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It took courage to show the stress you have to deal with when running your own business, so hats off to you for baring your soul. Keep plugging away and all will come good. Good things happen to good people. Nice one matey.
Everyone has bad days. It's difficult running your own business, good days and bad days and sometimes it just gets on top of you. Proud that you showed it. Keep it up 👍
Keep going mate, you've done so well. Trust all your staff with more responsibility and authority, so you don't need to be involved in or give authorisation for everything - 4 hour work week style. If the staff can't work in that mode, you need to get better talent or offer results-based incentives. If you want a stressful hobby, keep going to jobs to 'see how things are going'. If you want a successful business and work/life balance, then work only on systems & delegate all day-to-day tasks.
Mate I had a business that got overwhelming and I struggled mentally to the point I’m only here thanks to some luck on life support cause I just struggled so much I felt instead of losing everything I’ll just remove myself completely and I’ve been an advocate for mental health and business health since I came through. I had to go solo again and remove all stress, know my limits. Everyone’s different and can cope with different amounts, I just can’t mentally do what others can just know you can chat and I’ll be more than happy to help In private.
Work/ life balance should be on top of that journal each day mate. I've had my own electrical business for 11 years. Worked 6/7 days a week for years. Post COVID I've now reduced to 5 days and it's the best decision I've ever made. Switching off from work just 2 days a week makes everything easier and clearer in my opinion. Also I've found taking on the small jobs too is great for cash flow. More labour intensive with minimal outlay on materials. Great channel mate. Hope you sort things out.
You're literally the only man who has been able to make such a boring trade into something desirable and worthy. I mean 200k subscribers for an electrician is MAD. Keep it going Jordan!
@@Poorlybobsdad What is the beef between plumbers and sparkys, I don’t get it. Im not a lecky myself but multiple family members are in the trade and say it’s as boring as ever. Mostly just tests and minor faults. Installations are rare. Not a single plumber in here.
@@Poorlybobsdad Also why does there always have to be downers like you commenting on everything and turning something reasonable into a bloody hate crime sounding thesis. Like Jesus just disagree with the comment and bugger off-
This has helped me massively. Been self employed for just over a year now and I’m experiencing the crazy busy times and quiet periods when you have no more than a weeks work booked up. Something for me which I’m unsure about is t&c on invoices and quotes. A video along those lines would be awesome
really enjoyed seeing the highs and lows you went through on a normal week for you. Really insightful and appreciate your openness. Wishing you all the best!
I'm in a different trade but i started to expand about 10 years ago. However, I quickly realised it just wasn't worth the hassle and i'm now back effectively being a one man band, running the business from home. Best thing i ever did too. No mortgage, no employees wanting that elusive 'work life balance', going off on stress and having kids every year while you're paying for it. Having a couple of quiet weeks when you're smaller isn't a big deal. When you're a medium sized business it can be crippling to cash flow. By the sounds of it you're at that awkward size where you need to employ good sales people to help expand, or decide whether it's worth sliming down the business.
I'm in my 40's and yes i agree that is very important now. However, a lot of younger folks now want the MD's car while working a 30hr week. I feel for anyone having to employ people these days as it's very difficult finding people willing to graft@@robgraham1204
That's it mate, ill never be a millionaire because i'm just no prepared to do what's required to get there in this business. I'm happy being comfortable and having some to myself@@HATCHETHAS
Impressed you have been so open. I work for myself as a one man electrical company but have worked for large companies in other industries. I always find it amazing how small the difference is between successful and unsuccessful companies. The ones with good financial results tend to have a 5% to 10% net profit and those loosing money 5% to 10% net loss, most are 5% either side of break even. I have considered growing my company but so far have been worried about ending up in the same sittuation as you, stressed with not much extra income, or worse a loss. Also I think the domestic EV and solar market is broken with the customers not willing to pay a significant extra for quality installation and support. Like you I don't consider a job dine until everything is working properly, but then you see so many people on Facebook trying to configure their own systems because the installer hasn't done it. I am sure you will keep on going and have many more better days.
Running a business myself, we have found cashflow very difficult in the past 6-8months, which has lead us to really tighten down on our debtors. We are chasing harder for money which is a joint effort between a few of us in the business (over and above their normal daily jobs), maybe you could look at bigger deposits on order or be more ruthless to not start work until you have received the money or once the product arrives with you. Hope this helps.
same here its a struggle but i love the freedom self employed brings but its very hard but if your good at your job and love banter with customers which i love then there is no way I'm going to be employed by someone telling me what time i can have break can i have a day off ect
@@artisanelectrics maybe you need to delegate some responsibilities on others for time being and be boy Friday nad weekends i am off i wont take call only utmost emergencies bye. I dont know if its your case many too many times people miss the reason why they have employees - to do work instead of them.
Very honest video Jordan. You have done incredibly well to get where you have in a relatively short period of time. I remember the days when you started as a one man band. Many have said its best to stay small and perhaps there is a lot of truth in that. Mental health is most important and what you must consider is that no business is worth putting your own wellbeing at risk for. I learnt that the hard way and now sadly in a very bad place as a result.
I love watching Artisan Electrics but found this video to be somewhat uncomfortable. I totally understand the pressures of running your own business, and it is clear that you are close to burnout, but I wonder if you consider how this video may make your employees feel? If I was working for you and saw you making this video I think I'd be looking around at other opportunities - If the head of the team is considering giving up then how do you think that makes your workers feel?
Been there. It’s tough. Just know that with the quality work you do, that it will work out. Your work speaks for itself and the customers and success will come. Hang in there. We’re rooting for you over here in the States!
Big thumbs up for the sheer balls to 'let it out'. Even though I'm now a sparky (employed) I had my own pub/restaurant and was completely burned out after 12 years and know exactly that feeling. Loving the 9-5 now.
I had the same thing mate, You know when you are doing your 3 hard weeks and feel like you need a week off, 12 - 14 hour days, short weekends. I saw a psychologist, i recommend you do too. Its well worth figuring out what is wrong. Turns out I was just burnt out and being depressed is something totally different. Please give it a go mate :) Love your videos, thanks so much for the content mate.
its not negativity, it's venting with a hoping of feeling better, whatever the problem it still exists. but after venting sometimes feels easier to address. i've always found that support at home really helps. sorry if my comment hasn't helped.
“Too much to do and not enough time to do it”…. So sit and talk to a camera….!! Oh and go home “early” to visit your mum “Ask the team to do more, but they are snowed under”, thought there was no work and you are quiet….? Im sure Milwaukee will be sad to hear your thinking of throwing the towel in….!! Video content is going off I’m afraid.
What you need is something completely separate from the business and sparks entirely, whether that be a hobby, sport or a project that brings enjoyment and this would give you some balance. Balance is key to success and happiness. All the best 😊
I had my own LTD company,I went through the same problems you are going through,every 10 years we end up in a recession which put me in unreliable predicament work wise,so I decided to liquidate the business and I decided to get a job with regular wages, holidays and pension scheme and now I have no overdraft and happy
you might have trouble getting sponsorships for the easee install as they are in big trouble with the charger not being allowed to be sold in most of northern Europe now, might be a good idea to skip out on installing them, we haven't installed them since early March i believe.
There’s always some tuff times, but good to get it off your chest too….I’ll not pretend to be a business expert but Your company is at that size where you possibly need to grow it by pursuing more work, with TH-cam and office staff, you possibly need more boots on the ground earning to cover office overheads. Having your sparks at times, all in the office helping out when quiet is money in the fire when you want them out earning. Like your previous video, where you mentioned quarterly loses, add up your team time in the office and see what that’s cost you over the quarter. Courses also eat money, do all guys need to be trained, maybe stagger training throughout the year so it’s less of a financial hit at any one time. Money had gone somewhere it’s just finding where, and that’s possibly best places to start. Just a few of my thoughts of possible avenues to explore.😊
You’re absolutely right we should have at least 10 electricians for the size of our admin team. TH-cam is a strange beast it gives us lots of leads but also lots of extra time goes into responding to people who are out of our area or who just want free advice. We do what we can to help every as much as possible but we need to be doing way more paid work to be sustainably profitable.
Also at times in business, people get caught up in making money, you don’t always have to, the key is not losing it, sometimes its worth taking a job to get a foot in a door or as an in-between job, so long as it pays the bills. You don’t strike me as someone who shall give up easily though, all the best Jordan.
It must be a huge headache, it’s just me and a nearly qualified apprentice, works certainly got a bit quieter, taking time for yourself is so important, if you need to scale back to save the business then that’s got to be better than feeling like you are at the moment with these huge monthly bills, cash flow is a nightmare, hope it all works out mate 👍🏻
Wow. The honesty in this video is notable, particularly that you’re finding TH-cam isn’t paying its way without sponsors. Work wise I’m not surprised it is quiet, July and August are when people are spending their money on holidays and day trips, not EV chargers and extensions. Ideally you need a good mix of domestic, commercial and industrial to cover the seasonal fluctuations in demand. Your comment “what’s the point” around 18.00 stuck a chord with me, and these were my thoughts when I was completely burnt out a few months ago. You’ve expanded very quickly, but you’re still trying to do everything yourself. You’ve got several electricians and several admin staff, but if you are still ‘in the weeds’ then either you or they aren’t being effective. You need to be focussing upon delegating and trusting and empowering your team, otherwise you’ll never get a holiday and will run yourself into the ground. Being self employed is full of ups and downs, the trick is being able to see through the downs.
Went through all that myself. Ran a food manufacturing company for 20 years, (My dad died when he was 47, I took over at 24,) 35 staff, worked 7 days a week, 80 hours a week, 1 week holiday a year if I was lucky, £3m turnover, all the bills, was miserable the whole time, red tape, audits, customers who had no loyalty. To be honest ruined my life, depressed, sold the business, thought I would retrain as an adult apprentice electrician, have an income from the sale, work as an apprentice, new life. 11 months after the sale the new owner bankrupt the business I grew and sacrificed over 20 years. Lost deferred payments, rental income, now money we have from the sale, ploughing back into the property to be able to set up for rental to others. Do you ever get off the hamster wheel. One thing, If I ever set up a business it would be just me or a simple business with no manufacturing. (I see it with my boss just now, things are quiet)
As a spark myself, I have my own one man band Ltd Co, NICEIC and all the good stuff. There is enough pressure just for me, but understand where you are at. I would not like to have the stress of having to look after a load of employees. Good vid and hats off to you for letting it out. Do what is good for you!!
On the face of it you run a great company and should be very proud of that and love watching the videos. Someone once told me a really good story to explain about management and it related to "cutting the lawn." As the person cutting the lawn no one could do it as well as you. Best stripes, perfect edging, greenest lawns. When you got so good you expanded or got promoted to the head groundsman and you employed other people to cut the lawn. Being the perfectionist they didnt seem to be at the level you were at so as well as your manager job you did their job as well. They didnt mind you helping because it cut their work load down a bit but you didnt actually get your own job done and hence everything came on top and things got ommitted etc etc. As you manager you have to trust your staff to get on with the job. In other words be careful not to keep "cutting the lawn" at the expense of looking and dealing with the bigger picture of the business. Being hands on is fine and shows credibility but it should be a minor part of your day to day involvment. I know you dont cut lawns but its just an analagy to perhaps put things into context. Also far far from a critiscm moreover just a bit of food for thought.......keep up the fantastic work.
Jordan, thanks for another lovely video. So much I could say concerning you and your company, but I will keep it to one observation. Your video quality is superb. The clips flow, the camera angles show whatever you are talking about, sound levels are consistent and you keep any music to the same level as the voices, so I don't have to keep turning up and down my volume as I do for so many other channels. Well done team.
Really good to see you being completely honest about the stresses of being self employed. I’m also I’m the same boat but purposely balance workload and having a life. I could be working much more, expanding my customer base and employing staff but I refuse too. You need to enjoy life too and I hope you reach that balance soon.
I would recommend finding someone with a similar profile to you that's been both an electrician and manager/administrator and share the load with them, maybe do a profit share agreement so they have the same interest in the business doing well. Then you will also have someone that can fill in for you when you want to go on holidays. I guess the idea is to offload the executive role and repetitive management tasks and take on a more director/business strategy role and still have a close reporting with the executive guy to guide the business in the direction you want to see it go. Maybe one of the guys working for you could be trained up in some of the repeating tasks you do. It's always nice to have extra time to chill out, do hobbies, go traveling etc. You can still maintain yourself as the face of the business doing youtube stuff so that things are still more or less business as usual for viewers. But it sounds like you are already offloading some of your tasks like the sponsor communications etc. so I reckon things should improve soon in any case!
It looks like it doesn't matter which country you're in or what trade you're in. Being a business owner has these massive ups and downs. Both can kill you, you can either work 16h days for months on end or struggle to sleep every night not knowing if you'll have enough to pay your bills. I relate so much to you mate... I've had the exact same thoughts and although didn't have as many employees the feelings were the same... should i chuck it all in and live my life? There is no good answer I'm afraid. Now i work a full time job for another employer and trying to keep my business alive at the same time... i wouldn't recommend it. Either way i feel you mate. Honest businesses don't make money period!
I don't know how old this is, but I get your pain. I'm sure you'll find the motivation. You have taught me and so many so much, mabey that what you need. A new income stream, something you find less stressful and more lucrative. I can't tell you what that is, but be proud of what you have created and built. Keep it up, and good things will happen. Keep well.
very good video because it's never easy to talk about the bad days but you have a good head about you and you seem to have a great crew backing you up take a step back and have look from the outside in to the inside and you will work it out, just may be have a look at the type of a electrical work you are doing and change it up a bit some time the easy stuff make just as much as the hard stuff .well done Gary from Ireland
You say you have never seen 16mm flexi-tails before .. I thought you was an electrician .. Generally installed meter tails are 25mm. A smaller diameter such as 16mm would be permitted providing the cut-out fuse is sized in accordance with section 433.1. 1 of BS 7671, where the rated current of the protective device does not exceed the current carrying capacity of the meter tails.
The reality is most small business owners earn less than their staff - in the same boat myself - the struggle is real. Love the channel.. hope you find a way to make the business work.
Hi jordan, great video. We met recently, i was quoting for a project next door to where you and the guys were working. You were filming what i can only assume was some B-roll for a unilifht product when i came uo and said hello. Anyway, fantastic video. I love the openess and the honesty and its actually made me feel so much better about myself and my business. Daily i go through exactly the same thought procees and struggles that you talked about in this video. Its nice to know that its not just me and that its not that 'Im not good enough'. Anyways, keep plugging away. You, your company, your staff and all that you guys touch is amazing. Pioneers of our industry and proof that it doesnt need to be a race to the bottom. Its just a shame that often overheads outweigh income. Fine adjustments and constant evaluation and youll balance the boat. I've got this. You've got this. ❤
Well done for being so honest so sad to see I can only imagine the 24hour stress of owning and running your own company - I think you hit it on the head when you said about a better work life balance what about a hobby? Mountain biking / cycling helps me so much if not you could do walking swimming or a couple of hours at the gym wishing you the best and anyone else who is struggling 👍
Thats all good but when your up at 6 and home at 6 and its winter and all you want is a shower, food and a sleep. My mountain bike has been ignored for way too long. Freezing winter here in NZ so exercise not a top priority atm.
You’re doing one of the hardest jobs in business so don’t beat yourself up about feeling like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders cause you do. Having post mortums when things go wrong is exactly the way to go. Learn from the mistakes and don’t repeat them. As for the situation, talk to you team and see what support they can do to help as if you go down then the team goes with you. They may have some ideas you have not thought of.
You really need to delegate more. When you hire people that you trust that have have the talent, you need to let them take some of the strain from you. I have a small team of apex experience professionals that I implicitly trust who will call me if needed. If you have that its the most comforting thing there is, especially if you are a perfectionist that demands quality - which I do :)
One thing I found beneficial to my business was popping a business card /brochure into the houses / businesses either side of where I was working, amazing how much work this generated
It's a real struggle running a channel and a business. I run a pretty successful channel too and a small business... I agree, viewers don't see the cost of videos and a lot would never stop to think about the cost of making them. I can only make my videos as a result of the support I get from Milwaukee. I'm currently talking to an agent, I think for me that's the best way to go and will free me up for other things. As you say, talking to brands is time consuming!
You should try a barcode system..for materials like the supermarkets.. So you can instantly at any given time,and see what you have in stock ..and get alerts when certain common stock is running low ... Worth a look at .. to keep on top of it effectively
I’ve used a similar journaling system, although I call it my short list and long list. The idea is that your long list is all the things that need to be done. At the beginning of each day you pick 1 (or more) items that you WILL complete that day (not want or would like to complete) and make sure you complete them. If you put too much on your plate, you are more likely to drown in what seems an overwhelming list of things to do. You can always add to your short list later on the day - reward yourself with an easy/quick task. I work in IT in a senior managerial role and the goal posts are constantly moving. I have to start predicting what will change or go wrong, so improvise, adapt, overcome.
I own a small shutter and Dock Bay company in Scotland and I know exactly how u feel mate!! No matter how hard u work, u feel that u need to do more and don't get me started on how the government tax the small company, which is supposed to be the back bone of the country!!! Chin up mate and keep digging in!!
I understand your concerns more than you can ever imagine! Keep it up, slow down a bit, maybe take a break... Overcoming those thoughts is hard, but not impossible :) And also thanks for sharing it with us! Cheers
Personally jordan you may take this the wrong way or not, but i think a couple of things you could help yourself with, is not splurging 40k on new vans get used in good condition for half the price or 2/3 of the price, also tool rental, i understand you don't have to repair the tools and it's a sponsorship, however the amount you pay yearly on tools could pay for really decent mid range sets for the entire team, running a company is about making sacrafices even if they're difficult to do personally i couldn't imagine renting tools, buy new milwaukee sets activate the extended warrenty ( you then have 3 years (free) warrenty, in those 3 years anything goes wrong you can send them back for a repair or replacement, (unless you damage it by accident falling from scaffold or something ya know the artisan special) you have the best of the best for the team i understand that, however sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture, compare price point to specs, and if you compare milwaukee to hilti the specs are similar and priced great compared to hilti, i love hilti tools but could never justify the prices for them, when their are absolutely great products for reasonable prices out there
Keeping list(s) is the easiest way to stay organized. Trying to remember all the things that need to be done is a sure-fire way to forget something and to keep your stress level up.
I chucked it back in march/April. I was one man band constantly stressed and unhappy. sick of feast of famin cause all I did was boiler repairs and odd installation. come spring and summer it would be tumble weed. your working way to much . set your business hours and family hours. I am working for a electric boiler manufacturer in technical department and I love it. do what is right for you and your family.
I think there comes a tipping point with every business where you realise you need to grow to meet demand and improve your bottom line, but unfortunately the cost of overheads seems to lead ahead of the benefit of profitability. Lots of companies fail at this point and can never get over the "hump". It strikes me that this is where you're at. All I can say is don't give up on your dream and what you've worked so hard to build. You wouldn't want to look back with regret thinking you didn't give it every chance. And after all of that you decide to wrap it up, then you can do so knowing you gave it your best. Thomas Nagy (who has gone very quiet on YT) seemed to reach this point with his business circa 18 months ago. Might be worth having a chat with him?
When you have a slow week, donate time to fixing electrics in the community who cant afford an electrician for very small fee. There is a plummer in Burnley who does things like this. Review products and be honest and frank, don't get paid to read a script endorsing a product you wouldn't actually use, and get video sponsorship by De-Brand becasue who doesn't want carbon fiber RGB light switches.
My advice would be to do just what your doing, talk about it. A problem shared is a problem solved, You got a team there - work together to get the problems fixed
The summer slump. Happens every year around July/August. People on holidays and hold off on work until the kids are back to school etc. Work should pick up again soon
I felt for poor Jordan stressing about covering wages and employees mortgages etc always a stressful thing very relatable! Then a few grands worth of Milwaukee gear turned up free of charge and I thought he’s gonna be ok 😂
Great honest video, the joys of being self-employed and carrying the can, you just have to learn to take the good with the bad you have a fantastic company The standard of work and electricians is 2nd to none and your customer should be proud to have you on their site 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟,
I hope it picks up for you guys as if you were in my area (Devon) I would highly recommend you guys after not finding anyone with your dedication to detail and work ethic down here. I recently visited Goodwood festival of speed and would have loved seeing you there in the electric avenue building as your experience with car chargers and solar would have been a real benefit as people were asking about the pros and cons of all the chargers+ solar integration. Many EV car charger companies were not even there to my surprise. If you do ever expand consider the south west as we don't get many guys like you with your dedication to detail and professionalism. I recently had a zappi fitted and could have done with your expert angled drilling experience 😁 I really enjoy this channel and look forward to even more great videos. Keep it up guys.
Massive respect to Jordan for being so honest, running a business isnt easy and it takes you through all the emotions, but ultimately stick to your life goals, and maybe electrics isnt part of that in the long term.
It's gone quiet for a few contractors I know. We did £24k in July...below cost! Can't have another month like that. It's not ever easy, and the money you think you need is never enough. You've got this though Jordan ❤
I’m in my 50s now and Been there and it’s painful i know …. I’ve scaled right back now and earn more profit and have much much more family time …. I promise you when you are a lot lot older you will not look back and wish you had done more work !!! You look back and wish you had spent more time with your family .. please look after yourself
What you're saying about the stress of running a big business is exactly the reason why I don't want to upscale my business, I'm happy how it is now, I'm my own boss, if I want a day off I take a day off and it won't bankrupt me, I would never want to be in that position where I'm not in control. Is that the DJI Mini 3? I have the DJI mini 2 SE, loving it.
Just find yourself a business partner or two. One individual can only run a business so big, then you need a second you. Learn to trust and delegate to your best team member, make them a partner. And, if necessary find two. Success can bread failure - don't let it take you down. You do brilliant work, the world needs people like you!!! Reach out for advice.
Listen, mate..we know your heart. We also know you always try to do the right thing. People wired this way are going to feel ups and downs because we care. Don't ever feel wrong for venting. You WILL sort this out and it's only temporary.
You remind of ex boss , in small family company. Same level of trying to organise the bussiness, meticulous planning, being regularly trained by bussiness tutors. He was trying to squeeze as much as possible and more out of me. In the end my body gave up, decided to take up voluntary redundancy as could not take anymore extra work and duties he was putting on me, kept saying its small company and everyone needs help around when needed to reduce overheads. Left and got my new carrier in smart metering. Never looked back. Yes, still we have targets and so on, yes we are a team , but each engineer works alone and that's what suits me. Noone hanging on my shoulder every day. If I'll do my daily work load quicker, I'll finish early. Bonus for hitting target and going over. I even volunteer for overtime when available 👌💪
I own my own business in Canada doing data cabling...I have had a lot of those days as well. it does seem that I would make the same amount of money working for someone else, but (There is always a but in there) I am providing a lifestyle to my techs as well as my customers that would have to go somewhere else and maybe not got the high standard of service that my company provides. It IS a large load to carry on your shoulders...but it's an honorable one. I LOVE all your videos and like seeing the differences between UK and Canadian Sparkies.
Why is the admin team not sending things like contracts offers. Save a template on a teams link or equivalent and electronic send. You need to free up your capacity outside looking in.
I guess 100k upfront costs would wake me up early too. You must get some upfront payments going on to buffer the costs properly, and shift some of the risk onto the customer. I’m generally fine to get 50% to a company I know once the job is agreed. Once materials appear on-site the risk is less for the customer, but you’ll halve the risk overall for all.
Cashflow is always an issue especially for small businesses like yours. A really good honest gusty video telling it like it is. I wish politicians watched videos like this before deciding on tax policy etc.
Jordan keep your chin up Bud, been doing this for 30 years now and would not change a thing. Met you at Farnborough you came across as a thoroughly decent bloke, sometimes worth taking a break, it won’t fall apart because your not in the office. Even a complete day away to turn off, Spa/Golf if that’s your thing, need to recharge and go again. All the best
I've seen the solar panel sheets on the "This Old House" youtube channel, they are made in the US and come as a roll in various different sizes, they appear to work just as well as the normal panels but much easier to transport and install, worth checking out.
I'm a sole trader and have decided to stop trading by choice after 5 years. I was encouraged several times to expand the business but didn't want the associated stress and hassle. I did the right thing after chatting with a neighbour. He grew his company like you after being a sole trader. He ended up with 7 employees, 2 premises, massive overheads and a bucket load of stress. His accountant said the business was running fine but my neighbour never saw or felt like a profitable business. After 3 years of running flat out, he sold and walked away. I'm no expert but delegation and detachment from hands on, day to day running of your business seems to be the key decision to your predicament. It's always good to seek a professional outside view. Maybe you're that conscientious bloke who needs to be a sole trader again???
Jordan, you have been an inspiration. Reding the title on the video was kinda shocking. I really hope you will push through this and thrive gain ! Thanks for being honest, hope you can get some rest and will have a healthy work-life balance in the future !
New to this channel as I'm looking to take Level 2 starting a few weeks time and embarking on a new life journey at the age of 54 , going to be juggling my regular job with college and grabbing real experience where I can. I. Always thought my mid life crisis would be a Rolex watch , soft top sports and a twentysomething trophy eye candy girl. Not the latest copy of 18 th Edition regs and testing meters. Anyway I've got a lot out of your videos and its helped to inspire me. Having run my own small business and being a landlord I get all your stresses. You will get through it but ONLY if you look after your own health, mental and physical. My dog keeps me grounded.
You're not a quitter if you close up shop! I don't blame you, the risk / reward isn't very good. I had worked for a few small businesses when I was younger and after seeing the go through what they went through, while I just went home at 5 or 6 pm and had no worries I said to myself, never for me. Made over 6 figures in the electrical field working for others and now I work contract work for 8 to 12 months at a time, then take a year or two off. No idea why anyone would want to go through what you're going through. Hats off to those that do, but nope. I love my work, take pride in my work and go the extra mile, it's how I work. But a business doesn't keep me up at night and knowing I get paid for doing my job is a great feeling. Good luck with what you decide, but most of the comments here are telling you to keep going. Fuck that, do what you have to do for you!
I've been where you are - daily weekly monthly. It's a strange business. Once month you're busy - making money, cash in the bank then you're still earning almost nothing yourself. What are we doing?! I really don't understand it myself. People think we earn a fortune working for ourselves but it's far from true sometimes. I'm on this business 6/7 days a week and it's only getting harder. We are all in this together. Smaller jobs are better for cashflow i find !
Not in your trade retired now used to work 6 to 7 days a week for 20 years running my business then thought hang on the jobs running me. So cut back to 6 then five got someone who worked with me for years to step up and help run the company Best thing I ever did amazing what few days away not thinking about work does.
For me, being a one man band is the only way. Minimum stress 90% of the time I can suit myself. Previous I had a business like yours with a business partner. I couldn’t take the stress and left but my business partner kept going. He was a workaholic and used to fall sleep on his laptop early hours in the morning all the time. 2 years after I left, the company went bust owing 300k due to cash flow. You earnt very good money on your own and I bet your stress level was very low back then. My advice is its not worth the stress and a work life balance is far more important
Love the channel. Feel your pain. Im alot smaller than yourself. Me and an apprentice. I work from 8 am until midnight 7 days aweek. And the only ones that getboayed is apprentice and wholesalers. Feel overwelmed most days and for me probably best to rap it in and get a job. Id love to do they you tube stuff but lack the confidance. keep it up im sure you will get throigh it
No one feels sorry for you. You get free tools sent to you. Why are you any different because you have a TH-cam account. There is people out there that work hard every day have more knowledge than you and don’t get given free tools. Enough with the click bait titles. Do what every other trades person does Andrew. Go and make a living. Don’t film it. Just do it.
Hi Jordan. Really love the channel and have so much respect for you and your team. Re feeling overwhelmed, you asked for suggestions about what you could do. Well, you could perhaps research the cortisol hypothesis, which explains why ongoing pressures (time, finance, whatever) lowers our mood and can ultimately cause us to become depressed. Sometimes, simply understanding what's happening to us stops the process in its tracks and is all we need. All the best! 🤗
There’s nothing wrong with making your own choice. Life is not just money and work. Just make sure you don’t push yourself and others to the corner. Taking a break can accomplish a longer journey. Hope you all the best, love your works and videos, take care💪🏿☺️.
Hi Jordan. I know exactly how you feel. It can be very tuff going .Sometimes when self employed people have a very deflated moment it’s because they are deep into burn out. I know I’m self employed it can grueling sometimes I see it can be a battle. Keep your chin up and look back on those who matter in life. Your a very decent lad. All the best kieran in Ireland
Put as much effort into your business as you put into TH-cam and you will thrive , we will still be here to support you , but it is up to you ... What is more important , the success of your business , or your TH-cam channel ?
Running a business does not get the credit it deserves, and employing people is difficult, honestly, you are better on your own, you will struggle to work ON the business and IN the business at the same time. Stress is a silent killer pal.
So good of you to show some vulnerability and share this. I really felt the emotion. I can just about imagine the stress you feel - it's a lot! One idea, not sure if it helps... could you offer a small stake in your business in return cash investment, to help regulate your cashflow? On the face lf it, you've developed a business with a valuable brand - something investors could find attractive (maybe even support you to grow?).
Hi, I'd really appreciate your advice, I'm really wanting to re train as an electrician. I'm 45, what would you think is the best and quickest route to take to do it at my age. I'm worried I may be too old now and don't think an apprenticeship at my age would be the best thing to do
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It took courage to show the stress you have to deal with when running your own business, so hats off to you for baring your soul.
Keep plugging away and all will come good. Good things happen to good people. Nice one matey.
Everyone has bad days. It's difficult running your own business, good days and bad days and sometimes it just gets on top of you. Proud that you showed it. Keep it up 👍
Keep going you’ve got thousands of us gunning for you out here. Inspirational.
Keep going mate, you've done so well. Trust all your staff with more responsibility and authority, so you don't need to be involved in or give authorisation for everything - 4 hour work week style. If the staff can't work in that mode, you need to get better talent or offer results-based incentives. If you want a stressful hobby, keep going to jobs to 'see how things are going'. If you want a successful business and work/life balance, then work only on systems & delegate all day-to-day tasks.
Amazing advice thanks 🙏
Good advice. Hard to hear but very true !
Mate I had a business that got overwhelming and I struggled mentally to the point I’m only here thanks to some luck on life support cause I just struggled so much I felt instead of losing everything I’ll just remove myself completely and I’ve been an advocate for mental health and business health since I came through. I had to go solo again and remove all stress, know my limits. Everyone’s different and can cope with different amounts, I just can’t mentally do what others can just know you can chat and I’ll be more than happy to help In private.
Work/ life balance should be on top of that journal each day mate. I've had my own electrical business for 11 years. Worked 6/7 days a week for years. Post COVID I've now reduced to 5 days and it's the best decision I've ever made. Switching off from work just 2 days a week makes everything easier and clearer in my opinion. Also I've found taking on the small jobs too is great for cash flow. More labour intensive with minimal outlay on materials. Great channel mate. Hope you sort things out.
Thanks - that’s great advice - I do work long days at the moment but planning on changing things up a bit to get my work life balance back
You're literally the only man who has been able to make such a boring trade into something desirable and worthy. I mean 200k subscribers for an electrician is MAD. Keep it going Jordan!
Why is it boring? In comparison to what? Are you a plumber and jealous?
@@Poorlybobsdad What is the beef between plumbers and sparkys, I don’t get it. Im not a lecky myself but multiple family members are in the trade and say it’s as boring as ever. Mostly just tests and minor faults. Installations are rare. Not a single plumber in here.
@@Poorlybobsdad Also why does there always have to be downers like you commenting on everything and turning something reasonable into a bloody hate crime sounding thesis. Like Jesus just disagree with the comment and bugger off-
The last thing being an electrician is boring - I never have 2 days the same.
@@bingowings65 Some may disagree. It depends on so many factors. How creative you are, the area you're in, the type of clients you are attracting.
This has helped me massively. Been self employed for just over a year now and I’m experiencing the crazy busy times and quiet periods when you have no more than a weeks work booked up. Something for me which I’m unsure about is t&c on invoices and quotes. A video along those lines would be awesome
really enjoyed seeing the highs and lows you went through on a normal week for you. Really insightful and appreciate your openness. Wishing you all the best!
I'm in a different trade but i started to expand about 10 years ago. However, I quickly realised it just wasn't worth the hassle and i'm now back effectively being a one man band, running the business from home. Best thing i ever did too. No mortgage, no employees wanting that elusive 'work life balance', going off on stress and having kids every year while you're paying for it.
Having a couple of quiet weeks when you're smaller isn't a big deal. When you're a medium sized business it can be crippling to cash flow.
By the sounds of it you're at that awkward size where you need to employ good sales people to help expand, or decide whether it's worth sliming down the business.
You need a work life balance
We was not put on earth to work ourselves into the ground. Although some do literally
@@robgraham1204 yeah but they generally want a work life balance and a pay packet not too far off the prime minister 😅
Same here, expanded had employees, offices etc just not worth the hassle. A few of us now just work from home and ekking it out till retirement.
I'm in my 40's and yes i agree that is very important now. However, a lot of younger folks now want the MD's car while working a 30hr week. I feel for anyone having to employ people these days as it's very difficult finding people willing to graft@@robgraham1204
That's it mate, ill never be a millionaire because i'm just no prepared to do what's required to get there in this business. I'm happy being comfortable and having some to myself@@HATCHETHAS
Impressed you have been so open.
I work for myself as a one man electrical company but have worked for large companies in other industries. I always find it amazing how small the difference is between successful and unsuccessful companies. The ones with good financial results tend to have a 5% to 10% net profit and those loosing money 5% to 10% net loss, most are 5% either side of break even.
I have considered growing my company but so far have been worried about ending up in the same sittuation as you, stressed with not much extra income, or worse a loss.
Also I think the domestic EV and solar market is broken with the customers not willing to pay a significant extra for quality installation and support. Like you I don't consider a job dine until everything is working properly, but then you see so many people on Facebook trying to configure their own systems because the installer hasn't done it.
I am sure you will keep on going and have many more better days.
Don’t bother growing. Life was so much easier when I was a one man band
Thanks for sharing the lows and the highs, keep strong chin up and don’t be afraid to let out a sigh from time to time. Kudos 💪
Thanks for your support!
Running a business myself, we have found cashflow very difficult in the past 6-8months, which has lead us to really tighten down on our debtors. We are chasing harder for money which is a joint effort between a few of us in the business (over and above their normal daily jobs), maybe you could look at bigger deposits on order or be more ruthless to not start work until you have received the money or once the product arrives with you. Hope this helps.
Oof, I know that feeling. Self employed for me is always a pendulum, swinging between ‘I hate this’ and ‘I love this’. Very rarely an inbetween 😂.
Yep - that pretty much sums it up
same here its a struggle but i love the freedom self employed brings but its very hard but if your good at your job and love banter with customers which i love then there is no way I'm going to be employed by someone telling me what time i can have break can i have a day off ect
thank you artisan electrics love your channel and videos 👍
@@artisanelectrics maybe you need to delegate some responsibilities on others for time being and be boy Friday nad weekends i am off i wont take call only utmost emergencies bye. I dont know if its your case many too many times people miss the reason why they have employees - to do work instead of them.
Very honest video Jordan. You have done incredibly well to get where you have in a relatively short period of time. I remember the days when you started as a one man band. Many have said its best to stay small and perhaps there is a lot of truth in that. Mental health is most important and what you must consider is that no business is worth putting your own wellbeing at risk for. I learnt that the hard way and now sadly in a very bad place as a result.
I love watching Artisan Electrics but found this video to be somewhat uncomfortable. I totally understand the pressures of running your own business, and it is clear that you are close to burnout, but I wonder if you consider how this video may make your employees feel? If I was working for you and saw you making this video I think I'd be looking around at other opportunities - If the head of the team is considering giving up then how do you think that makes your workers feel?
Been there. It’s tough. Just know that with the quality work you do, that it will work out. Your work speaks for itself and the customers and success will come. Hang in there. We’re rooting for you over here in the States!
Big thumbs up for the sheer balls to 'let it out'. Even though I'm now a sparky (employed) I had my own pub/restaurant and was completely burned out after 12 years and know exactly that feeling. Loving the 9-5 now.
Just keep going. You’ve grown a phenomenal brand over a short period of time and every entrepreneur goes through this daily!
Thank you for the motivation!
I had the same thing mate, You know when you are doing your 3 hard weeks and feel like you need a week off, 12 - 14 hour days, short weekends. I saw a psychologist, i recommend you do too. Its well worth figuring out what is wrong. Turns out I was just burnt out and being depressed is something totally different. Please give it a go mate :) Love your videos, thanks so much for the content mate.
its not negativity, it's venting with a hoping of feeling better, whatever the problem it still exists. but after venting sometimes feels easier to address. i've always found that support at home really helps.
sorry if my comment hasn't helped.
It’s more helpful than you might think. I feel better about venting now 😂
“Too much to do and not enough time to do it”…. So sit and talk to a camera….!! Oh and go home “early” to visit your mum
“Ask the team to do more, but they are snowed under”, thought there was no work and you are quiet….?
Im sure Milwaukee will be sad to hear your thinking of throwing the towel in….!!
Video content is going off I’m afraid.
Running a business is tough, but you’ve done amazing to build the great business you have.
Great honest video! I know the feeling, been running 3 years now, its a real balancing act. Keep pushing!
Thanks 🙏
What you need is something completely separate from the business and sparks entirely, whether that be a hobby, sport or a project that brings enjoyment and this would give you some balance.
Balance is key to success and happiness. All the best 😊
I had my own LTD company,I went through the same problems you are going through,every 10 years we end up in a recession which put me in unreliable predicament work wise,so I decided to liquidate the business and I decided to get a job with regular wages, holidays and pension scheme and now I have no overdraft and happy
you might have trouble getting sponsorships for the easee install as they are in big trouble with the charger not being allowed to be sold in most of northern Europe now, might be a good idea to skip out on installing them, we haven't installed them since early March i believe.
There’s always some tuff times, but good to get it off your chest too….I’ll not pretend to be a business expert but Your company is at that size where you possibly need to grow it by pursuing more work, with TH-cam and office staff, you possibly need more boots on the ground earning to cover office overheads.
Having your sparks at times, all in the office helping out when quiet is money in the fire when you want them out earning.
Like your previous video, where you mentioned quarterly loses, add up your team time in the office and see what that’s cost you over the quarter.
Courses also eat money, do all guys need to be trained, maybe stagger training throughout the year so it’s less of a financial hit at any one time.
Money had gone somewhere it’s just finding where, and that’s possibly best places to start.
Just a few of my thoughts of possible avenues to explore.😊
You’re absolutely right we should have at least 10 electricians for the size of our admin team. TH-cam is a strange beast it gives us lots of leads but also lots of extra time goes into responding to people who are out of our area or who just want free advice. We do what we can to help every as much as possible but we need to be doing way more paid work to be sustainably profitable.
Also at times in business, people get caught up in making money, you don’t always have to, the key is not losing it, sometimes its worth taking a job to get a foot in a door or as an in-between job, so long as it pays the bills.
You don’t strike me as someone who shall give up easily though, all the best Jordan.
It must be a huge headache, it’s just me and a nearly qualified apprentice, works certainly got a bit quieter, taking time for yourself is so important, if you need to scale back to save the business then that’s got to be better than feeling like you are at the moment with these huge monthly bills, cash flow is a nightmare, hope it all works out mate 👍🏻
Wow. The honesty in this video is notable, particularly that you’re finding TH-cam isn’t paying its way without sponsors. Work wise I’m not surprised it is quiet, July and August are when people are spending their money on holidays and day trips, not EV chargers and extensions. Ideally you need a good mix of domestic, commercial and industrial to cover the seasonal fluctuations in demand.
Your comment “what’s the point” around 18.00 stuck a chord with me, and these were my thoughts when I was completely burnt out a few months ago. You’ve expanded very quickly, but you’re still trying to do everything yourself. You’ve got several electricians and several admin staff, but if you are still ‘in the weeds’ then either you or they aren’t being effective. You need to be focussing upon delegating and trusting and empowering your team, otherwise you’ll never get a holiday and will run yourself into the ground. Being self employed is full of ups and downs, the trick is being able to see through the downs.
Went through all that myself. Ran a food manufacturing company for 20 years, (My dad died when he was 47, I took over at 24,) 35 staff, worked 7 days a week, 80 hours a week, 1 week holiday a year if I was lucky, £3m turnover, all the bills, was miserable the whole time, red tape, audits, customers who had no loyalty. To be honest ruined my life, depressed, sold the business, thought I would retrain as an adult apprentice electrician, have an income from the sale, work as an apprentice, new life. 11 months after the sale the new owner bankrupt the business I grew and sacrificed over 20 years. Lost deferred payments, rental income, now money we have from the sale, ploughing back into the property to be able to set up for rental to others. Do you ever get off the hamster wheel. One thing, If I ever set up a business it would be just me or a simple business with no manufacturing. (I see it with my boss just now, things are quiet)
As a spark myself, I have my own one man band Ltd Co, NICEIC and all the good stuff. There is enough pressure just for me, but understand where you are at. I would not like to have the stress of having to look after a load of employees. Good vid and hats off to you for letting it out. Do what is good for you!!
On the face of it you run a great company and should be very proud of that and love watching the videos. Someone once told me a really good story to explain about management and it related to "cutting the lawn." As the person cutting the lawn no one could do it as well as you. Best stripes, perfect edging, greenest lawns. When you got so good you expanded or got promoted to the head groundsman and you employed other people to cut the lawn. Being the perfectionist they didnt seem to be at the level you were at so as well as your manager job you did their job as well. They didnt mind you helping because it cut their work load down a bit but you didnt actually get your own job done and hence everything came on top and things got ommitted etc etc. As you manager you have to trust your staff to get on with the job. In other words be careful not to keep "cutting the lawn" at the expense of looking and dealing with the bigger picture of the business. Being hands on is fine and shows credibility but it should be a minor part of your day to day involvment. I know you dont cut lawns but its just an analagy to perhaps put things into context. Also far far from a critiscm moreover just a bit of food for thought.......keep up the fantastic work.
Great story thanks
22:02 I have got socks that are older than you , don't presume you have given everyone advice.. Be humble, 💩 happens, you will get over it .
Chin up mate, be positive and believe in the brand you've built. 🙌🙌
Thanks!
Jordan, thanks for another lovely video. So much I could say concerning you and your company, but I will keep it to one observation. Your video quality is superb. The clips flow, the camera angles show whatever you are talking about, sound levels are consistent and you keep any music to the same level as the voices, so I don't have to keep turning up and down my volume as I do for so many other channels. Well done team.
Really good to see you being completely honest about the stresses of being self employed.
I’m also I’m the same boat but purposely balance workload and having a life. I could be working much more, expanding my customer base and employing staff but I refuse too. You need to enjoy life too and I hope you reach that balance soon.
I would recommend finding someone with a similar profile to you that's been both an electrician and manager/administrator and share the load with them, maybe do a profit share agreement so they have the same interest in the business doing well. Then you will also have someone that can fill in for you when you want to go on holidays. I guess the idea is to offload the executive role and repetitive management tasks and take on a more director/business strategy role and still have a close reporting with the executive guy to guide the business in the direction you want to see it go. Maybe one of the guys working for you could be trained up in some of the repeating tasks you do. It's always nice to have extra time to chill out, do hobbies, go traveling etc. You can still maintain yourself as the face of the business doing youtube stuff so that things are still more or less business as usual for viewers. But it sounds like you are already offloading some of your tasks like the sponsor communications etc. so I reckon things should improve soon in any case!
It looks like it doesn't matter which country you're in or what trade you're in. Being a business owner has these massive ups and downs. Both can kill you, you can either work 16h days for months on end or struggle to sleep every night not knowing if you'll have enough to pay your bills. I relate so much to you mate... I've had the exact same thoughts and although didn't have as many employees the feelings were the same... should i chuck it all in and live my life? There is no good answer I'm afraid. Now i work a full time job for another employer and trying to keep my business alive at the same time... i wouldn't recommend it. Either way i feel you mate. Honest businesses don't make money period!
I don't know how old this is, but I get your pain. I'm sure you'll find the motivation. You have taught me and so many so much, mabey that what you need. A new income stream, something you find less stressful and more lucrative. I can't tell you what that is, but be proud of what you have created and built. Keep it up, and good things will happen. Keep well.
very good video because it's never easy to talk about the bad days but you have a good head about you and you seem to have a great crew backing you up take a step back and have look from the outside in to the inside and you will work it out, just may be have a look at the type of a electrical work you are doing and change it up a bit some time the easy stuff make just as much as the hard stuff .well done Gary from Ireland
You say you have never seen 16mm flexi-tails before .. I thought you was an electrician .. Generally installed meter tails are 25mm. A smaller diameter such as 16mm would be permitted providing the cut-out fuse is sized in accordance with section 433.1. 1 of BS 7671, where the rated current of the protective device does not exceed the current carrying capacity of the meter tails.
The reality is most small business owners earn less than their staff - in the same boat myself - the struggle is real. Love the channel.. hope you find a way to make the business work.
Hi jordan, great video.
We met recently, i was quoting for a project next door to where you and the guys were working. You were filming what i can only assume was some B-roll for a unilifht product when i came uo and said hello.
Anyway, fantastic video. I love the openess and the honesty and its actually made me feel so much better about myself and my business.
Daily i go through exactly the same thought procees and struggles that you talked about in this video. Its nice to know that its not just me and that its not that 'Im not good enough'.
Anyways, keep plugging away. You, your company, your staff and all that you guys touch is amazing.
Pioneers of our industry and proof that it doesnt need to be a race to the bottom. Its just a shame that often overheads outweigh income.
Fine adjustments and constant evaluation and youll balance the boat.
I've got this.
You've got this.
❤
I remember meeting you! Thanks this is a great comment. I’m glad the video helped you too. We’re all in this together.
This is really great to hear that these guys are really nice and genuine even when not on the videos.👍
Well done for being so honest so sad to see I can only imagine the 24hour stress of owning and running your own company - I think you hit it on the head when you said about a better work life balance what about a hobby? Mountain biking / cycling helps me so much if not you could do walking swimming or a couple of hours at the gym wishing you the best and anyone else who is struggling 👍
Thats all good but when your up at 6 and home at 6 and its winter and all you want is a shower, food and a sleep. My mountain bike has been ignored for way too long. Freezing winter here in NZ so exercise not a top priority atm.
You’re doing one of the hardest jobs in business so don’t beat yourself up about feeling like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders cause you do.
Having post mortums when things go wrong is exactly the way to go. Learn from the mistakes and don’t repeat them.
As for the situation, talk to you team and see what support they can do to help as if you go down then the team goes with you. They may have some ideas you have not thought of.
You really need to delegate more. When you hire people that you trust that have have the talent, you need to let them take some of the strain from you. I have a small team of apex experience professionals that I implicitly trust who will call me if needed. If you have that its the most comforting thing there is, especially if you are a perfectionist that demands quality - which I do :)
One thing I found beneficial to my business was popping a business card /brochure into the houses / businesses either side of where I was working, amazing how much work this generated
More people, Men especially need to be brave and let it out sometimes, talking about it is a strength - hope you figure it all out
Thanks - well said
It's a real struggle running a channel and a business. I run a pretty successful channel too and a small business... I agree, viewers don't see the cost of videos and a lot would never stop to think about the cost of making them.
I can only make my videos as a result of the support I get from Milwaukee.
I'm currently talking to an agent, I think for me that's the best way to go and will free me up for other things.
As you say, talking to brands is time consuming!
You should try a barcode system..for materials like the supermarkets..
So you can instantly at any given time,and see what you have in stock ..and get alerts when certain common stock is running low ...
Worth a look at .. to keep on top of it effectively
I’ve used a similar journaling system, although I call it my short list and long list. The idea is that your long list is all the things that need to be done. At the beginning of each day you pick 1 (or more) items that you WILL complete that day (not want or would like to complete) and make sure you complete them. If you put too much on your plate, you are more likely to drown in what seems an overwhelming list of things to do. You can always add to your short list later on the day - reward yourself with an easy/quick task. I work in IT in a senior managerial role and the goal posts are constantly moving. I have to start predicting what will change or go wrong, so improvise, adapt, overcome.
I own a small shutter and Dock Bay company in Scotland and I know exactly how u feel mate!! No matter how hard u work, u feel that u need to do more and don't get me started on how the government tax the small company, which is supposed to be the back bone of the country!!! Chin up mate and keep digging in!!
I understand your concerns more than you can ever imagine! Keep it up, slow down a bit, maybe take a break... Overcoming those thoughts is hard, but not impossible :)
And also thanks for sharing it with us!
Cheers
Personally jordan you may take this the wrong way or not, but i think a couple of things you could help yourself with, is not splurging 40k on new vans get used in good condition for half the price or 2/3 of the price, also tool rental, i understand you don't have to repair the tools and it's a sponsorship, however the amount you pay yearly on tools could pay for really decent mid range sets for the entire team, running a company is about making sacrafices even if they're difficult to do personally i couldn't imagine renting tools, buy new milwaukee sets activate the extended warrenty ( you then have 3 years (free) warrenty, in those 3 years anything goes wrong you can send them back for a repair or replacement, (unless you damage it by accident falling from scaffold or something ya know the artisan special) you have the best of the best for the team i understand that, however sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture, compare price point to specs, and if you compare milwaukee to hilti the specs are similar and priced great compared to hilti, i love hilti tools but could never justify the prices for them, when their are absolutely great products for reasonable prices out there
Keeping list(s) is the easiest way to stay organized. Trying to remember all the things that need to be done is a sure-fire way to forget something and to keep your stress level up.
I chucked it back in march/April. I was one man band constantly stressed and unhappy. sick of feast of famin cause all I did was boiler repairs and odd installation. come spring and summer it would be tumble weed. your working way to much . set your business hours and family hours.
I am working for a electric boiler manufacturer in technical department and I love it. do what is right for you and your family.
I think there comes a tipping point with every business where you realise you need to grow to meet demand and improve your bottom line, but unfortunately the cost of overheads seems to lead ahead of the benefit of profitability. Lots of companies fail at this point and can never get over the "hump". It strikes me that this is where you're at.
All I can say is don't give up on your dream and what you've worked so hard to build. You wouldn't want to look back with regret thinking you didn't give it every chance. And after all of that you decide to wrap it up, then you can do so knowing you gave it your best.
Thomas Nagy (who has gone very quiet on YT) seemed to reach this point with his business circa 18 months ago. Might be worth having a chat with him?
When you have a slow week, donate time to fixing electrics in the community who cant afford an electrician for very small fee. There is a plummer in Burnley who does things like this. Review products and be honest and frank, don't get paid to read a script endorsing a product you wouldn't actually use, and get video sponsorship by De-Brand becasue who doesn't want carbon fiber RGB light switches.
My advice would be to do just what your doing, talk about it. A problem shared is a problem solved, You got a team there - work together to get the problems fixed
The summer slump. Happens every year around July/August. People on holidays and hold off on work until the kids are back to school etc. Work should pick up again soon
I felt for poor Jordan stressing about covering wages and employees mortgages etc always a stressful thing very relatable! Then a few grands worth of Milwaukee gear turned up free of charge and I thought he’s gonna be ok 😂
Great honest video, the joys of being self-employed and carrying the can, you just have to learn to take the good with the bad you have a fantastic company The standard of work and electricians is 2nd to none and your customer should be proud to have you on their site 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟,
Thanks so much!
I hope it picks up for you guys as if you were in my area (Devon) I would highly recommend you guys after not finding anyone with your dedication to detail and work ethic down here.
I recently visited Goodwood festival of speed and would have loved seeing you there in the electric avenue building as your experience with car chargers and solar would have been a real benefit as people were asking about the pros and cons of all the chargers+ solar integration.
Many EV car charger companies were not even there to my surprise.
If you do ever expand consider the south west as we don't get many guys like you with your dedication to detail and professionalism.
I recently had a zappi fitted and could have done with your expert angled drilling experience 😁
I really enjoy this channel and look forward to even more great videos.
Keep it up guys.
Massive respect to Jordan for being so honest, running a business isnt easy and it takes you through all the emotions, but ultimately stick to your life goals, and maybe electrics isnt part of that in the long term.
It's gone quiet for a few contractors I know. We did £24k in July...below cost! Can't have another month like that. It's not ever easy, and the money you think you need is never enough. You've got this though Jordan ❤
I’m in my 50s now and Been there and it’s painful i know …. I’ve scaled right back now and earn more profit and have much much more family time …. I promise you when you are a lot lot older you will not look back and wish you had done more work !!! You look back and wish you had spent more time with your family .. please look after yourself
Thanks for sharing your wisdom
What you're saying about the stress of running a big business is exactly the reason why I don't want to upscale my business, I'm happy how it is now, I'm my own boss, if I want a day off I take a day off and it won't bankrupt me, I would never want to be in that position where I'm not in control.
Is that the DJI Mini 3? I have the DJI mini 2 SE, loving it.
Just find yourself a business partner or two. One individual can only run a business so big, then you need a second you. Learn to trust and delegate to your best team member, make them a partner. And, if necessary find two. Success can bread failure - don't let it take you down. You do brilliant work, the world needs people like you!!! Reach out for advice.
Listen, mate..we know your heart. We also know you always try to do the right thing. People wired this way are going to feel ups and downs because we care. Don't ever feel wrong for venting. You WILL sort this out and it's only temporary.
Never ever give up!
Venting off is a good way of letting off the stress of a small business I know I’ve been there!😊
You remind of ex boss , in small family company. Same level of trying to organise the bussiness, meticulous planning, being regularly trained by bussiness tutors. He was trying to squeeze as much as possible and more out of me. In the end my body gave up, decided to take up voluntary redundancy as could not take anymore extra work and duties he was putting on me, kept saying its small company and everyone needs help around when needed to reduce overheads. Left and got my new carrier in smart metering. Never looked back. Yes, still we have targets and so on, yes we are a team , but each engineer works alone and that's what suits me. Noone hanging on my shoulder every day. If I'll do my daily work load quicker, I'll finish early. Bonus for hitting target and going over. I even volunteer for overtime when available 👌💪
I own my own business in Canada doing data cabling...I have had a lot of those days as well. it does seem that I would make the same amount of money working for someone else, but (There is always a but in there) I am providing a lifestyle to my techs as well as my customers that would have to go somewhere else and maybe not got the high standard of service that my company provides. It IS a large load to carry on your shoulders...but it's an honorable one. I LOVE all your videos and like seeing the differences between UK and Canadian Sparkies.
Why is the admin team not sending things like contracts offers. Save a template on a teams link or equivalent and electronic send. You need to free up your capacity outside looking in.
I guess 100k upfront costs would wake me up early too. You must get some upfront payments going on to buffer the costs properly, and shift some of the risk onto the customer. I’m generally fine to get 50% to a company I know once the job is agreed. Once materials appear on-site the risk is less for the customer, but you’ll halve the risk overall for all.
Cashflow is always an issue especially for small businesses like yours. A really good honest gusty video telling it like it is. I wish politicians watched videos like this before deciding on tax policy etc.
Health is more important . Stress and worry can cause a heart attack , it can happen just like that.
Jordan keep your chin up Bud, been doing this for 30 years now and would not change a thing.
Met you at Farnborough you came across as a thoroughly decent bloke, sometimes worth taking a break, it won’t fall apart because your not in the office. Even a complete day away to turn off, Spa/Golf if that’s your thing, need to recharge and go again.
All the best
I've seen the solar panel sheets on the "This Old House" youtube channel, they are made in the US and come as a roll in various different sizes, they appear to work just as well as the normal panels but much easier to transport and install, worth checking out.
I'm a sole trader and have decided to stop trading by choice after 5 years. I was encouraged several times to expand the business but didn't want the associated stress and hassle.
I did the right thing after chatting with a neighbour. He grew his company like you after being a sole trader. He ended up with 7 employees, 2 premises, massive overheads and a bucket load of stress. His accountant said the business was running fine but my neighbour never saw or felt like a profitable business. After 3 years of running flat out, he sold and walked away.
I'm no expert but delegation and detachment from hands on, day to day running of your business seems to be the key decision to your predicament.
It's always good to seek a professional outside view.
Maybe you're that conscientious bloke who needs to be a sole trader again???
Jordan, you have been an inspiration. Reding the title on the video was kinda shocking. I really hope you will push through this and thrive gain ! Thanks for being honest, hope you can get some rest and will have a healthy work-life balance in the future !
I liked the video the other day about fault finding and also re-wire videos , just something different to Solar installs.
Thanks glad you’re enjoying the content!
New to this channel as I'm looking to take Level 2 starting a few weeks time and embarking on a new life journey at the age of 54 , going to be juggling my regular job with college and grabbing real experience where I can. I. Always thought my mid life crisis would be a Rolex watch , soft top sports and a twentysomething trophy eye candy girl. Not the latest copy of 18 th Edition regs and testing meters. Anyway I've got a lot out of your videos and its helped to inspire me. Having run my own small business and being a landlord I get all your stresses. You will get through it but ONLY if you look after your own health, mental and physical. My dog keeps me grounded.
You're not a quitter if you close up shop! I don't blame you, the risk / reward isn't very good. I had worked for a few small businesses when I was younger and after seeing the go through what they went through, while I just went home at 5 or 6 pm and had no worries I said to myself, never for me. Made over 6 figures in the electrical field working for others and now I work contract work for 8 to 12 months at a time, then take a year or two off. No idea why anyone would want to go through what you're going through. Hats off to those that do, but nope. I love my work, take pride in my work and go the extra mile, it's how I work. But a business doesn't keep me up at night and knowing I get paid for doing my job is a great feeling. Good luck with what you decide, but most of the comments here are telling you to keep going. Fuck that, do what you have to do for you!
I've been where you are - daily weekly monthly. It's a strange business. Once month you're busy - making money, cash in the bank then you're still earning almost nothing yourself. What are we doing?! I really don't understand it myself. People think we earn a fortune working for ourselves but it's far from true sometimes. I'm on this business 6/7 days a week and it's only getting harder. We are all in this together. Smaller jobs are better for cashflow i find !
Thanks for sharing your experience! Glad it's not just me...
21:20 that is the rant of the decade. Feels like I ve heard that from EVERYONE running a business ever since 2018
Not in your trade retired now used to work 6 to 7 days a week for 20 years running my business then thought hang on the jobs running me. So cut back to 6 then five got someone who worked with me for years to step up and help run the company Best thing I ever did amazing what few days away not thinking about work does.
Out of intrest what van racking do you have? An what’s happened to hilti tools? Or you just using the pack out?
For me, being a one man band is the only way. Minimum stress 90% of the time I can suit myself.
Previous I had a business like yours with a business partner. I couldn’t take the stress and left but my business partner kept going. He was a workaholic and used to fall sleep on his laptop early hours in the morning all the time. 2 years after I left, the company went bust owing 300k due to cash flow.
You earnt very good money on your own and I bet your stress level was very low back then. My advice is its not worth the stress and a work life balance is far more important
Maybe worth reaching out to Tom Nagy as he was in the same boat before.
Im glad you shared and got it off your chest I went through the same when I had 4 blokes on and it just didn’t work not through lack of trying.
Love the channel. Feel your pain. Im alot smaller than yourself. Me and an apprentice. I work from 8 am until midnight 7 days aweek. And the only ones that getboayed is apprentice and wholesalers. Feel overwelmed most days and for me probably best to rap it in and get a job. Id love to do they you tube stuff but lack the confidance. keep it up im sure you will get throigh it
Just getting into solar myself so fingers crossed it guve me a new lease of life
Hope you are ok Jordan some days life is just a lot to take but you have a great team and family at your back
No one feels sorry for you. You get free tools sent to you. Why are you any different because you have a TH-cam account. There is people out there that work hard every day have more knowledge than you and don’t get given free tools. Enough with the click bait titles. Do what every other trades person does Andrew. Go and make a living. Don’t film it. Just do it.
👌🏼
Hi Jordan. Really love the channel and have so much respect for you and your team. Re feeling overwhelmed, you asked for suggestions about what you could do. Well, you could perhaps research the cortisol hypothesis, which explains why ongoing pressures (time, finance, whatever) lowers our mood and can ultimately cause us to become depressed. Sometimes, simply understanding what's happening to us stops the process in its tracks and is all we need. All the best! 🤗
There’s nothing wrong with making your own choice. Life is not just money and work. Just make sure you don’t push yourself and others to the corner. Taking a break can accomplish a longer journey. Hope you all the best, love your works and videos, take care💪🏿☺️.
Hi Jordan. I know exactly how you feel. It can be very tuff going .Sometimes when self employed people have a very deflated moment it’s because they are deep into burn out. I know I’m self employed it can grueling sometimes I see it can be a battle. Keep your chin up and look back on those who matter in life. Your a very decent lad. All the best kieran in Ireland
Put as much effort into your business as you put into TH-cam and you will thrive , we will still be here to support you , but it is up to you ... What is more important , the success of your business , or your TH-cam channel ?
Running a business does not get the credit it deserves, and employing people is difficult, honestly, you are better on your own, you will struggle to work ON the business and IN the business at the same time. Stress is a silent killer pal.
So good of you to show some vulnerability and share this. I really felt the emotion. I can just about imagine the stress you feel - it's a lot!
One idea, not sure if it helps... could you offer a small stake in your business in return cash investment, to help regulate your cashflow? On the face lf it, you've developed a business with a valuable brand - something investors could find attractive (maybe even support you to grow?).
Hi, I'd really appreciate your advice, I'm really wanting to re train as an electrician. I'm 45, what would you think is the best and quickest route to take to do it at my age. I'm worried I may be too old now and don't think an apprenticeship at my age would be the best thing to do