18th Amdt 2 exam.

Since that last post a plumber has sent me a WhatsApp message asking if I had looked at the Trustpilot reviews lately for a couple of firms we have both worked for as subbies.

The last six reviews for the one firm are all negative one star reviews, then there’s a five star review for a couple of lads who do a cracking job, then it’s back to one and two star reviews; and so it goes on.

The just aren’t enough of the good lads and too many messing things up. The reviews are at the two extremes, they are mainly five star and one star with a few two star giving a slightly above average overall rating between sixty and seventy percent, which generally means well over thirty percent of the jobs need remedial work.

But then they get the good guys to do the remedial work leaving the others messing more things up.

Time for a change, something that doesn’t mean getting involved with other tradespeople and getting caught up in things that it’s best not to get caught up in.

I know this is rather off topic now, but its buried at the bottom of a topic now............and I doubt many more than the contributors above will see this reply.

Andy - 'm sorry to hear you're going through a bit of a tough time, Id bet you anything that every small tradesperson from  self employed to  say 5 employees probably goes through this cycle periodically. (In my case EVERY single year)

I, certainly, every year, loose my MOJO and hit a serious down period, and debate going employed - or doing some unknown drastic changes to make it easier - doing what I really want to do..........which is exactly what I do now without the sales, accounts, finding work, chasing money, book keeping, paying the guys, paying the wholesaler, RAMS, works package plans and Task Briefings etc etc. I'd love to be an M&E project manager on big contracts, those guys have a team of QS, a team of other professionals to work with, accountants, secretaries, bosses above them to make the really big decisions, or at least other guys to make the decission with,  even A1 &A2 printers for goodness sake. Life is very good. All they do is run the M&E bit of the job. Perfect. Paid fortunes really. (Rose tinted glasses here obviously)

Have you ever got into commercial work? Projects in particular? Design and build. 

The running a small business part of the job is the problem for me. 15 years of doing it - in many minds - badly unfortunately. With a small, fantastic team. My company though. 

I've probably made more than I would have if I was employed but work a lot more too, and taken risks. As a small company I'm in a good place at the moment, but work keeps running out and the guys get disgruntled. Project works - feast and famine scenario. 

But could I really be an employee again. Miss out on opportunity? Being, "my own man" has taken me into contracts, challenges and projects that I would probably never have got in to as someone else's employee, simply because that employer wasn't as excited or challenged about industries that require learning something new. Something un safe. To Me- something exciting................we've started small projects that were half a floor in a commercial building and ended up doing 10 times more than originally planned - plus the plant rooms and chillers and server rooms - going into project sizes where we would not have been invited into had the project started off that size. - and when someone asks me something completely outside of my experience - can I install 100 smart CT meters - all on 125 amp to 1000 amp heavy plant and distribution boards, - and a 3000m mod bus system in Linklaters in London, I say - of course we can - going back to 2009/2010 guys here on this forum helped me a lot with that job. Providing free of charge technical advice. On this forum. Magic people. 

The last 3 years have been brilliant - I've got into a new sector just before the Covid period - building railway stations...........what a great environment to be in. I've loved everything about it and the construction company that I was working with as a contractor with a small team of my  guys. (Bit of a shout out for Grahams construction - a Northern irish company) Amco-Giffen and Kemmada - the main electrical contractors on different stations, were good to work alongside too with no professional issues or clashes between us or our teams, as I (my small company) was not really competition - sort of. Really good guys on the ground and managing those projects. 

As I said - We've got into Rail - sort of - this last 3 years building the Crossrail stations at Ealing Broadway, Acton Main Line and West Ealing. Not the big contract electrical install, but all the temps, picked up some of the data contracts, been in the right place - front and centre to pick up additional containment contracts for the fire alarms on the platforms, and all of those other contracts that get tagged onto big contracts, even some of the alarm stuff, although I have an alarm company involved for that to do the technical stuff, but as the cabling runs all over the show with containment all over the show, we've done all of that drudge work. -  but again I learn while watching.

BIG generators were required as the HV, due to covid did not get installed to turn the station on when commissioning needed to hapen, so we connected up them, tested and set up them, all sorts of moves and changes; often finding out what "that" does and decide the impact of a shut down on the rail; and divert it, so it can stay in service; all the smaller more painful works that the big companies don't want to do and cant manage easily.

We've learnt about lighting columns and some about railway bonding and something of working around HV overheads that supply the trains.  We've learnt about up reliefs and down reliefs for heavens sakes, up mains and down mains (That has nothing to do with electricity), track possessions and visitors permits. At every turn its been all - new - fascinating - and interesting stuff. So different to big commercial office blocks or water or temporary installations on construction sites. 

Over the years we've got into BMS controls projects from BUPA Headquaters in London to the university of arts in Kings Cross and projects across London with a couple of BMS companies.Buy outs, retirements etc  sort of bumped us out of that industry though and by the time I'd sorted out the approved supplier PQQs the people had moved onto other contractors and contracts outside my area (It is all about who you know, but hang around for long enough and do a good job and you do get to know people. ) Getting back int the BMS/controls industry is difficult. 

We've got into CAT A and predominately CAT B office fit outs as the main stay of the last 15 years, taking us into server rooms and data installations, commercial lighting systems and naturally into UPS and change over switches and in a small way - stand by gennies. 

We did a year in waste water pump automations for Thames water. Fascinating stuff - automation in general, telemetry, Variable speed drives, Run/fault/auto signalling etc. 

We've installed the electrical parts of plant rooms and chillers, installed MCCs (Motor control centres) even worked in pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels on occasions (worst clients ever in general, but I learn something at every job, even if it is to avoid this sector of the economy - IMO of course and never to do work in ther kitchens........often worse than the waste water industry......) 

Bottom line really - it seems to me you never (?) do the commercial side of electrical stuff - it is endlessly fascinating and what really keeps me popping. If you need a change and you don't really do Commercial, start to work towards it, I can help I'm sure with basic advice, not electrical advice probably as you seem to be OK there hey? All,of the above has started from "here I am" - a one man self employed guy 16 years ago having qualified 5 years before that - And if all of that has happened in the last 15 years and I still probably have 15 years until retirement at 60 (maybe) - isn't it exciting!! I think so - where ever may I get to between now and then??? 

Just writing this has given me a little of my recently lost MOJO back. I tend to loose my MOJO at the back ends of big contracts, big jobs, financially risky, invoicing, getting paid, managing people and the environment and the job and the client and the clients customer; M&E Consultants, the IT department and the health and safety man; once I put the big weight down and we run back into more boring day in, day out commercial work I also fall apart a bit sometimes. 

We even did the lighting controls install at the IMO (United nations main meeting hall) in Lambeth London a few years ago - old cooper controls out and new Eaton controls in. Huge boxes out, small boxes in, conduit, trunking etc. 550 odd (florescent lights they were at the time, but I heard that had changed) lights, 5 core cable to each circuit. Little exciting wow jobs. 

I'm trying to sell the joys of commercial here - if you can avoid being done over by "Business" - If a change is needed - perhaps work towards more commercial stuff. Huge professional pride jobs - wow - isn't that a lovely bit of work type jobs - those are the jobs to chase and do. 

What a wonderful, ebullient tale! Good luck to you! Nothing better than being captain of your own destiny!

Good to hear of your applause for Grahams, they are within spitting distance of where I live. Always were a good company! 

Your advice to avoid the hospitality industry comes too late for me, but even with hindsight, I wouldn’t have changed the last 40 years I spent servicing it. We are involved in more than just electrical but it has provided me, and, indeed, some of the older members of my team with a working lifetime of mostly positive experiences. 

What a wonderful, ebullient tale! Good luck to you! Nothing better than being captain of your own destiny!

Good to hear of your applause for Grahams, they are within spitting distance of where I live. Always were a good company! 

Your advice to avoid the hospitality industry comes too late for me, but even with hindsight, I wouldn’t have changed the last 40 years I spent servicing it. We are involved in more than just electrical but it has provided me, and, indeed, some of the older members of my team with a working lifetime of mostly positive experiences.