PHAM NEWS | OCTOBER 2025 16 Business Matters


Tips to help you overcome those barriers to success


Visitors to this year’s InstallerSHOW were off ered the opportunity to book a free consultation with business coach Mark Ellis, courtesy of Mira Showers. Here Mark provides an insight into some of the key challenges that are typically faced by owners of small businesses.


this year’s InstallerSHOW, I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with many impressive small business owners. Over the course of three decades working as a business and life coach, I’ve seen the challenges small business owners face, but hearing them fi rst-hand at the show really brought them to life. What struck me the most


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throughout the show was that despite meeting business owners from diff erent locations, backgrounds and experience levels, many of the issues they all face are very similar. Again and again,


conversations touched on recruitment and retention, managing and motivating staff , and fi nding the time to juggle business demands without burning out. These are not isolated challenges – they are part of the reality many installers live with every day. In this article, I’ll touch on


some of the recurring themes and share advice on how to deal with them in your business.


Recruitment and retention A challenge many installers face is fi nding and keeping good staff . With an aging workforce, skilled tradespeople are in high demand. Younger installers coming into the trade also now have diff erent priorities from their job roles than perhaps we did early in our careers. The truth is that salary is not


the only factor you’re competing on against other companies – your business culture is also important in attracting and retaining talent. Workers want to feel like their work matters, and that they’re part of something bigger than ‘just a job’. My advice is to think about


Mark Ellis Career & business transition coach


hen the Mira Showers team invited me to join them at their stand at


recruitment and retention as an ongoing process, not a one-off . Show potential and current employees the bigger picture of what working with you means. This could include: • Creating clear development


paths. Even small fi rms can provide milestones – for example, moving from apprentice to lead installer, or adding training in renewables to their breadth of skills. • Check in regularly. Don’t


wait for problems to surface. Weekly catch-ups can be invaluable for spotting concerns early and proving to people that they’re valued. • Promote your culture.


Apprentices, in particular, are drawn to teams where they feel supported, not just employed. By investing this time and


By addressing them head on and tackling the


causes of stress in your life, you can ensure you build a stronger business and healthier life


energy into your people, they are far more likely to remain loyal and work hard for your business.


Managing and motivating Many business owners feel the weight of responsibility so heavily they can’t let go. I’ve seen this many times in my coaching work: the business owner who feels that, unless they oversee every detail, things will fall apart. Recent research commissioned


by Mira Showers found that many small business owners fi nd themselves taking on many tasks and often not sharing the load with staff , with a quarter saying they can spend up to 90% of the day working alone. But here’s the reality –


holding on too tightly often creates the very bottleneck you’re trying to avoid. Growth comes when you empower others to take responsibility. Here are some practical


tips for sharing responsibility throughout your business: • Delegate gradually, don’t


hand everything over all at once. Build trust by giving staff


small responsibilities and then expanding them. • Recognise eff ort, not just


results. Acknowledgement is a huge motivator. Let your team know you see their hard work, not just the outcome. • Encourage ownership. If


you’ve taken the time to train a staff member on something, allow them the space to lead on that part of their role, even if their process may diff er from yours. Motivation grows when people


feel trusted and empowered, not micromanaged. And when you can step back you also get the breathing space to focus on the bigger picture.


Avoiding burnout Perhaps the most important issue that I’ve discussed with installers was how to balance their personal lives with work and avoid professional burnout. Trying to balance your


business, your family and yourself can feel like an impossible task. The burden of responsibility is huge and can leave you feeling exhausted, trapped and unable to switch off . Mira’s research also found


that, sadly, 75% of installers said they often work more hours than they should do, which has left them feeling burnt out. Here’s the key thing: burnout


isn’t the cause, it’s the eff ect. It’s the ripple that emerges from many diff erent pressures – too many hours, too much responsibility, too little rest. You don’t fi x burnout with a weekend off . You fi x it by tackling the causes. Here’s my advice for


beginning to take charge of your time, and reduce feelings of burnout: • Schedule breaks as non-


negotiable. Put them in your diary like you would a job booking to ensure you don’t miss that much needed downtime.


• Consider automating your


admin as much as possible. Accounting software and project management tools can be relatively inexpensive and can really help to reduce those ‘out of offi ce’ hours and fi nance headaches. Free up your time for what matters most. • Handover properly before


breaks. Brief junior staff , give them decision-making authority and set up clear escalation routes. This stops your phone ringing constantly when you’re supposed to be off resting. Running your own business


in the trades will always bring its challenges. Recruitment, managing staff and balancing your time are issues that impact any business. But by addressing them head on and tackling the causes of stress in your life, you can ensure you build a stronger business and healthier life. That’s why I’ve been delighted


to work in partnership with Mira Showers. They have made it their mission to support installers beyond just providing quality products, but also towards mastering their business, elevating their skills and balancing their lives, through rewards, benefi ts and exclusive content via the free InstallerPRO platform.


Continuing support As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting installers throughout the UK, Mira is continuing its work with Mark Ellis who is kindly off ering complimentary coaching consultation/strategy calls to support installers with any business challenges they may be facing.


Find out how to schedule your complimentary calls with Mark by visiting the Mira Showers InstallerPRO platform via the online reader link below: ◼ phamnews.co.uk/1025/22


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