How to start a plumbing business

Why start a plumbing business?

When it comes to trades, there are few that are more important than plumbing. Despite being one of the oldest professions in the world, different types of plumbers are always in demand.

And that means there’s never a bad time to start a plumbing business!

Whether you’ve never plumbed before, or you’re experienced in this field and looking to set out on your own, this is the guide for you.

We’ll cover everything from registering and insuring your business, all the way to marketing. That way, you’ll have all the information you need to start your plumbing business as soon as possible.

Creating a plumbing business plan

Like any business you’re intent on setting up, the very first thing you’ll need to create is a business plan. This will be the core essence of your business.

Here, you’ll note down everything from setting realistic financial targets for your business to how to achieve them. All the way to carrying out market research on your competitors.

This in turn will let you find your niche, ensuring you can stand out in a potentially crowded market.

To get started with this, we recommend something that covers the following:

• Your business goals – the aims of your business and how you plan to achieve them
• Potential startup costs – how you intend to finance your business initially
• Future financial management – how you intend to handle your business’s finances in the future
• Your service offering – what sort of services you plan to offer your customers
• Your target audience – what area of plumbing you plan to work in, i.e., domestic or commercial roles
• Your business prices– how much you plan to charge for your services
• Your area of operation– where you plan to operate your services in
• Your marketing strategy – what tactics and methods you plan to use in order to market your business
• Your work hours – how many hours a week you plan to work, as well as whether or not you plan to work weekends

We suggest taking your time defining all of these different areas so you can be sure your plan is solid. Feel free to download our free template below as well!

What qualifications do you need when starting a plumbing business?

Before starting any business, it’s always a good idea to make sure you’re qualified. This is especially true if you’ve never done any plumbing before!

By getting the right training, you can prove to your customers that you know what you’re doing. And that you know how to handle common plumbing hazards. All while delivering the kind of quality service they expect.

This in turn will build trust in your business, getting you more work in the future.

So, if you’re yet to become a qualified plumber, you could think about these accreditations:

• A Level 2 and Level 3 Diploma in Plumbing and Domestic Heating
• T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction

Of course, if you’re still wondering how to become a plumber there are plenty of training options out there!

What business skills does a plumber need?

It should go without saying that there are more skills required for running a plumbing business than just pipe work.

You’re also going to need a variety of other essential qualities to ensure your business successfully gets off the ground.

With this in mind, we highly recommend improving all of the skills listed below:

• In-depth plumbing knowledge – you need to know everything about the industry and its specialist areas in order to meet your customers’ needs, such as when to use copper vs plastic piping or understanding common plumbing terminology and slang
• Entry-level building and construction knowledge – having a basic level of knowledge of building and construction will help you navigate different plumbing systems
• Attention to detail – having an eye for errors and getting pipes aligned perfectly will help you deliver great results
• Problem-solving skills – some installations and issues will be trickier, meaning you need to be able to identify these problems and solve them quickly
• Mathematical knowledge – good mathematical knowledge will make planning installations that much easier
• Teamwork skills – not all plumbers work on their own, so you’ll need to have the right teamwork skills to work with others
• Initiative and innovation – many pipe installation jobs can prove more complex than first thought, but taking the initiative with innovation can help mitigate these
• Customer service skills – running a business means keeping up good interactions with customers on a regular basis
• Computer skills – most modern businesses work online to some degree, so you’ll need basic computing skills to run your company
• Management training – as with teamwork skills, if you plan on managing more junior plumbers beneath you, then it’s best to seek appropriate management training

As you can see, there is a lot to think about here. But if you’d like more advice, we recommend starting off with our series about becoming your own boss.

How to start a plumbing business from scratch

Ok, with the opening stages of making a business covered, let’s look at how to bring it to life. And to make this as simple as possible, we’ve identified four key areas for you to start with:

1. Registering your business

With the basics of your business ready to go, the first thing to do is register your business with HMRC. And settle on a name for your plumbing business.

Both of these are a legal requirement for all businesses as it relates to the payment of taxes. As well as what your business is identified as – a sole trader or limited company.

Like your business plan, take your time researching these two options. You want to give yourself a full understanding of both. Each have their own pros and cons, and one will likely suit your business plan better than the other.

2. Getting plumber’s insurance

Next, with your business registered, it’s time to ensure that it’s insured properly. This is absolutely essential in order to protect your new venture’s reputation and finances in case of accidents.

Both personal and public cover should be included in your insurance package, alongside tool and vehicle protection.

Wondering what else to include? You should consider a wide variety of plumber’s insurance for your new business.

3. Accounting and bookkeeping

A core aspect of any successful business is knowing how to manage its finances properly. That means learning how to monitor and adjust your business income and expenditure in order to stay profitable.

However, if you’ve never run your own business before, this can be an intimidating prospect. That’s why it might be a good idea to invest in an accountant instead.

4. Buying your plumbing tools

Finally, with all these important business necessities covered, it’s time to buy your tools and plumbing PPE. You’ll want to invest in a diverse selection so you can meet any problems head-on. That’s why we recommend investing in the following:

• Gloves
• Goggles
• A variety of adjustable wrenches
• A faucet key
• A drain inspection camera
• A plunger snake machine
• Jetting machines
• A hand auger
• A hacksaw
• A tube cutter
• Pipe and tube benders
• A plumber’s torch
• Thread sealing tape
• A hole saw kit
• Self-locking pliers (aka “Mole” grips)
• Pliers
• Press fittings
• A pipe threader

These are just the main tools to pick up. But we’ve also covered what we think are the best tools for plumbers. As well as handy plumber apps and software you might want to try. In case you need any other ideas!

We’re also aware that this is quite a lot of tools to purchase. But it’s better to make the investment now so you can start off on the right foot.

Investing in good quality tools will also make doing your job that much easier. As you won’t have to replace them for several years at least. And remember, with Checkatrade, you can enjoy great savings on tools bought from our partners once you sign up.

How to grow your plumbing business

From here on out, your plumbing business should be more than ready to go. However, that’s no reason not to start planning for how you intend to grow in the future.

After all, growth is essential if you want to expand your customer base.

However, there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to growing your plumbing business:

Scaling your business

First and foremost, if you want to grow your business successfully, you need to scale it properly. If you don’t, you’ll quickly find yourself unable to meet demand.

With that in mind, here are the four key areas to look at when scaling your business:

• Streamlining – for effective scaling, every aspect of your business needs to flow seamlessly into one another
• Finances – being on top of your finances is also crucial – be sure to have a financial safety net in place before expanding
• Work quality – if there’s one area of many businesses that slips as they grow, it’s the quality of their work
• Team members – as your business gets bigger, so will the need for additional staff – be sure to hire before you begin expanding in earnest

When you’re confident that you can expand without issue, you can start marketing your plumbing business as the first stage of growth.

Tips for marketing your plumbing business

Marketing for any business comes in many forms. We go into far more detail on each in our plumbing growth and marketing guides, but here are few areas to consider when first starting to grow:

• Building a new business website or updating your old one to take advantage of key plumbing SEO terms
• Posting regularly on social media with new content and reviews
• Asking customer to leave more reviews
• Getting sponsorship and networking
• Joining an online directory like Checkatrade

If you’d like more help in this area, you could also download our free marketing guide below:

How to get more plumbing work

With your business finally set up and growing, your final goal is to maintain a steady flow of work. This can be done in a variety of methods, including some we’ve mentioned above.

However, we also suggest investing in the following areas:

• Additional qualifications – you should have basic qualifications when starting your business, but it never hurts to have more
• Work specialisation – by specialising in a particular area of plumbing, you can corner a niche in the market, making you the ‘go-to option’ for certain customers
• Repeat business – repeat business is always a consistent way to get regular work, so be sure to cultivate a friendly working relationship with others

Marketing your plumbing business through Checkatrade

With all that out of the way, you should now know exactly how to start a plumbing business from scratch. However, if you want to make this even easier, then you should join Checkatrade today!

As a member, you’ll:

• Get your own profile where you can display reviews, testimonials, and pictures of your work
• Get help with your marketing, through SEO and branding, so you can reach more customers
• Make fantastic savings on business essentials such as PLI and tools
• Enjoy more work coming your way
• Have the trust of customers by association with the name of Checkatrade

Get in touch today to learn more about our 12-point vetting process. And if you want to read more about the plumbing trade and find out how to grow your plumbing business we’ve got you covered with our other articles!

Plumbing business FAQs

How much do plumbers earn?

Being a vital business for companies and individual homes alike, plumbers can earn a lot of money. Particularly if they take the self-employed route. Read our guide on plumber salaries to see just how much you could earn with your business.

Content disclaimer: This content has been created for general information purposes and should not be taken as formal advice. Read our full disclaimer here.