Hi all.
I thought I would write a "year later report".
Things are going quite well, I have a good number of clients with regular referrals offered and repeat work off the same clients.
I obviously passed my NAPIT assessment and am about to renew but not with NAPIT, I've decided to with NIC/EIC as the name is recognised more readily by potential customers. Certain contracts that you can tender for will specify NIC as a "must have" so that's the reasoning behind that decision.
I've made a few mistakes along the way and I've learnt the hard way about trusting people to pay me!!
One particular client made me wait over 3 months to be paid a £3k bill! It was only the threat of legal action that finally saw the cash start to flow towards me. I'll never work for that particular client again regardless of the amount and value of the work offered.
I have learnt a HUGE amount in this one year than I've learnt in the last 10 years as everything is now on ME and my business so I need to know what I'm talking about although I have the ability to fluff my way through things at times.
Paperwork and book-keeping has really been a big eye opener and that is something I was not familiar with but now I'm starting to get to grips with it.
One thing I don't understand though, these you-tube electricians who post daily.........how do they find the time!! If I'm not on site, I'm at home doing paperwork so god knows how they fit all that in???
I sometimes sit and wonder, am I doing enough? I am working as hard as I need to? How are the other self employed lads getting on and are they swamped with work or struggling? Self doubt is horrible thing.
I have recently been looking into getting into the industrial side of things but I've no experience with motors/control panels/ aux circuits etc etc so I'm not sure how that will work?!?!?!
Anyhow, hope you're all doing ok.
Mike.