How long to get a business up and running

[Clark]

How long in your experience has it took to get your business up and running, with work most days of the week a earning what you would if you were employed.

 

As for me going okay, not done much advertising but getting 1 or 2 jobs every Weekend now for a year and some during the week. Just waiting for the right time to go alone full time.

[JimM]

To where I want to be, 3 years.

Spent all the first 2 building up vehicles and kit, so posting a loss. Third year was slow increase to profit and small wage into the household.

However.... I started after 25 years in the RAF, so had a gratuity and pension that I could invest heavily. And a working wife to relieve the financial strain.

I know how lucky I am starting a second career in this with the right tools. Goodness knows how all those who start from an early age manage to progress. Hard grafting, that's for sure.

[hamdogg]

How long in your experience has it took to get your business up and running, with work most days of the week a earning what you would if you were employed.

 

As for me going okay, not done much advertising but getting 1 or 2 jobs every Weekend now for a year and some during the week. Just waiting for the right time to go alone full time.

 

 

I'm same as you really, I subby during week about 3 - 4 days then a couple for myself, want to to go full time for myself really! I'm lucky I saved from an urly age and grafted every chance I got, which meant I could buy my gear without finance!!

[IVECOKID]

All depends if you are willing to diversify,I cover fencing,mini digger hire but cutting grass is my main income 5days a week and tree work kicks in now.

Having plenty of grass cutting has brought the tree work in.

 

Just tree work alone is not a option for me has every you look by me there is a van and chipper in tow,also over run with the travelling cutters !

 

Ste

[hamdogg]

All depends if you are willing to diversify,I cover fencing,mini digger hire but cutting grass is my main income 5days a week and tree work kicks in now.

Having plenty of grass cutting has brought the tree work in.

 

Just tree work alone is not a option for me has every you look by me there is a van and chipper in tow,also over run with the travelling cutters !

 

Ste

 

 

Think I might look into grass cutting next summer! It's just knowing to how to price it!

[IVECOKID]

Think I might look into grass cutting next summer! It's just knowing to how to price it!

 

Grass cutting is easy to price ,volume is the key and look at all the little jobs has one job .

 

I can earn more with little postage grass lawns has I am in and out in tens mins on to next one ,get half dozen in a road together and you are laughing .

 

Don't price hourly , job and finish is the secret to lawns and don't pick a garden with huge borders , you can never get the money for them and the retired pen pushers like them too top up there pension pots .

 

Gardens that just need a quick strim round the outside then mow , then it's my names GOF AND I AM OFF ..

when you are established you leave most of the large pruning/shaping jobs too end off season and use mower to clean up leafs weather permitting and you can drag job out till just before Xmas.

 

 

 

Ste

Edited October 22, 2014 by IVECOKID

[IVECOKID]

Grass cutting is easy to price ,volume is the key and look at all the little jobs has one job .

 

I can earn more with little postage grass lawns has I am in and out in tens mins on to next one ,get half dozen in a road together and you are laughing .

 

Don't price hourly , job and finish is the secret to lawns and don't pick a garden with huge borders , you can never get the money for them and the retired pen pushers like them too top up there pension pots .

 

Gardens that just need a quick strim round the outside then mow , then it's my names GOF AND I AM OFF ..

when you are established you leave most of the large pruning/shaping jobs too end off season and use mower to clean up leafs weather permitting and you can drag job out till just before Xmas.

.................................................................................................

Almost forgot....always turn up same day similar time and fortnightly,you will then keep yourself busy and fit tree work in to .

 

Once you have trust you will get all the tree work then ,a lot of folk have been put off tree work by the cold callers .

 

Bread and butter jobs are worth more than chasing big priced jobs .

 

Ste

Edited October 22, 2014 by IVECOKID

[Andrew Gale]

I don't think there's ever a correct time to go it alone; it happens when it happens.

 

I was working for a tree firm 5 days a week and doing my stuff at weekends; this went on for about 8 months before I couldn't justify the stupidly long hours I was doing so I left the tree firm and did my own thing.

 

The important thing is to have a game plan; what, when, where and how. Write it down and stick to it as best you can (although this will fluctuate with local conditions etc)

 

I did fencing to mop up quieter times but concentrated on the tree work as my main area; 18 years later and we're busy, busy.

[simonm]

It's took me just short of 3 years to build the business up enough to go full time, worked every weekend for 18 months, was not, is not easy to do. We also do quite a bit of fencing what helps fill the gaps up lots.

[Wolfie]

I was sacked by my old employer for doing my own weekend work and having a free one line advert in YP (i'm sure that it wasn't noted as a sackable offence in my contract but i think that he was running low on work).

I was lucky as my dad had been a s/e tree surgeon for about 40 years so he passed on some smaller jobs to keep me ticking over.

Within 3 months i'd built up full weeks of work of my own.

Within a year i took on my first employee. Built up tools over two years (including a chipper).

Went VAT registered after about 2,1/2 years.

Spent 10 years upping my day rate to a reasonable level from the stupid amount that I initially started at.