is working for your self profitable?

[airconboy]

i am 23 years old from england,i work in air conditioning for 6 years and im fed up for working for other people,the company i work forput too much presure on us,they expect jobs doing in half the time they actually take to install,which means we have to work are A**** to death,i feel that why am i ,doing this when i could do this for my self,im interested in starting up on my self,how much would i need to do this around about?how much would i be looking to earn in a year?i like to work and i know its is hard work and i wont get paid for first 3-4 months,can any of the board members give me some adice about setting up in the uk.

[SUBCONTRACTOR]

Of course it is profitable but imagine someone like me looking for a job all over the place with so much experience.I can assure it is not easy it is actually a bit of a nerve and patience .As a whole at the end of the year period we can earn so much money you would not ever go back to employer again.Also the freedom of being your own boss .But don't forget the responsibility it is much greater than being employed.
In many occasions you don't even know when your boss is patching the things up without letting you know that.This is just for the sake of the customer.
The one that pays the quid.

I am coming from the place you are heading for.:D

wish you luck anyway:D

[get the gauges]

where you are at the moment everything is nice and fluffy and as 'subcontractor' said you don't get to hear about all the fires that are being fought behind the scenes you just pick up your wages and work. The one thing that you do learn about people when you work for yourself is how thoroughly cut throat people can be, those people you see driving big range rovers don't get them by being nice, they got them by being ruthless and efficient and by treading on people on the way.You will see a side to people you never thought existed when you are trying to get £10k off someone,that lovely person you met at the start of the job will turn into a hard nosed businessman when the invoice arrives 'oh he's not in office today',' oh he's just left for the airport,he'll back in 3weeks '. If you think that subbing to aircon firms is your desired path then just ask any subby
how hard it is to get paid by an aircon firm, i have subbed to a fridge contractor for the last 3-4 years and when i recently parted company with them i went back to subcontract elec installing while i looked for refrigeration work even though aircon work is plentiful ,finding firms that will pay you is not,if you want to sub then do it for one firm not lots as that is the only way to get paid.Aircon firms are the most treacherous people you will ever work for as a subby. Be very careful coz theres a mountain of ex-whatevers out there who can roll pipe out and tie-wrap cable that will take your place on the 'sameday' :eek: that you insist on being paid before you do anymore work.My advice is get as many skills as you can and become as indisposable as possible to people if you like aircon learn the intricacies of vrv controls that will set you apart from the rest and thats how to make money coz on the books £25k with over time and a van can be more than subbing.

[norfolkboy]

good evening air con boy.
just sitting here while the rest of my dependants are watching TV, working out who to chase for money first thing tomorrow (again). its not a bed of roses and i often think i may have made the wrong decision. However you can earn a bit more and can be more independant, but i suggest you talk to others you can trust who have already made the jump.
Do you have a partner? is she behind you, and do you really love paperwork.
Whatever you decide good luck.

[nike123]

Hi airconboy

Before you start to work for yourself you should be familiar with term "strategical partner". That is person or firm who is going to help you when you start working for yourself by giving you some jobs to cover your first steps and in return you are giving him extra service and privileged price. Investigate little on web that concept.

[adams?]

hi all! lots of good advice so far, but not all is looking on the lighter side. i have been sole trader for 11 yrs and life is good. dont get me wrong, its hard work, but with experience and contacts you will do fine. just remember simple rules, be honest, be trustworthy and dont burn bridges xxx

[chataroets]

Hi Aircon boy, I am also running my own business for over 13 years. There is also a few things you should ask yourself before start working for your self. "Am I REALY qualified enough?" Customers ask a lot of questions, realy a lot. Will you be able to anser them? Your customer must be able to TRUST you. "Will I be able to take a big knock financially?" Imagine loosing a very expensive compressor for some reason and you can not do a warrantee claim. There is a lot to considder, BUT, if and when you are ready, go for it with all you have got and NEVER sell for credit work with cash up front or after comissioning.
God luck!

[paul_h]

I'm doing this myself, it's a lot of work. So far I've spent $au25k getting set up.
Lot's of tools, ie vac pump, ladders, reclaimer, welding gear, scales and also a au$17K vehicle, (didn't want an old peice of crap that may be unreliable and lose me jobs and project a budget cheap image).

On top of that there's insurance, getting trade accounts, getting the business registered, getting a trading bank account, service reports and cards, advertising, website etc.
So there's a fair bit of capital required, and then time spent dealing with red tape and the preparation you need to do in order to set yourself up with the best chance of doing it right and not failing.

After all that, then you take the gamble of losing further money (not getting paid, not getting jobs), and then you have to work your arse off.

Sounds hard?
You bet it is, that's why when it works out the pay off is good (I hope ;) )

I'm doing it because I found my niche where I seem to know more than the average guy/competition. I have 14 years experience and had au$50k saved up as capital before cosidering taking the plunge though.
The other reason why I'm doing it is because I was going to quit my job anyway to work in another field beside light commercial or domestic.
My plan is to try go fully out on my own, if it doesn't work I'll subcontract to a larger company, if that doesn't work I'll get a job in an area where I might learn something new, like heavy commercial or industrial.

I was stagnating and getting into a rut where I am now, like you are. I'm not learning much and not having a good time. So I'm either going to make some serious cash by myself or go back on wages somewhere new to learn something.

[get the gauges]

NEVER sell for credit work with cash up front or after comissioning.
God luck!

Problem is that not many end user customers will trust enough to pay on completion.And who can blame them,if someone did an install for you would you pay them before they left,what if something went wrong a comp seized due to oil leak for instance and you had already paid them, it might be a nightmare to get them back,if they hadn't been paid they'd be round the next day with a gleaming new comp.

[paul_h]

It's a two way street. Sure they're not going to trust me enough to pay me before I do the job, but I'm not going to trust them enough to pay me it I don't leave with payment on the day of completion.
If they with hold payment when the job is done, I'm not likely to go back ever, because they can decide to not pay you for x amount of time, or ever for some made up reason that you owe them some kind of compensation for inconvenience.
The senario you outlined is ridiculous to me, when are they supposed to pay? 5 years down the track when the warranty runs out? Are they supposed to not pay you just to keep you as their personal mechanic living in your van on their driveway, hoping that one day, you'll be paid?

edit: Don't be a walk over, when dealing with one off customers, always leave with payment. Your supermarket, bar, doctor etc demands payment that day. No one tries the "I might not like the food or beer, or I might get sick again" excuse.

[anesti]

Hi airconboy....
if you leave your present job to work by yourself,you can't do anything working only as an air condition instaler...becouse the source of work in this case can only be find in big companies(that trade air conditioners)which usually employe poorly paid young technicians. In order to enter the market as a specialist you have to be well qualified as a refrigerator,electrician,and also working with a competitive price in the market.You are only an installer(mounter)so it is impossible to get ahead by yourself in the nowadays market!BUT you are fortunate to be young and willing to learn,so you should attend courses to get specialised as a technician,refrigerator and electrician.In this way you'll get a certificate as well,that will demonstrate in front of all your qualification.....good luck

[get the gauges]

The senario you outlined is ridiculous to me,



Thanks,nice to meet you.

[expat]

Airconboy, I expect everyone here has been where you are right now, and you probably don't want to hear it but you've got to hang in there.

Heading out on your own requires a lot of experience in different fields as anesti said. The manufacturers are doing their up most to make a/c units easy to install for the DIY guy in order to improve their sales. So if all you know is how to install and do simple repairs then your neighbour is your competitor for that (and he doesn't pay taxes on weekend work).

Get the gauges comments about a nice and fluffy place you're in,... you are! Imagine the last three quotes you over priced and were subsequently not accepted. Add to this a tax or insurance bill coming in and you don't have enough money to pay. Then a customer from a job you did six months ago wants you fixing something under guarantee and you're not sure how you're going to do that. Now you're in a world of fear.

I'm not saying you can't do it, you can I'm sure. Just be aware of the pit falls.

Paul H sounds like a get up and go guy but remember he has sixteen years experience and probably got a lot of useful contacts on the way. Which brings me to Nike 123's suggestion about a strategic partner. He's saying you need a guaranteed source of work to start with.

[LRAC]

Members have been giving you good advice so far, but the reality is i have hundreds of introduction letters per month asking if we need pipe bashers for installs.

From my point of view we keep all of the jobs in house using fully trained engineers who can multi task on service and installs + i know they get done properly, i'm not saying your no good but these days theres a lot of legislation in our trade, + at the end of the job i know my guys can commission correctly and rectify any faults found.

Do yourself a favour and learn the trade properly you'll be worth more in the long run and feel better about the prospect of going it alone.

2008 may not be the year to try it out with the possibilty of a down turn in the economy???????

Money is not everything but worry is, and boy will you worry. Can i pay the mortgage/suppliers etc.