Clearview National October 2019 - Issue 215 | Page 81

INSTALLERSUPPORT
master and obey these regulations and some
require formal qualifications. Ignoring them,
particularly for gas, can and does lead to
prison terms.
THE PROBLEM OF THE NATIONALS
I was recently near Bideford in North
Devon and suffered a flat tyre on the boat
trailer that I was towing. Searching the
internet for “Bideford breakdown”, the top
result is the AA. As it turned out, I bumped
into a local breakdown specialist and without
any waiting, they sorted the problem out
very quickly for £25. If it wasn’t for my good
fortune, I would have called out a national,
and probably waited several hours plus paid
through the nose.
This illustrates the problem for any local
trade company that get work some from
emergency callouts, like locksmiths. When
people search online, they will often end up
with an expensive and sub-optimal result.
Taking services from trade-oriented
technology companies may help to tackle the
issue of large rivals using computer technology
to target your prospects and customers.
SYSTEMS
There are now a good selection of apps
and full systems that can help you to run
your business. These, including those from
my company Powered Now, are well worth
investigating as they can save a lot of time and
help guide you down the right path in terms
of invoicing and keeping records.
TRUSTED TRADER, MY
BUILDER, RATED PEOPLE
AND CHECKATRADE
If you want to grow, there are a number
of companies that purport to help you.
These include Trusted Trader, My Builder,
Rated People and Checkatrade. They may be
particularly useful when you start out. The
problem is that you can’t get business through
them without some existing reviews, but
you can’t get the reviews until you get some
business.
All of them are commercial organisations
and charge for their services. They will provide
you with an online presence which can
help counteract the heavy advertising of the
nationals.
‘There are big
advantages, but there is
a price to pay in effort
and responsibility too’
IN SUMMARY
In deciding on whether to take the plunge
to become self-employed, it’s important to
be clear on what you want to achieve. There
are big advantages, but there is a price to pay
in effort and responsibility too. Many people
make a success of their own business, but there
are also plenty of people who find it stressful
and get their fingers burnt. Key points are
quality of work and charging enough. All of
the best.
About the author
Benjamin Dyer is CEO and co-founder of
Powered Now. Powered Now’s mobile apps
aim to make it easier for installers, locksmiths
and other trades to run their businesses.
www.powerednow.com
C L E A RV I E W-U K . C O M » O C T 2019 » 81