Information

[james.wilson]

No you cant hold the keys.

[arfur mo]

Welcome Jim,

my sincere condolences for your loss, after that happening it is very warming to know you feel your life is getting better.

The advice above is very sound, you have installed systems so at least you are starting with some knowledge, and you never stop learning, skills coupled with sparks ability will help.

i'm not registered and been have trading since 1985, longer than many registered firms have existed, and longer than many registered have survived.

i'd say your 1st move is to discuss it fully with your partner, then elected accountant and your bank. get a package like Quickbooks or Sage, paperwork is the killer, bad accounting including slow invoicing, slow payment to vendors based on 'i'll do that later', is often the final blow.

just about any fool can stick up a modern system, no real skill needed. but placement of detection, reading the user etc. etc. if it goes wrong and you can't fix it who are you going to turn to?

its meant to be a tough question and one you will have to face at some time. guys in here are great at helping, but it is a learning curve.

[datadiffusion]

Hi Jim,

 

I think if you're starting from scratch, its best not to worry about offering keyholding etc... for now; if you don't really know what you are doing it would be a real easy way to get the cr*p sued out of you before you even started - what would you do when ill etc... are questions you need to ask before you start to offer any service with theoretical 24/7 cover; and thats what this industry is at the end of the day, its not like fitting a couple of double sockets where if one doesn't work you can pop back next week on the way home to have a look if you get time )

 

Same with the SSAIB / NSI thing; personally I would work towards it rather than seeing it as something you need by the end of the week.

 

I think the truth is somewhere between Pete and Joe with regards to work - I've always deliberately taken it slowly and I'd love to think I've got a small

booklet of quality customers, who do recommend to freinds and have me back year after year - than a yellow pages size book of £199 installs who I've never

heard from again. Unless you have some contacts, starting out from zero is very hard, and was for me at the start, so be prepared for that too - I'm sure you

are, but still can't believe people who go out and buy a brand new van on tick and rent an office before they've even got their first job!

 

Anyway stick around and you're sure to get lots of advice,

 

Stu.

[jmh474]

i'm starting to see the wood through the trees now as they say,so if i'm right don't push too soon, i DON'T have to register with nacoss nsi or SSAIB (to install intruder alarms) to start with until i have a good client list and im guessing im qualified to do the installing and testing if so is there any paperwork (like a test sheet) i can hand over to the customer as everyone knows people like paper with writing on even if its ok to write up my own, im thinking just stick with the bells installation to start with and just work my way up the ladder please anyone one point out what im missing i know some of the normal stuff like public liability insurance but there are other things i'm not sure about like would i have to write out maintenance contracts and floor by floor plans of the system, im just looking for as much information i can get before i start anything thanks i really appreciate all the help and advice 

[james.wilson]

Your right you can. If i can say there is lot behind the actual install that most miss. The best install can actually be the most non compliant. Don't claim compliance to regs you havnt got would be my advice. There is plenty of work outside regulation, start there and work up Imo.

[arfur mo]

Hi Jim,

 

I think if you're starting from scratch, its best not to worry about offering keyholding etc... for now; if you don't really know what you are doing it would be a real easy way to get the cr*p sued out of you before you even started - what would you do when ill etc... are questions you need to ask before you start to offer any service with theoretical 24/7 cover; and thats what this industry is at the end of the day, its not like fitting a couple of double sockets where if one doesn't work you can pop back next week on the way home to have a look if you get time )

 

Same with the SSAIB / NSI thing; personally I would work towards it rather than seeing it as something you need by the end of the week.

 

I think the truth is somewhere between Pete and Joe with regards to work - I've always deliberately taken it slowly and I'd love to think I've got a small

booklet of quality customers, who do recommend to freinds and have me back year after year - than a yellow pages size book of £199 installs who I've never

heard from again. Unless you have some contacts, starting out from zero is very hard, and was for me at the start, so be prepared for that too - I'm sure you

are, but still can't believe people who go out and buy a brand new van on tick and rent an office before they've even got their first job!

 

Anyway stick around and you're sure to get lots of advice,

 

Stu.

above is top class advice and imho should be a 'sticky',

firms start up in many ways, and go out of business in many more ways. vey easy ti get carried away early on, you pat tax in the 2nd year, based on your 1st, this give a skewed vision if your profitability.

concentrating on alarms today is a hard sell especially from scratch. i was extremely lucky with several powerful contacts that have stayed with me over the years. Most companies have loyal clients, very important not to upset them over something silly, be honest if something go's wrong, don't bluster unless your extremely good at it, breaking a clients trust that way is never full repaired.

Alarm work can be very seasonal, you go like sting mid September to Christmas then it goes flat, so i highly recommend diversify. you are a sparks as your 'home' trade, use that to advertise that you also fit alarms, CCTv, Door Entry, CAT5e. you might fit an alarm for fred blogs, harry blogs his brother wants cameras so fred says to harry 'Jim, guy who did my alarm, says he fits them and he is also sparks' (an already respected trade) and so on. the more you can offer clients within reason) in services, the more useful you are, so the more calls you will likely get.

[matthew.brough]

Jack of all trades, master of none? I wouldn't want a spark fitting anything more than an r8 for me.

As for seasonal work I expect work all the time from my sales team. I don't pay a monthly salary to get 3 months of work.

[Cubit]

Jack of all trades, master of none? I wouldn't want a spark fitting anything more than an r8 for me.

As for seasonal work I expect work all the time from my sales team. I don't pay a monthly salary to get 3 months of work.

Bit of a generalisation don't you think?

As an example, perhaps you might want to have a word with JB

[matthew.brough]

JB setup an alarm company, put the effort into getting NSI gold and being a proper alarm company. Bit different to a spark doing alarms because he think he can because it has some wires.

[goncall]

JB setup an alarm company, put the effort into getting NSI gold and being a proper alarm company. Bit different to a spark doing alarms because he think he can because it has some wires.

I'm a spark too Matt,the game is full of sparks doing security fire cctv etc