Going solo as an electrician? Here’s what you need to know
Posted by: electime 1st May 2019
Being trained as an electrician will give you a set of skills that make you uniquely qualified to become self-employed. Not only could you be invaluable for domestic electrical problems, but you could also find work across a diverse range of industries. While going solo could forge a unique career path, it does also mean that the direction of your business is solely down to your expertise and direction.
Get insurance
Being self-employed can be a liberating feeling in terms of the freedom it gives you to work on your own terms. However, when it comes to accidents, it can be devastating on your income – whether that accident affects you physically or financially. Getting insurance for practicing tradesman, from a small business focused supplier such as Hiscox UK, can mean the difference between losing all your income to legal costs and having the security of being completely covered in the event of a claim.
Word of mouth is invaluable
If you have domestic clients or work in an industry within a specific town, word of mouth is incredibly useful. To ensure that your clients have nothing but good words to say about you, it’s wise to ensure that your customer service is impeccable. Even if you’re only popping round to fix someone’s electrical shower, be sure to be polite and personable. It’s sometimes advised that you service friends and family first to help spread the word and get some freelancing experience under your belt. Remember to ask clients to leave you a review on your social media business pages as this will help to get you seen by other members of your local community.
Don’t be invisible
While word of mouth is fundamental, it’s not everything when it comes to promotion. If you are planning on being an electrical contractor, you will want to have a website that looks professional to reflect your quality of service. There are online website builders such as Wix, which enable you to create your website without the need to shell out for a web developer. A website is also crucial for location – putting the area you cover on your website means that people searching for an electrician in their area will be able to find you.
Get some accounting skills
You may find that, while your hours are flexible, you end up doing your fair share of overtime. This can be great for your income, but you might discover that some of that overtime is spent doing admin. When you become self-employed, you’ll find that you are your own accountant, which means you set your rates and are responsible for logging your hours. Taking an online or evening course are two of the best ways to learn some accounting skills without the stress of taking time off to become educated. You don’t need to be a qualified accountant to have the necessary knowledge.
Being a freelance electrician can be an incredibly rewarding job: your skills will only continue to expand and grow as you experience new and exciting sectors that require your expertise. Being fully prepared before you step into this realm is one of the best steps you can take to make sure you start your sole trader career with success.
