James Fraser
After contemplating self employment for some time, James took the plunge and started his Cairngorms-based heating engineering business in October last year, with the motivation of wanting to manage his own diary and spend more time with his young children. We asked him to share some of his experiences with us:
How did you go about starting up?
I had savings set aside specifically for starting up, I researched pricing of both the service I offer and of the parts/equipment I required. I gave my employer more notice than I was required to, as I wanted to leave the company on good terms. They fully understood my reasons for wishing to start up my own business, and continue to be supportive of this, including passing on my number to customers.
I started advertising my business using social media 2 weeks before launch (having let my employer know that this was my intention), and very quickly word started to spread thanks to my loyal customers.
At what point did you contact GrowBiz and what support did they provide?
My wife started her own business back in 2024, and received support from GrowBiz (and continues to!), so I knew that they would be able to advise me in the planning and set up stages. So I was in touch with Karen Martin in Grantown as soon as I had made the definite decision.
Both Karen and Rebecca have provided so much guidance through the last few months, including checking grant applications (and making great suggestions for amendments), formulae for various different pricing strategies, networking opportunities and so, so much more.
Was there an impact on your business after receiving support, and if so, what is/was that?
Without a doubt, I could not have set this all up without GrowBiz’s support. The experience and knowledge they share is second to none, and it gave me the confidence that I was launching with the best possible strategies in place.
It is difficult to put into words just how much this support impacted on both myself and my business, except that contacting them really was the best decision I made! One significant piece of advice has to have been the recommendation to set up as a Limited Company, it became apparent very quickly that this was the right way to go, and the benefits of doing so have been really clearly explained.
Has the support had any wider impact — for you personally, your family, or your local community maybe?
Absolutely! For one, my wife does all the administrative tasks, and having the advice and guidance readily available has saved so much time and stress for her. As trivial as this may seem, the kids are delighted when I get to take them to school! I can take them swimming at the weekends, and to their football matches, all things that I struggled to do when I was an employee. I had my first full Christmas break (albeit the occasional boiler breakdown, but the days in between Christmas and New Year were just breakdowns, rather than full working days), which meant we were able to travel down to my wife’s family and spend it with them for the first time in many years.
So many of my customers have said to me that whilst they were happy to use the larger company in the past, they are much happier to be supporting a local business and a local person. Their loyalty towards me has been immeasurable!
I am a retained firefighter, and so again, being self employed gives me more flexibility to be available more. Whilst my employer was very supportive, and allowed me to take the time off to attend the fires, it did impact on me financially and also I felt guilty for not being able to do my job – being on my own, the guilt will be far less!
As my wife had used the services of GrowBiz, it was only natural that I would do the same, and their support and guidance has undoubtedly helped my confidence during this daunting time.
“Ask for help! It’s out there!!! The GrowBiz team are on hand to help you through every step of setting up, growing and developing your business.”
What challenges are you currently facing?
Keeping on top of all the enquiries coming in! We use a fantastic system called Tradify, which is an all singing all dancing piece of software, incorporating the schedule, billing, customer database and more. Having been so busy since the day of launching, we are struggling to find the time to learn more about how it works. It will definitely cater to all our needs, but we could definitely do with taking some time out to learn a bit more! It’s a nice problem to have being too busy to stop!
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far?
Really, for me, it’s seeing how many customers have faith in me and have requested my services. I had always hoped people would want to continue using me, however it was pretty terrifying taking the leap!
Do you have a top tip to pass on to others thinking of starting their own business?
Ask for help! It’s out there!!! The GrowBiz team are on hand to help you through every step of setting up, growing and developing your business. Even if you’re not sure you are ready yet, give them a shout, hear what they can offer you, from one-to-one mentoring, to courses, to networking events, and much more.
What’s next for you (big or small)?
Whilst it was never my intention to have employees, I am tentatively considering looking into offering an apprenticeship within the next 2-3 years. It is still very early days, however if the business continues to grow at this speed, then there will be scope for this. I am qualified to do installations, however this is very much a 2-person job, and so worth considering if I do wish to go down the installation route. However, slow and steady wins the race! So nothing is at all certain…
I recently had my OFTEC audit for the business, and have been advised to look into qualifications for other sources of heating (eg. Air source), and this is something I am also intending to look into.