Are you champing at the bit to be your own boss? Are you good with your hands? Could combining the two be the answer to a brilliant future?

It might surprise you that at Tradie Taskforce, incoming franchisees need to be handy but not necessarily highly skilled tradespeople.

Tradie Taskforce founder Steve Margetts pinpoints good communications, lateral thinking, and a professional approach as more important in a potential franchisee than the ability to use a cordless drill or hammer in a nail.

Tradie Taskforce upskills franchisees

“We could have someone with excellent trades skills who doesn’t present well, who isn’t professional, who is not a good communicator. Those personal and business attributes are really important for us.

“We look for competency in manual work and provide education and training for the tradies’ skills. We will upskill anyone that needs it.”

On the skills front, Steve’s goal is to coordinate a franchisee task force that can support fellow franchisees through peer-group training sessions.

“There are certain skills I don’t possess. I haven’t done a lot of rendering, for instance, so I wouldn’t take on a rendering job without having support from someone with experience in this area,” says Steve.

“However, if you have the skills to use one tool, you can cover many jobs. If you can handle a hammer you can put a picture hook in a wall, you can build a fence.”

Ideal franchisee traits

Over a week, a Tradie Taskforce franchisee will need different skills as they face various tasks, serving one or multiple clients.

A franchisee is a lateral thinker, keen to learn, proud of the brand and a team player, says Steve. Time management skills are important, and it’s essential to be safety conscious.

“If you don’t have these skills you will struggle,” he says.

Steve pinpoints how important these behavioural attributes are to a day’s work as a Tradie Taskforce franchisee.

Good time management

“I often start my day by spending 45 minutes organising my schedule. I ensure I have supplies and that clients know my timing. The car is loaded with tools and stock I need.”

Some days there might be three separate jobs scheduled; at other times one job might last a week.

“It saves time later on if I go through the job list. If I need stock, I ring ahead to have it ready for pick-up from a hardware store,” explains Steve.

One of the greatest advantages of owning a Tradie Taskforce franchise is the flexibility that comes with the job. Every franchisee can start their day when it suits them. Steve ensures he is on the road by 9am to maximise the day. Where possible it is good practice to group jobs and/or quotes close to each other for maximum efficiency.

Great customer service and communications

Great customer service is at the fore from the beginning – from the initial visit to quote the job to completing the task.

“If you’re doing a quote, you meet the client and walk through the task, take photographs, and measure up before sending them the quote,” he says.

“On the first day of the job it’s important to check if there are any changes to the quoted work and the client is happy to proceed.

“I always ask what their activities are for the day. Are they accessible? Can they be disturbed?” says Steve.

Hard working and safety conscious

“Then you get into the job; put the drop sheets down, safety barricades and cones up and ensure the work area is isolated. Once you’re set up it’s about doing the job as efficiently as you can.”

Brand pride, customer service and being safety conscious mean cleaning up after the job, ensuring tools are secured and there are no safety hazards.

“We like to close with the client or send a text message with a photo of the work completed,” says Steve.

At the end of the day Steve unloads and loads up in preparation for the following day’s client list. It is good business to retain building material for future use and tools need to be maintained. This preparation is completed at the end of the day.

Focus on the business

Franchisees receive centralised leads and can build up a customer base with their local area marketing. Adding in letterbox drops to a day’s work in one area is an efficient way to promote the business.

Tradie Taskforce is not an admin-heavy business; uploading receipts and invoice information onto the internal software platform daily keeps franchisees on top of their business.

A new digital platform will enable clients to create a maintenance list of jobs they want done, so franchisees can support and retain clients.

“This will keep the relationship strong between our clients and franchisees. It helps us support them in budgeting for the larger jobs and scheduling for the next task. It allows franchisees to contact clients ahead of time to confirm a booking for a job. It’s another conversation opportunity and a way to support our customers.

“We want to build a relationship with customers, so if they are happy with our work and the Tradie Taskforce business ethics they will become loyal clients.”