How to Start a Plastering Business

As with any business start up idea, the business plan needs to be thorough enough to be able to stand up to intense scrutiny from any potential investors, be it a bank or a indeed a Business Angel. Market research is key; no one should attempt to launch an assault on an industry if they haven’t done their homework. There are lots of things to consider, but perhaps the most important aspects include:

The number of potential customers and their location; will you be staying locally or offering services to a wider network?

The type of services you are going to offer; wet plastering, dry linings, rendering, coving, etc, as well as who you will be providing the services to – domestic, commercial, or industrial. The current competition; how are you going to differentiate your services from what is already out there? Have you found a niche in the market, or are you simply going to challenge on price?

Deciding on these issues is critical, as it could mean the difference between a successful business and one which fails. Plastering can be considered very much a seasonal service – as with building and construction, the very nature of services can mean working in outdoor conditions, and during the winter months business can therefore be very slow. It is imperative that you have a plan in place to compensate for these slower periods, such as offering other services, as you will still have bills to pay whether you are selling regular services or not.

All start up businesses need to generate initial work for themselves, and attract customers from the word go. It may be that you have contacts within the construction industry that will be able to send many clients in your directions and provide you with regular work, but this may not always be the case. Therefore you need to have a plan in place to drum up extra business, whether it is in the form of leaflets through doors or adverts in the local/national press.

Having the right certifications from the relevant governing bodies is also key, and if you don’t have them already, are you willing to pay the necessary fees to make sure you are registered with the accrediting organisations? Some construction firms, for example, will be reluctant to sub-contract their work to companies who are not registered with the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), and if this is one of your main sources of work then this is certainly an issue which needs to be addressed.

Attracting the right staff can also be a difficult process, especially as those with the necessary experience may have their own ideas and methods which do not necessarily conform to how you want to run the business. If this is the case, do you then take steps to recruit young school leavers on apprentice schemes? Whilst training them would certainly not be free, you would be moulding them into your own style and working practises, which may be preferential for some people, especially sole-traders looking to expand their business.

Reputation is hugely important within the plastering industry, because it can be spread quickly through word of mouth. If your workmanship is of good quality and the service you provide is a good standard, then people will get to know about your company and look to use you for their own needs. Best of all, it is free advertising, so it should be utilised to its full potential.