We have decided to start a blog. There is so much happening right now in the world of the skilled trades and it is exciting. Starting a business if you don’t have a mentor or good friend in the industry can feel not just daunting but downright insurmountable.
But I am here to tell you it is doable.
If we, for simplicity sake, were to keep things broad, it would look something like this (and I do think this is of value because truly I don’t think most people know where to start)
1. Decide what you want to do. Keep it simple. Like Tim Hortons (ah, how Canadian of us). Decide on a good coffee and make it. I think most of us conservative typed people agree, expanding the menu to the epic proportions was more of an annoyance to us than a wealth of great new items. Tim Hortons. I implore you – go back to Coffee and Donuts. I dread the thought of buying a coffee to sit 20 minutes in a drive through so Sue can order 17 ham and cheese sandwiches, ask what toppings are the that new fangled donut, and request that her bagel be gluten free.
Decide on your COFFEE AND DONUTS.
2. Research how to do it well. When we are jack of all trades, we spread ourselves thin. We derail the possibility for ourselves of becoming MASTER OF ONE. One thing that everyone knows you to be “The Guy” (or Gal) to go to. I was gifted a fantastic book once entitled ‘Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do’ By Jordan Raynor. I will link it below. It is not tremendously long. It has summary’s at the end of each chapter. It is written from a Christian slant – and if that is not your jam, that’s ok – the message is still delivered in an effective way. I will link it below.
3. Decide if you’d like to be a NAMED / NUMBERED COMPANY, or SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP. I could talk about it. But I won’t do it justice. Instead watch the www.youtube.com video I link below. He is Canadian. He has an accent like a European mobster, He is Eugene, best of all, he is brief.
4. Get Legit. I know. This is where the dream screeches to a halt right? How do I do that. This is where things could get broad. Want to have a Sole proprietorship? Ready for this? Take five minutes and Google: How to register as a sole proprietor in (insert province). Click on the respective government website. Follow directions. Incorporation? Watch a bit more of the Youtube videos by Eugene, (linked below). There are businesses like that out there that can get you 100 percent set up. Alternatively, a website like www.corporationcenter.com will also get you totally set up from the comfort of your home. (No we are not paid by them, its just who we used personally and I like that there is information on their website for people who truly don’t have a hopeful clue in hell what they are doing, such as us when we first did it).
5. GET A DOMAIN. Listen closely. This is important. Find out if you can get your business name should you chose to go that route. (There is a way, its called a Nuans search. www.corporationcenter.com can do it for you). IF your business name is not take, and you can achieve it – REGISTER THE DOMAIN BEFORE you register your company. There are yucky internet evils that see your corporation name as its registered, register a domain then try to sell it back to you for ridiculous money. And it’s a heartbreak when you just spent all that dough to register a name you now can’t make a website for. Even if you keep it broad when you get your domain – we are technically Havasu Industries Canada Inc. We simple got the domain www.havasucanada.com (and we also bought www.havasuindustries.com as well along with some .ca domains just to be sure).
6. Set up a Business Bank Account and Insurance. I say business account BEFORE insurance because getting that credit card and those checks in hand can can take even up to 2 weeks and you can’t do business easily without those things (you can but your accountant might dislike you for it). PLUS once they are in hand, you can start your business insurance set up right on your business banking / credit card.
7. Set up a LinkedIn account. Personally I don’t love linked in. But there are a lot of people who are great at it. I am not one of them, but it IS a way to network. I am MUCH more of a face to face person. I like to really get to know someone’s energy and let them know mine. But it is a starting point. Also it DOES help you focus your business identity by asking you to present yourself in one way or another to the world. It at minimum gives you time to pause and think of what you have accomplished (accreditations, education) much in the same way as a resume, which will better help you to present yourself to the industry when you start to go out into the world. You may be great at wrenching but it wont get you anywhere if you can’t say WHY you are the BEST person for THAT wrenching job and how you are set apart.
8. Look up Bids and Tenders in your industry or Get Networking. Put yourself out there and REALLY tell everyone you know what you are up to. Don’t be shy and pretend you don’t have a right to be out there doing you. ITS OK if you are not an expert yet. You are saying to the world you are GOING to be an expert, nay, a force to be reckoned with, in just a matter of time. And, You are asking them to give you the time to say why. Integrity goes far. Saying “I don’t know the answer, but I am the guy who will DO EVERYTHING to know now that you ask” is big. There is power in that. Get familiar with what bids and tenders are (just google it to start) and apply for them. EVEN if you don’t get a single job, you practiced and learned. You are now WAY ahead of the guy who is just on step one. Look at you and how far you’ve come.
9. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Don’t stop your learning curve. Sign up for a sales course, a second trade ticket, licence or whatever. Sign up for a MOOC. What is a MOOC? Massive Open Online Course (I may have mixed that up but google MOOC). They are free, or even cheap, and there are ones on everything from your feelings to Climate Change or equality in the workplace. Look, I don’t care if you believe in climate change or not. Bob with the Region of Wherever may not either, but if he likes you, that climate change course or your woke understanding of equality makes you a great guy to justify hiring because it make him look great to his bosses. Because after all its Climate Change. (P.s. We subscribe to the idea at Havasu Industries Canada called "Don't be a Dick.". We don't need to be "woke" we don't need to "believe in climate change" because we believe in treating ALL people with respect and dignity and we strive to be respectful of the earth around us by responsibly caring for our environment. So, don't be a dick).
10. Be confident and believe in you. We have all met that guy we look at and say “He can't even tie his Effin' boots up, let alone how'd he get that job?" If he can, you can. It’s a number’s game out there. Don’t get discouraged, take 10 no’s and go into the 11th opportunity ready to win it. Like dating. Even if you ugly, you say hello to enough other humans and someone will find your pug face cute or charming. Just go giver and giver till you’re winning at your first million and all those “no’s” wished they looked past that mess of a face because you own a yacht when your aren’t busy being the master of rebuilding a shit-pump.
-Team Havasu
Resources:
Jordon Raynor's Book: Master Of One: https://jordanraynor.com/
Youtube Eugene's Info
Our website - https://cbes.ca/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CanadianBiz
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cbes