Setting up a utility business. Interview with an entrepreneur


* Calculations are based on average data for Russia

The business in the field of public utilities, for all its seemingly attractive and simple, has a lot of pitfalls that a beginner who wants to enter this area simply needs to know about. Own experience of creation successful business in the field of personal services, the director of the "Domovoy" company Yaroslav Butenko shared with us.


- Yaroslav, tell us what your company does?

The Domovoy service department has been working in the field of personal services since 2007. We provide the services of craftsmen, who are sometimes called "husband for an hour":

  • plumbing work;
  • electrician services;
  • services of a carpenter, bugbear;
  • welding works;
  • cleaning services (cleaning of apartments, houses, offices and cleaning of the territory);
  • services of loaders and handymen;
  • transportation, moving an apartment or office;
  • renovation from room or bathroom renovation to turnkey renovation;
  • repair and installation household appliances;
  • setting up and repairing a computer;
  • installation of alarms and intercoms.

The "Brownie" service department specializes in small orders. We help our clients free up their precious time and energy. We arrive at a convenient time for the customer. We work on open price list and we guarantee the quality of our work in writing.

Many people think about starting their own business, but not everyone eventually opens it: they are stopped by the fear of uncertainty, instability, high risks, etc. Was it easy for you to decide to become an entrepreneur? How did you come to the idea of ​​starting this particular business?

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Since childhood, I did not understand why in order to drive a car, you need to be able to fix it. Then every man could repair almost everything. At the same time, the quality of work has always been mediocre. Those days are long gone, and now few people dare to repair an artificial intelligence washing machine or install a complex hydromassage system on their own.

In 1996, a computer appeared at our home, which we still did not know how to use. He often stopped working. We spent hours unsuccessfully trying to solve the problem on our own. Then the masters and our unsolvable problem eliminated in a matter of minutes, and sometimes seconds. Then I realized that professionals should be engaged in every case.

The soul lies in the service sector. Communal services especially neglected since Soviet times. The need for the services of fine craftsmen household repair was tall and completely dissatisfied. I started with the city of Cherkassy in the Ukraine. In September 2007, when I was working as a manager, I took a month off, rented an office and started recruiting foremen and training dispatchers. We launched an advertisement, and in November we were already fulfilling the first orders.

We constantly worked to improve the quality of services, reduced the arrival time of the master and, most importantly, we made an open price list for all services. Even now, many organizations will not name their prices, because they want to evaluate the client and take more from him. Also, our rule was the signing of the certificate of completion and the provision of a written guarantee. We are confident in the quality of our work, therefore we do not take prepayment. The client pays money only when he is satisfied with the completed work.

How long did it take to implement the idea from the initial concept to the direct organization of the service department?

For a whole year I have been thinking about the first step. I recruited employees in 2 months. From the beginning of recruiting employees to the break-even point, we came in 6 months. And he fully returned his investments within 9 months. It took a lot of time and effort to select conscientious craftsmen, form an official price list, train dispatchers and determine by trial and error which advertising works and which does not.

- How much did the business cost you?

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A significant part of the work was carried out in-house, which significantly reduced the start-up investment. I will give an approximate amount of investments for a city with a population of about 300,000 people.

Initial investment

    Office rental for 2 months and 50% of the monthly cost for the services of a real estate agency. We independently found a small office (13 sq. M.) On the outskirts of the city ($ 100 per month in 2007). After a year and a half we moved.

    Two computers- took at home. The simplest computers with good monitors are enough. $ 1600

    Laser printer. 120$

    Telephone numbers and devices(city, mobile major operators). The ease of memorizing the number is very important. Ease of reading the number and listening comprehension are important. I chose mobile numbers for almost a month, reviewing the available options in stores. City numbers could be selected by paying the operator. Six handsets with phone numbers cost about $ 400. Today this option is outdated for us, so you are working on creating a contact center.

    Software for taking orders and computer network organized on their own. Here the price can range from $ 500 to $ 20,000.

    Overalls can be made when you start making a profit.

    Site we also created in-house. When ordering, a normal website with information content costs from $ 1000. The upper bar is practically non-existent.

Permanent investments

    Office rent

    Dispatchers salary... Based on the average salary in your city. The number of dispatchers depends on the number of orders. In our case, there were 2 people.

    Accountant salary should be one and a half to two times higher than the average in the city.

    Telephone communications.$ 50, since most of the calls are incoming.

    The masters- work with their own tools and receive a percentage of the cost of the work performed, this reduces your initial investment and removes a lot of useless questions.

Ideally, you should be prepared to cover everything. running costs from own funds during the first 6 months to ensure that you get nailed in the future.

- According to your estimates, what is minimum amount, with which you can start this business today?

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The cost of entering a business depends on the starting position of the entrepreneur, competition and the population of the city in which the organization is opened. In a city with a population of 300 thousand people without strong competitors you can start from 10 thousand dollars. The lion's share of the costs falls on the advertising budget, as it determines how soon potential customers will find out about you.

- How can you speed up the start of a business to get the maximum return on investment?

There are always several options: start from scratch and step on the standard rake yourself, or buy a franchise. If you purchase a franchise, you:

  • avoid investing money and time in creating a contact center, training dispatchers, developing software, website development, filling it with information;
  • do not pay salaries to dispatchers, accountants, advertising designers, system administrators;
  • save on office rent;
  • speed up the process of recruiting wizards;
  • avoid a lot of conflicts in cases of poor-quality work of masters;
  • optimize your advertising investments, since you don't have to experience what works and what doesn't;
  • get a proven business system;
  • you receive the necessary commercial documentation (contracts, prices, powers of attorney, reports, technologies, commercial offers etc);
  • simplify the process of signing service contracts corporate clients(banks, restaurants, shops).

- With what difficulties on initial stages Do you run into business?

Many masters love to drink. At the stage of the initial recruitment of masters, the problem of alcoholism was very acute. Thanks to simple know-how and a rigid contract, we avoid this problem 99% of the time. It is very important for the craftsmen not only to do the job with high quality, but also to correctly explain to the client the essence of the problem, and what exactly he pays the money for. Most craftsmen are used to stealing. Therefore, it is necessary to make it impossible. We solved this problem with software and a principled accountant.

The cleanliness, politeness, punctuality and quality of the foremen's work are assessed by calling all clients after the foreman has completed the work. The best craftsmen get the job first and earn the most. The rest are simply screened out. Several times there have been emergencies such as flooding. Now we stop very quickly emergency situations... We also created a special insurance fund. The mechanism for performing warranty work has been well established.

- How and where did you look for employees? Do you have special requirements for employees?

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Initially, they recruited masters from those who came to interviews for advertising in the press. It turned out to be absolutely ineffective to work with recruiting agencies... Special requirements for craftsmen: honesty, decency, professionalism, work experience and a desire to make good money. Now new masters come to us on the recommendations of our employees. There are enough people willing to work with us to be able to choose.

- How long did you pay off initial investment? What can you say about the profitability of this business?

The return on investment is 8-12 months. Business profitability is high 100-150% per year.

- What is the competition in your business?

When we started, our competitors were ZhEKi, emergency service, repair firms and shabashniki. Later, many firms appeared that tried to copy us. They never understood our philosophy, so they disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Now the dispatchers of housing offices and emergency services most often redirect clients to us, since the foremen of these organizations are interested in working as little as possible.

- Is there a seasonality in your business?

Seasonality in our business is not very significant. It consists in the fact that in the summer people massively prefer to make repairs. Therefore, in the summer we do a lot of renovation of apartments and houses. During this period, some of the craftsmen have to transfer from small orders to repairs, but this does not fundamentally affect the work of the service department.

The bulk of orders are focused on customer service (services of a plumber, electrician, carpenter, welder, loaders, transportation, repair and installation of household appliances, cleaning, etc.) arrive relatively evenly. Order peaks often occur on pre-holiday days, when people are getting ready to greet guests, and on the days after the holidays, when it is time to correct the results of stormy fun. At such moments, some queues may appear, sometimes the working day of the foremen is lengthened. There is some seasonality in certain types works. For example, people prefer to actively wash windows in spring, and general cleaning of apartments is especially popular before the New Year.

- How did the economic crisis affect your business?

The period from October 2008 to May 2009 was quite difficult. But we didn’t reduce the amount of advertising and didn’t fire employees. I had to compensate for the expenses from personal savings. Then banks and many organizations began to switch to economy mode. This opened up a tremendous resource for development for us. We have signed many contracts for Maintenance organizations, cleaning of premises and territories. Therefore, for the service department of "Brownie" in the crisis there were many positive moments. A crisis can create difficulties, or it can provide enormous opportunities. It all depends on the point of view.

- What other pitfalls does this business have?

You cannot focus on the mediocre quality of order fulfillment. Only the strongest survive, so either you will be the best or you will have to leave the market.

- How do you promote your services? What are the main channels of promotion?

At the moment, we receive a third of our orders from those clients for whom we have already performed certain work, and they were satisfied, another third we receive according to their recommendations to our friends. The rest of the orders come from press advertisements and occasional print advertisements. The site was created at the end of 2009. At the moment it is performing informational role and saves us significant amounts that we spent on printing and distribution advertising brochures... However, the number of orders thanks to the site is still small, about 2% of the total.

- How do you see your prospects further development your business?

We are currently working on creating a contact center capable of handling great amount calls. We are working on opening a branch in Kiev. We started recruiting masters. In the process of opening a branch, we will complete the description of all business processes. The franchise package is almost ready. The plans for the next 2 years to open branches in all major cities of Ukraine, partly on their own, partly due to the franchise network. Then we will go outside the country.

- What advice could you give to entrepreneurs who are just thinking about starting a business?

The 1,000-mile journey begins with the first step. It is worth starting to move forward, and only then adjust the route. It’s pointless to hesitate and tune in for years if you still don’t take the first step!

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The provision of personal services is one of the types entrepreneurial activity taxed on imputed income. In 2017, the composition of consumer services was changed by the Government of the Russian Federation, their new codes were introduced.

The article will discuss in detail what is meant by the term personal services and what features characterize the industry.

General principles

Domestic services are paid assistance to individuals and legal entities for cash or bank transfer. The list of services is regulated by a special Classifier. It determines whether household services offered by a particular company fall under UTII. The Classifier contains all existing service types of assistance to the population, indicating the codes.

Domestic services are activities that help restore the functional properties of products or make new items. These include the transportation of passengers and goods, as well as ensuring the conditions of demand. Housing and communal services, transport assistance and catering are also listed here.

Consumer services for people are included in the sphere of production and non-production services, carried out using socially supported methods and has forms for the implementation of material and moral needs of consumers.

Previously, domestic services existed in the form of handicraft workshops. Then they merged into a separate branch of the national economy and now have their own industrial and technical base with industrial enterprises and various household factories. The nature of consumer services is becoming more and more universal, the types and types of services are specialized.

The role of the industry and its features

In our time, household services is a market that people often cannot do without. An increasing number of people and organizations do not want to independently solve certain problems that arise in everyday life, and turn to trained specialists for help. The time has passed when unskilled employees worked, they are replaced by professionals in their fields.

The total size of the Russian service market is 400-500 million dollars.

Russian consumer services are a kind of market in comparison with the European one. If in the West small business and the family form of organization are popular, in Russia cooperative methods of organization are gaining momentum.

Another feature Russian market consumer services consists in the fact that enterprises are actively developing non-core activities in order to survive in market conditions leading to the re-profiling of organizations.

The top positions in the service assistance market belong to Moscow and the Moscow region.

Development directions

The increasing demand for social and domestic services contributes to the improvement of the activities of service enterprises. Moreover, both organizations and individuals use service assistance. The increase in demand is associated with the desire of people to improve the quality of life and save their time. Service is requested by the wealthiest citizens.

The demand for service assistance is uneven. To maintain a level in the marketplace, organizations develop new business solutions and implement other ways of doing business. This type of business is considered one of the most difficult because it has low profitability. In order to increase it, companies are diversifying their business and expanding into regions.

Diversification means expanding the range of services provided. For example, cleaning companies offer customers additional assistance:

  • delivery of clean water;
  • organized at remote points.

Experts believe that the most successful forms of doing this business are related and network. With the accompanying form, the service is an additional form of the company's activity. With network forms, organizations create a network of their own firms for the provision of consumer services. In this case, branches are opened or franchising is applied.

Industry problems

The main difficulty of the Russian market of personal services is the low profitability of this type of business. It is no more than 10%.

The low profitability is explained by the long payback periods of the projects. For example, when organizing a laundry, the cost of its technical equipment is at least $ 3 million, and the payback period is up to 70 years.

The problem can be solved by accompanying and network forms of organizing entrepreneurship. They are the most effective management models household business these days.

In addition to profitability, the industry's problems are:

  • poor quality of the provided social services due to outdated equipment, insufficient qualifications of workers, low wages;
  • checks from government agencies interfering with the activities of enterprises;
  • Tough competition.

Ways to solve problems

To solve problems, experts advise:

  1. Improve the system of lending to enterprises providing social services.
  2. Provide tax and lease incentives to organizations.
  3. Improve regulation industry.

For the full development of the industry, it is important governmental support social sphere.

Multiservice enterprises

For efficient work in the service sector and solving many problems in this direction enterprises organize their activities according to the type of multiservice. This form of organization provides the ability to request a service in one place and popularizes it among the population.

For work similar enterprises it is important to find suitable premises in areas where large numbers of people live. Some organizations continue to operate in small basements, which, of course, does not increase the demand for their help. State structures and it is important for the authorities to provide multiservice companies with access to the main pedestrian streets, as well as to provide a simplified procedure for advertising their activities.

Classification

Consumer services to the population are qualified according to the following criteria:

  1. By type of work performed (laundry, hairdressing, ritual).
  2. By the presence of business entities (on their own or with the involvement of employees).
  3. By the degree of significance of the technologies involved (direct services of enterprises or additionally offered).
  4. In terms of socio-economic content (services that save time and labor, as well as consumer funds).
  5. In terms of material content (tangible and intangible).
  6. In terms of labor costs (a service that requires or does not require the involvement of highly qualified workers).
  7. At the place provided (assistance is provided in the centers of personal services or outside of them).
  8. By execution time (urgent, non-urgent).
  9. By regularity (systematic, periodic, episodic).

The nuances of organizing the activities of enterprises

To ensure the efficient operation of consumer service centers, it is very important to have a competent personnel policy... The main issues to be solved in this direction:

  • selection and training of qualified employees of various levels;
  • employee certification;
  • the rise qualification level specialists;
  • orientation of employees to the responsible performance of their work;
  • providing technical assistance to enterprises.

In this way, modern stage the development of the consumer services market requires the development of methods for regulating this industry.

Company " Home master»Is engaged in the provision of repair services for residents of Moscow. We are constantly building up our experience and improving the quality of service. We value our reputation, and we value our client very highly, and we also believe that only individual approach and the quality of service bring mutually beneficial results.

Our company employs qualified specialists - electricians, plumbers, carpenters, universal craftsmen. All employees are carefully selected. To work in our company, a foreman must have not only professional skills, but also be respectable and responsible, be polite and good-natured in any situation. Our specialists use high quality parts and materials in their work.

You can contact us for advice on any questions. Our experts will help you select any consumables or equipment, if the need arises to purchase them, this will help save your time and resources.

We have accumulated vast experience, and we know our business! We discuss all the nuances of the upcoming work with the client in advance in order to correctly assess the entire cost of the upcoming work. It will not come as a surprise to you, the news of additional work or costs in the course of our work.

We love what we do and work for you!

By registering as Individual Entrepreneurs, many Russian citizens begin to think about which branch of the national economy is best to develop their business.

If novice businessmen have an impressive start-up capital, they can "swing" on more serious projects that require large financial investments. In the event that small businesses have limited personal funds, they should turn their attention to less global business projects.

How to choose a business direction

Many entrepreneurs decide to develop their economic activity in the provision of services to the population. To actively expand your business in this direction, you need to familiarize yourself with some of the nuances, the use of which will allow you to smoothly bypass all the "pitfalls".

Even 20 years ago, enterprises that provide household services to the population worked, if not at a loss, then with a very small profit, which was enough only to cover current expenses.

Today the situation on the consumer services market has changed dramatically.

Large circles of the population began to trust more companies, whose professional activities make their life easier. In this regard, many representatives of small and medium-sized businesses began to develop more actively in this industry, offering Russian citizens well-thought-out and combined household services:

  • leasing of any household appliances;
  • cleaning service;
  • repair and sewing of clothes, shoes, bags and accessories;
  • repair and restoration of furniture;
  • maintenance of moto and road transport;
  • repair of household appliances;
  • delivery of correspondence, food, medicine, etc .;
  • walking pets;
  • jewelry making and repair, etc.

A well-built business in the field of providing services to the public, very will quickly be able to recoup all initial investments and will begin to bring regular profit to its owners.

Preparatory stage of business creation

To choose a suitable business direction, an individual entrepreneur needs to conduct a thorough monitoring of the local service market. The main goal of such studies is to determine the most demanded of their types that are in demand among the population.

When planning to develop his economic activity in the field of personal services, a novice businessman should understand that he will have to:

  • rent or buy a room in which all the necessary engineering communications will function,
  • you will also need to purchase special equipment, tools and other inventory, through which work and services will be performed.

If you plan to use in your professional activity work employees, the staff must be staffed even before the opening.

Currently on domestic market there is a demand for the following services intended for the population:

  • Photo services
    In order to provide this type of service, there is no need to rent a separate room, since all work on printing photos, editing videos, etc., can be done at home.

By regularly placing advertisements in the media, the photographer will be able to find clients to whom, if necessary, he will go home.

  • Private car wash
    To ensure the quality of the provision of such services to motorists, an entrepreneur must rent a large garage, in which special washing equipment will need to be installed.

Also, a businessman will have to regularly purchase consumables designed specifically for washing vehicles.

  • Outdoor advertising
    An individual entrepreneur can be engaged in the manufacture of promotional products.

If he does not have the opportunity to purchase or rent printing equipment, at the final stage the process can be delegated to private printers.

  • Car parking
    To work in this direction, an entrepreneur must have a piece of land that will be located within the city.

From the location of the land plot there will be direct depend on the profitability of this business.

  • Tire service
    This type of private business for decades does not lose its relevance... Sooner or later, every motorist turns to similar workshops, where specialists perform maintenance on the wheelbase.

To open a tire service, you will need a separate room in which you will need to install special equipment, as well as purchase tools and consumables for work.

  • Sewing workshop
    This line of business is ideal for those entrepreneurs who are familiar with the basics of sewing and knitting.

If necessary, a businessman can invite employees to cooperate with specialized education.

  • Route taxi
    Providing transport services population can be on the basis of a license or other permits. The entrepreneur must have a special vehicle for the carriage of passengers.

If the car park of a businessman has several units of vehicles, he will have to hire hired workers who will perform the duties of drivers.

  • Private kindergarten
    V last years private institutions have become very popular, in which highly qualified specialists are engaged in the upbringing of preschool children.

To open such a business, an entrepreneur needs to find a suitable premises that meets all sanitary and epidemiological standards. At a minimum, it should have several rooms, a catering facility, plumbing and utility rooms.

High-level specialists who have not only specialized education, but also extensive experience in working with preschoolers should be involved in working with children. In such a childcare institution, it is compulsory to work medical worker, who, if necessary, will be able to provide emergency assistance to the child.

  • Beauty saloon
    Many individual entrepreneurs are actively developing their business in this direction. V Lately, among the representatives of the female half of the population, various cosmetic procedures that help to take care of their appearance have become very popular.

To open a beauty salon, you will need a well-located room, in which all communications necessary for the work of specialists must be connected.

To attract a wealthy clientele, an individual entrepreneur will have to buy expensive equipment, preferably unparalleled in the nearest competitor salons.

As additional service a beauty salon can offer the population the services of a solarium, which is visited with pleasure by young people for the purchase of artificial tanning.

  • Hostel
    Provide services to the public in the industry hospitality can entrepreneurs who have in their personal possession suitable for the square of real estate.

For the hostel to be more popular, it is necessary provide guests with comfortable living conditions: comfortable beds; equipped kitchen where they can prepare food for themselves; plumbing room where you can carry out a set of hygiene procedures; a safe or a lockable chest in which residents can leave valuables, etc.

Business ideas: what services are in demand in a small town

For novice businessmen living in small towns, it is much more difficult to develop own business... To be successful, they need choose the right business area, demanded by the local population.

A stable income in settlements with a small number of local residents can bring:

  • bakery;
  • catering establishments, bars and cafeterias adhering to budgetary pricing policies;
  • a hairdresser in which people of any level financial security be able to get a haircut or put their manicure in order;
  • a pharmacy where prices are acceptable for a wide range of the population;
  • a shoe workshop that performs all types of repair work;
  • tailoring atelier;
  • a fitness club in which the necessary exercise equipment is installed and a variety of sports equipment is available;
  • a veterinary clinic in which specialists are ready to cure any animals;
  • a store whose assortment will consist of the most popular consumer goods in a given area, etc.

Any private business starting in small town , will not be able to bring its owner "space" income.

Despite this, with proper business management, individual entrepreneur will be able get a stable profit, which is enough for him for a comfortable existence.

Conclusion

If a novice entrepreneur is eager to open his own business, but does not have a serious start-up capital, he should turn his attention to the sphere of providing services to the population.

How you can make money by providing services to the population as an intermediary, see the video:

Having chosen the most relevant business direction, a businessman should make every effort to ensure that the services were of impeccable quality... Over time, he will have his own client base, the presence of which will provide a stable income.