Starting out as a Tiler !

[Sir Ramic]

Ok a little bit of a freshen up here as i know its probably all been said before but for newcomers or even older hands that are taking the steps to set up in business as a tiler.

What would be your "ONE" piece of useful advice.

Mine would be to find a suitable dealer to get your materials from but things to think of are,
Is this dealer reliable ?, Do they carry stock of materials of your preffered choice. Are they competitive on price ?
Also as you are giving them your business will they do the same for you, as in referring you to potential clients.
In my area i can think of about 7 outlets that could supply my needs but actually none that i would class as being 100% so there for i have to narrow it down to which comes closest.

One dealer is great but i dont get reccomendations due not being as friendly with the staff as some of the more local tilers. They are also the furthest away for me but the cheapest. Unfortunately the cost of fuel outweighs the savings in materials unless it was a large order.
Another supplier is friendly , reliable and one of the closest to me but dont stock my preferred adhesives although due to pressure from me have agreed to get it for me albeit at a 48 hour notice and prices reasonable.
Recently a good supplier moved to new premises local to me, which was good news as they were now local, friendly and had stocks of materials i used...the downside is that their prices were higher. This may be able to be rectified if i were to have words with them but thats for the future.

So my advice for someone starting out would be to find that supplier that you can trust, is reliable and will listen to your requirements.

Next ???

[macten]

Do family and friends first, you may not make too much but the knowledge gained is priceless.
Get in with other tradesmen - particularly plumbers.

They would be my top 2

[Sir Ramic]

Do family and friends first, you may not make too much but the knowledge gained is priceless.
Get in with other tradesmen - particularly plumbers.

They would be my top 2

Grrrrrr i said ONE !

[dagger]

buy all your business costs on one credit card...makes tax returns simple,
and you dont have to keep reciepts!

[jamie B]

Don't be afraid to ask!
if you can get time with a firm or tiler working on a big site, even for free it's worth it's weight in gold working with someone experienced.
I was apprenticed to a guy who'd been tiling 40 (yes 40!) years!! ..I've used a bit of knowledge or technique he passed on every single day for the last 15 years!

[macten]

Don't expect to be making 20k+ a year at the beginning. I probably made £500 profit in my first year after training, tools and van. Charge the going rate to get the job but be prepared to work for peanuts at the beginning because you won't have the speed. Can be frustrating but you can't expect the customer to pay for your inexperience - just a job well done.

I know one day I will be twice as fast as I am now - when that day comes I will have a very profitable business. Until then I plan to learn on every job, which you will, and do a job that will reap recommendations, this has only just started to happen after nearly 2 years so prepare to struggle a bit!

[macten]

buy all your business costs on one credit card...makes tax returns simple,
and you dont have to keep reciepts!

Top tip mate!

[Colour Republic]

Don't ever be frightened of any job but know your limitations.

[marke]

Forget the money in the beginning do the best possible job you can then when you get some fantastic pics/recommendations go tell all the plumbers kitchen fitters and tile shops all about it .

Ferrari next year perhaps

[Dave]

Take your time with jobs..Speed comes later....


A happy customer recommends..

[Thespanishtiler]

dont let your client or other trades bully you into not working your way.

remember you are a proffesional tiler, employed for your skill, knowledge and ability, apply what you know and always do a pro job to the appropriate specification.

[Ajax123]

If it's wrong get it changed, If you can't get it changed protect yourself.....Oh and avoid paying as much tax as possible.

[faithhealer]

Leave the customers house cleaner than you arrived. Women will recommend you as much for your handywork with a vaccum cleaner as much as your tiling!

[Daz]

It's all about the marketing!

Look professional
Act professional
Be professional.

Look smart, turn up when you say you will. Be polite, informative and concise. Justify your price, give the customer confidence.

Winning jobs is 75% of the battle, doing them is a piece of ****!

[deanotile]

One piece of advice that always stuck with me was a good reputation is hard to gain and easy to lose but a bad reputation is easy to gain and hard to lose

[ad tiling]

Manners common sense, use dust sheets

[whitebeam]

When buying materials and you use a credit card, pay it when the bill comes thru the letter box, otherwise your'll be getting into dept before you start.