Housework and repairs we do on our own can become more than just an obligation. Some people find themselves fixing up homes as the act has a certain sense of satisfaction. Just remember how surprising before and after pictures of renovated apartments are, now imagine experiencing that change as well as being responsible for it. The same goes for roofing, fixing or replacing old roofs gives houses a new shine that’s easily noticeable. If you indulge in this sort of work at home there’s always a chance it can become a full-time job. To help you with starting a business in this industry we’ve compiled a useful guide to follow for a good start to your new profession.
1. Have a plan of operation
As with every business venture a proper business plan to get started. This encompasses several items that have to be covered. Let’s get started with your goals and plans on how to reach them.
It’s important to have certain milestones for your business that signify the points of growth. This can be presented in the form of yearly income, the number of employees, or size of your office. No matter what the goal is its importance stands. It will give you a point to work towards and additional motivation. Figuring out the exact way you’ll achieve it is where some brainstorming is in order. Additionally, goals can serve as guidelines for when to upgrade your business. Without a plan it is very likely you’ll get to a point where there are too many jobs, few workers, and not enough equipment to accommodate jobs being taken. Prevent it by planning ahead and keeping up with your businesses’ progress.
Another aspect that needs planning is the structure of your business and its policies. Make sure to devise a list of roles for your employees, even if you start with a few workers. This will help you evolve the business’ internal organization as funds accumulate without having to take additional time to elaborate or reconstruct it. The policies your company has are also important. They inform your workers about additional benefits and obligations present in the workplace. Any business-specific rules should also be noted with these policies.
2. Consult any nearby small businesses about starting off
Everybody makes mistakes when starting something, this is something we learn through school and our early jobs. It’s no different here, unless you already had experience with setting up and running a small business you’ll most likely make a lot of mistakes along the way.
The solution is the same as well, consult your seniors. More experienced business owners can impart important bits of knowledge to you. These can range from financial suggestions to client interaction tips. If there’s any small business-oriented organization in your community make sure to contact them for mentorship as well as networking. These can help you skip those clumsy learning steps, reducing the stress you’ll experience with the business overall. The best thing about consulting these groups is that even if their businesses have nothing to do with roofing you’ll get useful information for maintaining a business as their bits of advice are universal.
3. Figure out your business taxes and legal obligations
The next step is doing taxes and knowing your legal obligations. Make sure to get properly acquainted with all of them. Failing to adhere to obligations and proper taxation can cause a lot of legal issues to your company, hampering its operation.
These important bits of information can also be gathered through communicating with small businesses, as mentioned before, or by hiring an accountant. Consulting the professionals should still be your key priority when resolving this category as any mistake can be troublesome.
4. Make sure you’ve accounted for expenses
The least enjoyable part of any business is the expenses. This is additionally stressful when starting a business as unexpected additional costs feel like a gut punch every time they happen. To reduce the number of unplanned expenses make sure to revise all the necessary costs of your business when starting.
The obvious expenses such as employees and office space are always at the front of our mind but we should never forget other important items that contribute to cost. Equipment is one of the greatest expenses we can have makes it stick out just as well but there are still items in this category we forget. The best way to make sure you’ve all the equipment is to imagine what a regular roofing job you’d do would entail. Go through the steps in your head and on paper, crossing off any items you’ve already dedicated funds to and writing down ones you still haven’t purchased to a separate list. Once done, you should have a pretty good picture of your expenses. If a client causes additional expenses, which can include gas in case they are located far away from your office, make sure to account it into the expenses of the job itself.
5. Create a good marketing plan
It’s important to get the word out about your business even existing. There are plentiful ways to advertise oneself, especially with the presence of online marketing, so make sure to develop a marketing plan that fits your needs.
The marketing can be done through word of mouth as well so don’t be shy about mentioning your business around the community as that may get you a few jobs. This works exceptionally well if you live in tight-knit communities where word travels fast. Other ways to advertise yourself include business cards, flyers, having the name and contact number of the company on your car, and so on. Online presence is also important, especially if you are opening a business in a bigger city. In case you are interested in creating a website, it is useful to check out how other businesses’ sites look like. For roofing needs specifically taking notes and inspiration from the design of sites such as www.oahu-roofing.com should prove useful.
6. Network and interact with clients
This is an important part of any business engagement. Keeping in touch and properly acquainting yourself with the customers can net you additional jobs from both them and their friends.
Networking is the lifeblood of any business and will always stay relevant, especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy stream of engagement with the company. The newly made clients can also become active affiliates in some cases, expanding your business capabilities even further. Even outside of current customers, you can make connections with already existing small businesses that have a correlation with yours. Eventually, this will create a net of cooperation that will help everybody involved profit while increasing the convenience and engagement of their own business.
7. Upgrade your equipment
Keeping the tools and safety equipment updated is another category that can improve your overall quality of work. Worn-out equipment can break, causing damage to the work process or even your employees.
To stay at the top of your game we suggest frequently checking newly available tools as well as inspecting the ones you own. If they show signs of malfunction consider getting them serviced. The whole inventory should get sizeable upgrades as your business flourishes, improving overall effectiveness and safety. Make sure to adjust the cost of your services accordingly, a quicker and better job should be rewarded accordingly.
Final thoughts
Whether you are determined to start a business or not we hope these steps helped you get a better grasp on how your business should proceed. It is worth noting some of these steps are continuous, primarily the upgrading of equipment and networking, and have to be fulfilled over and over again. Make sure to never slack on keeping your business at the highest possible standard.
Nicola Holder 