Just wondering, has anyone on here done a course and then gone straight into self emploment with just the skills learnt on the course? Anyone managed to make a success of it? What about people who do a course and then cant find work? Or wat about people who do a course and then start work for someone else?
Just trying to get a better picture of where we are all coming from. I know there are some people who will use this as an opportunity to slate tilers with limited experience, but please resist.
Will
That's all opinion mate. If you want to be a tiler, doing a course is a small part of it. I know good tilers that just have read enough and practised enough to be equal to those who slate new tilers. There are actually enough tech specs and guides around in the UK product-wise to probably make a good start without a course. All a course does is give you a good push. I know people who have gone college and then still felt that a course would help them.
You want to get a good feel for it before you do anything. So get some tiles and
tile something at home, even if it's just some MDF in the garage. Then if you think you are up for it. Do a course, get your name around your family and they'll jump at the chance for some trade-priced tiles and free tiling work somewhere.
As for the business side of things. The skill of tiling is a small part of actually running a reputable tiling firm, even if there's only yourself as the employee. Accountants can help with the books, banks can help with finance, there's funds available for some new businesses, and things like business-link or business-initiative are government funded organisation that provide all sorts of backup for your business.
The hardest thing to do is get customers. And it's pretty much only this problem that will finish your company. So start right at the beginning. Tell everybody that you're doing a course, stick an ad in the local rag as soon as you can and get some calls coming in. The course will help you with a format for quoting and visiting customers etc. Get cards in your local shops, call related tradesmen like plumbers etc and tell them you'll send them plumbing work if they send you the tiling, and do so. (that's I think Leatherface's trump card, not my own
)
If you've done a course and you advertise and then you seem to be sitting by the phone waiting, you're probably not going to run too well. It isn't just a course and an advert and you're away, far from it.
There are people on here who will tell you that they have done really well, and there are some that will say it sucks, but the difference usually isn't the area they are in, or the route they took to get there, it's normally just the type of person you are.
You need to think of unique ways to get the business coming in, and make your services slightly different to your competition, and try to make the customer choose you for a reason that is NOT just price and speed and whatever.
Short answer: It can be done, but you need to get your head stuck in it, like with anything.
Apparently, a businesses first year isn't usually profitable, but if it survives that year, you're laughing. Now I know guys that have done a course (but had a bit of experience perhaps) and have made profit from their first job to their current. But I also know guys that have just seen estimated wages in their heads and have just gone for it for the cash and have ended up stuck in a rut with the mortgage to pay etc etc.
Good luck, stick around, there are guys on here that can and will help. Just shout if you get stuck with ANY aspect of your tiling life and we'll do what we can to help mate.
