Q. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A. Joseph Reilly electrical is a small locally based electrical contracting company based in co Longford. We supply domestic, commercial and agricultural electrical services to customers across the mid lands of Ireland including Roscommon, decathlon and Cavan. Our services can range from small jobs such as installing a light fitting to the full electrical installation of shops and houses.
Q. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A. I am 32 years old and began my electrical apprentiship at age 19 and qualified at age 23. I spent some time working for other contractors gaining experience in residential and commercial installations before finally deciding to start my own business at age 25. I also studied journalism and media studies for one year prior to starting my electrical apprentiship.
Q. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
A. My main reason for starting my own business was I was hoping for longevity and security as an electrician and thought the best way to do this would be to create my own income and business. This was mainly encouraged by seeing the contractors I worked for being able to carve out successfull businesses.
Q. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A. 1. Be interested in your chosen field.
2. Be interested in creating your own income.
3. Be persistent and patient in allowing your business time to be successfull.
Q. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A. 1. Be highly motivated even when the rewards don’t come in the beginning.
2. Be able to create income for yourself and others when there doesn’t seem to be many employment options.
3. Have the confidence to continue with your business even when you experience setbacks.
Q. How many hours do you work a day on average?
A. 10
Q. To what do you most attribute your success?
A. The pride of being self sustainable drives me to work longer hours and complete projects on time. A good job done and a happy customer drives you to keep standards high.
Q. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A. I have a website and i am currently doing SEO work to compete for some of the larger contracts. Up until now a lot of my customers have been referred die to word of mouth.
Q. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A. My business has always been fully funded by me I always keep funds aside from completed contracts to push the business as far as I can.
Q. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A. Be in it for the long term and be patient at the beginning because it is tough and full of lean times. Listen to your customers and adapt to new technology.
Q. Where you see yourself and your business in 5–10 years?
A. Hopefully my business will have expanded and I can have some full time employees doing more of the labour so I can seek and price more and better paid contracts.
Q. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A. There are so many businesses but probably someone like google who took a very simple idea and turned into a very lucrative globally used business.
Q. How important have good employees been to your success?
A. At the moment i have no employees.
Q. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
A. If I believe in the idea I will stick with it until it is successfull or it leads me to another idea.
Q. What motivates you?
A. Being my own boss and being able to create my own income without having to live within the confines of a 9 to 5 job.
Q. What are your ideals?
A. Hard work, loyalty, consistency.
Q. How do you generate new ideas?
A. I look for inspiration from those who have done it already and try to expand on that.
Q. How do you define success?
A. Having my own business and providing a service that people are happy with and want to recommend to others.
Q. How do you build a successful customer base?
A. Always be on time, do a top job and listen to your customer, do not overcharge.
Q. What is your favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
A. Managing my own time the more I put in the more I get back.
Q. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
A. Every time my phone rings with a new customer.
Q. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
A. Entrepreneurs are willing to work harder and take more risks than be in the routine of working for someone else. When you work for self your day doesn’t end at 5pm you also don’t get paid every friday. But at the same time, anyone can make the decision to work for themselves not giving up too soon before its successfull is what counts.
Q. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
A. Busy.
Q. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
A. Start at a younger age.
About Joe Reilly Electrical: Joseph Reilly Electrical is a fully insured contractor and a member of regulating body ECSSA. We specialise in all types of electrical installations from small extensions, houses to shops, apartment buildings, public buildings and farms. On time every time! Whether you want a power point installed or a new building wired, tested and certified call today for your free quote.
Business name: Joe Reilly Electrical
Address: Tashinny, Colehill, Co Longford,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/electricianlongford
Google Places: https://plus.google.com/113007364523512419117/about
