For the lucky few, the knack for DIY seems to come naturally. Once the word spreads of your skills, you might come to find that you have a queue of family, friends and even friends of friends asking you to share them. A bit of roofing here, a bit of carpet fitting there – before you know it, you’re earning quite a bit of extra money.
So, why not utilise your DIY skills and turn it into your full-time job? Turning your skill set into a business can be quite daunting, but with these few steps you’ll be on the right track towards building your very own firm from the ground up.
Refine your skills and services
It’s easy to dabble in an array of skill sets when completing DIY jobs for friends and family. However, when turning this into a business, you’ll need to make sure that every detail is structured and thought out to ensure long-term success and profit.
As a chef would refine their menu, you need to refine a list of skills and services that you can offer your clients. This will help when it comes to pricing your services, building your team, budgeting and even negotiating with customers.
Analyse your competition
There’s no harm in having an innocent peek at what some of your competitors might be doing. From scoping out large construction firms to analysing your local competition, this is an easy way to see how those who have been trading for a while are succeeding and where you could do things better.
This can also help you get a realistic outlook of what your own firm will be up against, which can help you formulate an efficient business plan – one that tackles potential hurdles even before you reach them.
Kickstart your branding and marketing
Whatever the industry, no official business is without a logo or an online presence. Both are important, especially logos, as they help customers to identify your company amongst others. Most importantly, they be implemented onto signage, business cards and even company vehicles.
When it comes to an online presence, creating a professional lead-generation website and active social media accounts can help spread the word of your company and its services, widening your reach to potential customers.
Explore safety, security, and industry regulations
When setting up any company, it must be fully compliant in the eyes of the law. To do this, you must complete admin that registers your business as either a sole trader, limited company or a partnership to give your new company that official stamp of approval. For building and construction firms especially, you’ll want to explore the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) to ensure that your company is adhering to the right rules, regulations, and tax specifications.
As a small business owner, you should also prioritise looking into what you can do to keep yourself and your business safe. This might include seeking professional business management advice to ensure your new company’s longevity. It’s also vital to make sure that you’re fully insured and equipped to work safely and efficiently.
If you ever decide to make the leap from ‘DIY-er next door’ to a fully formed building firm, take these crucial steps so you can hit the ground running and efficiently transform your skills into a booming new business.