tough decision

[Fekin]

Aye, good luck Dick

 

[Raja]

Hi all, i have an interveiw later today as i am pondering on locking the van for good. I know this is a hard time of year with people hanging onto thier cash.
I am still a newbie too tiling, started in august after doing a month course at pts,
even though my reserch was very thourgh into all the pro and cons, and competition ect, my marketing has been very full on with regards to ads, plumbers plasterers ect i keep getting knock back after knock back.
one thing is that where i live people are working for 50-90 quid a day.
the one thing that you cant by or train is speed. it only comes with time. jobs that these other guys can do for that money may take them a few days-where as it would take me a few days more, this is why they can do the work for such little amounts of money.

I have had one full bathroom this year, the customer was very pleased with the job, i have had 6 quotes in but turned down on all but one, had a promise of 3 bathrooms from a pumber, day before starting he phoned to say his mate is doing them..........good luck to all newbies, one thing i found was a lot of tilers in the villages that dont advertise......they dont need to because they get all there work from local builders whom they are good pals.breaking into these circles is very difficult. dont want to put any one of, but it is very hard going, with a mortgage one kid and another on the way.

Thats all folk........keep smiling and marketing :furious3:

Am very sorry to hear that mate know exactly how you feel after 6 years of tiling am considering locking the van up for good too. I have had alot of set backs my self but will say to to what a wise man said to me not long ago STICK WITH IT but supose i have less responsibilties than u with kid and mortgage. Take care pal all the best in which ever route u take

 

[simonb43]

Sorry to hear that you're packing it in full time, but if fully understand your reasons. There are simply too many tilers now, and everyone has different requirements with regards to earnings. Good luck for the future.

 

[tiler burden]

hi dick turpin

your marketing is not working mate , thats all....aim at the people with money!!

i disagree with getting in with plasterers and plumbers, they usually want to make money on you! thats wholesale, you need to get into the high end of the market, the porcelinosa's etc etc ...people with money want, quality, trust. dont try and catch every fish in the sea mate, it wont work.

get a job for now, get some regular dependable money coming in, then look at how you advertise, where you advertise. visit the high end bathroom and tile shops. put professional window displays in the best areas. look at how audi, jon lewis, etc advertise and word. less is more...then, after a few months when the scare of the credit crunch has settled down and summer is here, you'll pick up and take off from there!!

business is actually quite simple, we all just forget the basic principles some times. if your heart isnt in it, then i would get out for the sake of your health , sanity and family but if you get a buzz out of hard work, calculated risks and a bit of that fighting spirit then carry on but be intelligent. it wont happen over night but it will happen if you follow the laws of marketing and business..

know you product
know your customer
know you territory

so, get a job, go part time for now and take your time and find out where the money is!!

best of luck mate and whatever you decide, it will be the right decision, no lloking back ;0)

ed

 

[devonmark]

hi dick turpin

your marketing is not working mate , thats all....aim at the people with money!!

i disagree with getting in with plasterers and plumbers, they usually want to make money on you! thats wholesale, you need to get into the high end of the market, the porcelinosa's etc etc ...people with money want, quality, trust. dont try and catch every fish in the sea mate, it wont work.

get a job for now, get some regular dependable money coming in, then look at how you advertise, where you advertise. visit the high end bathroom and tile shops. put professional window displays in the best areas. look at how audi, jon lewis, etc advertise and word. less is more...then, after a few months when the scare of the credit crunch has settled down and summer is here, you'll pick up and take off from there!!

business is actually quite simple, we all just forget the basic principles some times. if your heart isnt in it, then i would get out for the sake of your health , sanity and family but if you get a buzz out of hard work, calculated risks and a bit of that fighting spirit then carry on but be intelligent. it wont happen over night but it will happen if you follow the laws of marketing and business..

know you product
know your customer
know you territory

so, get a job, go part time for now and take your time and find out where the money is!!

best of luck mate and whatever you decide, it will be the right decision, no lloking back ;0)

ed

Wise words Ed mate..Mark

 

[dick turpin]

wise words indeed ed,
I have been working in some very large and loaded houses, end of last year i finished a job large travetine, bull nose boarder dimond set 10*10 1 meter high all round the room then large format to the ceiling(8 ft high) i was called back there in jan to quote for large 900*600 35 m2 and fan shape mosaics on the floor 9 m2, the whole room needed to be plastered, gave the guy a number of a realy good plasterer i know, he used someone else whos mate was a tiler did the job for 700???????? how do you compete with that


thanks for all your words guys..........not selling my tools....no vultures pls lol

to answer your question tiler tom, i was a laboratory technicin doing chemical analysis.........7 yr.......not a geeeek though i have

cement chemistry

 

[IvegotsTILE]

Seems to be someone throwing in the towel every week on here at the moment:surrender: :sad_smile: ,I can totally understand though.I've only been going just under a year but I've had the odd crap month and I've got alot of outgoings each month.
Like Grumps said keep it up part time and it might work out in the long run

When you have as many tiling schools(I went to one before you say)with at least 10 new tilers coming out every week and many foreigners too the market soon becomes flooded,you've just got to make sure your better than the rest

 

[Alison]

Hi Dick,

Join the club, I also started in August last year but the work has been on and off, mostly off. So I have also been looking for full time work and have had a couple of interviews, as the bills are getting to high. So your not the only one, but after all the hard work it is a shame that it does not work out. Good luck on your job hunting. Alison

 

[DHTiling]

sorry to hear this alison...things will pick i,m sure......good luck all the same....

 

[GazTech]

Hi Dick,

Join the club, I also started in August last year but the work has been on and off, mostly off. So I have also been looking for full time work and have had a couple of interviews, as the bills are getting to high. So your not the only one, but after all the hard work it is a shame that it does not work out. Good luck on your job hunting. Alison

Best of luck to you Alison as well ....Gaz