5 Necessities for Tradies

A tradie or tradesperson is a skilled manual worker in a particular craft or trade. A tradesman is a person who has significant knowledge of their task or trade. In Australia, tradies are one of the most sought after and vaunted careers and the best part is how accessible these are. There are a lot of perks for tradies which attracts people to pursue it as a career. One of the biggest perks is that people don’t need a university degree to be tradies.

If you're thinking about becoming a tradie, then you should be aware that there are certain necessities you will need on the job. Becoming a tradesperson is not an easy job. It requires hard work and persistence. However, you are rewarded with job security, satisfaction, travel, and not being stuck in a cubicle.

For all of the reasons above, if you want to become a tradesperson. Here are some things you should know before embarking on your journey.

1. Insurance

Don't leave your business exposed, and don't take too much risk with your business since starting is already risky. Instead, you should ensure that you buy or invest in insurance. This way, if anything goes wrong in your first year, you won't have to deal with significant losses. Persistence is only possible when you take the necessary measures to protect yourself. Insurance provides this protection.

Moreover, you also need to be persistent to make it as a tradie and establish a reputation or a market for yourself and your company. Thus, it would be best to take out insurance within your first year to protect your business from going under.

2. Clothing

This may not seem that big of a deal, but a tradesperson's clothes are essential for their protection. A tradie will have to deal with all sorts of dangerous situations. Therefore, you must dress for the job. If your trade is in construction, you need to make sure you work with a protective helmet and wear the correct shoes.

If you don’t protect yourself, your business will not thrive. You can’t work on a business if you’re not alive. Thus, your safety must be your number one priority. You must ensure that your work uniform is breathable. If you're working outside, it should protect you from the sun. You will spend at least eight hours in your uniform, and thus you should also make sure it's comfortable.

Some of the clothes you may need are as follows:

Fluorescent vest
Khaki Short or Trousers
Short-Sleeve Cotton Polo Shirt
Organic Cotton Drill Shirt

Owning variation of the articles of clothing mentioned above is how you can build a proper uniform for all the days you work. You can layer your clothes as the seasons change depending on how hot or cold it is.

3. Vehicle

You’re going to need a ute. Tradies have to travel with their equipment which requires a lot of space most of the time. Most tradies buy utes as they are the perfect car. They are comfortable as well as functional. You can even use utes on off days to take your family out, and you'll be just fine. Toyota HiLux is one of the utes you may want to purchase.

Tradies often have to travel very long distances for jobs, so utes are handy for them. Utes provide a lot of utility. They're also fuel-efficient, which means you won't have to spend a whole lot of money on petrol to get to your job. Utes have a lot of capacity, allowing you to carry all your tools on you at all times. You likely won't have to make double or triple trips to complete your work on a job then. You can use an auto transporter service.

4. Website or a Social Media Page

It's imperative in this day and age that you properly market yourself. You don't have to pay thousands of dollars to a company so they can distribute fliers for your services. However, you should make the most of the free services around you. If you have social media savvy children, enlist their help to manage a social media page. The more people know about your services, the likelier they are to hire you.

5. Marketing Strategy

Apart from having a social media page, you should also know how to market your services. Your first customers can be your neighbours. Set up a discount for the people in locations closest to you in the starting days so you can get people talking. Then, later you can resume regular rates. Have some strategy in place so you can create some traction in your sales.