Not everyone wants to graduate from school and go on to work in an office or company owned by someone else.  Instead, these people would rather work for themselves.  If you’re someone who wants to pursue entrepreneurship, then the trades might make for an excellent career path.

When you hear the word “entrepreneurship” it might bring to mind the idea of a “start-up” company, usually in software, gaming, or technology. While it’s true that these fields receive a lot of attention, entrepreneurship isn’t limited to these areas. There are many great entrepreneurship opportunities for people working in the skilled trades who want to own their own business.

What makes entrepreneurship so appealing to skilled tradespeople?

You Get to be Hands-On

Chances are if you’re interested in the skilled trades, it’s because you’re the type of person who like to be hands-on and deeply involved in their work.  This is an essential quality of successful entrepreneurs, since (especially in the early days of a new company) you will likely be covering multiple roles and a wide variety of tasks–everything from performing the actual work, to bookkeeping and accounting, to marketing yourself.

You Have Independence and Control

Becoming an entrepreneur also means that you get to make the decisions, choosing how to run your business, what your schedule will be, and which jobs you accept.  For many people, this independence if preferable to working for someone else where their control over their work is limited.  You also have control over your career trajectory; rather than having to work your way up through an established company until you reach a point where you can make the decisions, as an independent business owner you’re already in charge.

Ongoing High Demand for Skilled Tradespeople

The job market can be tough, but there is an ongoing, increasing need for skilled trades workers, especially in areas like plumbing, electrical, metalworking, and construction.  This is from a combination of increasing infrastructure and housing projects, as well as the trend of older workers retiring with fewer young workers to take their place.  This is an ideal situation for a trades entrepreneur, because it means that there will be lots of work opportunities to choose from to keep you and your business thriving.

Room for Your Aspiration, Whatever That Might Be

While you may start out as a one-person operation, very few entrepreneurial businesses remain a solo employee for long.  Growing your business to increase profits will necessarily require taking on more employees to help distribute the workload. However, entrepreneurship is great because you can grow your business at your own pace, and the sky is the limit.  You want to stay small and local, with regular hours and a reliable schedule? Once you build a solid team of employees and a good roster of customers, you can maintain your business at that scale.  Or do you want to one day own a huge company that operates on a national scale? Entrepreneurship is perfect for these ambitions, too.

Sources:

https://start-up-booster.com/skilled-trades-entrepreneurs-next-big-thing/

https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/how-to-get-from-journeyman-to-ceo-learning-a-trade-is-a-natural-for-setting-up-a-business