Ok i get this far...again!!!!

[ExtinctFire]

ive been trying to start a business up supplying the services of fire alarm and emergency lighting repairs and maintenance. ive discovered that this type of work requires me to tender for contracts. ive been employed in this area for more than 10 years and have all the knowledge, know how and drive to succeed.

the trouble is if i try to get into a tender i find they want a year or more of cashflow reports etc, how can i get round this if i havent got any books for 12mths?

if i was single with no responsibilities id just work self employed and just try to earn as much as i can but as i have a wife, kids and a mortgage i feel i need to be tendering for work with value! kind of a catch 22 but any advice people might have would be GREATLY appreciated.

thanks for your time and hello :)

[ginantonic]

Could you not take on the "bread and butter" smaller stuff and work towards the tenders? I think you may find most companies who put work out for tender insist on the minimum year of reports, checkable work, etc, so I don't think you can do anything. Either that, or enquire about free membership for the Chamber of Commerce in your area, most do the 1st year free, and it is brilliant for networking. Unfair though it is, a lot of the tender work is won by those in the "old boy's network", and it is sometimes a case of who you know. Worth a try?

[ExtinctFire]

hey gin, thanks for replying :) trouble is where do i get any 'bread and butter' work? thanks for recommending chamber of commerce, will be contacting them tomorrow.

your right they do tend to go for the 'big boys' such a shame though as they could save a fortune and have a better more personal servie with someone like myself :|

thanks again

[ginantonic]

I agree completely, but it's never fair in business, is it? Try posting on here to see if any members can give you work. There's a UKBF offers section, you could maybe offer a discount? Or take a look at the forum bit for your area in the UK, you could chat to some of them.

[Cornish Steve]

It sounds like you need to think through your business strategy. In particular, your target market right now does not match your company's profile. At the most fundamental level, what is your target market? How will you reach them? What makes you different? Why should they buy from you? You need good, solid, believable answers to these questions before you go any further.

[ExtinctFire]

thanks for the advice, i have (yet another) meeting with business link but i don't just want to talk about starting my business...im sick of doing that now, im gonna just go for it, im gonna go around trading estates delivering my business cards, leaflets etc

im going to be offering 25% lower rates than all major companies in this field and better onsite rates, more personal attention with customers and reliability.

i have cards that provide competence reassurance and i certify works!

any more ideas of how i can 'drum up work'?

thanks again :)

[CKG]

I started a similar(ish) business last year - gas safety and PAT testing for Hotels and the like.

The absolute best way to drum up this type of work is just to pick up the phone and call up a highly targetted selection of businesses that you think you can help out with your services and start building a relationsip with them. Hotels, B&Bs, care homes and the like are all prime targets.

And your long standing competitors are probably 25% more expensive for a reason.

If you want some advice on finding work, as we're in the same sort of business, just PM me and i'll help you out as much as I can.

[TotallySport]

No idea how they do it, but the utlities companies know when people move into an new unit, so they can call to "help" them out and sell their business. If you could find out how they do it, this might be a good target market.

[ExtinctFire]

thanks for all your help, please keep it coming, these forums are great! :)