grantc Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Hi folks. It has always been in the back of my mind to eventually start up on my own. My question is, is it possible to remain a small one man business in this line of work and get enough maintenance contracts to have a comfortable income and keep it that way? Or am I dreaming? Are any of you running a one man business? Grant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al-yeti Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 4 hours ago, grantc said: Hi folks. It has always been in the back of my mind to eventually start up on my own. My question is, is it possible to remain a small one man business in this line of work and get enough maintenance contracts to have a comfortable income and keep it that way? Or am I dreaming? Are any of you running a one man business? Grant Dreaming Make sure you get plenty of work CCTV Access Intruder Bit of plumbing on the side? But I hear returns better money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantc Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 7 hours ago, al-yeti said: Dreaming Make sure you get plenty of work CCTV Access Intruder Bit of plumbing on the side? But I hear returns better money I'd be doing CCTV, intruder, fire and door access. Why isn't it possible? Do you run you own company? I'd start out with my van/tools all paid for and wife's wage would be able to get us by untill I built the company up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al-yeti Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 33 minutes ago, grantc said: I'd be doing CCTV, intruder, fire and door access. Why isn't it possible? Do you run you own company? I'd start out with my van/tools all paid for and wife's wage would be able to get us by untill I built the company up a bit. How old are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amps Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 It would be sooooo boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixwheeledbeast Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Nothing is impossible if you have the determination to do it. Every business has to start from somewhere. Expecting to start from scratch is a huge ask, I assume you have in the pipeline enough regular work to keep you busy for the future? I also expect you have enough experience being employed in the industry to understand it's workings from both an installer and administration side? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantc Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 I'm 33, been in the trade 11 years. All my experience has been out in the field installing, commissioning and maintaining. It's not something I'd be jumping into tomorrow, I'd do plenty research on the admin side before going ahead. Where I stay there isn't a local security company, there are companies from surrounding areas that take care of things. Why do you say it would be boring? I'd take on an apprentice/labourer if needed and could afford to but have no desire for a large company with a team of employees - I've seen what goes on lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.wilson Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 most fail Imo no reason it won't work but you would be on call 247 365 with only a handful of contracts Quote securitywarehouse Security Supplies from Security Warehouse Trade Members please contact us for your TSI vetted trade discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantc Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 I'd be happy with a few hundred contracts to cover my costs and a half decent wage. Call shift would be a bit of a bummer but easier than where I am now if systems serviced properly. Most of our calls are due to **** servicing or customer not properly trained on resetting their system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.wilson Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 how long do you think a few hundred contracts that renew will take you to build? Quote securitywarehouse Security Supplies from Security Warehouse Trade Members please contact us for your TSI vetted trade discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantc Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 A long time.... years, I'm aware of that. I know it won't be easy to get established but I'm not scared of a bit of graft. How have you all done it? Did you buy an existing company or start out from scratch? I'd target businesses I know locally to takeover their systems alongside installing new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.wilson Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 I would think most started up. But people tend to do this on price, ie ill do it cheaper etc which just reduces margin. I knew of a firm that were charging £28 a year for monitoring digi. No longer around Quote securitywarehouse Security Supplies from Security Warehouse Trade Members please contact us for your TSI vetted trade discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantc Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 That's just plain stupid doing it that cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 2 hours ago, grantc said: I'd target businesses I know locally to takeover their systems alongside installing new. Taking on other systems reduces your quality as a general rule, so get ready for those call outs. 1 Quote Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixwheeledbeast Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Under cutting to get business only leaves you open to someone doing the same down the road. Customers that want a good job by a skilled tradesmen are out there but you won't find many by under cutting and taking over other peoples tat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.wilson Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 5 hours ago, grantc said: That's just plain stupid doing it that cheap Unfortunately making a profit and surviving seems a bad idea to some. But its the clients that loose out. Sia have just saved a fair few as the installer hadn't paid the monitoring bill for a fair while. Quote securitywarehouse Security Supplies from Security Warehouse Trade Members please contact us for your TSI vetted trade discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 It sounds idillic couple of hundred contracts just pop around and do the service once a year collect fee. You could buy a small co and set yourself up, I nearly did just what you are thinking about. I ended up buying something much bigger, but I often wonder where I would be now if I had gone down the one man band route. I turn over about 20 contracts a month and gain about 2 a month, sometimes I lose much bigger contracts than the ones I gain though. On a smaller percentage I dont know if I would have been able to survive if I was losing contracts on the same scale and not been able to replace them with new installs. You could always consider a business partner that installs. But dont make the mistake of under cutting the competition, you will only be selling yourself short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHappy Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 10 hours ago, grantc said: but have no desire for a large company with a team of employees - I've seen what goes on lol. you can't really be a proper alarm co. without a team. do you really want to deal with the day 2 day shit of being an alarm co. ? My top tip is to trade under a name which does no define what you do- so no to Grant Alarms or Grant Fire & Security maybe to The Eddie Grant Group or Purple Pelican Ltd Good luck Quote Mr Veritas God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al-yeti Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 2 hours ago, MrHappy said: you can't really be a proper alarm co. without a team. do you really want to deal with the day 2 day **** of being an alarm co. ? My top tip is to trade under a name which does no define what you do- so no to Grant Alarms or Grant Fire & Security maybe to The Eddie Grant Group or Purple Pelican Ltd Good luck Then do a bathroom refurb on side 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantc Posted September 26, 2018 Author Share Posted September 26, 2018 Thanks for all the wisdom, definitely food for thought. Reasons for not wanting a big team of guys is Ihacr worked for a few co's, some big some small. Nobody seems to take on apprentices and train them properly hence the guys on offer are **** and inexperienced. I've seen guys taking the piss with times on jobs and stealing stock, basically bleeding the company dry. I don't want that happening to me. The guys who are good have all started up themselves, even some of the not so good. Im certain I could run the company I work for better that the owners, but it's getting the customers in the first place. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeC Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 Hi Mate, I may be able to help. Give me a call. Quote Fox Alarm CCTV & Access Systems - www.foxalarm.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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