Starting your own company.

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MattScaff

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I've amassed a good amount of plant over the years which I have in a yard all set up, I now need a lorry but that's another thing. My question is how do I set up my own company, what do I need to register and everything?

Also does anyone know where you can get reasonable priced lorry's, fittings and tube?

:)
 
Hello & Welcome to the forum Matt

There are a whole heap of things you need to do to start your business, try the Companies House website first for registration etc and then CIS, HMRC website will point you in the right direction etc. Dont for get Insurance.

In regards to vehicles...it depends what you want to spend, we use mostly Cromwell Truck Sales in the West Midlands as they do purpose made scaffold vehicles and you will get a very good example around the £10k mark, but they also do cheaper.

You have picked a fantastic time to buy gear, Hire & Sales businesses are rammed to the hilt with gear, try any of them, Generation, Leicester Plant, Deborahs, Trad, Darnall Hire, they will give you excellent rates on used gear as they have clawed loads back for business's that have recently folded.

Hope that helps and GOOD LUCK!!
 
Hi Matt,

Jaimiebhibby started a similar thread on page 2 of the forum a couple of weeks back. I thought he got some great feed back from a number of experienced guy's with regard everything from h&s to a brilliant idea for promotion. I would make that your first port of call. One point nobody raised is your question about trucks, for what it's worth I would say buy as good a truck as you can afford for a couple of reasons, no point in being the best scaffolder in the area if the public think your some kind of scrappy, image is everything in this game and also the truck can be a big money pit as there is almost as much regulation covering them with VOSA on the prowl it really has to be in top nick all the time. Lastly a good fitter can cost a fortune so the more time he is under it the less time you are earning. I have been operating a couple of trucks for 10 years and I still give the fitter a cash deal to come with me to check any truck I'm considering. Sorry to bore you to death but I hope that helps, all the best with your new venture.
 
awrite mate as some one has said i posted a similar thread with regards to starting my own wee firm which is now in the early stages of up and running!! (big thanks too all who posted help and advice!) i would happily send you some info on how i got things started business plan, cashflow projection, insurance , registering with the tax man etc. just give me a shout with what you want to know and ill do what i can mate! all the best hope it goes well!
 
Mattscaff,before you buy a wagon,take a look at some of the commercial vehicle hire companys,you may find that is just as cost effective to lease a truck rather than buying one,a firm i used to work for used this method and swore by it,trucks go in the garage for regular services as part of the deal,and a replacement truck is provided while this happens,worth looking into mate,good luck..
 
daz said:
Mattscaff,before you buy a wagon,take a look at some of the commercial vehicle hire companys,you may find that is just as cost effective to lease a truck rather than buying one,a firm i used to work for used this method and swore by it,trucks go in the garage for regular services as part of the deal,and a replacement truck is provided while this happens,worth looking into mate,good luck..
Click to expand...

The only problem with this route daz is that you pay for it wether you are working or not!! If you have a quiet month then its a big drain on you cash flow and you WILL be tied into the deal for a minimumn contract period, usually three years. Best bet by far is to purchase outright.
 
jamieBhibby said:
awrite mate as some one has said i posted a similar thread with regards to starting my own wee firm which is now in the early stages of up and running!! (big thanks too all who posted help and advice!) i would happily send you some info on how i got things started business plan, cashflow projection, insurance , registering with the tax man etc. just give me a shout with what you want to know and ill do what i can mate! all the best hope it goes well!
Click to expand...


Cheers Jay, yeah can i have all of that info? It'll be a huge help. Thanks.

Just PM it over or I can send you an email address.

---------- Post added at 12:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 AM ----------
daz said:
Mattscaff,before you buy a wagon,take a look at some of the commercial vehicle hire companys,you may find that is just as cost effective to lease a truck rather than buying one,a firm i used to work for used this method and swore by it,trucks go in the garage for regular services as part of the deal,and a replacement truck is provided while this happens,worth looking into mate,good luck..
Click to expand...

PW said:
The only problem with this route daz is that you pay for it wether you are working or not!! If you have a quiet month then its a big drain on you cash flow and you WILL be tied into the deal for a minimumn contract period, usually three years. Best bet by far is to purchase outright.
Click to expand...


Yeah i have to agree with PW on this, I'd rather own the truck outright.
 
starting ascaffolding firm

hello people im in the process of starting my own scaffold firm and would like advice on the best way to go about getting work pricing up taxs getting a truck anything and everything basically if u can help my email is
jermaine_green@hotmail.com
thanks
 
scaf35 in the early stages of setting up a business got gear couple of jobs and wagon to borrow need really to get my own any advice going cos the soundest advice comes from experience.
 
Hi Scaf35,

The guys here will give you great advice on what you need to do and get on the scaffolding side of things. There's been a number of threads on that subject and I see you posted on the other thread too regarding insurance.

If you need help and advice on the business and tax side of things, feel free to give us a call, to point you in the right direction as far as the company setting up is concerned.

Good luck with it all :)
 
hi

jamieBhibby said:
awrite mate as some one has said i posted a similar thread with regards to starting my own wee firm which is now in the early stages of up and running!! (big thanks too all who posted help and advice!) i would happily send you some info on how i got things started business plan, cashflow projection, insurance , registering with the tax man etc. just give me a shout with what you want to know and ill do what i can mate! all the best hope it goes well!
Click to expand...

hi mate i am looking on starting up a scaff business my self i not sure of the best way to go about it!!! could i also share this info that u got please please it would be a BIG HELP. thanks jamiebhibby.
:D
pm or email let me know please...
 
Hi A.M.G, how far have you got with your new venture and what are you struggling with?
 
I think something you need to ask yourselves if you are thinking of starting up is do you have a business brain? you could be the best scaffolder in the world but unless you have a bit of business nouse or a partner who has you will fail miserably. I know several people who went on there own only to come running back to wages when things went wrong.
It is pretty easy to work out the basics you need equipment, if you dont know what equipment you need then please dont go any further....
You need transport
You need somewhere to store equipment
You need relevant insurances and operators licence
You need reliable workforce or at least a decent labourer to help out.
You will need cash reserves or some borrowing power.
A good accountant would come in handy.
And ultimately you need someone to give you some work, so advertising and getting out there and let people know what your doing.

Good luck...........
 
All true but if Aom can do it so could anyone. It's not rocket science just like any other although getting all the correct paper work in order can be tricky and I had loads of help from local business men fed up of poor competition in the area and then went to scaffs for specific help. Don't be put off from anyone, if it's in your head it will stay there until you do it, anything worth while will always be tough but good luck and if you have any specifics you need help with just shout out.
 
aom said:
All true but if Aom can do it so could anyone. It's not rocket science just like any other although getting all the correct paper work in order can be tricky and I had loads of help from local business men fed up of poor competition in the area and then went to scaffs for specific help. Don't be put off from anyone, if it's in your head it will stay there until you do it, anything worth while will always be tough but good luck and if you have any specifics you need help with just shout out.
Click to expand...

......Better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all.............:cool:
 
Takes ALOT of balls to start your own firm, imo.
Theres a huge risk... but with a little luck, you'll be onto a nice few quid in return. :)


All i can say to any bosses out there is: Remember where you come from, remember what you are... your a Scaffolder like the rest of us, you was in the same boat as us once, and if your unlucky, you'll end up back in the boat. :)
 
I know my operation is the smallest going but I still take it on the chin when people think like that about the gaffers Jason.

My day started at 4.30am, pissing with rain unloading the remains of a load before collecting a load 70 miles away, back in the yard for 9 a couple of quick additions and deliver the load for today's job. We have the long weekend off so I would usually be trying to figure out how to get gear on to Friday's site but all I have to do is go scrounge up enpugh gear for a cycle rack to hold around 150 bikes in time for the race on Sunday so no weekend away for me. That wee number I have been doing as a favour now for 10 years and to be honest glad to see the back of it. Yes there are easy days for me but I spend most of them on the spanner doing my bit and prefer it that way. Forget where I came from.....no way, country boy through and through.:cool:

---------- Post added at 10:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 AM ----------

Haha, I never left the boat.:D
 
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