how to start a plastering business

How to go self employed and start a plastering business

Starting a Plastering business from scratch..

Are you tired of the 9-to-5 grind? Are you wondering how to start a plastering business? Do you have a passion for craftsmanship and a knack for transforming spaces? If so, becoming a self-employed plasterer might just be the perfect career move for you. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how to transition from working for someone else to working for yourself in the rewarding field of plastering.

The Plastering Advantage: 

Why Go Self-Employed?

Plastering is a timeless trade that's always in demand. From residential homes to commercial properties, there's no shortage of work for skilled plasterers. By going self-employed, you have the freedom to choose your clients, set your rates, and dictate your schedule. Plus, as your own boss, you'll reap the full rewards of your hard work.

Getting Started: Building Your Skill set

Before diving into self-employment, it's crucial to hone your craft and build a solid foundation of skills. Consider enrolling in a reputable plastering course or apprenticeship program to learn the ropes from seasoned professionals. Practice your techniques diligently, mastering everything from skimming to rendering, until you're confident in your abilities. Although you will learn much along the way when running your own plastering business, You will need a good level of experience and understanding of many different plastering materials and also different backgrounds before working for yourself so skill-up as much as possible before going out on your own as a self employed plasterer.

Planning for Success: Crafting Your Business Strategy

While starting a plastering business with no money may seem daunting, it's entirely possible with careful planning and determination. Begin by outlining your business goals and identifying your target market. Conduct thorough market research to assess the demand for plastering services in your area and identify potential competitors.

Next, decide on which business model will suit your lifestyle and income goals, outline your services, pricing structure, marketing strategies, and financial projections. This model will serve as your guide as you navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship and work towards building a successful plastering business.

Getting the Word Out: 

Marketing Your Services

With your business plan in hand, it's time to spread the word about your services and attract your first clients. Leverage the power of digital marketing by creating a professional website and establishing a presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Showcase your current and past projects, client testimonials, and credentials to build credibility and trust with potential customers. These are components we put a heavy focus on inside my coaching program for plasterers

Reputation is key to growing your client base as a self-employed plasterer. Attention should be on cultivating customer relationships and building your online reviews. Word-of-mouth referrals can be invaluable in generating leads and securing repeat business.

Managing Finances: 

Maximizing Profitability

While starting a plastering business with no money is feasible, it's essential to manage your finances wisely to ensure long-term success. Keep meticulous records of your income and expenses, and set aside funds for taxes, equipment upgrades, and emergency expenses. Inside my coaching program I show you step by step how to leverage free apps to track profit and business expenses. This is a crucial part of business running and should not be overlooked.

Better, not Bigger..

As your plastering business begins to create an income for you and your family, you may find yourself overwhelmed with work. One of the common pitfalls self employed plasterers can fall into is believing that scaling is the logical step forward. After all we all want to increase profit right? In Paul Jarvis's amazing book 'Company of one' he challenges the idea of scaling and explains how growing can often lead to burn out, less free time and a poor work life balance, becoming better not bigger is a much smarter business model for the free lance entrepreneur plasterer and Paul demonstrates a sustainable method in how to increase profit without taking on more staff, more debt and more stress.

To help lighten the load and expand your capacity for higher profit running in line with Paul Jarvis's book I recommend specialising in a specific niche area within the plastering trade. This allows you to earn more but work less. As you become busier instead of hiring staff you simply increase your prices until supply meets demand. Administrative tasks, such as invoicing and scheduling can be outsourced to smart apps which free up time for focusing on your craft and serving your clients. Automation is a key focus inside my coaching group 

Continuously seek opportunities for professional development and skill enhancement to stay ahead of the competition and adapt to changing industry trends. Whether it's attending workshops, earning certifications, or investing in new tools and technologies, never stop learning and evolving as a self-employed plasterer.

Conclusion

Embarking on the journey of self-employment as a plasterer requires dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to take risks. By honing your skills, crafting a solid business strategy, and leveraging effective marketing techniques, you can turn your passion for plastering into a thriving business venture. Remember, success doesn't happen overnight, but with hard work and determination, you can build a lucrative career and achieve your dreams of working for yourself in the rewarding field of plastering. 

Over the last 20 years I have been working as a self employed plasterer in the UK providing services for homeowners and businesses I have scaled up, scaled down and done everything in between to try and find the best working model for the self employed plasterer and today I help self employed plasterers to target specific jobs in their local area using the power of organic marketing.

I am proud to say that over the last 5 years I have helped over 500 plasterers to add payment terms, CRM systems, booking deposits, build websites and leverage video marketing to boost their sales and create a healthy work life balance and the feedback received from my members has been overwhelming much of which can be found on my community group Trowel Talk on facebook.

Do you need some help to get started?

To conclude I would like to invite you to join my community group Trowel Talk. You can do this simply by hitting the facebook icon below and applying for membership (it's free) My community group will give you an opportunity to see what i'm about and also connect with some of my members.

If you have recently gone self employed and want to learn how to build a simple free website for your business, learn how to add payment terms and systems into your business and most importantly learn how to bring in work off google for free then consider joining my coaching group where you will receive 1 to 1 support from myself during live video sessions, become part of a small group of plasterers all with a common goal and be encouraged and coached through your self employment journey each week. You will also get instant access to the Trowel Talk Toolbox, My training videos packed with easy to follow steps and screen shares showing you each step of the way to crush self employment and build a successful plastering business!