It is at this point in the year, now that the new tax year is underway, that we begin to reflect on business successes of the past year and set goals for further development. In addition to pondering the future, we often find ourselves reminiscing about the past and, in doing so, how we became plasterers in the first place.
Ten years ago, we were in completely different careers (one a bus driver and the other a lock smith) and we had never met. It was only in deciding to become plasterers that our paths crossed at building college and we have built what we have today.
Using our own personal experience, we have come up with 5 key tips to become a self-employed plasterer- just in case you fancy making the leap yourself.
5 Key Tips to Becoming a Self-employed Plasterer
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Go to college
Now here is a controversial one to start with. It is true that you can become a plasterer without having been to college and that many in the trade are not ‘qualified’ as such ; however, we met at building college and are continuously surprised at the number of occasions we draw on the knowledge gained there in jobs that come up even now. By going to college we learnt the basics, had opportunity to practise without ruining anybody’s home and developed a breadth of knowledge that has been useful time and again (when fitting or making coving or using wall coverings that are more specialised).
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Work with an experienced plasterer to begin with
Once you have a qualification in your hand, it is easy to feel that striking out on your own is the best move. In our experience, it worked well for us to work alongside others who had been in the trade for a while. College had given us great knowledge of the skills and techniques but these professionals had the street smarts: how to develop an efficient approach to jobs, calculating estimates and the practicality of managing a diary. This tip does come with a word of warning though….you are going to be the new boy/ girl. You are going to have to do the worst jobs. It is a fact. Stop moaning and suck it up. It won’t be forever.
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In fact, work with as many people as you can initially
We spent time working alongside a variety of professionals in the first few years of our business and we have learnt something from every single one. Sometimes you learn what not to do as well as what works well and we found this helped us to develop an idea of the ethos we wanted for our business and the way we wanted to work. Also, it helped us to build connections and network. Networking can never be undervalued- if you are short of work or so booked up you need a hand, these will be the people you can call.
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Invest in the right equipment
If you are going to be a professional plasterer, then treat yourself like a professional plasterer. In terms of equipment, the cheapest stuff just won’t cut it and you will end up having to replace it more regularly. For hand boards and trowels we tend to use Nela or Marshall Town though our personal preferences on individual ones are a bit different. With brushes, it is important to have a reasonable quality so that they do not shed bristles as you use them- we tend to use Harris brushes.
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Work hard to build a positive reputation
Central to our ethos is the belief in building and maintaining a positive reputation. We began by charging less to pick up work but worked hard to produce a high quality that led to word of mouth referrals and jobs with larger profit margins. We began by agreeing to do smaller fiddly patching jobs which may have only taken half days and these led to larger projects to work on over a number of weeks. If you are committed to your standard of work and leaving the site/ customer’s home clean, you are likely to get repeat business. We have found this to be the case for some customers even 5 or 6 years later.
Overall, we really enjoy the responsibility and flexibility that comes with self-employment. We are proud of what we have created and wish you well in your future work. Who knows? In years to come, we may be working alongside you. Good luck.