I'm gonna have a plumber internship soon, what can I try to learn?

[piano]

I don't even know if "internship" is the correct term, but basically, thanks to my school, I am going to experience work-life for 2 weeks (it's called "Praktikum" in German btw). Also, please don't ask how I got to plumbing...lol

(Ps: My role hasn't been fully chosen yet I think, and I can surely get another role in that company)

I have the option to just clean shit and do hard, physical work
or
I could try to do something else inside that company. I thought of maybe doing something similar to an SMMA (although I don't think plumbing services have social media? lol...). Maybe I could get a site up and running tho, or google ads? I don't know.

I'm going to ask the owner myself soon, but I wanted to hear your ideas first, because maybe you know a bit about that industry!

 

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[Anon45x4yB]

I don't even know if "internship" is the correct term, but basically, thanks to my school, I am going to experience work-life for 2 weeks (it's called "Praktikum" in German btw). Also, please don't ask how I got to plumbing...lol

(Ps: My role hasn't been fully chosen yet I think, and I can surely get another role in that company)

I have the option to just clean shit and do hard, physical work
or
I could try to do something else inside that company. I thought of maybe doing something similar to an SMMA (although I don't think plumbing services have social media? lol...). Maybe I could get a site up and running tho, or google ads? I don't know.

I'm going to ask the owner myself soon, but I wanted to hear your ideas first, because maybe you know a bit about that industry!

Hi ! I am 16 and in a few months I could experience an internship of a similar duration (in France). Despite the "school" aspect, it could be very interesting, because you have the opportunity to build relationships, learn and observe the needs of this sector! This experience could therefore be a springboard for any other achievement.

 

[ygtrhos]

I knew a guy, that ran a plumbing service in Leipzig. He started just like you and he was 28 and on the fastlane already.

Compare it to me, I am a numerical calculation engineer. I have a high salary (golden handcuffs). Try getting people to book you, like a plumber. It is next to impossible to reach that kind of volume.

If I were to return to 16, I would definitely learn a trade (Handwerk). Everyone needs an electrician, but nobody needs a scientist. You gotta go where the demand in the market goes.

I would learn the craft very well, so that you can distiguish a good plumber from a bad one.

Then I would learn marketing and necessary sales. The rest is about managing employees and scaling upwards. The guy was not doing any plumbing work anymore on his own.

The very good thing about this kind of trade is that it will be needed by everyone. You do not really need to make an effort to make sales. If you position yourself well, and do your job well, it is very easy to get clients.

The bad side is probably about scaling to 8-9 figures but I would refrain from talking over the top of my head among so many successful people over here. I am an apprentice in the world of business.

 

[Michael Moore]

It is an apprenticeship.
4 years at your employers expense.
He pays you while you live and learn.
After the 4 years you cannprobably attend college if u wish.
The wages are not great for the first 2 years but get a lot better.
Going self employed is still slow Lane.
Don't get me wrong u can earn very good money but to go fastlane u need to be thinking about using other people , contractors time , money , expertise and so on.
If you do well in your apprenticeship you will likely be very capable.
Obviously you only get out what you put in.
I am current advising young lings on apprenticeships and the journey is a long one but I guarantee you if you get it right then you are off to the races.
There is a huge shortage of trades people around the world and with the age of urgent trades people nearing retirement quicker than replace.ents are being then you have a lot to look forward too.
Use your time as an apprentice to learn the fastlane way.
Don't forget you get paid to learn and any extra courses that your employer might deem helpful to his company , he will probably pay for you to take them.
Management , accountancy , financial literary , contract law , advertising , etc etc etc are all beneficial to any employer......except the government.

 

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[ZackerySprague]

Do what you feel is best for you at this current time

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

I don't even know if "internship" is the correct term, but basically, thanks to my school, I am going to experience work-life for 2 weeks (it's called "Praktikum" in German btw). Also, please don't ask how I got to plumbing...lol

(Ps: My role hasn't been fully chosen yet I think, and I can surely get another role in that company)

I have the option to just clean shit and do hard, physical work
or
I could try to do something else inside that company. I thought of maybe doing something similar to an SMMA (although I don't think plumbing services have social media? lol...). Maybe I could get a site up and running tho, or google ads? I don't know.

I'm going to ask the owner myself soon, but I wanted to hear your ideas first, because maybe you know a bit about that industry!

Blue collar businesses like plumbing are fantastic fastlane opportunities. The demand is always there - pipes and toilets are always breaking, and people don't have a choice but to fix them. Plus, no one wants to build those businesses because they aren't as sexy as ecom or white collar jobs (lol). There will also be a bunch of those businesses for sale in the future (

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1594347722668212227

View: https://twitter.com/SMB_Attorney/status/1594347722668212227
) so if you develop a strong business, you could buy up those businesses, or at least buy their client lists.

Learn a combination of what types of jobs are most profitable and most in demand. It's easier to build a business by developing a focused, strong core competency. If you're known as the best water heater replacement guy in town, everyone will call you.

Learn how he gets most of his clients. Facebook ads? Word of mouth? Craigslist postings? Does he have a bunch of friends who run similar businesses like lawncare, roofing, pool cleaning, etc who refer him business?

Learn what his favorite customers are. It will make your life much easier if you know how to target customers who are profitable and easy to deal with.

Learn what makes good / bad employees. The sooner you know how to hire, the sooner you'll be able to scale up the business.

Learn how quickly it takes to train new employees. Or learn how to hire employees who are already competent.

Learn which tools are needed for which jobs, how much they cost, how much training they require to use, etc. If you know that you can get $2,000+ jobs with $200 of tools, you'll be able to start your own business faster. Really stay focused on just buying the minimum that you need to service clients and keep cash expenditures low until you have sufficient cash in hand and sufficient customers to warrant big spends (IE rent a van in the beginning, don't buy one (unless you can find a great deal)).

Learn how to handle customers. A lot of people are very price sensitive and just want the cheapest possible option (or they'll even do it themselves if they can't get their price). Figure out how to filter customers quickly to minimize the amount of time you waste on customers who won't buy the services from you at the prices you want to charge.

Learn whatever you can about how long it took for him to build his business, what trials and tribulations he went through to get there, etc. Then build your business in half of the time.

Be subtle about getting the information that I've listed above - if he thinks that you're going to be a competitor of his in the future, he'll probably can you (unless there is so much business available that he doesn't care).

Good luck.