Unemployed

[chocabloc]

hello all i have recently been made unemployed and now need to do something different i have a idea but need to find out what home owners think about my service i maybe able to offer.

i want to simply reseal the silicone around bathrooms and kitchens the company i used to work for was a drain company that sent me into a lot of bathrooms and kitches and i was amazed at how much of this sealant was mouldy or coming away from the baths sinks toilets and skirting board where the floor meets. I know that cleaning products that are used in the home basically eat the silicone seal, which means that it is not doing the job it is supposed to be doing.

you could reseal a bathroom yourself however i know i can get a real nice showroom finish on silicone and caulking around windows etc for a small fee of say £45 this includes removing old silicone / caulk and then resealing .

can i get some feed back please i have attached an image off behind a kitchen base unit that shows what can happen from not having a good seal

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

Good luck to you but I wouldn't pay.

No doubt some small minded left whinger will be along shortly to rat you in to the mods.

[LiveinHope]

hello all i have recently been made unemployed and now need to do something different i have a idea but need to find out what home owners think about my service i maybe able to offer.

i want to simply reseal the silicone around bathrooms and kitchens the company i used to work for was a drain company that sent me into a lot of bathrooms and kitches and i was amazed at how much of this sealant was mouldy or coming away from the baths sinks toilets and skirting board where the floor meets. I know that cleaning products that are used in the home basically eat the silicone seal, which means that it is not doing the job it is supposed to be doing.

you could reseal a bathroom yourself however i know i can get a real nice showroom finish on silicone and caulking around windows etc for a small fee of say £45 this includes removing old silicone / caulk and then resealing .

can i get some feed back please i have attached an image off behind a kitchen base unit that shows what can happen from not having a good seal

I think it is certainly an idea. The following is not to be harsh, just what would go through my mind before I invested heavily

1) I wouldn't use your service. I tend not to pay people to do things I feel I could step up to do myself.

2) The fact that you see lots of 'mouldy, coming away stuff' seems to tell me either

A. people are not bothered, and/or

B. people can't fix it themselves, or

C. people don't know anyone who can fix it.

So, if you think you can raise market awareness by driving around with a van marked 'it's a seal' or something like that, and you can overcome peoples' inertia to do nothing/not spend cash (especially in a recession) then perhaps you can create a market*^.

But as for 45 quid, how long would it take you to fix a bathroom, factoring in journey time, van and fuel costs etc ?

*incidentally I am often amazed at the services people do pay for

^you seem to be offering a service that could give a 'new look' for little cost when people are miserable.

[SarahBell]

If you're serious then speak to the local council about grants for getting started.

Some have money to give away to start up busineses.

If you can do it well then contact letting agents/landlords/ etc - anyone who might have a lot of bathrooms and kitchens need doing.

(pubs, care homes, etc etc ... )

Build a website and create a portfolio of before and after photos.

You could do a leaflet drop round local estate agents too - get people to smarten up their bathroom before their house goes on the market.

Where in the UK are you?

[mightytharg]

If you're serious then speak to the local council about grants for getting started.

Some have money to give away to start up busineses.

Why assume that the OP is a scrounging piece of scum? Maybe he wants to have some self-respect and not rely on hand-outs.

I wish him good luck if he keeps his hands out of the taxpayers' pockets.

[Jason]

I actually think it's a good idea. I wouldn't go into the costs of getting a signed van until you are established though.

How long would it take you to do a typical bathroom? If you could get a price of £50/60 for a bath+sink I think there would be a good market for that. I suggest you start with a leaflet drop in your local area first.

[ccc]

I suggest you try this.

Stand up course

[dervis]

I like it and would pay for it. You can always tell the difference between an amateur and a professional doing the same job.

You need to get the pricing model right, though. Is that £45 per item, like basin?

There are, as other posters have said, grants which will help you to start your business. Not sure about the strange remark about being a scrounging piece of scum...odd woman.....

[Si1]

Why assume that the OP is a scrounging piece of scum? Maybe he wants to have some self-respect and not rely on hand-outs.

I wish him good luck if he keeps his hands out of the taxpayers' pockets.

this is nonsense

he may go out of business because a competitor undercuts him who DOES take the grant

political arguments for or against subsidies are one thing, but if you are opposed to them in principle, then vote that way, but you're a fool not to take the legal entitlements if they are there

[finallysold]

i think it is a good service as i would use it. my bathroom which was completely refurbished 2 years ago has mouldy sealant. i have used some proprietary cleaning products regularly and they work well but the caulking is damaged. if someone offers to come and redo it properly for a 45 pound fee, i would use the service. dont sell yourself too cheaply. you are offering a skilled service and you should charge a good amount of money for it. my chimney sweep charges 60 pounds for a visit and a certificate and he did not spend more than half an hour there. his work was good and i was happy to pay the money for someone else to do what i consider to be a difficult and skilled job.

i think you should get a website going with some good pictures as others have suggested. how many such visits can you do in a day. what is the total area you can cover taking into account time taken for travelling and costs of travel. put some cards in supermarkets ads area, diy shop ads area etc in the area you want to cover. many local areas have websites and publications which target the locals. find out how much it will cost to get yourself in there.

in terms of start up what are your costs?do you have a vehicle to use for moving around. i guess you dont need much outlay for tools, supplies etc. my driving instructor used a easily removable magnetic sign board which was fitted on the top of her car when she gave lessons. when she was not working, the sign would come off really easily. might be an option for you if you want some cheap publicity.

[mranderson66]

i think it is a good service as i would use it. my bathroom which was completely refurbished 2 years ago has mouldy sealant. i have used some proprietary cleaning products regularly and they work well but the caulking is damaged. if someone offers to come and redo it properly for a 45 pound fee, i would use the service. dont sell yourself too cheaply. you are offering a skilled service and you should charge a good amount of money for it. my chimney sweep charges 60 pounds for a visit and a certificate and he did not spend more than half an hour there. his work was good and i was happy to pay the money for someone else to do what i consider to be a difficult and skilled job.

i think you should get a website going with some good pictures as others have suggested. how many such visits can you do in a day. what is the total area you can cover taking into account time taken for travelling and costs of travel. put some cards in supermarkets ads area, diy shop ads area etc in the area you want to cover. many local areas have websites and publications which target the locals. find out how much it will cost to get yourself in there.

in terms of start up what are your costs?do you have a vehicle to use for moving around. i guess you dont need much outlay for tools, supplies etc. my driving instructor used a easily removable magnetic sign board which was fitted on the top of her car when she gave lessons. when she was not working, the sign would come off really easily. might be an option for you if you want some cheap publicity.

It's not a skilled service at all, I reseal round my bath every couple of years and it takes about 20mins. Strip the old stuff off (if you did it right last time it should come off in a continous strip), fill the bath up and apply in a continous bead, finishing with a damp rounded tool.

Anybody who can't do that shouldn't own a house.

It's just as easy to freshen up bathroom grout.

[Riedquat]

It's not a skilled service at all, I reseal round my bath every couple of years and it takes about 20mins. Strip the old stuff off (if you did it right last time it should come off in a continous strip), fill the bath up and apply in a continous bead, finishing with a damp rounded tool.

Anybody who can't do that shouldn't own a house.

It's just as easy to freshen up bathroom grout.

Perhaps, but there are people who can't and / or won't and if they're willing to pay someone to do it for them then it's a business opportunity. If someone wants to give me money for something I can do quickly and easily I'm not going to complain that they should be able to do it themselves!

[SarahBell]

Why assume that the OP is a scrounging piece of scum? Maybe he wants to have some self-respect and not rely on hand-outs.

I wish him good luck if he keeps his hands out of the taxpayers' pockets.

Some grants are only available once you've been going for six months - but would be ideal for helping the OP take a starter business and turn it into something more professional and sustainable.

http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/business_and_employment/business_grants.aspx

I'd assume some businesses have start up costs (whether it be for a vehicle to travel to jobs, the money to start a website, advertising etc...)

If you've been on the dole then sometim es even £20 for an ad in the paper is just too much.

I see grants that help business develop and grow as being worthwhile.

I don't think the OP sounds like a scrounger at all - and wish them well.

If it means they stop claiming dole and get a good sound business going then that's good for the tax-payer - and will mean there's one more tax payer.

[SarahBell]

I like it and would pay for it. You can always tell the difference between an amateur and a professional doing the same job.

You need to get the pricing model right, though. Is that £45 per item, like basin?

There are, as other posters have said, grants which will help you to start your business. Not sure about the strange remark about being a scrounging piece of scum...odd woman.....

I think the pricing model is right for starters

Aiming to do 4 a day would be a nice earner without being too rushed.

Whilst charging more when it's an established business is possible, for a newbie a lower ticket price is probably best.

[PricedOutNative]

I find this hard to believe; I’m a fairly accomplished DIY-er and a job like that would take me a couple of hours at least to do to an acceptable standard.

Seems odd that you need to do this every couple of years…?

It's not a skilled service at all, I reseal round my bath every couple of years and it takes about 20mins. Strip the old stuff off (if you did it right last time it should come off in a continous strip), fill the bath up and apply in a continous bead, finishing with a damp rounded tool.

Anybody who can't do that shouldn't own a house.

It's just as easy to freshen up bathroom grout.

[finallysold]

It's not a skilled service at all, I reseal round my bath every couple of years and it takes about 20mins. Strip the old stuff off (if you did it right last time it should come off in a continous strip), fill the bath up and apply in a continous bead, finishing with a damp rounded tool.

Anybody who can't do that shouldn't own a house.

It's just as easy to freshen up bathroom grout.

we have redone a few bits here and there before in the kitchen and we cant do it as well as the original plumber whose finish was very good. as i said earlier, if it is 45 pounds for someone to come and do it quickly and neatly, i will pay for it. for me to do a whole bathroom (around the bath, basin etc) would take hte best part of 3 hours or more and i would not be satisfied with the results. removing the old caulking cleanly is a real pain. so if i have to call in someone every few years to redo a few things i am happy to pay a reasonable rate.

[chocabloc]

Thanks for the replies.

I feel that i could take out old silicone around the bathroom in 90 miniutes max!! re sealing no more than 15 mins. using the correct sealer (not all sanitary sealer is the same )

my fee of £45 i think is a reasonable price to re seal a complete bathroom.

As i was sat outside starbucks this afternoon i couldn't stop thinking at how much of a goer this could be but need to speak to more home owners and ask for there humble opinion on the service.

the person that posted the name ITS A SEAL is genius.... i love that name. I have registered the domain already! so when your ready for a seal its on the the house.

if people are still reading this post PLEASE stick a "yes" or "no" to my idea to help me figure this one out.

Again i thank you for your time and replies.

[LiveinHope]

Thanks for the replies.

I feel that i could take out old silicone around the bathroom in 90 miniutes max!! re sealing no more than 15 mins. using the correct sealer (not all sanitary sealer is the same )

my fee of £45 i think is a reasonable price to re seal a complete bathroom.

As i was sat outside starbucks this afternoon i couldn't stop thinking at how much of a goer this could be but need to speak to more home owners and ask for there humble opinion on the service.

the person that posted the name ITS A SEAL is genius.... i love that name. I have registered the domain already! so when your ready for a seal its on the the house.

if people are still reading this post PLEASE stick a "yes" or "no" to my idea to help me figure this one out.

Again i thank you for your time and replies.

I rent.

I thought about registering it just to be a c0cky biigger or irritating tw@t:-)

Do a leaflet drop, A4 poster in local PO etc, keep the flyer design simple, don't get carried away with your artistic abilities. All that is needed is a simple message, example prices and you tel' numbers/website

As another poster said, stay rational.

[porca misèria]

Decent idea if it's something you're good at. Are there other jobs around the house (or office, or pub, etc) you could combine that with? The hard part is convincing people you're worth hiring, until you have a track record and start to attract word-of-mouth recommendations.

A leaflet dropped here goes unread into the recycling. If I wanted a service like yours I'd ask around for recommendations. But then, I rent, so it's my agent you'd want to talk to, and I think someone already suggested that. In any case, an agent with a regular stream of work beats an individual job!

[Jason]

Thanks for the replies.

I feel that i could take out old silicone around the bathroom in 90 miniutes max!! re sealing no more than 15 mins. using the correct sealer (not all sanitary sealer is the same )

my fee of £45 i think is a reasonable price to re seal a complete bathroom.

As i was sat outside starbucks this afternoon i couldn't stop thinking at how much of a goer this could be but need to speak to more home owners and ask for there humble opinion on the service.

the person that posted the name ITS A SEAL is genius.... i love that name. I have registered the domain already! so when your ready for a seal its on the the house.

if people are still reading this post PLEASE stick a "yes" or "no" to my idea to help me figure this one out.

Again i thank you for your time and replies.

I say go for it. Keep your costs to a minimum to start with and see how it goes.

What area are you from?

[DTMark]

hello all i have recently been made unemployed and now need to do something different i have a idea but need to find out what home owners think about my service i maybe able to offer.

i want to simply reseal the silicone around bathrooms and kitchens the company i used to work for was a drain company that sent me into a lot of bathrooms and kitches and i was amazed at how much of this sealant was mouldy or coming away from the baths sinks toilets and skirting board where the floor meets. I know that cleaning products that are used in the home basically eat the silicone seal, which means that it is not doing the job it is supposed to be doing.

you could reseal a bathroom yourself however i know i can get a real nice showroom finish on silicone and caulking around windows etc for a small fee of say £45 this includes removing old silicone / caulk and then resealing .

can i get some feed back please i have attached an image off behind a kitchen base unit that shows what can happen from not having a good seal

Many of the people I know who have gone on to be self-employed and successful at it, are people who have leveraged either their knowledge, contacts or often both to provide something unique or distinct, or cheaper than the "big boys".

So this has the basics of potential success, but I'd echo what a few others have said - what you're trying to sell has a "preventative" aspect - you're selling value, longetivity if you will - and that's a harder sell. It isn't shiny, it doesn't do apps, and nobody else except you will ever see it. The market would seem to be mostly people whose bathrooms have got to a stage where it becomes necessary. I might be wrong, but I think that sorting out the sealant in the bathroom might be a bit like sorting out teeth - people tend to only do it when it's got to the stage where it can't be ignored.

Actually, I'd have thought your primary markets would be letting agents and landlords, not least because one job can turn into many if you do it well and at a good price, and the cost for the agent or landlord to send round a plumber - call out fee, hourly fee - could be easily undercut. So I'd send your marketing stuff to all the lettings agencies and landlords in the areas you intend covering.

I can't help but think that what you have is a very specific product; can you leverage what you know and what you can do to offer perhaps a wider range of services including a more "basic" (more often needed) one to act as your main income while you push and test your idea?

And, genuinely, I wish you every success. Top man.

[SarahBell]

And?

...

[@contradevian]

Good luck to you too, and I would pay.

It's just the sort of thing that loads of people need doing and never get around to, because deep down they know they would do it badly.

+1

Yes I can see the benefit, and my ex landlord should have hired you as I was on at the letting agent to seal round the bath (newish build) but nothing got done. Yes I could got some sealant from Wilko, but to hell with them if the water leaks down the side of the bath.

With that in mind, perhaps drop your card/leaflet in at some letting agents? Especially Martin & Clueless who really have no support infrastructure at all for property problems.

[rw42]

What sort of profit do you think you'd make on this?

So £45 for close to 2 hours work, potentially more including transport to and there - how much does the sealant cost?

Got to agree with the posters that this would be something i'd use to get more plumbing business in general, rather than something specific.

What you're offering sounds like a good idea but is nothing unique or (from what it sounds like) particularly hard to do for any plumber - if someone did see a flier/website, and asked their local/usual plumber if they could do it and how much for, do you think you'd work out cheaper?

Are there cleaning products that don't ruin the sealant that you could sell while you're there? Do you intend to keep drain cleaning or do this alone?

[The Masked Tulip]

What sort of profit do you think you'd make on this?

So £45 for close to 2 hours work, potentially more including transport to and there - how much does the sealant cost?

Got to agree with the posters that this would be something i'd use to get more plumbing business in general, rather than something specific.

What you're offering sounds like a good idea but is nothing unique or (from what it sounds like) particularly hard to do for any plumber - if someone did see a flier/website, and asked their local/usual plumber if they could do it and how much for, do you think you'd work out cheaper?

Are there cleaning products that don't ruin the sealant that you could sell while you're there? Do you intend to keep drain cleaning or do this alone?

Part of the call out is an opportunity to sell something else on top of the job.

Fo example, a friend recently had a spark come to fix his cooker. Turned out it was a simple filament but, to my friend, he had no clue so he paid the call out charge, the fixing charge and paid for the part - the filament. The spark charged him about 45 quid for the filament which my friend later googled and found he could buy for a few quid.

People will pay.