Guide: How to get more work as a tradesperson

It can be hard moving from a reliable source of income, working your comfortable 9 to 5 (or as most trades go, 7 to 4) and answering “yes boss, no boss, I might be late because of the traffic boss” most days.

Many tradespeople leave the grind to find comfort in being their own boss – and while this definitely has its perks, you’ll definitely not work as hard for anyone else as you will have to for yourself!

So, how to get more work as a tradesperson? Well, there are a number of ways to get yourself work once you’ve made the jump to being a self-employed tradesperson.

Here's our top 5 ways to find more work as a tradesperson

1. Word of mouth

Word Of Mouth is one of the best ways to source self-employed work. Think about it, customers are so happy with the work you have completed, they’ll have other potential customers knocking on your door for work!

The above being said, you need that first customer, and probably many more for those recommendations to start flowing in. Below are the numerous ways of getting started to make you appeal to that first customer!

2. Social Media

Social Media is one of the most effective ways to promote your business to get more work as a tradesperson, and best of all, it’s free! There are various ways of using outreach to your advantage.

LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a great way to network and find professionals in your trade area who may also be a source of work.
Facebook – Facebook is great for reaching your customers directly – a lot of business solely operate from a Facebook business page as it’s very easy to share updates and projects
Instagram – Instagram is perfect for those with a ‘make things pretty trade’ such as bathroom & kitchen designers.
TikTok – More and more trades are using TikTok as a way to generate short transformation videos of their work due to the large customer reach.

3. Directories

Web Directories are basically the yellow pages of the internet. They’re a great way of listing your business and services, it’s usually free and they’re already pulling tonnes of visitors onto their site! There are a few ways to answer how to get more work as a tradesperson.

Local Directories -Use a local directory to hone in on the areas you work in. There are a number of customers who want to solely work with local businesses, as this supports the area it’s a great way to connect with these customers.
National Directories – There are a number of widely available directories to showcase your business all over the UK and they often generate more traffic than local directories so are definitely worth your while!

Here are a list of trade specific national directories we recommend:

Paid

Check a Trade – Starting from £25+vat per month plus pay per lead, between £2-65 +VAT. Currently have a free membership until April 2022!
TrustATrader – £699+VAT per year
MyBuilder – Free to join, pay per lead, between £2-35 +VAT
MyJobQuote – Free trial, once ends £32 per month PLUS pay per lead at £7
Rated People – £35 +VAT per month PLUS pay per lead, between £2-65 +VAT
My Workman – £10 +VAT per month
Top Tradespeople – Free to join, pay per lead

Free

Non-trade specific directories:

Google – ‘Google My Business’ is a great way to get on the map, literally, it will put you on the map for free, and show you as a local business.
Yelp – Yelp has nearly 200million monthly users, and has a proven record for local service based businesses
Yahoo! Local – Free basic listing, and for around £25 per month they’ll add you to 40+ more directories!
Hubspot – Hubspot is a business to business directory if you want to work as a contractor.

4. Website

Having an online presence can offer you a lot as far as visibility. Where do most people go to find anything first these days? Shops, restaurants, barber/hairdressers. Any service based business will benefit from having a trade website designed.

Project Showcase – show off your previous work to your new potential customers, give them the confidence in you to provide them with outstanding work.
Show Off Your Services – A website is an extension of your business card, making it easier for your customer to find their required service. It also gives your business a more professional look & feel which is important when finding customers.
Increased Credibility – Demonstrate you are serious about being a business and offering a professional service, a well designed website can increase your credibility, think testimonials, work portfolio, opening hours and making you easily contactable.
Competitive Advantage – Take an easy win and have a web presence that your competitors do not. There are thousands of customers searching for trades services everyday, show them why they should pick you.

5. Agencies

Agencies do most of the hard work for you, and everyday could be different, but the work can be inconsistent and unreliable, so there are a few things to consider;

The pro’s

Work with multiple agencies – let them find you work
Work in various settings with a wide variety of clients – this could lead to future work for your business and also give you needed experience in the field.
Make useful industry contacts

The con’s;

Unreliable and inconsistent work
Take a cut of your earnings
High expectation and workload