How to start a plumbing business: your ultimate guide
Everything you need to know about starting your own plumbing business, from start-up costs to growth potential
Best plumbing franchises
Dyno-Rod Drains
If you’re interested in grabbing a slice of the plumbing industry by owning your own plumbing company, you’ve made a wise decision. The growing number of homeowners - not to mention growth in demand due to recent lockdown measures meaning people are spending more time in their homes than usual - means that you will have a consistent customer base and pipeline of potential customers to promote your plumbing services to.
According to the Evening Standard, there’s currently a shortage of plumbers in the UK, so your skills and business could be in high demand from the outset. With this lack of supply and surge in demand equation in mind, it might be wise to start getting your design in mind for your next business cards to be printed, as surely running your own plumbing business could be a lucrative option.
First steps to being a self-employed plumber
As mentioned above, you can depend on a steady cash flow being a self-employed plumber, and business owners can expect no two days to be the same. Jobs can range from installing piping and heating systems, to fixing sanitation systems, and even include emergency call-outs.
The beauty of running your own plumbing company is that you can dictate the hours you wish to work. Running a successful plumbing business doesn’t mean you will market your services as being available 24-7 - you can control the regularity in which you’re available.
You can also control which kind of customer you are looking to attract. If you are looking at servicing the domestic market, you can expect smaller jobs. If you are thinking of tapping into the commercial market, then expect bigger contracts, but you will likely be undertaking larger scale plumbing jobs, requiring industrial-size plumbing equipment and perhaps hiring plumbing contractors or staff to help with jobs.
Do I need a plumbing license or to be an experienced plumber to run a plumbing business?
If you want to become a self-employed plumber, you will usually need a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Domestic Plumbing and Heating. You can also take on an apprenticeship, which allows you to earn money while you are learning on the job.
If you are running your own business, not only will you need plumbing experience and to know the plumbing trade, but you will also need to have customer service, business administration, marketing and other skills to ensure that your business flourishes.
You will also need to cover business start-up costs, including plumbing equipment and tools, a reliable vehicle, and a budget to spend on marketing and branding your business.
Other overheads and factors to consider are that you will need to have the right insurance to ensure you are correctly covered, which can include public liability insurance, employers’ liability insurance, personal accident insurance and tool insurance.
These elements will need to be incorporated into your business plan to ensure that you have a viable, successful business to launch with.
If this all seems like a lot to consider, then you could opt to invest in a plumbing franchise, which will give you ultimate peace of mind. Often referred to as a ‘business in a box’, a plumbing franchise will allow you to lean on a big brand for business start-up support while operating your very own business.
If you are interesting in running a plumbing business but lack the experience, a franchise could also be an option. It would allow for you to run a management franchise where you hire licensed plumbers to undertake the jobs, while you focus on concentrate on locking in business and growing your company.
5 BEST PLUMBING FRANCHISES TO INVEST IN
Whether you’re a trained plumber ready to launch your own business, or a manager wanting a stake in a lucrative and recession-proof industry, these highly regarded franchise opportunities and businesses for sale are worth a closer look.
Drain Doctor
As long as there are drains to clear and plumbing to fix in homes and offices, there will always be a need for Drain Doctor and its franchise owners to earn a six-figure income.
Established in 1994, the home service brand has become a household name and a beacon for customer experience, providing an essential service to homes and businesses nationwide.
The Drain Doctor plumbing franchise model has been created to enable motivated individuals to lead and motivate their skilled plumbing and drainage engineers to succeed within their area, as well as locally market the business. As a Drain Doctor Plumbing franchisee, you will be a key player in managing your business from the front, prospecting and building business relationships.
Drain Doctor provides full business and technical training to its franchisees, but experience in managing a team is preferred, along with the confidence and motivation to look to win new work and build your business to great heights. The franchise fee is £35,000, plus VAT. As a new franchise owner starting from scratch, your total investment, including working capital, will be c.£85,000 to £100,00, but you could secure bank funding for up to 70 per cent of your investment.
“Drain Doctor makes sense to me,” says Benjamin Binns, franchisee of Drain Doctor, Bradford. “It’s a service-based business which is recession-proof, as plumbers and drainage engineers will always
be in demand.”
Fantastic Services
Over the last decade, Fantastic Services has successfully built one of the most diverse franchises in the UK, with an impressive portfolio of over 100 property maintenance and improvement services.
The company has more than 530 franchise partners and over 2,000 operating technicians across the UK, the US and Australia. From plumbing to professional cleaning, gardening to pest control – the services offered are wide, the franchising model flexible and potential for investment and business growth tremendous.
What truly stands out is the company’s focus on technology and innovation to standardise its service provision. The custom-built customer relationship management system (CRM) automates the processes that help franchise partners run their businesses, ensuring minimum hassle.
In return for their investment, which ranges from £5,000 to £200,000, franchise partners can quickly get on board with standards, procedures and service requirements though the Fantastic Academy training platform, followed by on-field training and coaching sessions by one of the company’s franchise professionals.
“We are excited to work with people who share our vision of stellar customer services and quality workmanship,” says co-founder and chief executive Rune Sovndahl. “The last couple of years have been monumental in terms of what we were able to achieve from a technical standpoint. From here on, the
possibilities are limitless.”
Local Assist
Local Assist is a property care and repair franchise with a 24-hour contact centre which enables the company to help with any home emergency 365 days a year.
Comprised of a network of professional tradespeople working across both the insurance and private sectors, Local Assist supplies its franchisees with work via leads generated from website enquiries or from insurance claims. Trained engineers then respond to effect repairs, whether it is a glazier for a chipped or smashed window, a plumber for a cracked pipe, or an engineer required to fix a failed boiler.
Unlike most emergency repair companies, the Local Assist franchisee can use the group’s other companies to carry out maintenance tasks and aftercare services, meaning that franchisees can develop their business as a one-stop service for solving multiple problems with a single phone call.
The Local Assist franchise costs £14,995 plus VAT, although Local Assist has offered to invest £5,000, meaning that the initial investment needed to launch is only £9,995 plus VAT. Local Assist estimates that turnover for franchisees in their first year can reach £40,000 or more, with a gross profit of over £36,000.
In return, Local Assist offers a full package of training and support, including an extensive induction which includes training on systems and compliance with health and safety regulations. Franchisees also benefit from marketing training, managed email accounts and a launch marketing campaign tailored for the local territory, as well as national advertising campaigns.
In order to let the franchisee focus on growing and running their business, Local Assist performs back-office tasks such as pricing and quotations, as well as diary and PA support. Franchisees will also have access to a job management system which allows them to keep track of all their clients in one place.
Metro Plumb
If you’re an NVQ Level 2 qualified plumber, or have practical experience which can be evaluated, a Metro Plumb franchise (a division of Metro Rod) could be the perfect way for you to build your own thriving business with unlimited earning potential. Metro Plumb franchisees pride themselves on being experts in commercial and domestic plumbing solutions, providing customers with a safe, honest, reliable and professional service, day and night.
In return for a low startup fee of approximately £17,000, you will have your own exclusive area where you’ll be the only Metro plumber and a launch plan to get you ready to start trading. The franchisor provides sales and marketing support, including a website, advertising and a full brand pack of materials, plus MetroPlumb’s support centre assists franchisees in new business generation through a dedicated national accounts team, processing enquiries and quotations so you can get on with the job.
Metro Plumb operates nationwide via a network of 30-plus franchises. If you have the plumbing skills and are interested in becoming your own boss, they will help you grow your business.
PlumbProud
A relative newcomer to the franchise scene, PlumbProud provides world class boiler support and services to local homeowners. The original Northampton branch started life back in 2013 and now achieves a regular annual turnover of £2m with impressive profit margins.
Now a management franchise, the model is built for business builders who don’t necessarily have a background in the trade, as PlumbProud teaches you all you need to know. With full training from the franchisor, use of a streamlined operations system and sales and marketing support, you’ll build your own team of carefully self-employed surveyors and independent installers, while you bring in the leads, co-ordinate the appointments, arrange the bookings, collect the money, and pay your contractors.
It’s the perfect sustainable business model with low overheads, more time for you to concentrate on sales and marketing, and provide customers with the amazing PlumbProud service. The results speak for themselves. Even though it was launched during a global pandemic, the franchise’s East London branch made £20,000 in sales within its first two weeks, while the franchise’s Northampton branch generated £200,000 in January alone.
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