{"id":7842,"date":"2017-02-22T09:10:07","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T08:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.invoiceberry.com\/?p=7842"},"modified":"2023-09-20T18:06:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T16:06:15","slug":"start-flooring-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/start-flooring-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Your Own Flooring Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

The flooring business, as with any business tied to the housing industry, suffered severely from the Great Recession. This is true for most other businesses in the world, and just as much, the flooring industry is bouncing back healthily.<\/p>\n

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The flooring business is bouncing back after the Global Recession. Image source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All the numbers are looking up for the flooring business. The average selling is up $1.11 per square foot in 2015<\/a>. Even better, flooring sales in 2015 reached their highest levels since 2007.<\/p>\n

What do flooring contractors do?<\/h2>\n

Flooring installers or contractors measure, cut and install different types of flooring in their clients\u2019 homes or offices. The usual types of flooring include linoleum, marble, wood, carpet, laminate, tile and others.<\/p>\n

They also have to remove the previous or older flooring, lay down and level subfloors, and then install the new flooring based on the location\u2019s design.\u00a0 Many flooring contractors work with the construction and building market, and many others are independent contractors.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever considered getting into the flooring business, now would be a great time. The market is on an upswing and housing is growing at a good pace again.<\/p>\n

The economy in general is on an upswing and housing is growing at a good pace again\u2014great news for the flooring industry.<\/div>
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Even more, homeowners who at one time were fearful of the economy didn\u2019t spend much on home renovation. Now, however, with fears subsiding and the economy growing, renovations are back in swing again.<\/p>\n

However, before you start your flooring business, you\u2019ll need to find out first how to start your business.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also need to look at what your legal and insurance requirements are, what skills you need, the prices you should charge, and most importantly how to find your new flooring customers.<\/p>\n

In this guide we\u2019ll look at the following sections. You may skip to any section as you please:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Flooring Business<\/a><\/p>\n

II. Your Flooring Business Basics<\/a><\/p>\n

III. Your License, Insurance and Skill Requirements<\/a><\/p>\n

IV. How to Get and Grow Your Customer Base<\/a><\/p>\n

V. Summary<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

I. The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Flooring Business<\/h2>\n

As with any industry, there are some important advantages and disadvantages to the flooring business. In order to be fully prepared, it\u2019s important that we go over these first.<\/p>\n

1. The Advantages<\/h3>\n

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Of course, the advantages are the most emphasized, and for good reason: they\u2019re quite amazing.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be independent<\/h4>\n

As a self-employed floorer or a flooring business owner, you\u2019ll have all of the freedom to determine your business. You won\u2019t have any person to answer to, and you\u2019ll be free to choose the jobs you\u2019d like to work on.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also get to decide when you want to work, and there won\u2019t be any bureaucracy to deal with. Even better, you can try as many or as few things as you\u2019d like without having to get approval first.<\/p>\n

You won\u2019t be stuck in an office<\/h4>\n

Flooring is a physical job. You will be able to get out and interact with people every day. You will be helping them to determine how to best beautify their home\u2014hardwood, carpet, tiling, etc.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also enjoy lots of physical activity, which is a much healthier alternative to sitting around in an office all day<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need any formal training<\/h4>\n

In order to become a flooring installer, you actually don\u2019t have to have any formal education besides a high school diploma. However, it is usually best to have some experience before going into business by yourself.<\/p>\n

You could earn a great income<\/h4>\n

As we mentioned above, flooring earned almost $20.5 billion in the US alone. The industry is growing well and there\u2019s lots of opportunity for fantastic income. As long as the housing market continues to grow and recover, there\u2019ll be income for you.<\/p>\n

Even better, you can expand your business by hiring employees and working multiple houses simultaneously.<\/p>\n

2. The Disadvantages<\/h3>\n

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And now for the bad news. On the flipside of what was mentioned above, there are also a few disadvantages to the flooring business you should be aware of.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll have lots of stress<\/h4>\n

One of the downsides of being self-employed is that you have to make all the decisions\u2014and accept all the consequences.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also have all the responsibility for your business\u2014the marketing, customer service, IT\u2014that you wouldn\u2019t normally have if you were an employee.<\/p>\n

It is physically challenging<\/h4>\n

Although there are lots of benefits to physical activities, it can also be hard on your body. It is also very likely that you\u2019ll be working a bit longer than usual (when you\u2019re not on salary) and so you\u2019ll often stretch your body\u2019s capabilities more than you should.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not careful, you could end up hurting yourself, especially if you are older.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a risk of injury<\/h4>\n

Related to the physical injury is the fact that you\u2019ll be working with some machinery, which increases the risk of injury.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to use saws, hammers, sanders, shears and knives, and if not handled properly, there could be an accident.<\/p>\n

Your salary will be unstable at first<\/h4>\n

This is true for most self-employed people\u2014the beginning months can be the hardest while you\u2019re trying to establish a reputation and find clients. This can be hard, but there are some things you can do to get your name out there faster.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll look at those in the \u201cHow to Get and Grow Your Customer Base\u201d section further below.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

II. Your Business Basics<\/h2>\n

Now that you\u2019ve looked through the advantages and disadvantages of the flooring business in general, let\u2019s get into some work. These are the fundamental aspects that will make your business successful\u2014the foundational structure necessary for any good business.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll look at the all-important business plan, the insurance and legal things you\u2019ll need to take care of, the skills you\u2019ll need and of course the software and apps that will make your job easier.<\/p>\n

1. The Flooring Business Plan<\/h3>\n

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Although it seems archaic, business plans are in fact very important for any business. Put simply, a business plan helps you map out how you want your business to be.<\/p>\n

One common myth is that the business plan is only for larger businesses or if you need investors. However, this is just not true.<\/p>\n

Although it is often used in those situations, it\u2019s actually primarily for you, the business owner, and your business team. It helps you to get on the same page about the direction you want your business to head in.<\/p>\n

It also helps you to get together on a common mission and be clear on the roles and responsibilities of each person.<\/p>\n

In that way, it\u2019s very important for any business.<\/p>\n

Although the length of the business plan depends on the business, they should all have the following sections:<\/p>\n