Odd jobs for a living!!

Should_be_out_gardening

I'm in my 40's with no qualifications and no skills on paper, I became self employed in 2008 trying to do a catalogue round but made nothing. I started taking on little odd jobs to eke out a living then was taken on by a bloke who does block paving and gardening services to do the gardening. From there I built my own list of customers for who I do odd jobs and things.

Recently after delivering loads of leaflets for a local kebab and pizza shop cash in had I got to talking and he asked if I would advertise with a sign board like Pizza hut have started doing. I worked out a deal with him - extra for wering a funny hat I had in the car that was by chance in the same colours. I also got a big kebab with loads of salad and drinks when I finished, I walked round the local town with the sign board on and stood at traffic lights and gave out leaflets. £40 in hand with the kebab and drinks. From that I got the job from the gaffer there to chop down a couple of giant leylandii in his garden .

I sell kindling and logs to those with the new wood burning heater stoves that have become popular. I collect wood all year for this - £1 for a kilo bag of kindling, £7 for a large bag of quarter cut logs. Drop two big leylandii for £75 and I'm quids in once it's all cut up.

Painting and decorating - nothing huge just little things , gutter clearing especially this time of year, sweeping up etc. All done cheap but if you charge a tenner and work really hard and get the job done in an hour then it;s great.

I do loads of other bits and bobs too.

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Adamthegreat984

Im 27 and in the same position as you were in 2008, and have grown angry and frustrated with the jobs market. I have often thought of being an odd job man as my father used to do window cleaning gutter cleaning and some gardens.

How easy would you say it was to use every day skills to make say £250 a week ?

PlutoinCapricorn

There is a lot to be said for this kind of work and being your own boss: you can't lose your job if you haven't got one and you are not dependent on one source of income.

Should_be_out_gardening

Adamthegreat984 wrote: »

Im 27 and in the same position as you were in 2008, and have grown angry and frustrated with the jobs market. I have often thought of being an odd job man as my father used to do window cleaning gutter cleaning and some gardens.

How easy would you say it was to use every day skills to make say £250 a week ?

You might be hard pressed until you've rally got going, in the winter you make hardly anything, I get by on the logs and gitter clearing and leave clearing. Thats why I went round wearign the sign which wasn't a problem at all , some might laugh but I was the one with the money and the free food!

Its all word of mouth , I do a good job cheap then someone tells their friend or neighbour. I always look smart, I get good work clothes from the charity shop for next to nothing so I don't look rough and scare off people like what happens when rough blokes come knocking at doors.

I don't charge too much so they always ask me back for little things.

The other day I went out to local carpet place where I saw their car park was tatty with weeds and litter, I went in and said I'll clear all that and take the rubbish away for a tenner and they said OK. Work really hard for an hour , take the stuff away in those realy thick bags that have gravel in from the building centres etc and everyone is happy. I gave the bloke my card I printed off and said to call if he needed any little jobs there or at home and he said he had a few dodgy fence panels he might want replacing.

Sorted!

Should_be_out_gardening

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

There is a lot to be said for this kind of work and being your own boss: you can't lose your job if you haven't got one and you are not dependent on one source of income.

The thing is you have got top be ready to settle for not having new cars and flash things, you have got to cut the cloth according, I am comfortable now and don't owe anyone anything. You never know what thing might come around the corner next to do.

I saw a skip being put down nearby and will soon go out and ask the blokes if I can have any offcuts or bits and pieces and they ususally say yes iof you look OK. I can have it chopped and tied up with baling twine in no time , a couple nearby want kindling and logs by the weekedn. So thats that done.

PlutoinCapricorn

Yes, there is a trade-off between a regular income and freedom and flexibility.

I have never regretted becoming self employed, although my income has dropped. I would rather have time and independence than 'stuff', and it is wonderful to have got away from office life.

MSE has huge numbers of useful tips on how to live frugally.

lessonlearned

Shouldbeout

Where do you live - I'm desperate to find a "Handyperson". :rotfl::rotfl:

My OH is disabled - and I'm no spring chicken with a dodgy back.

There must be loads of people like us who need someone who charges a reasonable rate and is happy to tackle some of the smaller jobs.

I've lost track of the times that I've tried to get tradespeople to do stuff. They just turn their noses up, that's when they can even be bothered to come out and quote in the first place.

I've worked in construction and am happy to pay the proper rates, I don't expect something for nothing. It's just they don't want small jobs, like guttering, the odd fence panel etc.

Well done you, you've found a real niche there. You should find that you get plenty of work.

I agree word of mouth is the best way to build up your business.

Good luck to you.

PlutoinCapricorn

I agree that word of mouth is the best way to get work, and that there is a demand for people who are willing to do small, often one-off jobs. People who are on the lookout for opportunities - such as the items in the skip - have got what it takes to be self employed.

They say that freelancers thrive in a recession, and it could well be true.

patman99

As you are getting paid cash in han, I will assume you are doing the right thing and telling the Taxman.
£75 for cutting down a tree and carting the waste away. That would set alarm bells ringing for me. Way to cheap. You would get away with charging £200 for 1 tree, or £175 per tree if more than one.

If you are carting away the logs, these are classed as 'waste', so you already have the appropriate license in place. This would open-up loads of oppurtunities clearing old, unwanted junk to the tip.

PlutoinCapricorn

Where reporting to HMRC is concerned, you just give totals until you reach a certain amount - currently £70,000. So HMRC will not need to know how many actual jobs you have done nor how much each one cost the customer.

However, it is important to keep good records, and invoicing clients is best in case HMRC ever does decide to investigate further.

It is not a good idea to charge as much as you think you can get away with: it may be counter productive in the long term. Finding out the going rate is a good idea, but people with low overheads can get more business by charging less than greedy competitors.

smk77

Should_be_out_gardening wrote: »

I saw a skip being put down nearby and will soon go out and ask the blokes if I can have any offcuts or bits and pieces and they ususally say yes iof you look OK. I can have it chopped and tied up with baling twine in no time , a couple nearby want kindling and logs by the weekedn. So thats that done.

offcuts from what? Don't you have to be careful with burning wood as it may have been treated?