Growing a Plumbing business from £300,000 to over £1,000,000 in 3 years

🔥 💧 In this video we discuss the journey me and my team went through in growing a plumbing and heating company. I chased my tails for the first 7 years “on the tools” but in the last 3 years we have grown from 300,000 in sales to our 1 million and continue to grow month on month.
My Socials:
Instagram / rjmartindaleltd
Website BHE www.bhe-services.co.uk/
Website RJMartindale rjmartindale.co.uk/
Facebook / rjmartindale
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00:00 - Introducing RJM
1:34 - Office and current setup
7:14 - Vans
9:54 - History of the company
Thanks for Watching!
Your support means the world to me.

[@MichaelFeeney1991]

Great content mate, looking forward to watching the next one! Keep up the good work!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers mate, much appreciated

[@utilitarian]

This is amazing! Nice to see a local business- I love your approach and can’t wait to see what content you bring!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the content. There's more to come.

[@user-nr2qc2zz1k]

Always great to see local businesses utilising their social media platforms, to engage with their customers, it really adds that personal touch! Looking forward to the next video 😀

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thanks for the great feedback !

[@anthonyshaw7251]

Spot on & well done to you all, this is a unique twist to a typical service industry video, I’m inspired & subscribed 👍🙏👌

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Appreciate your comments Anthony, cheers 👊🏻

[@michaelgreen2311]

A very interesting video. This is something I’m very much interested in doing for my own plumbing and heating business. I look forward to your next video

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers Michael!

[@videoting1]

I’m a spark who is thinking of going on my own in the new year… although it’s a different trade marketing has so many common themes great to hear 👍🏻

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Appreciate that, cheers pal

[@mikegallagher2107]

FairPlay to you look forward to the next one very interesting on growing a successful buissness 🙌👌

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thank you! I'm glad you found it interesting. Stay tuned for the next one!

[@missionroadelec]

Great video!! More of this please

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers pal

[@XyzTorres]

Class video! Inspiring mate. I’m just setting up myself down south. Keep the videos coming as would love to follow the journey👍🏼

[@rjmartindaleltd]

On it pal 👊🏻

[@richardmcmahon9526]

Go on RJ . Wish you the best with it all lad👏💪

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers Richard 👊🏻

[@trading-university.]

Excellent video and well done!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thank you very much!

[@danieloaken9485]

Very well presented video. Subscribed 👍🏻 I’m a heating engineer with a good job but feeling held back atm and wanting to start my own business eventually. Looking forward to seeing more content.

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Appreciate that, all the best Dan 👊🏻

[@marcustandy6498]

Great vid. Looking forward to more content!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers Marcus

[@BNKGODHAND]

Great video, really interesting and insightful on how to grow a business!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Appreciate it!

[@andyk6883]

Quality video mate looking forward to the next one

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers Andy, appreciate that 👊🏻

[@johnpilling741]

Well done buddy, a credit it see a committed guy building a great business. Really good explanation of your road to success, being built on solid foundations. Keep going.

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Much appreciated!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thanks John

[@user-mn5tu2gn9j]

Great video! Interested to see your next one!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

More to come!

[@Jonesheating]

Great video thanks for posting

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers pal 👊🏻

[@GrindSzn7]

Respect to you bro and your team! Inspiration to all of us plumbers

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers brother 👊🏻

[@PetarDoychev-jc4ov]

You're an inspiration mate, well done!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Appreciate that mate 👊🏻

[@markcain4710]

I’m a service and breakdown engineer in Bolton thinking of going self employed myself ,well done mate 👌 very impressive

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Appreciate the message Mark Good luck 👊🏻

[@brendanfisher2528]

This is gunna be a interesting and a good insight to a plumbing channel.. I have just subscribed and really looking forward to this.. I'm sure you will be getting alot of questions. But I you can answer the questions in videos I guess

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thank you for subscribing! I'm glad you're looking forward to the content. Feel free to ask any questions you have, and I'll do my best to cover them in future videos.

[@seattleprowash5464]

it's crazy how fast people grow these businesses. i saw rooter ranger go from zero to 25 million in like 3 years

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Levels pal 👊🏻

[@Majorcrimesuk]

Quality video for your first upload hats if to u

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers pal, I did this 3 months ago and couldn't face posting it !

[@jonnysegway7866]

Cracking stuff, there's always room for well branded, smart, efficient business (Eddie Stobart approach)

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Yes Jonny, we are trying 👊🏻

[@TheSecondsHand]

brother.... thank you... im a few years older than you and im learning so much. im at 300k right now... i want to be there at a mil. this is amazing.

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Good luck pal 👊🏻 Get after it 📈

[@DannieTaylor8]

Great video, very inspiring, been in the trade since 2011 and similar age to yourself. Only escaped the chains of British Gas a couple years back to start my own company and its been going great. Looking to take that next step and take on my first apprentice soon. Nice to see what can be achieved with some time and graft. Look forward to your updates, Subbed!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers Dannie, appreciate the comment and good luck on your journey! I am doing a video shortly of the steps we took each year when building the team...bare with me though, im new to this stuff!

[@marcustandy6498]

Niice mate I’m currently at bg now been her for 18 months planning on staying for a little while but always looking at options. Was the move to self employed worth it from bg? Only reason I ask is because they make it very hard to leave when you get all the benefits they give you

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Hi mate, I never worked for BG. I worked for a small one man band and then took over when he retired @@marcustandy6498

[@DannieTaylor8]

Yeah stay on the learn as much as you can. I left off the back of the fire and rehire a couple years back, was S&R. The move to self employed has been the best thing i've ever done, wish i did it sooner to be honest but i was scared to leave the salary, pension holiday ect. Easy decision though as they fucked our contracts, it used to be alot more lucrative than what you're on now. Learn all you can and when the micro managment gets too much just leave. Plenty of work out there, easy earn double of my old BG salary now. @@marcustandy6498

[@TahsinAhmeddesign]

are you a small business owner?

[@adriandeb2710]

Great video

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thank Adrian 👊🏻

[@newboilerblackpool]

Great video and can relate to all If this! Would love a chat sometime. Well done fella 👍

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers pal, appreciate that 👊🏻

[@danhollins935]

Some strong similarities to my background here too and I'm still stuck at the £300k pinch point. Picking up the keys to our commercial unit tomorrow. Look forward to watching the rest of your content, it's really well put together and appreciate the honesty around figures as well. Can i ask how you finance your fleet of vans? I'm looking at hp on a new van after having issues (thankfully under warranty) with a second hand van we bought 6 months ago to expand our team. Held me up for about 4 months unfortunately. I also went hp on another second hand van and also used my bbl for a brand new van in 21 which i plan to sell and free up the cash to hold some capital while we recruit admin and extra engineer(s)/ push the business forward.

[@danhollins935]

Just seen the next video where it's all explained about your approach to vans 👍 Once again - thanks for the transparency!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Appreciate your comments Dan 👊🏻 Some good info in that video 😄 Good luck as your progress 📈

[@danhollins935]

Keep up with the content, it's rare to see this side of the plumbing world on KZbin - it's usually someone showing you how to do the tools side of things. I clocked you in one of the videos saying you don't know why you're doing it .... I appreciate you doing it, as do many others I'm sure. Thanks 👍 and Happy New Year 🎊

[@turnersheatingandplumbing]

Great video Ryan I have so many questions I could ask you, have you thought about doing a live q&a

[@rjmartindaleltd]

I am going to start answering the questions in reels or on the following video pal

[@9720miller]

That was a great video, can you explain what the business model is behind the home care part you do. I have been looking into something similar, would be great hear some more information on how it works as a business model. I am a well rounded engineer but I really struggle with the business side of things as you said you also were in the beginning. I also don’t know marketing either, when people talk about I have no idea what they mean 😂

[@rjmartindaleltd]

My most recent video explains this in more detail - why we do it ect Cheers pal 👊🏻

[@9720miller]

Yeah I actually watched it shortly after commenting on this video. A very good idea.

[@mikeenglish1492]

That was interesting

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers Mike 👊🏻

[@DublinPlumber24hrs]

Great video !!! Subscribed . What type of software are you using for booking new clients ? Tradify ?

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Hi Mate, we run Commusoft, I will do a video of everything we use :)

[@DublinPlumber24hrs]

@@rjmartindaleltd thank you 🙏

[@ICP-plumber]

Enjoying your videos, seems like a well run business. Your complete home care package offers electrics and external drains. However this doesn’t seem like work you directly undertake?

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Thanks for the message Richard. We currently work alongside a local electrical and drainage company - these two areas are outsourced but when I feel myself and the business are ready, I will look to carry out an acquisition of both an electrical company followed by drainage. We may short term decide to take on an electrician full time, this would depend on how many call outs we get as we grow.

[@mr.nobody8181]

Im just starting my plumbing business, its me and best friend right now. I want to start scaling the business quickly, when should i think about hiring plumbers to join the team? 😊

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Did you say, you and your friend are running the business ?

[@rarheatingandgasservices4127]

My business is now at a crossroads, im extremely busy and running myself into the ground, I need an apprentice, an office worker and another engineer. I have zero business sense though and struggle to take the next step

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Keep grinding pal, I will break some of our experiences down in upcoming videos 👊🏻

[@westleyirving1186]

I’m Exactly the same. At the stage where I could take someone on and grow the business but not business minded. Contracts, sick pay, benefits, risk assessments, staff, accounts, software etc. Hopefully watching more of these videos will help. Good content and shows what can be done 👍🏻

[@peterreid4567]

Problem is. There’s loads of companies offering interest free credit. Very low monthly payments. And they pay £400 for an install to the engineer. They have no hassle. You even collect the materials for them do all the work and clear the crap up after. Some don’t even supply tube. Fittings or condense. So it makes it very hard for small businesses to compete

[@rjmartindaleltd]

True Peter, it is tough out there but you must keep pushing on 👊🏻

[@Taylor40667]

Not fancy a Merc van? Premier badge on front or not bothered

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Alright Taylor, yeah definitely its just the cost!

[@anthonygreenwood4486]

Amazing, Sick of Allen fart videos and midget caprani, Keep going 💪

[@rjmartindaleltd]

🤣🤣 Will do pal

[@FuelingWit]

Hi mate, what management software are you currently using?

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Hi pal Commusoft Sim pro

[@FuelingWit]

@@rjmartindaleltd ah yes commusoft is what we use

[@nicmcdonnell9864]

Well done mate. Whats your profit margin? And how do you find staff?

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers pal, We will be pushing for 10 / 15% net going into 2024 while maintaining a healthy market spend for our local area 60 - 80k. From 2020 to 2022 I over leveraged myself / business short term while building out the team, new vans and monthly service plans. We have come through the other side now, I look forward to pushing on through this winter season. Finding staff is always tough, I will be doing some videos on this while I recruit for the new business but in answer to your question: Apprentices that have come through, Recruitment sites, Marketing to target engineers 👊🏻

[@ms.electrical]

Which areas do you put your 3k or marketing into?

[@rjmartindaleltd]

I will do a video on this pal, We average between 5 - 8k per month on marketing spend Currently we have pulled back on google ppc ads during the winter season We are still ticking over with offline marketing - local magazines I am spending big money getting vans on the road / kitting them out at them minute

[@theimperfectchannel510]

what is your gross profit margin?

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Check today video pal

[@hrxy1]

children running a business, bankrupt at 30,ready for the next child to take over, poor fools

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers pal

[@TheDickPuller]

That’s a huge Staff overhead for a moderate Turnover!! Your company is grossly too top heavy. You’ll end up charging too much to cover the Overheads & losing work. Turnover for vanity, Profit for sanity!!

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Cheers mate, we may need you on board to assist with budgeting for 2024!

[@TheDickPuller]

@@rjmartindaleltd Budgeting?? Fucking writing some P45’s!! Is the Dog on a Staff Salary too??!! As soon as your Back is turned, all these ladies will sitting, swinging their legs, drinking coffee & gossiping!!.......Lucky if they’ll do 3 hours work a day.

[@jonnysegway7866]

There's a market for a NW equivalent of 'Pimlico Plumbers' who charge a premium; also subscription based is way most things seem to be going to spread out costs and give peace of mind

[@TheDickPuller]

@@jonnysegway7866 Servowarm tried it, where are they? There’s loads of cases of your Business Mantra & loads of cases of it failing!! Get to a level where you’re making maximum Profit with minimum Staff(Overheads). The guys on the tools, at the Coal Face, are the only ones making you money. The Office Staff are losing you money.

[@Horrorstories.reddit]

This is so inspirational i am aspiring to start a big plumbing company one day and it helps so much seing someone with expirience show what its like.

[@rjmartindaleltd]

Good luck pal, get after it 👊🏻