Welcome to Tradesman Biz, a comprehensive resource for tradesmen, contractors, and construction firms.
Each week, this blog offers insights and actionable insights to help you grow your business, attract new clients, and win those big, game-changing contracts.
Whether you’re embarking on a new career as a self-employed plumber or you’re a veteran contractor looking for new ways to compete in today’s digitally-driven economy, here’s where you’ll find everything you need to succeed.
Who Writes This Blog?
If I’m going to do my best to help you succeed, then I should probably tell you a little about me, my career, and why I’m able to give you the advice I present here on Tradesman Biz Weekly.
My name’s Mike. I was born, raised, and continue to make my home here in sunny North Carolina.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with building and fixing things.
My dad, Jim, worked in construction his entire life and, as a kid, I always thought he had the coolest job in the world, though my uncles and older cousins who worked as carpenters, plumbers, and general contractors were almost just as cool!
I loved watching them work and loved it, even more, when they would let me help out and teach me a thing or two.
I spent most of my teenage years in workshops, developing my skills in woodwork, carpentry, and joinery, and enjoyed every second of it. Still, I’m one of these people who loves learning new things, so I eventually trained to become a qualified plumber.
The Struggle of Starting a Plumbing Business
I’d always dreamed of working for myself. The idea of slogging away all day just to line somebody else’s pockets never appealed to me.
So as soon as I qualified, I set out trying to find customers.
It was harder than I could’ve ever imagined.
Having family members in the industry helped of course and they would send work my way occasionally, but not enough to make my dream of full-time self-employment a reality.
It turns out you can be the best plumber in the world, but if you don’t know anything about how to start, grow, and promote a business, you’re not going to get very far.
So, I studied everything there was to know about business, marketing, and advertising and began to find success.
It wasn’t long before I had to hire a team of other plumbers to help me, and it wasn’t long after that that I began expanding my business to cover other services such as electrical work, household maintenance, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning).
After all, customers would often ask me if I could recommend anyone to provide those services. While I was happy to pass on referrals at first, it made more sense to bring other professionals on board so that my company could do the work ourselves.
Onto the Construction Sites
Our growing success got us noticed by those in the know, and before long we were being contracted by firms to help with a range of commercial and residential development projects.
The whole process of being on-site and seeing these developments come together gave me that same level of fascination as an adult that I’d had learning about my family’s work as a kid.
I wanted more and eventually went back to school to become a quantity surveyor.
Construction Consultancy
These days, I’m more hands-off with my original business than I used to be. While that’s still ticking over, I have somebody else manage it so that I can focus on serving on my quantity surveying and construction consultancy business, helping others to achieve success the way I did.
Why Start Tradesman Biz Weekly?
I’ve always loved helping others to succeed. For years, I looked forward to a time when I could share what I’ve learned throughout my career with others and with the prospect of an early retirement sounding more and more enticing, now seemed like the perfect time to do it.
So I took my foot off the gas with my businesses and began spending more time thinking up ways that I can pass on my knowledge.
Thus, Tradesman Biz Weekly was born.
Topics We’ll Cover
As I write this About page, the blog is still in its infancy, but in time I plan to cover a whole range of topics including:
How to start a business as a self-employed tradesman or contractor
How to use both online and offline marketing platforms to attract loyal customers.
How to keep costs low without compromising on quality work.
How to recruit, manage, and motivate employees.
And much more besides.
A Note About Reviews and Product Recommendations
Every now and again, I’ll recommend various products, tools, and books to help you on your journey to success.
To help cover the costs of running this blog, I participate in various affiliate marketing programs which means I may earn a commission if you purchase a product after clicking a link on this site.
That said, there are two very important things you need to know about this:
- You’ll never pay more for a product after clicking one of my links than you would if you ent to the site directly. My commission fees are paid by the stores and manufacturers whose products you purchase, so it doesn’t cost you anything extra.
- I only ever talk about products that I’ve personally tried and tested, and my opinions are in no way influenced by financial gain.
For more weekly advice on how to start, manage, and grow your business as a self-employed tradesperson or contractor, follow Tradesman Biz on Twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin.