Subbing is a great way to start off as an electrician.

If you're unable to find a position in a company working as an electrician, there are plenty of agencies and companies willing to have you as a subcontractor.

The reason for this is because they can let you go the next day.

For whatever reason you can be told anytime

“Don't bother coming in tomorrow, your time here is done”

There are some pros and cons to this.

Electricians are paid around £25 an hour whether you have experience or not.

You can never guarantee you have any work the following week or maybe the next day.

So although a lot of electricians enjoy subbing, many may look to start up on their own and build their own business.

That's what we're about to dive into. The Why and How to switch from being a subby, to a business owner.

Tool Box Talk For Electricians Helping Electricians reduce stress, gain back time and earn more money.

Hello and welcome once again. Ben Poulter here as your host of tool box talk for electricians.

Today's podcast is taken from my personal experience years ago.

Some of the reasons I wanted to start up on my own are the same reasons you have tuned in today.

The 2nd day into my AM2 I lost my job.

The company I worked for went into liquidation.

Did I go on the hunt for a new job straight away? No

I took a holiday to Ibiza for 2 weeks.

When I got back I walked straight into sub contracting.

NG Bailey I was working for in slough, that's a couple of hours from my home.

Me and my brother used to get up bright and early and travel every day to basically stand on a tower and put up a few lengths of tray.

It was exciting when we were asked to do a bit of conduit every now and again, it was something different.

This went on for a year or more, slough, manchester, nottingham all over the UK on different jobs subbing to so many different companies.

Until I decided to try and find some local work. I found a company in my local town to sub in.

They sent me to Cornwall, Glasgow, London and all over every day somewhere different.

As you can imagine! Travelling done my head in.

50% of working away is the long drive, and it got boring.

This is where I started up on my own.

The first thing to do when starting up on your own is tell everyone you know. This way people who already know you will give you a call.

I swear some family members just made jobs up to help me out, but if it helps that what counts.

This was around 2005, so the Part P was new and I didnt even know I needed it.

When I found out about it I registered with the cheapest - stroma who have been bought out now by napit or the NIC EIC.

I actually started to invest in my own business, so this is what made me work harder.

When you haven't got enough work to fill your week in your own business, I had a good relationship with the local company I sub contracted to, I was able to work 3 days a week there, or even 5 if I wanted.

But as you take steps to grow your own business, you get busy.

I was on £22 an hour sub contracting, so I asked for more to make up for the work I couldnt do for my own business.

£23 was given to me. I got busier in my own business, so again I asked for more.

£24 was given to me. Now I may have got greedy here, I just got £2 an hour more, so I asked for £25.

They said yes no worries that's fine - but never called me again.

This was it! My only income was my own business. I had to make it work!

If you have ever printed out leaflets and posted them through peoples door, you will know its a complete waste of time.

I did get one job, it was to change a thermostat.

Not giving up I turned to the internet, my workman, my builder.

These were the days when they were new and didn't have the made up jobs on there to con people out of money.

When these sites were new and I wasnt charging a lot for electrical work, I don't think they were that bad - but today I would steer clear.

Basically everything I was trying was a shortcut. I was trying to get work that day and NOW!

I realise that now, but I wasted so much time and effort, so much so I was offered a job in the office at a company as project manager.

This is where I found out that the office isn't for me.

The real money as an electrician is in the big jobs.

You can make good money changing fuse boards, but really they don't happen every week.

Extensions, kitchens, new builds, rewires That's what you want to do.

You need to know builders. Years ago I think builders used to get the labour to throw a few cables in and connect them up to a socket.

Those days are gone, all the good builders get other trades in to do each specialised job.

The first thing I did was to create an email. I emailed all the local builders to offer my services as an electrician.

I actually picked up a ton of work with them. One builder had a contract with some care homes and I was the electrician for all of them.

Remember you need to do one job with a builder to figure out if you want to work with them in the future.

I have worked with some who don't pay, are really bad cowboy builders, and just a nightmare to work for.

Cut your losses with those types of builders.

Another way I have picked up lots of work is through other trades.

Plumbers, carpenters, mechanics, groundworks all who have passed my number on to their friends and family.

From the beginning I would say that things were difficult, but because of all the mistakes I made and time I wasted trying to cut corners.

The harder something is, the more it's worth doing.

All you need to do is think back to what sub contracting is like.

Wandering around on the side looking for materials, the crazy roofers dropping clips 2 inches from your head.

Being up in a cherry picker in the wind holding on for dear life because you're sure this is going to blow over, but it's your job to do the outside lights.

With your younger brother un-clipping your harness and putting in the light you just installed, so when you move it nearly dragged you off!

I can laugh about it now, but really it's pretty dangerous.

Quite different from doing some garden lighting and all you have to contend with is the customer's puppy pinching your screwdrivers.

Yes subbing can be fun, but working for yourself is safer.

You can always start out alongside being a subcontractor.

I talk about it in the podcast Electricians Side Hustle Doing Private Jobs At Weekends

I will leave a link in the show notes below for you to check out.