Set Up a Construction Company but No Work? A 30-Day Plan
The short answer
Registering the company doesn't bring work; calls do. Call 300 people you know in construction, walk onto live sites, start small and follow up every week.
- The company isn't the problem. No one knows it exists yet. Work comes from people, not from Companies House.
- Your phone is your pipeline. Former bosses, colleagues, subcontractors and suppliers. Call, don't text: 300 calls minimum.
- Go where money is being spent today. Live sites, small developers and main contractors need reliable people now.
- Start small and follow up every week. Most first jobs come from the second or third conversation.
You set up a construction company but have no work yet. You did the scary part. You left the day rate, registered the company, maybe ordered the van livery and the business cards. And now the phone is quiet.
This is more common than anyone admits. Lots of new construction companies spend their first months on logos, a website and waiting, and very little on finding clients.
The good news: there is nothing wrong with you or the company. Nobody knows it exists yet. Here is how to change that in the next 30 days.
Want a plan for your own trade and area? Book a free strategy call. (Been trading for years and the work has dried up? Read building work gone quiet: what to do instead.)
Why the phone isn't ringing
Work doesn't come from Companies House. It comes from people who know you, trust you and have a job that needs doing this month.
Starting with no savings? Here's how to start a construction company with no money. Still in a job? See what to line up before you leave. Most new owners stall for one of these reasons:
- Busy-work instead of sales. Logo, cards, a website, a new van. All useful later. None of them calls a client.
- Waiting for word of mouth. It works, but only once you've done jobs people can talk about.
- Only one door. One old boss or one friend who "might have something". When that goes quiet, so do you.
- Asking for work instead of offering value. "Do you have any jobs?" gets a polite no.
- Believing you need more first. A partner, more experience, more qualifications. Usually you need more calls.
Sviat started in London as a demolition labourer, then worked as a carpenter, before he built his own construction company, Craftex. Nobody handed him clients. The route below is the one he teaches owners who are starting out.
Week 1: your contact list and 300 calls
Everyone you already know in construction is a warm door. Write them all down:
- Former employers and site managers
- Colleagues and other trades you've worked with
- Subcontractors, suppliers and the merchant counter staff who know you
- QSs and project managers from past jobs
- Past private clients
- Friends and family
Then call them. Don't text. Aim for 300 calls. Calling 10 people will get you nothing. Tell each one three things. You now run your own company, this is what you deliver, and you'll pay a referral fee for an introduction that becomes a job.
Don't underestimate anyone in your phone. Friends, other builders, even family can bring you a deal.
What to say. Keep it short and offer, don't beg:
"Hi, it's [your name]. I've set up my own company, we now do full refurbishments, not just plastering. Have you got anything coming up in the next couple of months where you need a reliable team? And if you know anyone who does, I pay a referral fee on any job that goes ahead."
Write down every "maybe" with a date to call back. Those are your pipeline.
Week 2: go where money is being spent today
A live site is where budgets already exist and problems already happen: a subcontractor who didn't turn up, quality issues, a programme slipping. That's your opening.
- Find the bigger sites near you. Search online and stop at any site you drive past.
- Ask for the project manager, then for the owner, estimator or QS contact.
- Offer something small first. A few people on day rate or one package to get your foot in the door.
- Follow up by phone. It's no longer a cold call, you already know someone there.
Do the same with main contractors and bigger specialist contractors: they always need reliable trades. Here's how to get subcontract work from main contractors.
Oleg, 19, taper & jointer: from £100 a day on site to £7K a month profit
He started his own company, went out and found his own projects, and built a team of 10+ people within two months. Individual results, not typical or guaranteed.
Not sure which of these fits your trade and area?
Book a free call and we'll pick the fastest route with you.
Week 3: small developers and one online platform
Who they are. Flat flippers, extension specialists, small conversions. They always need reliable builders. Find them online and at local property events, call the business number and ask what they're working on. Offer to price a deal they're assessing before they buy. Then tender for the build. More in how to get work from property developers.
One online platform, chosen carefully. Sviat's view, from running his own company:
| Platform | Sviat's view for a new company |
|---|---|
| Bark | The cheapest way to learn to qualify, price and sell. Have a decent website first, pick real projects only, respond fast, expect to price about 10 jobs to win 1 |
| MyBuilder | Doesn't work for serious contractors: you compete on price with several trades for small jobs. See is MyBuilder worth it |
| Checkatrade | Same problem. See is Checkatrade worth it |
Want to see where your business is weakest right now? The free 4-minute Construction Business Scorecard shows your weakest area first. Want the enquiries handled for you? See our construction marketing service.
Week 4: follow up, quote properly, ask for referrals
By now you should have a list of "maybes", a few site contacts and some quotes out. This week turns them into jobs.
- Call every maybe back on the date you wrote down. Then every week until it's a yes or a clear no.
- Present every quote, in person or on a video call, not just by email. Here's how to follow up a quote.
- Price for profit from day one. A cheap first job that loses money doesn't help you. Read how to price building work.
- Take a deposit and stage payments on every job. Here's how much deposit to take.
- Ask every happy client for a referral and a review the day you finish.
Taking any job at any price because you're scared of the quiet. One loss-making job can eat the money you need to keep going. Qualify the client and price properly, even at the start.
20+ Ways to Get Construction Projects in the UK
22 ways to find work, which ones suit you when you're starting out, scripts and real results. 24 pages, free.
Get the free guideWhat to stop doing while you have no work
| Feels like progress | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Redesigning the logo | 20 calls before lunch |
| Building the perfect website | A simple site with your trade, area, photos of your work and a phone number. Then calls |
| Paying an agency for "guaranteed leads" | Calling the people who already know you |
| Waiting for one contact to come back | Ten new conversations this week |
| Taking a course and doing nothing | One action from this plan every day |
Are the calls happening but the work still isn't coming? Then the problem is usually the offer, the price or the follow-up, not the number of leads. That's exactly what one-to-one mentoring fixes.
Sviat, who runs Craftex today, works with you on your trade, your area and your strengths. You're not following a standard program built for hundreds of businesses. Programs are built for results in about 4 months, not 1–3 years. Individual results, not typical or guaranteed. To start, book a free strategy call.
Started the company and still waiting for work?
Book a free strategy call and leave with a plan for your next 30 days.
Your 30-day checklist
- Contact list written: everyone you know in construction
- 300 calls made, every "maybe" diarised
- 5+ live sites or main contractors visited
- 3 small developers called and one deal priced
- Every quote presented and followed up weekly
