Hi Loafer, you and I are similar I never went on any antidepressants but came straight to this from nursing.
Back on topic.
Original question, once you've established your skill you have to become economic at using it, this takes time, effort and a little gambling here and there. You have to stretch yourself to jobs that you aren't comfortable about doing. These jobs will breed more jobs the same like a magnet, behind your back one guy will show another guy your work and you won't be able to stop them pestering you to come and do their job now. But you have to get out of your comfort zone.
You cannot make a living fiddling about with two float valves a week, changeing a diaphragm a month, fixing a leaking radiator a fortnight. You have to take on the bigger jobs and do them with pride in your work to a higher level of skill than the big firms (not difficult). I have come across a few dodgy situations and one at risks left behind by a well known local firm it's embarrasing. All I can say is they must have at least one rotten apple in their organisation. I kept meaning to have a word with the bosses son who I'm on speaking terms with, but it's passed now. The point is that you can take customers off these guys all you have to do is get the job right at a fair price, but most importantly get it right.
Take great pride in your work. There's that famous quote how does it go? "the world will beat a path to your door".
This is why I try to only fit boilers that I believe in as both value for money but also soundly engineered. Other guys make maybe £300 more money (per combiswap) fitting unknown brands. I come across their customers 3 years down the line when the manufacturer has gone bust and you can't get a part for the boiler. OK that's an extreme case but it is a true one, but what really gets my goat is the fitter was a former school friend of her son , sold it at such a price you could have fitted a Veissman and still made £300 for a days work. 3 years down the line this poor family who trusted an old friend are still without heating, and only have hot water because I gave them a 15 litre under sink water heater I took out of another job. They cannot offord even a Biasi from bnq. The point being people are still getting ripped off, there is plenty of scope for an honest person to apply their skill and look beyond the payment for one job.
Next step is to think about using a powerflush. The guy I trained with never had one and hadn't used one. I heard they were a good thing so bought one out of my very meagre resources at the time I was like you. I had no idea how to use it, so I asked everyone, surprising how few well established businesses round here don't use one. After I recon I;d gleaned enough from folk I started doing it for free as part of a conbi swap. At first I powerflushed system, then took every rad off outside powerflushed it until it was clean as a whistle, put them all back and powerflushed again. OK I was nervous and learning. This took two men a very long day. Houses in Scarborough are large with many large rads, and many floors to cart them outside. Use a good chemical, I use FX2.
I have got better and quicker at it now, and have the confidence to charge a little now. But I wouldn't do a boiler change without powerflushing any more.
It's a lot of effort to get a business to where you wish the phone would stop ringing.
Skill is the big shortage. There is a constant stream of blokes who think they can jump on the bandwaggon, but hardly any with skill. You come across the bandwaggoners on evey building site, moaniong and groaning about life, rolling fags instead of getting on with the job, just get your job done and get out of there, they are infectious.
I heard that one of the best value ads is in the good old Parish Mags 
