Advice Needed When Starting out!!!!

Please any advice is welcome.

My name is chadd and I'm starting out on my own. I feel work is slow and I'm trying different ways to grow my client base such as free advertising like gum tree etc....

I do get contacted a lot by advertising firms promising me the world but have never chose to go with it. Does advertising with Yell make any difference or would you suggest any different approaches.

Many thanks to all replying

Originally Posted by HeatyourStreet

Please any advice is welcome.

My name is chadd and I'm starting out on my own. I feel work is slow and I'm trying different ways to grow my client base such as free advertising like gum tree etc....

I do get contacted a lot by advertising firms promising me the world but have never chose to go with it. Does advertising with Yell make any difference or would you suggest any different approaches.

Many thanks to all replying

1st point of advice dont work for NUS

I dont have the cash but can I ask why?

Exactly that, lot of money up front, I know it might seem a good option, gaurantee of 400 jobs a year! But wheres the positive feedback to back up the claims. If you where getting people coming back and saying 'worked for them for the past two years, provided me with 50% of my work in that time and pay their bills on time in full' then yes it may be a viable option.

Your in business to make money, don't pay for work.

Back to the advice side, there's plent of hints and tips already on here for people starting out and helping to find more work. Give the search function a good run and theres probably quite a few hours reading material.

Not easy just starting out, in fact theres many who have been around a while finding times really difficult. Bit easier when you've been around a while, doesn't help at the minute tho, lot more recommendations.

Here's one for you though, do you play sport? I was playing cricket last night, always take the van, bloke comes across to me, he looks after an estates alms houses and never can get hold of a plumber am I interested.

Just my two 'penneth, good luck.

Hey Simon, Do you advertise?

Originally Posted by HeatyourStreet

Hey Simon, Do you advertise?

Just in the local paper, advert runs every week but don't get a great deal from it directly its more of a reference for people. I took the advert out of the paper at the start of December and got a lot of comments about people not being able to find my number, people would get in touch and say so and so gave me your name and said you advertised in the paper, its taken me two weeks to track down your number etc.

It's been mentioned before that the parish newsletters/magazines are quite good to get into.

Cheers Simon I'm off to a meeting with god

Welcome Chadd and good luck.

plenty of good advice on here chadd.