What to Print First for a Trade Business That's Just Getting Started
You've registered the ABN, bought the tools, and lined up your first jobs. Now you need to look like a business. Here's the order that makes sense for trades starting from scratch.
You've registered the ABN, bought the tools, and lined up your first jobs. Now you need to look like a business. The temptation is to order everything at once - cards, shirts, vehicle signage, stickers, a banner. Don't. Start with the things that earn back their cost fastest.
First: Vehicle Branding
Your ute, van, or trailer is the one marketing asset you use every single day. It's parked at job sites, at the shops, in driveways, and on the road. Basic vehicle branding - door logos and a rear window decal - costs less than most tool purchases and works every day without any effort from you.
Second: Branded Shirts
Three to five printed shirts. That's it. Enough to rotate through a work week. A logo on a clean polo or tee makes you look accountable and established. It's especially important when you're working inside someone's home.
Third: Corflute Site Signs
A stack of corflute signs to put out front of every job. Your name, trade, and phone number. Every job site becomes a neighbourhood advertisement. These are cheap enough to order 10 at a time and replace when they get damaged.
Fourth: Business Cards
250 decent cards on heavy stock. Hand one to every client, every neighbour who asks, and every person at the pub who asks what you do. Keep them in the glovebox, the tool bag, and your wallet.
Fifth: Stickers
Die-cut stickers with your logo. Stick them on finished work, switchboard covers, completed installs, toolboxes. They cost cents each and work as passive referrals for years.
Everything Else Can Wait
Full vehicle wraps, embroidered jackets, branded promotional products, banners - all good investments eventually, but none of them are essential on day one. Get the fundamentals right first. Once the business is running and the cash flow is consistent, layer in the extras.
The total cost for all five essentials is typically under $1,500. That's a morning's worth of tools for a year's worth of professional presence. Get in touch and we'll quote the lot.
