National Business Supports Local Tradespeople

Oct. 15, 2009 - PRLog -- Small businesses tend to suffer from the impact of the credit crunch more than most. Local  businesses like builders, plumbers and electricians have the added problem of a delicate balancing act where they need to finish the job they are working on to get paid, while trying to find the time to search for new work.

Ensuring there is no break between finishing the last job and starting the next is a perennial problem faced by these local trades. Bob Mitchell of R.L. Mitchell Building Services says “Builders are often accused of just disappearing for no reason, when in actual fact they are probably trying to find new work or quoting for the next job. The customer doesn't seem to appreciate how hard it is to maintain a constant income and it takes time to find work, quote for it and then organise your workload.”

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)  has documented the economic downturn's impact on small firms since last September and a glimmer of hope for those that have survived this far seems to exist, as there are signs of a tentative recovery. Good news? Of course - but will it come soon enough to ensure viability for the mainstay of the UK's local economy?

Most won't be able to wait until the economy sorts itself out, they need support right now. Then out of the blue, along comes a company that injects an innovative adrenaline boost, a company that provides local trades with a service that might actually make the difference. FindaTrade does exactly what it says on the tin; generating leads for quality tradespeople, matching jobs and projects with local skills - and that is where the key message lies: Local.

Although FindaTrade is a national company, the searches you do as a tradesperson is local to your defined area. If you add the multipliers of the trade's specific skill-set and FindaTrade's bespoke job matching service, the returned results are highly targeted to any trade's predefined categories. The time saved having such specific results, means less time is wasted looking for jobs. In fact you don't even have to search, FindaTrade will do the legwork for you, for free.

“The concept of FindaTrade is a great boost to me.” said Bob Mitchell, “I don't need to waste time looking for work because it all lands in my inbox. I can sit at my computer with a cup of tea and my feet up, leafing through all the jobs that have been sent to me. Getting to see all the job details means I have the luxury of being able to be really selective and just choose the ones I want to quote for, that fit my upcoming work schedule.”

What a great service, but previous websites of this genre charged you membership fees, force you to agree to monthly payments, or even had the audacity to claim a commission on jobs – is FindaTrade actually offering anything new? Refreshingly, yes – the only charge is for the contact details of the job – and a small one at that. “ We have watched tradespeople advertising in the UK suffer for some time now” says Steve Goodman, FindaTrade's MD “We wanted to help them find the work they needed without costing them their hard-earned profit. FindaTrade has turned the advertising principal on its head with very little cost to the trades that benefit from it”

So, is FindaTrade the answer to small business prayer? In part, yes, but unfortunately no single solution exists to pull us all out of the financial doldrums. However, FindaTrade.com DOES have a lot going for it and seems to work particularly well in a down-turned economy, as more and more tradespeople are turning to the Internet in the hope of finding additional customers – and with the double-barrelled bonus of membership and advertising that is completely free, the choice is a no-brainer.

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Notes to editors:

FindaTrade went online in 2005 and has since become the internet-based service of choice that helps homeowners find tried and tested trades for all types of projects, it also helps trades and service providers find work AND get recommended. After four successful years in France, FindaTrade's expat owners have brought their lead-generation service to the UK, launching in October 2009. For more information go to http://www.FindaTrade.com.