I should add all my work is yelllow pages phone book or referal/repeats. I have a website and that pulls in very little. I see the local paper as a short term solution for when there is no work, but since I've never actually run out I've never gone in the local paper.
My general builder mate just has to p[ut an add in for one week and he gets about 6 weeks work from it. Mainly roofing, but extension building and so on.
Please please please do not trust these companies that offer you those wages and guranteed work. There is plenty of guranteed work after 6pm on Friday to 8am Monday, usually 70 miles away and often all through the night. No pay for returns, your problem if you don't carry the part, no mileage money, minimum 3 moinths before you get payed and then after a fight, some jobs they conveniently forget all together. Always they are on the end of the phone when they want you, round robbin of the departments when you want them. also most of their customers are disgruntled and you get it in the neck.
Worst of it is that as your business expands you can't provide a service to your own customers while you are 70 miles away on one of their fools errands.
What finally finished it for me was a badly installed boiler some 5 years old, never been serviced.Problem caused by flue seal probably pinched and misplaced during install. I didn';t have the part at that timne of night, job was a way away, I reported back to company that in my view it was installation fault as they were an insurance company they then wouldn't pay for the job not me not noone. Customer got very irate involved installer who was and is probably the biggest player round here. He took it VERY badly and proceeded to bad mouth me to all and sundry.
Custoimer asked me to quote to fix it, and I told him to take a running jump!
Never worked for that gang again and never shall.
A friend of mine could tell a similar story about subbing to BG. They said you hoild these days for us and we'll fill them. After 6 weeks of keeping certain days free, they rang with a job. He told them where to stick it!
My general builder mate just has to p[ut an add in for one week and he gets about 6 weeks work from it. Mainly roofing, but extension building and so on.
Please please please do not trust these companies that offer you those wages and guranteed work. There is plenty of guranteed work after 6pm on Friday to 8am Monday, usually 70 miles away and often all through the night. No pay for returns, your problem if you don't carry the part, no mileage money, minimum 3 moinths before you get payed and then after a fight, some jobs they conveniently forget all together. Always they are on the end of the phone when they want you, round robbin of the departments when you want them. also most of their customers are disgruntled and you get it in the neck.
Worst of it is that as your business expands you can't provide a service to your own customers while you are 70 miles away on one of their fools errands.
What finally finished it for me was a badly installed boiler some 5 years old, never been serviced.Problem caused by flue seal probably pinched and misplaced during install. I didn';t have the part at that timne of night, job was a way away, I reported back to company that in my view it was installation fault as they were an insurance company they then wouldn't pay for the job not me not noone. Customer got very irate involved installer who was and is probably the biggest player round here. He took it VERY badly and proceeded to bad mouth me to all and sundry.
Custoimer asked me to quote to fix it, and I told him to take a running jump!
Never worked for that gang again and never shall.
A friend of mine could tell a similar story about subbing to BG. They said you hoild these days for us and we'll fill them. After 6 weeks of keeping certain days free, they rang with a job. He told them where to stick it!