Do you love DIY?
Happily give over your bank holidays to trying to fix, mend, or create something interesting around your house?
Love the feeling of creating something with your bare hands and – if you’re being honest – seem to be pretty good at it as well?
Life as a DIY fanatic is never quiet. By the time you’ve finished one project, there will be something new just waiting in the wings for you to throw yourself right on into. If you do it enough, always improving your skills, then it’s worth thinking about turning your hobby into a viable business.
Trade Is Always Trading
There’s no doubt that trades – especially those involved in construction and household maintenance – always tend to do well. For as long as people have homes, they are going to need help maintaining and improving them. So if you have been looking for a business venture that can weather a variety of economic circumstances, then look no further than making the most of your DIY skills.
Three Reasons Trade Work Is (Relatively) Easy To Get Into
- If you are just going to offer your services as a general handy person, then you don’t need any qualifications to enter into this business idea. Of course, if you want to work in a highly skilled trade – such as roofing, electrician, or plumbing work – then you will need to qualify, but it’s simple enough to do so compared to other career changes.
- You can begin alongside your existing job, building up a client base along the way until you’re ready to go full-time.
- You don’t need to worry about the expense of hiring office space; one of the beauties of this work is that you go to the job, rather than the other way around!
Concerns To Be Aware Of
Of course, you can’t just throw yourself into a new business venture. You have to be ready for all the potential pitfalls.
The biggest thing you have to be concerned with is safety. It’s one thing to throw yourself into at-home tasks, but quite another to just go for it on a professional job. If you’re going to be doing roof work, you need fall arrest and fall restraint systems by Heightsafe Systems Ltd to allow you to work at height. If you’re looking into electrical work, then a current detector is going to be an essential. Even if you’re just looking into general handy work that requires no specialist equipment, you’re still going to need to invest in safety goggles, gloves, and other essentials.
The next concern is the financial side. You will have to learn to cost a job in a reasonable way, which can be difficult if you have never done it before. You have to remain competitive, make a profit, and still be able to do a good job – getting this balance right can be difficult at first.
Finally, bear in mind that you are going to be dealing with people’s homes. You have to ensure your skills are up to par; you might not need professional qualifications, but it might be worth obtaining them just in case. A DIY business can be hugely profitable and bring a source of joy to your life, but make sure you do it right!
