services Act 1982, which covers the work done and the tools used by a trader when undertaking a job. It is important that all traders understand what is expected of them under this Act as it means there will be less issues when it comes to contracts. One of the most important parts of the Act states that all traders have a ‘duty of care’ towards their customers and their properties, which means that you must honour any price that was quoted before work was carried out. Naturally, this works both ways, as if a customer tries to pay a smaller price after the work is complete you can argue that this is going against your agreement. Tradesmen liability insurance can also help protect your business if you come into difficulties, so make sure you always have a comprehensive policy.

Build up your Reputation

If you take part in an apprenticeship then you will probably get to know a number of other tradesmen in your area. It is important that you make the most out of these relationships when you first start as a tradesman as it could help you find work. If you are planning on being self-employed then it’s a good idea to start thinking about how you can market your services, which we give some helpful tips on in our previous blog post. Bear in mind that building up your reputation takes time, so be prepared to put in the leg work and make sure you impress your customers on each and every job. Having a good reputation is truly one of the most valuable things a tradesman can have, so you need to work at it every day!

Practice, Practice, Practice

Even though starting up your own business can be tiring you still need to make the time to practice your skills on a regular basis. Ensuring that you can deliver the best results to your customers means that your business will thrive in the future and that you will be able to keep up with new types of skills and tools. It is highly likely that at one point or another during your career you will be asked to do something that you haven’t done before, so it’s essential that you adapt and improve your skills on a frequent basis. Like their tools, tradesmen can never get rusty or they won’t be able to do the job!

Even though starting up your own trade business seems daunting at first if you work hard and stick at it you will eventually reap the rewards. Once you are an established tradesmen you could even start thinking about learning new skills and expanding your company!