Category: Tradesman Insurance

 
The job of a tradesman is a physically demanding one. Most have early starts and the days are long, with the average being between anywhere from ten to twelve hours. Majority of the day is spent on your feet, carrying building materials around, coupled with that you are often working outside facing the elements. With all this in mind, it comes as no surprise that eating properly during the working day can be a challenge.

Here are some of the common problems tradesmen face when it comes to healthy eating.

Problem 1: Too busy, so don’t have time to eat

In a typical workday there are lots of tasks to be done. Very often things don’t go as planned on site, something might come up which needs your urgent attention, and so you end up skipping lunch and not taking any breaks. You often find that the day goes by and you haven’t had time to eat.

Problem 2: Making unhealthy choices

You don’t have time to go and shop for lunch, so you have to eat what is available on site, even if the choices might not always be the healthiest.

Problem 3: No food on site

You are on a site that has no food, and there is nothing near by.

To function properly on site, you to have eat well in order to fuel the body with enough energy for the day. Not getting enough food will mean you are more likely to get tired later in the day, which can affect your concentration levels. So here are a few things you can do to improve your eating habits while working as a tradesman.

Solution 1: Bring your own food to work

If you know ahead of time that that your days are always busy, then take some time when you are off work to plan your meals for the week. This is the best way to take control of your eating.

Search for a few ideas online, then make a shopping list. Choose simple nutritious foods that are easy to prepare. Try to include lots of vegetables. Prepare your meals the night before. If you are really pressed for time, then another option is to take left overs from dinner for lunch the next day. Also invest in a lunch box so you can take both hot and cold food.

Solution 2: Eat a good breakfast

Having a good breakfast sets you up for the day ahead. Try to go for some form of wholegrain such as oats, to keep your energy levels up throughout the morning day.

Solution 3: Keep healthy snacks

Be sure to include some healthy snacks that you can eat on the go, to boost your energy levels between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner. Fruits and mixed nuts are a great example. If you are really pressed for time then consider taking some form of health shake that you can mix with water to drink.

Solution 4: Drink plenty of fluids

As you work you are losing water throughout the day. Dehydration can lead to a loss of performance, so to keep you hydrated, it is important to drink lots of fluids.

A good idea is to carry a few bottles of water, or a flask is also a good idea as you can keep cold drinks in it in the summer and hot ones in the winter.

Eating well does not have to be difficult, even for busy tradesmen. The benefit of doing so means that you will have more energy and so you can be more productive at work. By getting prepared ahead of time you can find a way to eat healthy without disrupting your workday.

There are many benefits to working as a self employed tradesman, such as the freedom to choose when you work, what type of work and who you work for. However going it alone also means you are totally responsible for your success.

Here are a few tips to get you up and running the right way.

Qualifications and Experience

In order to work as a self-employed tradesman, you have to have the right qualifications and work experience.

Taking an NVQ course will teach you the skills and give you the necessary qualification you need to begin your career. It is a good idea to take a range of courses in different trades, as this may improve your chances of getting work. Take regular training courses to keep your skill-set up to date. If there are any trades that you are qualified for but have no experience in, then getting some work experience through temporary or contract work will fill that gap.

Another alternative to training is to seek out an apprenticeship. Here you get both a recognised qualification and the necessary work experience at the same time.

Setting Up as a Sole Trader

A good idea is to put together a realistic business plan that gives you an idea of how much you will need to start-up and how you will run your business going forward. It is important to factor in all your start-up costs, such as the essential equipment you need to start. Having the correct equipment is key to ensuring that work can be done to a professional level in a safe and efficient manner.

You must then set up a legal structure for your business. One of the easiest options is to become a sole trader, it is cheaper and involves less administration, and you can start straight away. It is then time to contact HM Revenue & Customs to register as self employed.

Next comes the necessary permits and licenses. You should contact the relevant trade associations to find out what licenses and permits you need in order to comply with regulations. At this stage, you will also need to get some tradesman’s insurance to cover your equipment and for public liability and accidents.

Marketing Your Services

Once you are set up legally, the next thing to do is to get the word out. Most of your business will come from word of mouth referrals, but in order to get the ball rolling you will have to do some advertising.

Depending on your budget it would be wise to a combination of offline advertising and online advertising. For your offline advertising, it would be better to put small adverts in your local papers and local shop windows than advertising in national directories. There will be less competition, and it will be cheaper and more effective to begin with.

For your online advertising, you can post in local listing sites and directories, and use social media to spread the word. You can also set up a free webpage which showcases your services and skills as well as any photos of jobs you have done. Once your business takes off, you can then look at having a professional website designed.

Managing Your Business

Once you have your first clients, then your attention should be on the day to day running of the business, and this will involve keeping records. You should have a routine set up that is a combination of basic bookkeeping and diary management.

You need to file all your receipts and payment slips as well as record any incoming and outgoing transactions on a daily basis. Staying on top of this will make it easier when it comes time to complete your yearly HMRC self-assessment. You could hire a bookkeeper or accountant to do this, but they will charge for it.

Dairy management is essential so as to be aware of your availability for new work and to avoid double booking on prior appointments. It also ensures you have a record of what was done and how long jobs are taking.

In summary, getting started as a self employed tradesman is just like starting any other business, in that it requires a bit of planning and preparation. However, once you are up and running, you can look forward to an interesting and varied career.

As a tradesman, you have probably heard your fair share of horror stories in your time, especially when it comes to rogue traders. However, even though rogue traders prey on consumers, they also have a detrimental effect on the trade industry as a whole, which means that you need to know how to spot them and what to do if you encounter an issue with one. You may also need to provide advice to one of your customers on what to do about a previous trader they had, so here Nova Insurance looks at how you can handle rogue traders: Continue reading “How to Handle Rogue Traders”

Here at Nova Insurance we often provide tradesmen advice on how they can improve their businesses, but what about their customers? In order for a tradesman to complete a job quickly, easily and cheaply customers need to know how to work with them, so here we look at how you can find the best trade quote: Continue reading “Finding the Best Trade Quote”

Being a skilled tradesman doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to get work; in fact more and more young people are now choosing to take up vocational courses instead of going to university which means competition is getting even fiercer. In order to stay ahead of the pack it’s therefore essential for all tradesmen to actively advertise their services and build up their reputation. While this may sound difficult and time consuming at first, Nova Insurance has three simple tips that every tradesman can use: Continue reading “3 ways Tradesmen can Advertise their Services”

The government’s health and safety laws don’t always have the best reputation as many people are concerned that certain laws are putting too much red tape around the construction industry.  However, health and safety laws are actually there to protect both employers and employees, and can not only save lives but also businesses.  We have all seen an increase in the number of personal accident solicitor adverts on television and radio recently, which is why all tradesmen need to take health and safety laws seriously… Continue reading “4 things Tradesmen need to know about Health and Safety”