What do you suggest for a dying trade?

[CeeVee]

Hi all.

After a few failed business ventures. I'm back doing my 'bread and butter' job which is plastering.

To my utter horror I find the trade is dying with NO way back.

As a consequence I'm looking to start something on a shoestring.
My passion is songwriting and recording in my studio...but apparently that is a dying 'trade' too...unless you're David Guetta.

I looked at buying wholesale musical instruments, but the margins seem that small that I'd need to be an instant eBay power seller just to survive!

Are there any businesses that a mid life guy can start on a shoestring?

A little vague I know...perhaps I've just come on here to vent my spleen...

:redface:

 

[deadgoodundies]

I'd stick with the plastering but be a plasterer who tides up well after himself. Not come across one yet so could be a niche market for you (of course unless you already do tidy up well after)

 

[Jordan.Boon]

People always say that you should go for a niche, Have you looked into dropshipping musical instraments.
What is your favourite type of music as you could go into selling sheet music, or dealing in hard to find sheet music, as with Plastering i do not think that it could ever be called a dying trade as it is a skill that almost noone has, as i have tried it myself and it is tough.
I would possibly just get out there more with the plastering to be honest, business cards, flyers made and letter box them offering offer small jobs at a reasonable price.
eg. The bit in the bathroom that is slightly uneven or crumbling away??? only ideas

 

[PDRD]

Hi.

Is plastering really a dying trade? I suppose the quick cheap house builders now prefer boards with a skim over the joints?

Can you not diversify? Start doing dry lining or similar? or are you looking to get out of the trade industry?

 

[CeeVee]

Thanks for that...some good ideas there.

With regards to dying....there were three aspects to internal plastering...boarding, 'roughing' and skimming.

Anyone and everyone boards nowadays, especially builders so that parts gone.
No one wants roughing (undercoat plaster) so thats gone.
'Skimmers' have taken over the trade....young lads who have only learnt that part of it (about 10% of the trade) and they will all work for peanuts!

The trade industry is hard work...I'd really like to do something else.

I'm desperate really to do something to do with music...
I do 'Northern' niche voice overs...but that really just brings in pocket money.

I've seen things on wholesale deals dot com...instruments etc...

Some are £25 + vat...but I've seen them on eBay for £29.99!!!! How can you make money??!!

.

 

[MrCloser]

I looked at buying wholesale musical instruments, but the margins seem that small that I'd need to be an instant eBay power seller just to survive!

Forget it, a friend of mine lost wedges of money on just that doing a music shop: an experienced an well connected musician who had been in the industry for years. On entry level instruments you will be competing with the likes of Argos, high end instruments really needs tens of thousands worth of stock and a lot of experience.



Some are £25 + vat...but I've seen them on eBay for £29.99!!!! How can you make money??!! buying massive volumes direct from the factory

 

[Esk247]

Some are £25 + vat...but I've seen them on eBay for £29.99!!!! How can you make money??!! buying massive volumes direct from the factory

Or just taking a loss to get turnover, which a lot of eBay businesses seem to do in order to build positive feedback quickly. Unfortunately it completely devalues the product and makes it look worthless even if it isn't.

You may have to forget about dealing eBay style to the mass market, but have you thought about something music orientated that will take a little while to build up but where you are more specialist?

The other problem you have with music these days is the digital software on offer that can recreate instrument notes and sounds practically free. You can create your own theme music and guitar chords online and save them as WAV or MP3 files.

 

[CeeVee]

Hhmm...
I did think of recording club singers and acoustic artists in my studio for a cheap rate, but didn't have many takers.

The offer was come and bring your backing tracks and I'll record your vocals for £80 up to ten songs.

I'm also looking at writing and recording custom made songs for occasions such as weddings. Brand new compositions with full details in (not just generic name changes) all recorded with real instruments, and mastered (radio ready).

No interest in that yet either! I think its just the marketing I'm garbage at, or is it a rubbish idea?

I've spent a lot of time and money building my studio, I wanted to earn something from it!

Failing that, anything music.
I'd love to rent out an industrial unit come to think of it, and put stud walls up and let it out as rehearsal rooms...

 

[S-Marketing]

Hhmm...
I did think of recording club singers and acoustic artists in my studio for a cheap rate, but didn't have many takers.

The offer was come and bring your backing tracks and I'll record your vocals for £80 up to ten songs.

I'm also looking at writing and recording custom made songs for occasions such as weddings. Brand new compositions with full details in (not just generic name changes) all recorded with real instruments, and mastered (radio ready).

No interest in that yet either! I think its just the marketing I'm garbage at, or is it a rubbish idea?

I've spent a lot of time and money building my studio, I wanted to earn something from it!

Failing that, anything music.
I'd love to rent out an industrial unit come to think of it, and put stud walls up and let it out as rehearsal rooms...

You are having ideas, but are paying no attention to marketing.

If you generate these ideas with marketing in mind you will see that sound recording and related services are actually fairly easy to make money from.

 

[CeeVee]

Its always been my downfall I think Stretchy.

I really struggle with the concept of marketing and what to do.

Could you elaborate a little?

 

[AverageWhiteBloke]

Not sure if it's a good idea and maybe would be better concentrating on one idea but I like to keep my options open.
Sounds like you're sick of plastering and want to do something you love but it needs to make money as well. I run a dry lining company and suspended ceilings. I know the feeling you are having well. My ideal job would be having an aquarium shop which isn't over yet I still have plans but realistically it would need built up using my bread and butter trades. ONE DAY though

Back to you, I know what you're saying about plastering, kids are doing 4day courses now and think they're are plasterers. They then go on to do price work for peanuts just because they do board/multi finish thinking that's all there is to plastering thus putting proper plasterers out of work.

Niche markets for plasterers at the moment is K-Rend and spray applying. You can do a course in Ireland to get certified. A lot of councils and public buildings now get done in it and to keep the guarantees the plasterer has to be certified so that could make you stand out from the crowd. There is also stone walling effect where you apply then make a normal wall look like it's been done in sandstone etc which is another niche market. What about showing these boys how it's done? There are a lot of firms out there charging for courses to teach plastering, a friend of mine also gets government grants to teach they are available especially there is a big emphasis on training apprentices at the moment.

The music side. There is a recording studio on the same industrial estate as me. Nothing fancy but the guy knows his stuff. He has just built his equipment up until he needed somewhere bigger to put it. Most of his customers seem to come from his wifes boozer when they have acts on. Getting round the pubs with cards offering studio time and creating discs to the acts that are on. Plus it's a good excuse to get round the pubs. He also rents it out to schools and special needs places as part of music therapy. Be prepared to work evenings though as most people book it for after work.

The guy with the studio is an electrician in the same boat as you sick of the trade so he does a bit of both to keep the fridge full.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Have you considered making plaster decorations for the older houses, not the simple rose etc but where you take a copy of the exsisting pattern and then replicate it on either ceiling or coveing, quite a challenge i would have thought and plenty of work

 

[CeeVee]

Not sure if it's a good idea and maybe would be better concentrating on one idea but I like to keep my options open.
Sounds like you're sick of plastering and want to do something you love but it needs to make money as well. I run a dry lining company and suspended ceilings. I know the feeling you are having well. My ideal job would be having an aquarium shop which isn't over yet I still have plans but realistically it would need built up using my bread and butter trades. ONE DAY though

Back to you, I know what you're saying about plastering, kids are doing 4day courses now and think they're are plasterers. They then go on to do price work for peanuts just because they do board/multi finish thinking that's all there is to plastering thus putting proper plasterers out of work.

Niche markets for plasterers at the moment is K-Rend and spray applying. You can do a course in Ireland to get certified. A lot of councils and public buildings now get done in it and to keep the guarantees the plasterer has to be certified so that could make you stand out from the crowd. There is also stone walling effect where you apply then make a normal wall look like it's been done in sandstone etc which is another niche market. What about showing these boys how it's done? There are a lot of firms out there charging for courses to teach plastering, a friend of mine also gets government grants to teach they are available especially there is a big emphasis on training apprentices at the moment.

The music side. There is a recording studio on the same industrial estate as me. Nothing fancy but the guy knows his stuff. He has just built his equipment up until he needed somewhere bigger to put it. Most of his customers seem to come from his wifes boozer when they have acts on. Getting round the pubs with cards offering studio time and creating discs to the acts that are on. Plus it's a good excuse to get round the pubs. He also rents it out to schools and special needs places as part of music therapy. Be prepared to work evenings though as most people book it for after work.

The guy with the studio is an electrician in the same boat as you sick of the trade so he does a bit of both to keep the fridge full.

Thanks for that!
Stick with the aquarium idea...like you say, one day!

I've seen the spray/k rend/ wallcrete stuff, but to be honest none of it takes my fancy...
I'm thinking soundproofing now to combine both.

Re. the guy with the studio. Great idea! At least I know it works to some extent...

 

[CeeVee]

Have you considered making plaster decorations for the older houses, not the simple rose etc but where you take a copy of the exsisting pattern and then replicate it on either ceiling or coveing, quite a challenge i would have thought and plenty of work

Hi Chris, this is fibrous plastering...an area I'm not familiar with. I'm 'solid' plastering.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

And you cannot learn this other method, it cannot be that far removed can it?

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Have you considered making plaster decorations for the older houses, not the simple rose etc but where you take a copy of the exsisting pattern and then replicate it on either ceiling or coveing, quite a challenge i would have thought and plenty of work

£30+ Per running mtr on average, so nice money to put up and fairly quick to do.

 

[roythehandyman]

Well I don't find the plastering trade is dying, I get numerous calls for plastering over "Artex", I find I can charge what I like as some homeowners would give me their soul to rid their home of the "Artex look"

Its true to say that dry lining has taken a great deal of work away from the spreads but after the house has stood for a good couple of years the walls start to look more than a little jaded, dry lined walls dont like being treated a little rough, so eventually the plasterer is called in to put things right.

Traditional Coving as mentioned earlier is not the domain of the plasterer in my opinion, it is a a seperate trade and a highly skilled one at that.

K-Rend is for the want of a better word "crap" It marks very easily and suffers from black/green streaks in a very short space of time. Good old render/dash everytime for me, the kids from the two day college cant do either of them.

There is still a shortage of plasterers (at least in my part of the world) I was plumbing in a new pizzahut last week and even they had to call in a plasterer to sort out what the dry liners could not. I was gutted I could not do it because I was booked out elsewhear, Nothing I like better than skimming.

Stick at it mate, you sound as if you been out of the loop for some time and it will take quite a while to get back in.

Whatever you choose, I wish you the very best of luck. Oh by the way, get a website it helps