DH struggling to find work

[GoldieLocks09]

My DH is a skilled multi trader, qualified in a lot of trades - does basically everything in-house, everything from full bathroom refurbs, installing kitchens, making bespoke furniture, plastering, etc.
He always had a good stream of work coming in, mainly from recommendation and he always asks customers to leave reviews on FB which always helped.
He took some time off to focus on some personal projects, and was doing some work for family so out of the game as such for around a year - in that time we also moved, not far about 20 mins away, but he’s ready to throw himself back in but where to even start?
Facebook posts are littered with 100+ comments whenever people ask for recommendations, businesses promote on local pages everyday so it’s hard to stand out and places like MyBuilder are charging a fortune for leads and its fierce competition - seems like a lot are being posted asking for the cheapest price.

Are we missing a trick? He’s never had a website but I could easily help him knock one up, it just feels in the last year things have changed and honestly I’m a bit worried..

God I'd bite your hand off for someone like that. Multi skilled tradies who will do smaller jobs are like gold dust in London.

@Ginmonkeyagain i know, I thought the same! We don’t live far from London (about an hours drive - but traffic can take a lot longer in rush hour!) but it’s where to actually find the people that need him?!

@Ginmonkeyagain i know, I thought the same! We don’t live far from London (about an hours drive - but traffic can take a lot longer in rush hour!) but it’s where to actually find the people that need him?!

Get himself on trusted traders, create an eye catching flyer and post on local fb pages, we have moved areas 3 times and my ex always quickly found customers mainly through word of mouth. Dont necessarily need a website if he has facebook/Instagram/tiktok pages which are full of before/after jobs.

I have no specific advice but one of dd's friends has a similar situation and he is trying to find more local woek after a move. In the meantime, he is commuting back and forth to our area as this is where the clients are for him. Can he do that?

@ReadingCrimeFiction he can definitely, we’re only 20 mins down the road but where he wasn’t taking anything on he’s not getting recommended as much anymore.. its like he needs to start again!

You need one parent to post on a parent Whatsapp group and you'll get the whole school of parents asking for odd jobs.

We look for tradesmen like that - it varies how, we have a listed property so ideally we get someone with some listed buildings experience. Its quite hard to find people who make furniture / staircases rather than just install ready made ones, think there's a shortage. For smaller jobs we will often just use the area facebook page and see who is recommended. If we use someone for a smaller job and they do it well we will generally give more work when we have it. Sometimes its word of mouth or we see someone doing work on a listed property and owner is happy with it. We will need someone to make a staircase but we need to get listed buildings consent first.

Well he is not starting from the same place. He is starting from a place where his name and presumably his skills are known to a good number of people. So this is where he needs to start. Find the names of customers who he knows were really pleased with his work and contact them

*Dear Customer,

Its Jim , the builder/ plumber/ decorator who painted your kitchen/ plumbed your new bathroom / built your garden wall inn 2024. I have been working on some personal projects for a while but am now back offering my services and skills once more.

I am trying to make contact directly with people who want recommendations for a good, reliable and reasonably priced multi trader with excellent references. If you know anyone who is planning a project would you please pass on my new contact details. And if you need my services please contact me. I am happy to offer a small discount to valued previous customers.

with best wishes
Jim the builder.*

We sometimes ask at independent electrical/ plumbing/ builders type places for recommendations. Can he contact them and leave cards? Has he got lots of photos of his work?

I found a brilliant handyman via our local Facebook group - he has tons of good reviews and photos of his work on there. Could he build up an online presence like that? He also has a website but it's fairly basic, really just shows the types of jobs he does.

What @viques said

Some great ideas, thank you! Yes loads of pictures of his work available along with recommendations / references.
he used to have some cards but hasn’t used them in a while - might be worth updating and leaving locally.

@LavenderBlue19 this is where he historically got the majority of his work, Facebook was the magic bullet but honestly the posts on the local groups now get 100+ comments and even if he is recommended once or twice doesn’t get a lot of enquiries through.

Next Door?

If he’s amenable to being employed rather than self employed then could it be worth looking into work opportunities at the local authorities near you? Our local ones frequently have ads for their in house maintenance teams

If there are any villages close by their Facebooks often have far less recommendations like 5 to 10. Business cards are useful, my DH often comes back with business cards of tradesmen, sometimes just in places like the chinese or supermarket.

Try letting agencies. I work in the industry and it is ridiculously hard to find a multi-trade, handyman type who can do both small and large jobs. Send off a batch of emails, include pricing, insurance and work examples. It may start off with smaller jobs but once the trust is built then it can expand into larger jobs. Some local pages may also have certain days that business’ can advertise.

Age UK have lists of trusted tradespeople. In a crowded internet market it might be worth going back to basics and targeting people who aren’t necessarily looking online ie elderly people.

Not just lettings agencies but also holiday cottage management - I know a multi-skill tradesman who works solely for one of the holiday cottage companies down in Cornwall. From what he says, it's steady predictable work without having to constantly drum up for more business.

I know that I usually get put off by ‘jack of all trades’ type of adverts. It always makes me think of the old saying ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’. I know it probably makes sense to be able to have just the one person who has skills for everything, but I’m always a bit sceptical.

@Livelovebehappy totally understand that - he trained hard when he was young to become qualified in a few areas that felt like they lend to each other but he definitely prefers some trades to others!

Also boarding schools, estates teams, etc...

I was going to say the same. Our village fb group gets people asking for recommendations for various trades and there are generally only a handful of responses.

Also I’d consider a website. If he does kitchens and bespoke furniture, people will want to see some pictures, and if he does a range of things it will be helpful for people to see the list.

Are you an hour's drive to the North, South, East or West of London??