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Pricing up jobs

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Scottish

Hello.

I've been planning to set up my own plumbing firm for a while and I'm now just 2 months from my advertising going live and nowhere near ready!!! I'm going to be using self employed plumbers to do the work for me, but as I have no experience myself (Just got my level 2 but haven't been able to get a job in the trade) I'm planning to get the guys who will be working for me to attend the jobs, price them, complete the work and then pay me my percentage. Problem is, I obviously want every single one of them to charge the same prices but I can't think for the life of me how to make that happen. HELP!
 
That's a cartel and as far as I'm aware, it's against the law to operate a cartel.
 
Agree with you there Eddie. Make me measure up a job, price it and carry it out? Then you take a cut? Ooooo yes please!
 
It all been thought of B4, will never work in a month of sundays, your expecting Plumbers to do all the work wile you sit on your Backside and take a %age Think you need to wake up and smell the roses, Why dont you do the work yourself ?? or are you not qualify'd, You sound like another parasite wanting to feed off other peoples blood & sweat.
 
Scottish said:
Hello.

I've been planning to set up my own plumbing firm for a while and I'm now just 2 months from my advertising going live and nowhere near ready!!! I'm going to be using self employed plumbers to do the work for me, but as I have no experience myself (Just got my level 2 but haven't been able to get a job in the trade) I'm planning to get the guys who will be working for me to attend the jobs, price them, complete the work and then pay me my percentage. Problem is, I obviously want every single one of them to charge the same prices but I can't think for the life of me how to make that happen. HELP!
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If you get individual plumbers to price up individual jobs, how can they all charge the same when each job is being assessed on the amount of work involved?

Say you are offering a particular boiler on a set price, the fitting of it won't be the same in every instance, so you would need to say from £***.xx, subject to survey.

Even fitting a tap at a fixed price would be risky.

Sounds as if you need to do the survey and pricing yourself, or get someone to do it for you, and then take a commission when you pass the job on to the plumber.
 
Scottish said:
Hello.

I've been planning to set up my own plumbing firm for a while and I'm now just 2 months from my advertising going live and nowhere near ready!!! I'm going to be using self employed plumbers to do the work for me, but as I have no experience myself (Just got my level 2 but haven't been able to get a job in the trade) I'm planning to get the guys who will be working for me to attend the jobs, price them, complete the work and then pay me my percentage. Problem is, I obviously want every single one of them to charge the same prices but I can't think for the life of me how to make that happen. HELP!
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You a tiler or a spark? lol

On a more serious note this wont work. As a boss the buck would stop at you, if you have no experience or qualifications other than a level 2 it's going to be a complete waste of time i'm affraid if you are looking to run a squad of people.

Time serverd ladies and gents dont have any incentive to join up with a scheme like this, if they have work they would do everything you require with out having to give a percentage away to someone who doesnt actualy do anything.

What I would suggest is contact all the local firms in yor area as well as area councils and see if they can prehaps take you on as an adult Trainee/Apprentice, get down to local merchants and ask about, show your face. Sadly in this current climate it's going to be differcult but you stand a better chance of that working than this.
 
in this day and age times are hard enough without giving away a percentage of your earnings, it's bad enough paying tax
 
Thought all us Plumbers only did cash jobs ! and dont pay any Tax, that is according to todays news >>.:laugh3:
 
Owt wrong with a wind up IMO.
Better than 'my boilers broke, please tell me how to fix it' posts.
 
Cheers guys. I'm looking for help and getting called a parasite! It's not like I'll be doing nothing, as many of you are probably aware, setting up a business isn't easy or risk free. It's taking me a lot of effort and all my free time. I'm currently working between 48 and 60 hours a week and trying to do this too, and even when this is set up I'll still be working my full time job to pay the bills. I only plan to take 20% of profit, which given that I'll be spending money on advertising and I'll be out flyering on most of my days off, I thought was a reasonable amount. Also do you not think if you were struggling to find work and someone offered you a job where you'd make slightly less than usual you'd take it? Surely if it's a job you wouldn't have had without me offering it to you then your 80% of profit would be welcome?

Oh and thanks to Peter and Carl. Although not what I was hoping to hear, at least your comments were constructive.
 
my boiler is broke

tell me how to fix it

don't worry i am a gas safe register and have my own tool and ppe and full clean driving license.
 
maybe you could use your pushbike to pick up & deliver materials to your jobs to reduce fuel bills and overheads. You are the guy with the bike aren't you? :wink_smile:
 
markfxy said:
maybe you could use your pushbike to pick up & deliver materials to your jobs to reduce fuel bills and overheads. You are the guy with the bike aren't you? :wink_smile:
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could be his brother
 
Just as a matter of interest what is your full time job ?? is it in the building industry ? or are you someone who belives that all Plumbers earn over 100k , and thought that you could jump in the kitchen and get a slice of the pie, I think you have a cheek asking on here for idea's on how to set up and run a business, you have no experience in the plumbing trade , but just want to feed of the backs of others, I think you would be better suited running for a position as a MP , you would fit in quite well, take to money but not take the responsabilty, I stand by my last post just another Parasite.
 
Ha Ha level 2 bout cant get a job so whats the best idea set up a company and let everyone else do the work even though i have not got a clue about most of the industry, oh and then charge people 20% for the privalige. What u planning on doing when the blokes ring up with questions you cant answer
 
jtsplumbing said:
Just as a matter of interest what is your full time job ?? is it in the building industry ? or are you someone who belives that all Plumbers earn over 100k , and thought that you could jump in the kitchen and get a slice of the pie, I think you have a cheek asking on here for idea's on how to set up and run a business, you have no experience in the plumbing trade , but just want to feed of the backs of others, I think you would be better suited running for a position as a MP , you would fit in quite well, take to money but not take the responsabilty, I stand by my last post just another Parasite.
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I'm working in corporate security at the moment since getting made redundant. I was in the building industry before this job, I was a stone mason. I've wanted to work as a plumber for a few years so started the training 2 years ago, I'm going back in September for the level 3. My only other option right now was to take a job as plumbers mate for 14k, which would cut my income in half. I simply can't afford that. I know that's the standard way to learn and get into a trade, that's how I did it with stone masonry but it's just not possible at this point in my life. I'm not a parasite, I'm not a bad person, and I'm not looking to rip of plumbers or customers, hence why I was hoping to find a way of somehow making the pricing uniform, just in case I do end up with bad eggs on my books who decide to rip off customers and give me a bad name. I'm going to go out with plumbers I already know and work as their mate/apprentice free of charge on my days off from my full time job so I can get my experience to then do jobs myself. And no I'm under no illusion of what plumbers earn, I know several and know a more realistic idea of what I'll earn. All I wanted from you guys was a bit of advice, maybe a "That's not going to work because of this, this, and this, maybe you should try . . . ". I really didn't expect to be hit with so much negativity and derision. Sorry If my ideas have upset any of you, but all I wanted was help in correcting flaws in my plans, not mockery and personal insults.
 
20% of the profit! most of my jobs don't make a profit so give me a bell we can share 20% of nothing hows that for an offer:icon4:
 
Scottish said:
I'm working in corporate security at the moment since getting made redundant. I was in the building industry before this job, I was a stone mason. I've wanted to work as a plumber for a few years so started the training 2 years ago, I'm going back in September for the level 3. My only other option right now was to take a job as plumbers mate for 14k, which would cut my income in half. I simply can't afford that. I know that's the standard way to learn and get into a trade, that's how I did it with stone masonry but it's just not possible at this point in my life. I'm not a parasite, I'm not a bad person, and I'm not looking to rip of plumbers or customers, hence why I was hoping to find a way of somehow making the pricing uniform, just in case I do end up with bad eggs on my books who decide to rip off customers and give me a bad name. I'm going to go out with plumbers I already know and work as their mate/apprentice free of charge on my days off from my full time job so I can get my experience to then do jobs myself. And no I'm under no illusion of what plumbers earn, I know several and know a more realistic idea of what I'll earn. All I wanted from you guys was a bit of advice, maybe a "That's not going to work because of this, this, and this, maybe you should try . . . ". I really didn't expect to be hit with so much negativity and derision. Sorry If my ideas have upset any of you, but all I wanted was help in correcting flaws in my plans, not mockery and personal insults.
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Out of interest, how much are you expecting to earn?

IMO you have come to the wrong place to ask how you can get plumbers/gas engineers (us) to help you make a profit with out doing anything? I know you will be posting adverts etc but I don't feel this will work IMHO.

Most people here are struggling to earn a living and then they have to come up with an idea on how to run your business so you potentially take customers from them for the privilage.

"I'm sorry, I'm out."
 
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