A small but proper job

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A small but proper job
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Downsizer Forum Index -> Small Business Questions, Ideas and Advice

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OtleyLad

Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 3:00 pm Post subject: A small but proper job
Having spent over £100 advertising my new electrcian business (local rag, shop windows, etc) I heard nothing for over 3 weeks I was beginning to think I'd never get any work and the £6000 course/tools/etc were looking like a waste of money. Then the phone goes. A job at last. OK its only replacing someone's lights - but its a start. Now I feel useful again

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 3:07 pm Post subject:
Congratulations. Probably good to start with some small, straightforward jobs anyway.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 3:24 pm Post subject:
And once you do a good job people will start recommending you to their friends.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 3:27 pm Post subject:
Word of mouth really is the best advertising.

Somewhere-by-the-river

Joined: 16 Sep 2013
Posts: 56
Location: West Wales

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 3:28 pm Post subject:
Every avalanche starts with a pebble

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 3:31 pm Post subject:
Congratulations, well done!

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 4:03 pm Post subject:
Well done. Down here we stopped advertising in the paper and only advertise in the parish mags - we get LOADS of buisness from them and our customers keep coming back. Word of mouth is the very best advertising. Whenever we finish a job we give them a couple of cards - one for them, one for a friend.

mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 5:12 pm Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

Well done.

Down here we stopped advertising in the paper and only advertise in the parish mags - we get LOADS of buisness from them and our customers keep coming back.
Word of mouth is the very best advertising. Whenever we finish a job we give them a couple of cards - one for them, one for a friend.

yep, this works well

& congratulations

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 6:13 pm Post subject:

It's the same with any small business, don't worry about that - you'll spend a lot of money on something and nothing will come in for weeks while you worry about paying it off. You scrape by and then the work starts coming in all at once, in amounts that you can't handle, so despite working all hours you can't keep up and have to turn some of it down. You then invest in something expensive to help you handle the workload more efficiently and that is the trigger for the enquiries to dry up, and after a few days of doing nothing you start to think about the work you'd turned down, wishing some more would come in...

It's worth it in the end, but you need nerves of steel and a little bit of faith.

Bodrighy

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 2157
Location: Near Devizes

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 6:38 pm Post subject:
First of many. Lots of people are using the small one man businesses now as they are more reliable No doubt this is going to be the first of many for you as your skill and expertise gets spread around. Pete

OtleyLad

Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 7:29 pm Post subject:
Thanks for all the great encouragement - you're very kind.

DorsetScott

Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 500
Location: Bournemouth

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 13 8:23 pm Post subject:
Nicely done OL!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15950

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 13 7:09 am Post subject:
Congratulations. Finding the right place to advertise is one part of it and doing a good job is another. We have given up with our local free journal this year as so much is coming in from our web site. Rather pleased as son did it all.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 13 9:10 am Post subject:
Actually, have to agree with Rob. When we started garden machinery repairs it was very hit and miss (although I got toons of jobs done rounds the house), and then it just mushroomed. Two years ago we were busy from march through till June. Now, we are busy all year with a couple of weeks just before Christmas when its quiet. .........and my list of chores and things to do just never gets done.

SandraR

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 2346
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 13 10:25 am Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

Sums self employment up precisely. Good luck - well done, the 1st of many

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