"David Lang" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi All

The day job looks like it may be going to disappear fairly soon, which has
got me thinking about the future.

Being 50+ I'd guess the job market isn't going to welcome me with open
arms.

Age discrimination in the workplace will become illegal later this year.
That may mean that companies start to fall over themselves to prove that
they are not discriminating, by employing more older people, even though
that, in itself, will be discriminatory against the younger ones. However, I
wouldn't rely on it.

Looking at what I'm good at and concentrating on my strengths lead me to
think of starting up as a handyman/property maintenance. I have the
knowledge, experience & equipment.

Quick Google seems to indicate that people are charging reasonable hourly
rates.

Anyone running a similar business who has any advice?

A couple of sites that you may find useful.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/selfemployed/
http://www.dti.gov.uk/for_business_small_business.html

Business Link, mentioned in the latter, is probably quite useful for a small
business.

My local authority also holds meetings and events for local businesses. It
would probably be worth while finding out whether yours does. They can be
valuable places to meet other businesses working in your area.

You will need public liability insurance and it will impress customers if
you have insurance to cover your work, even if you go out of business.

Personally, I would ignore the domestic market and look at selling yourself
as an on-call maintainer for local businesses. Many are too small to have
their own maintenance staff and it is surprisingly difficult to find
reliable workmen to do minor repair / maintenance jobs. If you are prepared
to be called out at any time, you can charge really good rates for out of
hours calls. There are many businesses that run 24 hours a day and they will
be all too happy to pay well over the odds to get something fixed in the
middle of the night.

Whatever you do, make sure that you look professional. First impressions are
important and your flyers must look good. That probably means professionally
printed multi-colour, but you can do almost as well if you have a colour
laser printer and use 160gm paper. Also, have lots of business cards with
you at all times. Particularly on a business estate, you are likely to have
passers-by ask you for one. Those can be done at home on a laser printer,
using sheets of pre-cut cards.

A sign written van also looks good. A self-employer vehicle repairer I know
uses magnetic sheet signs, but it only cost me £60 to have my company van (a
Renault Master LWB high roof) professionally sign written a couple of years
ago. These days, it is done by cutting out plastic sheet on computer
controlled equipment, then applying that with a heat gun. Ideally, get a van
with a solid bulkhead behind the cab and no windows in the back doors.
Otherwise, add security grilles in these places. Tool theft is a serious
concern and, in any case, you should never leave valuable tools in your van
overnight. BTW a solid bulkhead behind the cab also makes it easier to keep
the cab warm in winter.

Finally, forget about taking holidays. You don't earn when you are on
holiday, so they are doubly expensive.

Colin Bignell