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How I did it – trade

Pimlico Plumbers: ‘How I took control’
In 1979, Charlie Mullins established Pimlico Plumbers in London with his wife Lynda. Today, it’s a £14m turnover, privately-owned limited business with over 170 staff. "I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. I never wanted people telling me what to do or where to go," says Charlie. "The main reason I set up my business was to be in control."

Charlie left school at 15 and learnt his trade through a plumbing apprenticeship before setting up by himself in 1972. At the time, he had little more than a toolbox and a hired van, but he felt it was enough to get his fledgling business off the ground. Charlie says his approach to business was, in many ways, a reaction to what he saw in the industry as an apprentice and young plumber.

"The plumbing industry had quite a bad name, to some extent it still does, but it has got better. People didn't show up on time, they didn't finish work or they did a bad job, and they weren't transparent in the way they priced their work."

Charlie's approach was to present himself as the opposite of this: dressing smartly, good timekeeping and providing written quotations upfront. He also – very deliberately – targeted the wealthier areas of London, such as Kensington and Chelsea, considering them the best sources of work and repeat business.

"People are prepared to pay a premium rate if they get a premium service," he says.

Tristan Titeux, Custom Carpentry: ‘Trading on quality’
Tristan Titeux had always been a practical person by nature, so he decided to offer his services as a handyman and placed an advertisement in a shop for 50 pence.

That first advert led eventually to the creation of a limited business with numerous clients and several industry-recognised standards. "I went to my first job on my bike with a couple of tool bags," says Tristan. "I started taking jobs to do general repairs, doing things like putting up pictures, but then people started asking me to do bigger and bigger things." He took on jobs such as making custom bookcases, getting the pieces cut at a timber yard and then assembling them at the customer's house.

He now designs the furniture using a computer programme, which enables him to show the customer exactly how it looks before work begins. Also, in order to handle greater volumes of work and broaden his skill-base, he collaborates with other self-employed tradespeople. However, he always sees the customer himself and does all the design work. Tristan says that pricing work correctly can be a challenge, and persuading a customer to accept a price isn't always easy. However, he has countered this by having his work validated by independent bodies such as the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Trustmark and the Consumer Protection Association. "I’m not really a great salesman. There are always people who can undercut you and work for nothing, but I'd rather trade on quality than price."

Nick Minns of Minns & Langton: ‘From artist to decorator’
Nick Minns is an artist who specialises in painting murals, but decided to move into painting and decorating as it provided a more steady income. However, his brush skills have enabled him to run his own successful business for the last 12 years and he’s never had to advertise for work, relying instead in recommendations.

“Being self-employed is preferable to me to as I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. It’s more flexible and clients come to me when they need me,” says Nick.
After registering as self-employed, he and a colleague founded Minns & Langton.

His friend primarily works on other projects now, but Nick retains the company name, as it’s known by customers. He remains self-employed but sub-contracts other tradespeople when he requires additional help on a job. “We spent some money on branding and an attractive website, which works in conjunction with any marketing that we do. I have some business cards but really all our work comes from word of mouth and people find my contact details online. I’ve never used advertising or third party websites. I think that’s the benefit of doing a good job and running a business based on quality rather than price – you don’t have to promote yourself as others do it for you.”

Nick says that 2009 was a tough year and he was unable to employ as many people on jobs. He also believes that for many customers price was the main factor. “I think this year we’re going to get a lot of work putting right the dodgy work done by others last year.”