Plumbing is one of the most high-demand home improvement services on the market. Because of that, it can be hard to manage with so much to take into consideration.
Do you need license and insurance? How do you go about marketing your services? How do you stay organized with so many clients calling all day?
Let’s cover all of those and much more!
Licenses & Insurance
Although some states don’t require a plumbing license for you to start working, it’s important to have one nonetheless — from a client’s perspective, it shows you’re not cutting corners and that you care about keeping your business legal.
These are the states that do not require a plumbing license:
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Wyoming
For all other states, licenses are obligatory.
But even if you can start working without one in your state, be sure to get a license anyway as soon as possible.
It’s important to note that licenses requirements also change from state to state. Check what the exact requirements are for your state and update your license if your business moves.
About Insurance
Having insurance for your business is always a good idea. There are many different alternatives for small or big budgets, and it gives you and your customers more confidence to work freely.
What you’re probably looking for is a General Liability Insurance. This usually covers the basics like worksite injuries and property damage — so even if a client sues on these regards, you’re covered.
Accounting for Costs
Small businesses or independent workers usually take care of this themselves, and it can be quite stressful to do so.
You can count on the help of modern accounting software — you don’t have to be particularly savvy to make good use of those. Most of them are made so anyone can start using without complications, and all of them have instructional articles, videos, and customer service to help you.
Here are a few accounting software you can try (all of these have free trial periods):
- Quickbooks - promises ease of use
- Wave Accounting - free plan with basic tools
- Freshbooks - made for small businesses
And of course, hiring an accountant covers all bases — you will have a professional in your business responsible for taking care of all the accounting, so you can focus on just doing the job. If at all possible, consider hiring an accountant.
Stay Organized
Plumbing is a highly demanded service in any state and city, so one thing is certain — you’re rarely idle.
To keep track of all scheduled jobs, visits, tasks, and more, it’s good to have a system in place. You can always use a simple notebook agenda to write down everything you need…
But even better is using the power of your smartphone or tablet for this.
Both Android and iOS users have powerful tools you can use for free — and quite easily too. Both integrated calendars let you add notes to events, set several alerts for before it’s time to leave, and if you add the exact location of the meeting, you can even (automatically) know what kind of traffic is expected on the path you’re taking. In both systems, the calendars usually let you know when it’s time to leave based on traffic data and weather conditions.
Since your phone is always with you, you never risk missing the chance to take a note, set a reminder, or miss an incoming meeting.
To-do lists are also helpful: they may not be ideal for keeping track of meetings, but to-do lists are perfect for quick-fire tasks that come up during the day.
Marketing Tips
Taking good care of your social media pages is essential, and luckily, not very hard. Here are some things you can do to market your business:
- Take good project pictures and share them on social media
- Have a great business card in hand at all times
- Learn how to leave professional voicemails
- And learn how to follow-up on your calls
And most importantly, we’ve discussed recently how to care for your Facebook page and website. Nowadays, whenever people are looking for a service, they search it up on Google or Facebook. Be sure you’re there when they need you!
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