You could reap many different benefits from pursuing and developing a career in plumbing. The plumbing sector is rich in varied employment opportunities, while wages can be solid. You can also sustain a plumbing career in the long term, with posts in the likes of design and teaching available. See the most recommended online schools for plumbing here for yourself.

However, keep in mind that you will need to tick many different boxes in your journey towards becoming a fully qualified and competent plumber. These questions particularly warrant thought…

Do you have the right attributes for plumbing?

The day-to-day responsibilities of plumbing lend themselves well to practical people who derive satisfaction from completing the necessary responsibilities to their optimum ability.

You will particularly heavily draw upon maths, engineering and science skills in carrying out your plumbing work, so consider verifying that you hold GCSEs at A to C grades in all three subjects. You also need the trustworthiness to attract customers and communication skills to deal with them.

Are you patient enough to complete the relevant courses?

If your GCSE grades aren’t quite up to scratch, you could start by tackling that issue – but it would be only the tip of the iceberg that is undertaking effective study for plumbing work.

That’s because your study journey could require you to also collect a Diploma in Plumbing Foundation as well as NVQ Level 1, 2 and 3 courses in plumbing. WaterSafe warns against taking intensive or distance learning courses that skimp on practical theory or re-enforced learning.

Could you practically get work experience?

WaterSafe advises that you embark on an accredited course, such as an NVQ Level 2 course, at a recognised training provider, like a college. That course should include an adequate amount of practical study primed for helping you to become fully qualified as a plumber.

Hence, your college may attempt to arrange work experience for you with a local plumbing company. Still, with most one-man band plumbers unable to financially take on trainees, it would be helpful for you to apply for your own work placement by sending your CV to local plumbing firms.

Would you be willing to keep developing your expertise?

While completing the NVQ Level 2 – or, in Scotland, SVQ 2 – course would enable you to qualify as a plumber, it would be the bare minimum requirement, warns Local Heroes.  

You could further add to your qualifications – and, indeed, your skills base – by undertaking the NVQ Level 3 course, or SVQ 3 course in Scotland, as well. Reaching this level can be a three-year journey but mark you out as officially competent in plumbing – a big plus point for when you look for new work.

Could you afford the required insurance?

Though your annual financial takings as a plumber could reach as high as £40,000, the costs of tax, petrol, tools and parking will come out of that. You might also need to pay for insurance, but the broker Be Wiser Business Insurance offers no obligation insurance quote comparison for tradesmen.

The festive period is undeniably the busiest time of year for retailers, and with the public gripped by the Christmas spirit, the exuberance of the season leads most of us to spend heavily. In fact, UK consumers are estimated to collectively shell out a mind-blowing £446,000 every minute of every day on presents during December.

But after the highs of December come the lows of January, and even with the long-advertised January Sales, most stores struggle to meet targets as a result of the public’s reluctance to spend after Christmas. January and February are typically two of the lowest spending months of the year, but that doesn’t mean retail spending stops entirely. It simply means that as a retailer, you need to go above and beyond to connect with your audience and entice them to your store.

If you are worried about a slow start to the year yourself, then take note of the following tips to stave it off and begin the new year with a flourish.

Generate buzz by hosting an event

45% of global consumers say they would happily pay more for a better retail experience, so hosting an in-store event can give your brand an invaluable marketing boost. However, putting on the right type of event is essential, and the only way you can do this is by closely considering your customers—who exactly your audience is, and what kind of activities they’d enjoy.

Take Adidas’ award-winning “Jump Store” pop-up as a shining example of a successful event that was tailor made for a brand’s customer base. Designed in collaboration with retail design agency Form Room, members of the public were given the opportunity to (literally) grab a free pair of Adidas trainers. All they had to do was jump and grab one of the 120 pairs laid out on a platform ten feet above the ground (the same height as a basketball rim) within the time it takes to make a play in a basketball game. By integrating an activity that was sure to appeal to Adidas’ sporty customer base with the promise of free merchandise, the campaign tied in perfectly with their brand. What’s more, the “Jump Store” generated roughly £2 million of free media for the brand, showing just how profitable a promotional event can be.

Increase your advertising spend

Hosting an event is the not only way to ramp up your advertising efforts during the potentially fallow early months of a new year. British brands fork out a significant chunk of their advertising budget in the run-up to Christmas, with 28% of total advertising spend in 2017 being invested in Christmas adverts. So by optimising your advertising presence in January and February, you’ll steal the limelight from competitors, and increase your own brand’s visibility at their expense.

Marketing can take many forms, some more expensive than others, and the accessibility of social media advertising is an ideal place for the uncertain to start. The likes of Facebook and Twitter let you target specific demographics, so you can advertise directly to your core audience. Just be sure to get clued up on the art of social media advertising before you throw stacks of money at it.

Another worthwhile way to raise brand awareness is by advertising from your store itself. Window displays, merchandise and fixtures can all be leveraged to attract people to your store and increase footfall. As the face of your store, window displays are a particularly effective way to advertise to the public, so updating them regularly can emphasise different products at different peak sales times, as well as tell your brand’s story.

Encourage purchases with promotional offers

Did your brand offer discounts during Black Friday and Boxing Day? If so, these were probably some of the biggest reductions you offered all year, but you shouldn’t confine promotional efforts exclusively to these dates. Holding another promotion during January represents a great way to keep sales figures high and augment your other efforts to avoid a sales slump.

You might have to be creative to draw customers in, however. Offering smaller discounts than you did during the holidays may not be enough to appeal to your audience. There are many ways you can run creative promotions though, from launching new product bundles to running a buy one get one free offer—this also doubles up as a great way of getting rid of excess stock. You may also want to start a new loyalty scheme, or offer free shipping for online orders, if you didn’t already.

Almost everybody in Europe is anticipating the coming withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. However, many don’t realize how many problems this may cause for the financial sector of the Union as many financial institutions and companies are located and regulated in the UK.

ESMA and UK CCPs are at work

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is already working with the Central Counter party Clearings (CCPs) in the UK, in preparation of Brexit. The preparations need to be top notch as the time gap is slowly shrinking. The UK is expected to leave the EU in March 2019, leaving the two parties with only 4 months to prepare for both scenarios.

By both scenarios, we mean Hard and Soft Brexit, which include various restrictions and tie-cutoffs with the financial markets located in the EU and the UK. The worst case scenario would be hard Brexit as many traders will find themselves floating around, trying to find a reliable Forex broker.

Unfortunately, however, even if Soft Brexit will be the case ESMA will have to deal with the migration of thousands of its traders to offshore brokerages as many of its new regulations were met with protests from the trader’s side. The EU financial authority is seeking to ban trader benefits like bonus promotions and high leverage trading. Things that some traders cannot afford to part with.

Loopholes for traders

However, there are exceptions in this policy, something that can unite UK and EU traders on a single platform. The XM Deposit bonus promotion here details the availability to nearly all markets regardless of the laws, thanks to the broker’s multiple regulations around the world.

But even brokers like XM need to prepare for the onslaught of the Brexit outcome as nothing is yet quite clear. The only thing known about the preparations is the fact that the European Commission will adopt measures if Hard Brexit will be the case. The measure being a no disruption policy to the central clearing.

Although there is still hope for traders as the UK is still debating whether or not to truly walk out the door of the EU. Voter sentiment is slowly changing and it is affecting the MPs as well. The question remains, however, will the EU keep them?

Custom envelopes, such as can be found at specialist online printing services, offer a variety of benefits for businesses. They’re an often overlooked tool in the arsenal of any business looking to increase both the efficiency with which they operate and the span of their brand appeal. With designing online able to be done in just a few minutes, and a range of choices available, it seems a no-brainer.

We would like to share some benefits of custom printed envelopes for businesses. And let´s admit it, if we can save time and money, who would say no to that?!

Office Efficiency with the Help of Envelopes

It can take considerable time to label envelopes on-premises. That time is highly valuable and better used elsewhere. When envelopes are custom printed, a business automatically gives themselves a head-start. It allows for specific information to be printed on the envelope in advance, meaning mail shots take considerably less time than they otherwise might.

Envelopes for Brand Visibility

Getting a brand to be noticed is a challenge all businesses face. They key to overcoming that challenge is making sure said brand is as visible as possible. There’s no easier way to broadcast a condensed brand identity than custom printed envelopes. Think of how many individual mails are sent in an average mail shot. Every single one of those envelopes is a mobile advertising opportunity.

Money savings for businesses

With other marketing methods, great investment is required to get a large number of eyes to see a single brand. Using custom printed on envelopes, however, is both quick and highly affordable. Online printers have no overheads from physical premises, so they’re able to pass the savings on to their customers. These savings are particularly generous when ordering in bulk.

Brand unity with printed envelopes

One of the most effective ways of cementing brand authority and developing customer loyalty is by establishing brand cohesiveness. That means all marketing materials, all advertising, all communication, and all stationery must be branded the same way. Colour schemes, logos, typefaces, and more – it’s exceptionally important that customers see unified branding.  Even on envelopes!

We should not forget to mention that ordering personalized printed envelopes is easy when you use a specialized website. You can choose the size, colour and quantity you like, from the comfort of our own desk. And they can be delivered at the business, so you don´t have to leave the office.