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Thanks for letting me join the forum!
I took my C&G 2360, 2391, 2381 (16th Edition) 15+ years ago, but electrics became peripheral to my business. I have (just) managed to keep my hand in over the years, mostly through light commercial installations, and the odd bit of helping my brother house-bashing (he's a proper sparks...apparently). Those jobs tend to end in a punch-up, but that's brothers for you, think along the lines of Liam and Noel Gallagher, haha.
Sadly, our present from Wuhan has stopped my business dead in its tracks, and there's no sign of being able to resume my "day job" anytime soon. So, after a bit of re-thinking, I've decided that I have no option but to change direction a little and do more electrical work.
Sorry, all you long-time sparkies, I'm sure you just love people like me popping up to snaffle work from you, and then having the gall to ask here how to do it! However, needs musts when the devil farts on your cornflakes.
So, getting stuck back in on the tools is tough, things I thought I knew turn out to be different. Things I used to know, I've forgotten. Totally. Or, take me a while to get the tools together, then longer while I put them back and go and get the correct ones. Or, even, I have to go out and buy the correct tools because the ones I thought I had have disappeared or weren't the correct tools anyway. Sheesh!
I've been wandering around with How-To guides like my testing prompt sheet. It was a long time ago that I slaved over that 2391, but not using the knowledge regularly means it's bloody hard work to get back up to speed. Maybe it's my age, but even something I did yesterday isn't easy to recall! Jobs that take you guys an hour will probably take me 4. It's coming back, but oh, so slowly. The worst thing is trying to shake off a customer so I can go somewhere private and consult the cheat sheet. Who would want a middle-aged electrician who apparently still needs a text book??!!
My main issues right now are:
1. Pricing. I simply cannot accurately estimate how long jobs will take, and that makes quoting really difficult. Kidding myself that it'll only take a couple of hours is one thing, but when I tell the customer 4 hours and it actually takes 2 days...
Experience isn't making things better either, I really do have a blank mind when asked "How long will it take?" How long's a piece of string?
I'm getting quicker, but time is money, and some of these jobs do drag on. Yet again, it might be my age, but it's bloody killing me working on my own, up and down, back and forth.
Worst of all is being told by customers "You need to put your prices up mate, you are far too cheap". Yeah, thanks for that.
2. Supplies. This feeds into the above point.
Once upon a time I would get a trade discount, I'd give the customer a price, and we'd go ahead or not.
Nowadays, I'm getting to the point where arguing with customers over how much stuff will cost them is a pain and I am not spending my time trying to beat E-bay or Screwfix prices for materials.
Worse still, after being told that they can get the same stuff cheaper, I go and find that it's true, and that certain wholesalers I've used for 25 years are slitting my throat. (Yes, CEF, I mean you).
I can't mess around all day looking to see who is cheapest for cable, then sockets etc. I want to walk in with my list, and be on my way to the job swiftly, knowing I will be getting the best price. I'd settle for a reasonable price. Getting a nasty surprise when the invoice drops and it's too late to throw the stuff back at them really grates.
Shopping around might seem a good idea, but if it takes 4 hours online, that saving has gone.
Ah, this is turning into a rant, not an intro, I think I'll leave it there...
Cheers!
I took my C&G 2360, 2391, 2381 (16th Edition) 15+ years ago, but electrics became peripheral to my business. I have (just) managed to keep my hand in over the years, mostly through light commercial installations, and the odd bit of helping my brother house-bashing (he's a proper sparks...apparently). Those jobs tend to end in a punch-up, but that's brothers for you, think along the lines of Liam and Noel Gallagher, haha.
Sadly, our present from Wuhan has stopped my business dead in its tracks, and there's no sign of being able to resume my "day job" anytime soon. So, after a bit of re-thinking, I've decided that I have no option but to change direction a little and do more electrical work.
Sorry, all you long-time sparkies, I'm sure you just love people like me popping up to snaffle work from you, and then having the gall to ask here how to do it! However, needs musts when the devil farts on your cornflakes.
So, getting stuck back in on the tools is tough, things I thought I knew turn out to be different. Things I used to know, I've forgotten. Totally. Or, take me a while to get the tools together, then longer while I put them back and go and get the correct ones. Or, even, I have to go out and buy the correct tools because the ones I thought I had have disappeared or weren't the correct tools anyway. Sheesh!
I've been wandering around with How-To guides like my testing prompt sheet. It was a long time ago that I slaved over that 2391, but not using the knowledge regularly means it's bloody hard work to get back up to speed. Maybe it's my age, but even something I did yesterday isn't easy to recall! Jobs that take you guys an hour will probably take me 4. It's coming back, but oh, so slowly. The worst thing is trying to shake off a customer so I can go somewhere private and consult the cheat sheet. Who would want a middle-aged electrician who apparently still needs a text book??!!
My main issues right now are:
1. Pricing. I simply cannot accurately estimate how long jobs will take, and that makes quoting really difficult. Kidding myself that it'll only take a couple of hours is one thing, but when I tell the customer 4 hours and it actually takes 2 days...
Experience isn't making things better either, I really do have a blank mind when asked "How long will it take?" How long's a piece of string?
I'm getting quicker, but time is money, and some of these jobs do drag on. Yet again, it might be my age, but it's bloody killing me working on my own, up and down, back and forth.
Worst of all is being told by customers "You need to put your prices up mate, you are far too cheap". Yeah, thanks for that.
2. Supplies. This feeds into the above point.
Once upon a time I would get a trade discount, I'd give the customer a price, and we'd go ahead or not.
Nowadays, I'm getting to the point where arguing with customers over how much stuff will cost them is a pain and I am not spending my time trying to beat E-bay or Screwfix prices for materials.
Worse still, after being told that they can get the same stuff cheaper, I go and find that it's true, and that certain wholesalers I've used for 25 years are slitting my throat. (Yes, CEF, I mean you).
I can't mess around all day looking to see who is cheapest for cable, then sockets etc. I want to walk in with my list, and be on my way to the job swiftly, knowing I will be getting the best price. I'd settle for a reasonable price. Getting a nasty surprise when the invoice drops and it's too late to throw the stuff back at them really grates.
Shopping around might seem a good idea, but if it takes 4 hours online, that saving has gone.
Ah, this is turning into a rant, not an intro, I think I'll leave it there...
Cheers!
