murphy22

Hi all,
I've been surfing the forums here for the past weeks and have got some great advice and tips etc from many of you. Thanx so much! I think its a great site and friendly also-which makes a change from some forums out there.

anyways! Hoping to sign up for the 4 week PTS course soon and I am costing out the course, tools, van, insurance, marketing and printing and all the extra's to get me up and running after the course, either self-employed or working as sub.

I've been at home with the kids for the last few years (divorced mum) and therefore haven't got any savings etc. so I've spoken to my local business manager at the bank but for any type of business loan I need to do up a business plan, understandably.

Prob is, I am finding it hard to estimate potential earnings, projections, cash flow etc. I've managed to find some general info about the industry and statistics for the UK etc online but just wondering if any of you have put together a business plan at any stage and if so, what kind of info did you put in/any hints, tips etc would be greatly appreciated.

I know that PTS offer help with business start up as part of the course but if I want to actually get on the course, I need to come up with the cost of it via a business loan so hence my doing the biz plan now rather than after the course!

PS: if anyone has an old spare biz plan lying around somewhere, specific to starting a tiling business -even better!!- name your price!!!

tjsmiler

Hi Murphy, this is gonna be a tuff one to work out... i am just about to go to work at the moment but will have a look with you latter on.....

But just for now i am sure there are grants and stuff out there for the right people.......google search it and speak with CITB, you could also try the TTA (sorry mate but i cant find the numbers) you will get them off google though.

TJ

Fekin

Obviously I don't know your circumstances but if I was a single parent needing a large startup loan to get everything all in one go, which would incur a large loan, I'd look into starting off small and work upwards first maybe.

I did a 4 day course, while not the best and longest course around, it did teach me how to layout a tiling job correctly, which I'd say is the largest single aspect of a tiling job to get bang on.
Once you can go into a bathroom\kitchen and be able to choose where to start tiling from and be able to mark out giving the best cuts then thats one of the worst hurdles to overcome.
The rest of a course is basically laying and cutting tile, different adhesives "where and when to use what" etc, and how to prep walls ready for tiling.

My view is you "can" learn roughly the same amount on a 4 day course as a 4 weeker if you can take it all in, and anything you don't learn or wasn't tought, you'd learn from tilers on these forums as you go.

After I did my 4 day course I tiled my kitchen in Mosaic, then did my bathroom and my mums bathroom, and now Im going down to the printers to proof my leaflets ready for printing.
Im lucky I work a good shift system, I work 12hr shifts, 2 days on - 2 night on then 4 days off which gives me a good 3 & 1/2 days off each off shift per week to get some tiling jobs in.
I would love a sign written van but to me it isn't worth the layout when Im just starting out, so Im just using my car for now "55 plate Astra SRI", while it's not ideal for a works van lol, it's big enough to fit everything in the boot and a roofrack for plasterboard\plyboards etc.
I also bought all my tools over a period of time, like 1 or 2 a week, as and when I could afford them and I had them all in no time at all really.
Wet cutter was only £30, dry cutter £40, you can get trowels for a fiver or so, spirit levels for £3 and so on.

The hardest thing for a business plan is to estimate potential earnings, as some people start out and advertise here n there and don't get a single call for weeks, and if you have a loan to repay it can be a bit daunting.
Where as if you can use a car you already have, buy the tools you'll need over the space of a few months, get some leaflets printed and go out door to door\ shops etc, you've started out without the business loans.

All depends on you're circumstances obviously.

Sorry if I sound very negative in this post, but all im trying to say is that you don't need to go the whole hog straight away financially, it dosen't guarantee the work will come in any faster, just start out small and work up, and once you have done quite a lot of jobs and got the speed and quality up there, then go out and replace any cheap gear you have for the better stuff that you will need for bigger jobs.

murphy22

Thanks for all the good advice so far!
Yes, I agree re starting out small - I've roughly calculated that £5k would be plenty to include buying a secondhard car/van etc as sold my car last year and currently on bike, as living in Brighton and bike lanes pretty good and traffic wardens diabolical here! Don't think I'd manage the tools on a bike carrier!!
I'm going to look into the grants etc today and if I can get some funding then it would prob make sense to go for the more comprehensive course, as a once-off opportunity etc

Fekin

Ha, yeah, a bike wouldn't be too good now would it lol

For numbers though, I guess the course is around the £1500 mark, a car or van can be anywhere from £800 £1000 for a decent one to get you going and there was a thread on here a little while back about starting out tools needed, and the rough average was about £400 to £500 for all the tools you would need from the get go.

Then it all depends on how much you want to spend on advertising, which can be low cost and effective if done right, or high cost and crap lol, if not.

Good luck with whatever you decide

devonmark

Hi Murphy,
Do you have a local business link type place ? If so pay them a visit, they may have information on grants as opposed to loans. Here on the wirral we have one called wirralbiz and they do business start up grants ranging from £500 to £2000 depending on the postcode. To qualify you have to do 18hrs on a business start up course, it is split into 3hr sessions 2 days a week for 3 weeks. The course covers marketing, bookkeeping, cashflow, projection forecasts and business plans.
Hope you have some luck in finding one.
Mark.

stumac

hi there as above or if in scotland business gateway. throwing money at the under 30's at the moment they also run free start up courses day or evening and help produce business plans. advice on grants available is really dependent on area

stuart
mci tiling services

murphy22

Thanks all - yeah- online now searching out the local business link/start-up support organisations. I'll give them a shout tomor if local. cheers!

vince1

murphy22 where are you from? in the norht east there is a place called pertemps they got me all my tools. put me in the news paper for 2 month all for free done my business plan with a place called five lamps and five lamps got me a loan for £2000 so i could get my van. and pertemps got me my web site for free have a look at my web site

Knights Tiling - Providing teesside with quality tiling service at the right price - Home

murphy22

Hi Vince
I'm in the south east (Brighton). There's so many biz link organisations here too but trying to find one geared more for sole trader rather than start-up bigger biz etc.
That sounds good support that you got - will log on and take a look. cheers.

vince1

hope you find something murphy22 good luck

tjsmiler

Hi Murphy, some great advice there.... i guesws you have plenty to be getting on with lol.

Don't worry too much about trying to get all the tools at once as you will find there will be many tools that you aquire as the need for them arrises on a particular job.. i'm sure trade tiler do a starter kit for newbie tilers.perfect for yourself.

In terms of learning how to generate business i am more than willing to help you out (just pm me your questions) and i will give you some good ideas. All the other stuff you need to know regarding tiling issues you can get the answer from this web sight..... this is where you will learn most of your trade.

As Fekin pointed out it is just as effective starting out small and working yourself into this game slowly, it takes time to learn mate so don't be in such a rush to get big.... There are a few on here who can vouch for me that i give my absolute soul into this business and am only now just starting to feel the benifts, so get yourself a plan in your head and stay focused on it as a single parent you have got your work cut out but you CAN crack it if you use us lot on here.... there are some seriously good people on here whould would stay up all night trying to help you out so use it as this place is probably your best tool.

I go on about it because if you are really determined to make this a carreer then don't give up just because you can't get a loan (you might be better off starting without one anyway mate) there are two people on here i look at as as part of my company because their advice has become so invaluable to me, they make me money with their tiling knowledge, combined with my own drive, determination and ermmmm chat! i am on for a big year, so listen to all the above advice but most important make some good contacts and you will do well weather you get a loan or not.

Good luck

TJ