Off the mark - Flooring Services North East
Some economists believe a recession is the right time to start a business. So it has proved for Nathan Keogh. Mary Murrell reports:
WITH his wife, Claire, Nathan Keogh set up Flooring Services North East in Sunderland in February 2008. Nathan had worked in a retail shop for 15 years as a flooring fitter, and had trained to become amaster fitterwith NICF. Unfortunately, as the recession began to bite, orders started to dry up. With demand for his fitting skills in decline, Nathanwas forced to rethink his career. He decided to set up on his own. ‘It was really tough going at first, but getting customers was easier than dealing with some manufacturers! I had to fight like hell to getmaterials because, as we didn’t have any credit history, many suppliers were reluctant to support us. It’s a different story now,’ says Nathan, ‘we have somany reps calling we can hardly get away from them!
‘The real break through came when we secured a four year contract with the Anchor Trust for the flooring in all its nursing homes in the north east of England. Being named as preferred contractor opened the door to several manufacturers such as Altro. ‘In the first year of trading we had just one employee. Now we employ six full time fitters, one of whom previously worked in the same shop as me for 14 years. All are NICF master fitters, have CSCS certificates and have been CRB checked. ‘We have been approved by the CFA, and we are members of CHAS and Constructionline.
‘We do some domestic work, mostly using Karndean Antique flooring, but the main thrust of our business is in the commercial contract sector.This year the bulk of ourwork has been in safety flooring and contract carpet tiles, although we do offer carpet, rubber and wood aswell. ‘Our customer base is varied and includes hospitals such as the Sunderland Royal General and Sunderland Eye Infirmary. ‘In the beginning we tendered for contracts online, but now that we are established, much of our work is for existing customers and most newones come through recommendation. ‘We doubled our turnover in our second year of trading and are on course to double it again this year. ‘I think that one of the reasons for our success is that all our fitters have been properly trained, andwe keep their training up to date. Although taking someone out of the team for two weeks training can cost a £1000. plus, I think that even during a recession itwould be a mistake to cut back on this important aspect of the industry. In the long run the investment in training our fitters
will be recouped through extra business as our reputation for good quality work continues to grow.
‘This year an increasing number of fitters have asked us for a job. Some have been in the flooring industry five or 10 years, but have never sought proper training, so they would not be able to join our team.
‘We knowwe save the builders we work with money because they don’t need to have anyone supervising our team. My men will do any job properly and leave the site clean and tidy. They know how to talk to customers and have enough knowledge to spot any problems thatmight arise and alert me in good time to enable a solution to be found.
‘It is this level of expertise that is getting us newbusiness. Customers have told us of the difficulties they have had when their floor coverings have been installed by subcontractors, particularly with fitters walking off the job or leaving the site in amess. That won’t happen with us. ‘We obtained the Anchor nursing homes contract because the specifiers could see that I knew what Iwas doing, and, together with my fitters, had all the necessary qualifications and checks. We were also able to submit a method statement which some of the competing contractors could not do.
‘Claire handles the administration and we pay a consultant to keep us up to date with all legal requirements including health and safety legislation. ‘We started our business determined to maintain a high standard of work, and it is paying off. Customers know that we have a well trained and reliable team dedicated to maintaining a first class service.
Subscribe to CFJ
The cost of subscription is as follows:
