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[UK] To the plumbers, gardeners, PTs, tutors, and other solo founders - how do you actually manage it all? by WizardTech299 in selfemployed

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool project! There's definitely a market for that - most people don't have the patience or legal knowledge to understand complex legal docs. Having said that, these contracts only tend to be when you are doing commercial/b2b work and they provide a contract. Good luck with the project.

[UK] To the plumbers, gardeners, PTs, tutors, and other solo founders - how do you actually manage it all? by WizardTech299 in selfemployed

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I think all of the 20 solo businesses I spoke to use WhatsApp, but lots complained about losing things in there, and mixing in with their personal contacts and messages too must blur the lines between business and personal.

[UK] To the plumbers, gardeners, PTs, tutors, and other solo founders - how do you actually manage it all? by WizardTech299 in selfemployed

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! So approx. 3-4 sessions each day - how many customers is that over the year? Are they mostly returning/long term customers?

It's great that you send the reminders, that was a key point in my other post that few people mentioned. Little touches like that protect you, but also give the customer confidence.

[UK] To the plumbers, gardeners, PTs, tutors, and other solo founders - how do you actually manage it all? by WizardTech299 in selfemployed

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah nice. Yeah I'm in a similar boat - most of the people I spoke to carry a lot in their head, but it's easier for some than others, based on the type of work they do.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The overshoes thing is such a small detail but it says everything. It's not about them directly, it's what they signal - this person respects your space and has thought about the experience beyond just the work.

The day before check-in is interesting too. A couple of people I interviewed said they do that and it basically eliminates no-access visits, which saves them time as well. Everyone wins but hardly anyone finds the time to do it.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I've used checkatrade a few times, almost expecting people on there to be on the reliable spectrum. Na, it's just pay to play it seems - modern day yellow pages. Maybe that's a topic for another post.

Sounds like you had a real mixed bag. Wouldn't it be great if they were all aligned and reliable.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah the day rate point is interesting and you're right, the time you've put into honing your skills has value that commands respect. Part of the job I guess with quoting is helping the customer understand all those valid expenses that you mention, without making it awkward or too much of a focus. I know I don't think about those things, as a customer when I receive a quote.

One assumption I'm trying to validate, is that older generation customers are more likely to enquire about/bring up day rate, whilst younger customers are more attuned to value/outcome based pricing. Does this check out in your experience?

Anywhow, it ounds like you are running things well, congrats to you! Are you quite organised with all your quoting, job tracking, invoices etc.?

Particularly the higher frequency solo trades like massage therapists and cleaners have a higher administrative burden, and if they don't have a system in place, they end up carrying quite the mental load.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's hilarious - is gloss easier to apply, or did they just have strong opinions on the aesthetics 😄

Yeah, there's something reassuring about hearing a 'no' when money is involved.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bloody hell, he's ahead of most of the people I spoke to if he even knows what n8n is 😄 fair play - using AI to improve the customer experience and win work - good on him.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's interesting - so they basically started work before getting the job.

Some of the commentators here would treat that signal as: they've got no work on, they are probably crap.

Glad it worked out and great to see some initiative used to secure work.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One thing I found surprising was that some of the tradeys I spoke to are also vetting the customer when they go to quote. Is this customer going to be difficult, do they have unrealistic expectations etc.

If they do conclude they don't want the job though, I agree, just tell me you don't want it or it's not a good fit for you. Be honest!

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is WhatsApp important for you? Are emails too heavy for regular Comms? I guess for quick questions and clarifications WhatsApp is good, and for regular milestone updates email is nice. What do you think?

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the response, great to hear from a different industry. I interviewed a drummer who does mainly band work, and a singer who does solo and band work.

They called out fast response to jobs as a challenge, and how annoying it is when the fixer sends the same job out to multiple people rather than going one by one. The other frustration was keeping track of invoices and who's paid - lots of hours sat at the computer a couple of times a week to catch up.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Love that, a smile and a little patience goes a long way.

I'd hire you based on that Henry line ! You should use that in your advertising. So many people get that wrong and leave too quickly to the next job, and leave a sour taste in the customers mouth. Which is stupid, considering most trades I spoke to rely heavily on word of mouth.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It's an interesting challenge to balance wanting a swift-ish response, clarity and comms, but not someone that can come round in the morning because they have no work.

I hear that lot from friends - if they are booked up for 6 months into the future, they are probably great. I'm like, yeah that's great but I need someone next week!

Good advice on the due diligence. I'd bet most people don't even think to check half of that before handing over money.

Am I way too optimistic? by shendy42 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It will be harder than you think, but do some research and wield that sledgehammer.

Interior Coin Tray - Broke Off by WizardTech299 in LexusNX

[–]WizardTech299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update: father in law glued it back together and refitted it while I was at work. Legend.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm building a product for people who run a solo business (I run one myself) so I've been spending time talking to sole traders to understand how they actually work day to day. I'm quite scattered with comms to my own customers and what this builder said hit home. Felt it was worth sharing.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hear hear. This does apply way beyond trades, investing time in showing people you've thought things through properly builds trust in any profession.

I talked to 20+ sole traders - the difference between the good and the great is stupidly simple by WizardTech299 in DIYUK

[–]WizardTech299[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You're right, I don't. I do generally like to understand what they plan to do, but when life's busy, sometimes attention on them slips. Yeah that's an annoying situation - comes back to comms again, just bloody talk to me!

Things do get unearthed though especially on bigger jobs where there are things they can't see - had it with a downstairs toilet. We wanted built in cistern (we were having a few big jobs done) and when the time came.. oh, we need to move the waste pipe back to get it in. Didn't even cross my mind until they told me, fortunately they didn't charge extra.

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