Smart Home Surgery

Join us on the Smart Home Surgery podcast as we delve into the world of smart home technology. We bring you interviews with industry leaders, peers and influencers to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the people and businesses shaping this exciting field. Expect honest and open discussions on hot topics and the latest trends, without any bias towards specific brands or industry groups. Tune in for a fresh perspective on the smart home industry

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Smart Home Surgery

Bad Smart Home Installs

January 27, 2023 • Benjamin Davies • Season 1 • Episode 4

Why aren't there any smart home regulations?

Lots of people mistakenly think that starting a service business is easy. They prematurely quit their job and start becoming self-employed with no real plan. Benjamin Pratt and I explore how this affects the quality of installations out there in the market. We discuss experience over qualifications, how having boundaries can help you scale your business and maintain your mental health, the power of saying no, and whether or not the smart home industry can benefit from more regulation.

Benjamin Pratt is the founder of B Electrical. He is known for his no-nonsense attitude on social media, and he talks about why he doesn’t filter himself online.

What we discussed

(00:00) No filter social media content for installers?

(02:19) You must have f*cked up (&Ben’s backstory)

(09:11) Moving from graphic design to smart home

(10:38) ADHD and being a difficult person

(15:49) My electrical skills courses: worth it?

(20:56) Firing clients vs. people pleasing

(23:16) Degrees vs. experience

(25:34) Why self-employed tradesman fail

(29:10) Pricing mistakes

(34:41) Outdated smart home curriculums

(48:10) “Had enough of electrics” Smart Home is my passion

(51:57) Van life: installer’s edition

(53:04) Biggest regret

(56:48) Biggest financial mistake

3 things to consider before starting your smart home business:

Not every prospect should be your client: just because someone wants to work with you doesn’t mean you must work with them. Just as clients vet you, you must vet your clients.

Creating a business plan should be your first step if you want to become a self-employed tradesman. Winging your start into the industry is a recipe for failure.

Be careful when competing based on price, you have to take into account the cost of your time and the cost of all your materials and outsourced work. If you undercharge, you risk making a loss or merely breaking even.

Links

Connect with Benjamin Pratt: LinkedIn | B Electrical

Inspire Audio Visual: Website

Contact the Smart Home Surgery

Send us a DM on Instagram @smarthomees
Email us at media@smarthomee.co.uk

Thanks for listening & see you on the next episode