Originally posted on https://www.findabusinessthat.com/blog/5207/electrician-career-guide-how-to-grow-your-business-organically/

 

There are currently more than 715,000 electricians working in the United States, and the field is growing at a rapid rate.

If you’re interested in starting a career as an electrician, now is the perfect time to do so. Of course, just because the field is growing, that doesn’t mean it’ll always be easy to become a well-known and sought after electrician.

Not sure where to begin when it comes to kicking off your electrician career? Read on for some advice that will help you to grow your business and enjoy long-term success.

Getting Started

The best way for your electrician business to grow organically is to make sure it starts out with a strong foundation. Here are some tips to help you as you begin the process of starting your own business:

Get Trained

You’re going to have a hard time getting hired for electrical jobs (or securing the proper permits you need for those jobs) if you don’t have an up-to-date license.

It doesn’t matter how much hands-on experience you have. Without that piece of paper verifying your skills, you can’t run a successful electrician business.

Make sure you’ve received all the necessary training and have a license to back up your skills. All members of your team (if you have any) should be licensed as well.

Secure Funding

No matter what kind of business you’re starting up, you need funding to get your feet off the ground.

Figure out how you’re going to pay for your business first. Will you use credit cards? A business loan? Cash?

Create a Business Plan

In addition to figuring out funding, you’ll need to create a thorough business plan for your business.

Spend some time writing out your plan and setting clear goals for yourself. What kind of milestones do you hope to reach in the first year or five years?

Remember, the more detailed your business plan is, the easier it will be for you to secure funding in the future if you need to take out a loan.

Manage Your Money

Make sure you have a plan in place to manage your money, too.

Are you going to hire an accountant or bookkeeper? Are you going to use bookkeeping software?

Whichever approach you take, you need to keep your finances in order if you want to keep your business’s doors open.

Growing Your Business

Once your business is up and running, the hard work has just begun. There are lots of additional steps you’ll need to take to grow your electrician business and continue bringing in new customers. Be sure to keep these tips for expanding your business in mind:

Ask for Reviews and Referrals

Your existing customers are some of your best marketing tools.

If you need help spreading the word about your electrician services, ask your customers to help you out. Encourage them to leave reviews online after you’ve finished a project for them.

You may want to start a referral program as well. Perhaps you can give customers a discount on future services after they refer another customer to you, or you could enter them into a drawing to win a larger prize.

Ask for Customer Feedback

Don’t forget to ask for feedback (of all kinds) from your customers.

Sending out customer satisfaction surveys after a job is done will help you to gain insight into what they liked and didn’t like about the work you did.

Once you’ve reviewed these surveys, take your customers’ feedback to heart and look for places where you can make changes.

If you’re always working to improve the way you do business, you’ll have an easier time retaining customers (and those customers will be more inclined to refer their friends).

Keep Up with the Trends

As a business owner, it’s imperative that you keep up with the latest trends within your field. For example, these days, sustainable energy is a huge market and lots of people are looking to make their homes and places of business more “green.”

If you keep up with these trends, you’ll be able to recommend more energy-efficient electrical options to your customers that will help them save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

Keep Up with the Latest Tech and Tools

In addition to keeping up with the latest trends, make sure you’re aware of the latest technology and tools, too.

If you’re using the latest equipment for your projects, you may have an easier time attracting new customers. You’ll also have a new point to include in your business’s marketing efforts (social media posts, blog posts, etc.) that will set you apart from your competition.

Conduct Regular Audits

It’s a good idea to conduct regular audits of your business as well.

For example, consider how often your bids get accepted by customers. If you find that your bids regularly aren’t getting accepted, you may need to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate how you do things.

Do you need to get your bids in sooner? Do you need to reconsider your prices? A little self-reflection can go a long way when it comes to keeping your business afloat.

Utilize Online Marketing

Make sure you’re utilizing online marketing to expand your business’s reach, too.

Having a well-designed website where people can learn more about electrical contractors in Boise, ID is a great starting point.

Are you keeping that website current, though? Are you using social media to bring in more traffic? Do you publish blog posts or videos that provide additional value to current and potential customers?

You may even want to consider working with a digital marketing professional to ensure your efforts are moving the needle forward.

Start Your Electrician Career Today

As you can see, there are lots of steps you can take to get your electrician career off on the right foot.

Now that you know what you need to do to have a successful electrician business, it’s time to get to work. Keep this information in mind as you move forward to make sure you stay on the right track.

Do you want to learn more about running your own electrician business? If so, visit the Business Resources section of our site today for additional help.