Go Furness

Switched On!

Michelle Whalley originally did a degree in Psychology and then moved into a career in teaching. She has been backing husband Andy in his electrical business, ADW for 3 years now. As the business has grown, their roles have changed and evolved and last July, Michelle took a big leap of faith to give up a ‘safe’ teaching career to work full time in the business. Andy gave up his job when their baby was only 3 months old. She pointed out that risk is a necessary part of being an entrepreneur.

The idea for the business emerged as the couple built their own house and found many of the sub-contractors unreliable and sometimes unprofessional. Andy was working as a specialised electrician for 16 years by this time at Sellafield. As he progressed in this career, he found himself doing more and more computer work and less of the tool work that he loves. He knew that if he had his own business, he could offer a top quality service with excellent and reliable customer care and combine this with his hi-tech specialist skills and experience.

There are now 7 people employed in the business, several vans and a unit on Morcambe Road. They have moved from doing mostly domestic jobs to bigger commercial contracts. Some of their clients include Colony Candles, Bethel Construction, UVHS and Chetwynde Schools. They are now specialising in security systems, fire detection work, installing CCTV systems and intercom.

They have a very clear ethos about their approach to business. Everything is done properly, finished off to perfection and attention is paid to every detail. They have taken care to put contracts in place to protect themselves and their employees and have ensured that the whole team receive on-going training.

They are NICEIC approved contractors, and have Construction line and CHAS approval. This means that they are ‘pre-qualified’ for any job and ready to go when they get a new contract.

Their biggest challenges?

Cash Flow. It is hard work chasing people to get money in. Sometimes they do big jobs that can only be completed when other jobs have been done first. In these cases, they have to wait until the job is complete to get paid and they are ‘held to ransom’ until other firms complete their work.

Making their speciality known in the area. They have no problems holding the clients they do get, but it is hard to get new contracts. Most big firms already have electrical contracts with other firms, or have in-house electricians. It is a challenge to let people know that there is a reputable and skilled company in this area that can deal with fire and security wiring.

Huge expenses. They have a lot of ‘hidden’ start-up costs: accreditation, training and accommodation whilst training and putting contracts in place. Other costs are not so hidden like the unit, wages, the vans and the tools.

However, despite these challenges the business is thriving and they did win the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ last year in Ulverston!

The Secrets of Success?

Very hard work
Personal sacrifice
Honesty
Quality of workmanship
Attention to detail
Reliability
Respect for all clients
Taking a Risk
Advice to other budding businesses?

Be prepared to work hard, be skint for a while and enjoy the freedom of being your own boss!

Posted by Kay Hebbourn on 6th February.