I am an electrician in the United States. I’ve owned a business for over 20 years. I’ve intentionally kept it small to avoid drastic overhead, but even as a small business, our costs can be staggering. I appreciate your candidness and honesty. This business can be brutal. There are a lot of “highrolling” frauds in our industry. The fact of the matter is that most businesses in our field go through this. My thoughts are with you guys as you fight the good fight. God bless and happy new year from your friends in the states!
In the US, crazy code, inspections, insurance and red tape are a big issue but all passed onto the customer but unless you have a big back-office, what other 'staggering' costs are there ?
I've been watching your channel for a long time and love your videos as you give a lot of detail and explain what you are all doing not just showing a group of electricians buzzing around doing a full rewire in 20 minutes. keep up the good work
Thank you for this Jordan! I work for a small business, and I can understand completely where you are coming from, all the exposure and experience accumulated from Artisan electrics is priceless and can be used going forward for the redundant employees, and for all who get to watch your videos in that fact, so please don't slow down but take each step with the same enthusiasm and passion A.E. has always done! 👊
Sorry job to hear of your challenges Jordan, i had assumed the title was click bait and had not realised things were so tough. Its very difficult running a small business when times get so hard after such strong growth and expansion. Its such a toughthing to have to let people go, particulalry at this time of year. I hope they all manage to find work based on the great reputation you built as a business.
Hope you get things right again, Jordan. Love your videos - I’m a retired mechanical engineer, but I always learn a bit about sparky stuff and I’m always amused by your stories around jobs. Social media is hard to bear but, remember, nobody who is actually better than you would ever bother with hate - they’re all just losers!
Ah man, so sorry to hear this. I'm just a lay person who came here to see what having a new CB install entailed. I stayed because I enjoy your content, watching your team grow has been a pleasure. Your work ethics and that of all your team is excellent and I love how you've brought on Reuben to be a fine young man with the same strong values and pride in his work. I hope you managed to keep him on, you don't say who had to go but I've seen some of the hate that remarked on John's redundancy. I don't do other social media so I haven't witnessed what happened elsewhere. But having watched your channel for a few years I know what a good man you are. I suspect you're out there doing some charity work, though I know you won't say. It seems that hatefulness is easy on the internet but so is kindness too. This message which I hope you see, is about kindness and thoughtfulness which I know you possess in abundance. I wish the same for you and Lisa and for the future of your company. God bless, stay strong. I'm sure all those you had to let go understand how much it cost you emotionally and how hard you would have tried for it to be another way. Their strong pride and skill in their work will mean they won't wait long for work I'm sure. Well done on working through this difficult time and I'm sure you'll get on well with a more measured approach. I look forward to your next videos. 🙏👍
I had to make a selection of redundancies during the pandemic and it was by far the most difficult thing professionally I’ve ever had to do. The business survived but I was forever changed by it. There isn’t a management course in the world that can prepare you for what an emotionally torturous process that can be for the people you have to let go, the ones that are left behind and for the person making the decisions. My heart goes out to you Jordan - I know these aren’t calls you’ll have wanted to make lightly. My best advice would be to keep close to those who kept their jobs. Survivor’s guilt can be a tricky thing to manage.
I've been watching you since you unpacked your new Fluke in the first episode. You seemed more relaxed and more into electrical work that you carried out. Since then it seems to become some kind of tools sales show. Milwaukee with tons of tools, electric vans and to me, some kind of showy off look at me series. I miss the Jordan that would take on jobs like fault finds and testing and explain what's going on, the bad installations put right etc.. I totally get where you have gone to and am so proud to witness the amazing solar installs and countless battery charges fitted to mega homes or farms. But maybe bring Jordan back in the New Year and bring back some the Artisan magic. Have an amazing New Year 2024 to you and your family.👍👍❤
That reply might be some of the problem. Stop thinking in terms of content. Think in terms of the business what’s profitable? What’s efficient etc. The content should be secondary and should just be a follow on from the actual work.
You were right to address this Jordan. It’s an incredibly difficult situation for a company to address and announce, should they even decide to announce it. Optics count for everything and I would say the combination of being away and remotely laying people off was always going to attract negativity. There’s nothing you could do to avoid that. The company I work for have gone through it and the messaging was poor and resulted in similar backlash. Really hope 2024 is a good one and the industry picks up. You’re not alone and you’re one of many industries facing difficulties during this time.
Not a hater, fan of the channel, maybe a little appreciation post needs putting out to the previous member especially John, who in my opinion put some really good informative content out there for you and levelled up Reubens game when it came to inspection and testing, I don’t know the bloke but it left a sour taste to see him put a post out asking for recommendations for cheap racking when at the same time you guys are posting a giveaway for a pack out set, would of been nice to maybe reach out to your sponsors and give him a little haul of stuff to set him up in his next venture, anyway all the best for 2024! Looking forward to more content
This is my biggest issue about everything. Sometimes redundancies have to happen, but announcing it whilst pushing a business course AND not once giving any shout out to help John in his new venture, just doesn’t sit right. They did everything they could to launch Cory, but for John they are deleting everything that mentions him
Jordan, anyone who's been watching this channel a while knows how much you care about your business, your employees and the quality of your work. I look forward to seeing you all not just survive but thrive.
Hey Jordan, I operate a small business (in a tangentially related trade) in Spain and have been struggling to make things work for a couple of years. Harrowing and sad though your circumstance is(and I wish you only the best moving forward), it's reassuring to know that even the people I watch and look up to can struggle with such adversity. Ultimately, when people of strong morals and character have to make tough choices, they'll find the toughest critic is in their own head. Thank you for giving me faith that there are still "artisans" out here refusing to cut corners, in every aspect of business.
Anyone trying to do anything with social media seriously or trying to use it to grow a small business will get it and will know how much of a 'Holiday' that probably was and heart breaking the choices must have been. Easy to take a couple of nice shorts looking chilled but how many will have actually understood using it to help the company and worrying about things back home. Not some 9-5 that you check your emails when you get back in the office. People that don't get it are not worth your worry, sticks and stones dude. Look at the work you and your team do on these videos, old school quality work, more of an inspiration than you think. I know you don't advocate DIY but as someone re wiring a garage and with enough knowledge to know what I don't know and need to triple check, your videos have made me look much deeper into it and see the bodge job that was done before I bought this place. And when it comes time to have serious quality work done, I know the difference between being done cheaply and being done well. Thank you bud, keep it up.
You are a brave man , young and the path of learning is open for you .. trust me you are going to make it . It is difficult now but you have added a lot of experience which will help you and believe me you are lucky to face such a thing at early age . Have a great year
Sorry to hear the news. I am sure if you go back to basics then all will be well. I’ve been through this in the past.Expensive transport was swapped for used 100k mile Volvo estates! Every job title needed to be sustainable or it came out of my salary! Your drive and enthusiasm on the tools can lift you from this present situation. Perhaps those you have let go can return in the future on a freelance per project basis?
Thank you Jordan, I am sorry the business is having a hard time at the moment. I am not in the trade I am only watching because I want to find out more about Solar, there are so many cowboys out there that I want to know what quality work looks like before embarking on this project. You have a quality USP, have you thought of trading on this and providing advice or critique of systems as a service (charged for) for the benefit of less experienced contractors or the general public? Keep your chin up.
Always amazed by you guys doing a solar job with 4 guys while i do the same work in the same amount of time myself or with 2 with the same quality. Newest most shiny bling bling vans and tools. Just go back to the essentials: van, tools, 2 guys in 1 van. 2 teams, 1 guy in the office / you and all will be fine.
Agreed and filming all the work and recording slow motion shots of a screwdriver doesn't help either, but that's the trade off to grow a social media platform
You have to plan ahead for a trough. Good companies have this as one of their critical success factors within their strategic goals (to balance the over optimism that is always present in growth goals). As a csf you then have to put an achievable plan behind it . Part of this is prevention - not to over extend. Realistic forecasting is key.
Sorry to hear the troubles you are facing I’m no electrician I just enjoy watching your content you and your team have done an amazing job doing what you do throughout 2023 I hope that things turn around massively for Artisan in 2024.
That took guts. December/January is a tough time for service businesses in general. I'm going through a similar tight squeeze myself. As probably many in your industry are too. Running a business is hard, most don't understand that.
Thanks for sharing your experience too - it’s a tough time out there for many businesses. Hope you get through it and come out stronger like we intend to.
Good on you for being honest. While i appreciate you may well be putting the hours in abroad, i do feel the team would appreciate you being in the country and physically seeing you.
Well done Jordan. You may remember some comments I made in regard of the excellent team building that you demonstrated. You have experienced the hidden gremlin of almost invisble increasing overheads relating to business expansion. Please do not abandon the tenets of Artisan : "best quality workmanship"; best customer experience"; highest quality components"; "high expertise and tested processes" - all of these will support a premium price point. I still believe your greatest asset is your team - particularly as, I am sure you recognise, the coming together of individual strengths and expertise to deliver the premuim service to which you aspire. It is undoubtedly the most difficult responsibility of management to manage the HR balance with the liqidity of the business ! Please do look carefully at other overheads - I am sure you already have? After all, the HR cost is volume related whilst other overheads (regulatory costs, insurance, fixed assets and more) are the "top slice" which drains the business before any paid work is invoiced! My very best wishes for 2024 - keep up the videos - you are a natural presenter!
Business is hard and redundancy is awful for everyone going through that process. But every rise follows a fall. Keep going with the valuable lessons learned. Happy to help if I ever can. I’ve had an enquiry for a solar/battery job near you if that’s of interest 😅
@@artisanelectricswill do. I’ve read quite a few of the comments on this video. All I will say is nothing quite like experts on the internet… Prove them wrong 💪
Ah no! Thought times buddy! I’m sorry to hear that! Hope you all manage to sort stuff out! I’m a big believer in having a private life and being able to keep things private. However I can see your problem when you’re trying to be open and transparent with people on social media. It’s a tough place to be I guess! Once again hope you all come through this . I wish you all the best of luck buddy!
I’ve been there. I employed 10 lads and 2 sub contracted test engineers. Dropped down to 6 lads with 2 vans in 2008. Sleepless nights prior to announcing who would be going. One had just become a father. One was a family member. Awful memories. Post 2008 I simply didn’t replace lads as they naturally moved on. Eventually down to 1 van… myself and 2 apprentices. Been on my own since 2010. Never happier. 🤷♂️
I do often think I would earn more if I went back to being a one man band 😂 But I love what we have built too much to do that. And I do see huge potential for future growth still.
An excellent electrician I knew had a great wee business and a very high, reliable income in a nice are on the outskirts of south west London. He wanted to grow his business so went in to commercial office fit-outs. He grew to a bunch of employees and £1million turnover with a £10k loss. He sacked them all, finished the contracts, and went back to just him and his apprentice. First year back he was back to profit and wasn’t worried about losing his house. It’s best to regret the things you have done, not the things you haven’t. I’m absolutely certain that with some restructuring and focusing on a core product/service you’ll return to profitability and we’ll see you smiling again. Happy New Year anyway, you’ve now got a purpose for this year which is never a bad thing.
Wow Jordon, that was a tough video to make. But good for you for being so honest. Its like a breath of fresh air. I how 2024 goes well for you. Stick with it buddy, it will come good for sure!!
I've been through the redundancy process quite a few times as a business owner and as a CEO, but I've never had to explain it to a social media community audience at the same time. It's so hard for the team - both those who are staying and those who are leaving - as well as the management which is much harder to talk about and find empathy for. We can only do the best we can! Keep your head up Jordan, and here's to a more stable 2024.
Proud of you for making this video and proud of you for not letting the haters get to you never ever forget you are a very strong person keep being you i have been a supporter of you for many years and seen your company grow and ups and downs do happen unfortunately but the fact your not letting this stop you from keep going is just amazing never ever stop you are a legend and I will forever be a supporter of you guys ❤
Had a solar business for 18 months now. I watch your videos and see you make the same mistakes we make. It’s helped me avoid some mistakes also. Having the right people around you is important. That I have learned the hard way. Not grabbing the next shiny thing has also been a massive lesson. Not buying into the dream of the internet lifestyle is also a shinny something not to buy into. Keep charging artisan keep charging
Thanks for sharing … being employed you gotta work hard. Self employed is even harder, getting your own work, sorting out your own taxes and keeping track of everything!!!! I’ve tried running a business before and it’s probably the hardest thing!!! It’s like being self employed X times however many employees you have. And holidays when self employed or with a business is never fully shut off. I’m on a 3 week holiday working hard everyday on the laptop until 2/3am 😅 but it looks like I’ve got my feet up on social media. Hopefully you will never have to go through this again as a business … I wish all the best for everyone in 2024 🎉
Draw on your skills and build back. Your knowledge, skills and determination will always serve you well. Good luck and continue your honest approach to business.😊
I really enjoy your videos and your content, and its clear that you care about the people in your team and your business. when you made the first video about going to thailand and running the business remotely I just thought.. this is going to be a mistake, you need boots on the ground to see whats going on. it feels like you were asleep at the wheel on this one. letting people go is hard; but you were always going to get flack for doing it at this time of year and you have been out of the country. to anyone looking in on the outside it looks like you were not paying enough attention to the running of the business while you were away. I wish you all the best in continuing to build your business, your team and continuing to produce awesome content - I have learned a lot from your videos.
I worked for a power utility a lot of years back. The board decided that the functions of my team had to be outsourced so I found work for most of them in outside firms, a couple I had to make redundant. At the end of the process I was offered a nice job in the core business - but I resigned and got work abroad. I just couldn’t face walking down the street in my town and seeing those guys I’d had to let go. Later in my career I got made redundant twice, so I know the feeling from both sides.
I'm sorry that you had to make that decision Jordan. good luck for 2024. I think the dream is over for me, nobody wanted to give me a shot with an apprenticeship in 2023... partially because of my age, partially because of my gender, partially because of my work history. I am going to try to become a nurse.
For what it's worth I've been there myself. Had a small business with office staff and guys it was only ever headaches. Spent every waking hour worrying about payroll, vat and suppliers. Somehow I had convinced myself bigger is better, wrong. I too made the hard decisions and scaled it all back. Now I'm a one man band and actually look forward to work now. Pretty much zero overheads and when it goes quiet, and it will, I don't have anything to worry about. Go back to where you started. It's probably where you enjoyed working the most, I know I do. Good luck in whatever path you take.
I’m very sad to hear that you find yourself this terrible situation and the effect it must have on your family. My heart also goes out to the three colleagues who were made redundant. I wish them well.
Such a professional and honest video Jordan. Try not to give the haters a second thought. I can nearly guarantee none of them will have run a business. It does not matter what that business is (I run my own software company), but running any business is not for the feint hearted. I hardly ever comment on RUclips no matter what the channel, but your video really touched me. You are young and are destined for a great career. Keep at it and you will get there. All the Best, Derek
Do not fall into the dark pit that social media drags around with it. Businesses are struggling across all industries. I have in a former life as a people manager been through what you are now experiencing. It’s hard and it never gets easier - if it did then you lose your humanity. Do not go there. Good luck with your future and for being open and honest with those watching this. The haters will always hate, those like me who have used, and want to use your services again will ignore that. I know what your team can do. Take care.
Running a business is hard Jordan. People don’t understand this if they’ve never done it themselves. And having staff is a completely different beast again. We had to do some cutting back early 23 with the lads days and re look at all our costs and work out how we could be more efficient but still keep the premium service and charge point. Well done for showing the honest reality of being a boss 👍🏽 People only see the glam but don’t see the stress and anxiety we’re controlling 😂
Good luck mate, social media always has haters, they have nothing better to do. Hope it all works out for you and the team, best of luck! Happy new year!
Well, that escalated quick and is pretty much expected. The answer is obvious, you need to come back to the UK and correct things up. You as the business owner need to be in the fore front of things i.e. looking for works, meeting up potential clients. You just can't let your employees handling such task when you're away, let alone when the ship is sinking. May sound harsh, but Artisan is not as big as you think, you are not in the conglomerate stage where you can afford to hire talents that are motivated to run the business for you, artisan hasn't arrive to that level yet, heck even ashville (10-20 times bigger than artisan?) still has its owner running things around. You've spent years building artisan then just one wrong move and cracks started to appear, do the right thing. fix the crack and come back for second round of re-building. If you just can't my suggestion is to sell your business to others who wanted to manage it locally. From that profit you may live your dream of moving from country to country.
I am part way through qualifying at the age of 52. This and some other feedback I have had has convinced me to go back to my old career and avoid the coming crunch. Good Jordan and team.
Sorry you’ve been in this situation. I do think it was inevitable though. A whole team of people, a fleet of unnecessarily swanky vehicles, premises, combined with the extortionate pricing you charge which you freely advertise, all puts you in a very vulnerable position when work dries up. I think you ran before you could walk and realised this the hard way…
Sorry to say but I have to agree. Possibly to ambitious for the path of the company in a very volatile market place in the current economic situation. And I do think his pricing policy didn't help. When the economy is high people will pay the price, when it's on the downturn people will think twice.
If there aren't any difficult times in business, you aren't trying hard enough. You have to fail sometimes, as long as it's not catastrophic you pick yourself up and improve. As for a holiday - well, even if you were simply on a holiday (it sounds like there's much more to it than that) your personal finances and the companies finances are entirely separate.
Social media is one of the greatest tools in this day & age for businesses, but it can also be a thorn in one’s side as there will always be keyboard warriors who think they know best. Unfortunately the warriors expertise don’t bring the magic money tree in to keep businesses going. From the videos I’ve watched it looks like there is a bond between the whole team which makes it an even harder decision which had to be made. Don’t let the haters get you or your team down.
Take tough business decisions is something all senior management have to do from time to time. It’s really hard to do and the resilience you have to have as a leader of a small business or director/head of department is sometimes almost too much to handle. On top of that you have done this knowing you had to publicly tell people and have done so with integrity. Look after yourself Jordan those people are depending on you to make those calls and do the right thing.
The best customers are the ones that supply a workload month to month rather than one-off customers. The one-offs are good if you have enough of them continually, but they often come in peaks & troughs. Ideally, try to have a mix of both.
Hope you and the team are all ok. It is never easy to say I have made a mistake in the world of social media where people love to kick you when you are down just keep moving forward
Hi Jordan,so sorry to hear about the problems you have been having and the negative comments you have been receiving. I spent 54 years in electrical contracting and I have seen the really highs and the very lows of business. I really admired your work ethic having watched your videos from the early days and saw how you took the opportunities to expand the range of installations that your company would tackle,particularly vehicle charging and renewables. All I can say is that I have seen things go quickly bad but then work has materialised again,feast or famine was the recurring theme for most of my working life, I sincerely wish you all the best and will keep watching, I would bet on you to succeed
I've been made redundant 3 times in my working life, it's difficult, you wonder what you've done wrong. Later you realise it's not personal, the second time I got made redundant, the business owner was more upset than I was, he did help me get a job with someone else, unfortunately, that ended in me being made redundant a third time, at which point i had 3 months off due to surgery on my knee, and then became self employed, that was 14/15 years ago. Sh!t happens, people who know you well, will understand it's not something you do lightly.
Noticed a lot of industrial electricians are kicking their heels at the moment - there is a slump going on. Very depressing situation. PLC systems I did, industrial. Water boards etc..
I do feel for you mate. I feel like you may have made this move too early, build the company up until the point it can run itself fully or until you can sell it then look at seeing the world. A business at your stage needs your guidance on a daily basis and unfortunately you’ve lost more than you’ve earned. Best of luck in the new year 👍🏼
Been a while since I visited your channel. You have never come across as a bad person and you have always been honest about everything. That's important and why many would pay for your work. You have many years ahead of you so keep going! What I don't understand is why the haters are unable to see this.
Wishing you all the best Jordan. Thanks for all your hard work and guidance. You have helped me many times through your channel and personal email contact and it is most appreciated. Don't feed the trolls!
jeezz! how could anyone hate you for having to do what you had to do?! your trying to control chaos with no guides or rule books! just because the engine stalled doesnt mean it will never run again, just needs fixing and tweaking to prevent stalling like that again! try to streamline the office imho, combine jobs, tweak what is left... you can do it jordan! go for it!!! 😊
My day job is to write about small business issues, and one thing became clear early on: People care about other people, but they don't care about people who are running a business. In other words, if you run a business then you are on your own in a way that's unique in our society. Nearly always you're in a very hostile environment, where every aspect of the business is either under attack, or even attacking you. I don't think anybody truly gets this unless they've actually run a business.
@@artisanelectrics There's a reason most trades remain as one man bands, and employ people as needed only on a casual basis. It's also interesting to note that a lot of successful businesses are run by families. That's the only way people get the understanding and support they need to keep going with what is, like you say, a very daft way of life (albeit with huge payoffs if you get it right).
It's good to develop a network of other small business owners. You can bounce ideas off each other and give each other support. Sometimes just an ear so you can let off steam.
I think I sit on both sides of the argument here. Like others, I’ve always questioned the huge back office staff and the super high prices in terms of sustainability. But from a business owners perspective, regardless of the how or the why…..it’s a horrible situation for all involved. I’m sure plenty will disagree but it will be considerably worse for Jordan in the long run than it will be for those he sadly had to let go. There is plenty of work for everyone at the moment and they will find employment quickly and soon forget all about it. Whereas this whole situation will probably torment Jordan for years to come. Genuinely hope it all works out for you all.
Down here in Germany December is the month of the year where all businisses have to file some tax related stuff and when they realize that they made to much profits so they would get ranked up in our tax systems they would call us technicians and give us work so it doesnt show as a profit for them Maybe if you do not find enough work in the UK, you could find it here in Germany.
Have you thought about taking a business course ? Saying dont watch is rude , you can’t have an online presence and not expect to be talked about by the trade your in , good or bad your basically eastenders for sparks and you don’t get to pick the viewers , this video is probably worse than the one you deleted
Thanks for making this video Jordan. It's got to have been so hard for you. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made and being under the social media microscope makes it even more difficult. I wiah you a happy and succesful 2024.
I've been running a business for 20 years now and making redundancies is never easy. It might sound harsh but had you not let a small number of people go then it puts everyone's job at risk. By interest rates having gone from practically zero to 5.25% has slammed the brakes on the economy and that's not your fault. You will rebuild, you will recruit again and you'll be a leaner, better and smarter organisation as a result. Don't wallow in self-pity as the rest of your team need you to dust yourself off and keep pushing forward to keep the rest of the company running. Good luck.
Wow, that was an incredible difficult video. Having to lay off people to save your company. I will keep following your channel. I love the content you make. I just hope you'll be more careful in the future so that I don't have to make another video like this.
Sorry for the struggles within the business. Cut the fat, loose the expensive vans and the Tesla, loose the expensive tools, go back to basics and things will get easier I’m sure. Just be an electrician and be humble 👍🏼 Happy new year 🥳
Whilst I’m retired from the industry a number of years ago, I’ve been following you from when you started out posting videos-being an employer of people is a huge responsibility, because you need to have work coming in all the time to keep the wages paid-the problem now is that the general public are delaying getting work done because of the cost of living crisis-- my very best wishes for the new year-
Hi Jordan, firstly thank you and your team for all your content. Secondly i feel for you it is a really hard thing to run a business and to employ people and to have to make decisions regarding those people is super hard. It takes a lot of courage to have to come onto you tube and bare your sole! Please try to ignore the haters it just comes down to jealousy in that instance. Thanks to all of your team for the quality and pride that you show to us on a regular basis. Stay positive ignore the hate we all feel for you and the team and keep up the good work business will get better and worse that's the nature of the universe!!
I’m seeing hard decisions like this in so many places recently. I don’t completely understand it because macro economic conditions don’t seem particularly bad right now, but I’m watching businesses who have prospered over the past decade begin to fail all around me. I’m sure there’s just factors that I don’t understand. People are very quick to blame businesses owners without seeing the complete picture- which is why optics are so important to manage. Hang in there Jordan and focus on surviving the immediate storm- and then make a vow to run a slim, focused operation from here on even in profitable times so that you never face this kind of stressful madness again.
Hey Jordan, it is heartbreaking to let people go and especially this time of year, you are a business owner and have to make the hard decisions, it sounds like you have tried everything not to take this action but if the numbers don’t add up it’s a business decision to save the jobs of others, I am sure things will pick up in the new year and it will turn around. Don’t listen or be upset by the negative people of the world they are just sad lonely people and love bringing others down. Good luck and best wishes to you and your team for 2024 and I will defo be watching all your new antics, good luck mate and keep up the good work
Classic business mismanagement - you tried to grow too fast. You should have subbed in known good workers who you didn't have to retain, if the work sustains then hire. It's literally business management 101. I love the channel, been here a long time, but unfortunately this wasn't circumstances that caused this.
I’ve followed you from the early days and sometimes I question some of your choices but my heart goes out to you and your employees . I let someone go just before Christmas and it wasn’t nice . FairPlay to you and good health in the future .
Sometimes, cost reductions are necessary to preserve jobs in the long run. With all the training you gave your people who left I am sure they will pick up work. Hopefully, as the industry evolves towards electric cars and solar energy, there will be opportunities to re-employ those affected. Stay positive; the situation is bound to improve.
I kinda was predicting something like this happening. I was laid off twice, during my work life, in the month of December, before Christmas. It is not a great news to receive in such a festive date. I've unsub some months ago because I kinda was seeing the same trend as when i was layoff happening in Artisan: huge investment on vans, people, expensive tools, the same repetitive board changes and solar installs, and I pondered, looking at the current economic outlook in Europe and in the world, combined with how UKs politics and social economics has been after Brexit and started wondering how Artisan could do it when everyone is trying to make their ends meet... Looks like I was not really wrong in my assumptions. Well I hope that everything starts to turn into better outlooks after the restructure you are doing and hoping for the best.
The hate is due to the way you went about it- mentioning redundancies in the middle of pushing a business course. Even this video is self serving, painting yourself as the victim, and doing nothing to help out the guys you let go. Cory you made a song and dance over, but John, you are deleting every comment that mentions his insta and new business, when you should be the first ones mentioning it
Deffo pushing himself as a victim again...plz look at poor me ...youtube watchers, be nice to get the true scoop from ex employees Deffo hasn't been honest at all ..only caught out ..and badly back tracking now .
There's much that can be said about the situation, both constructive and negative, but this isn't really the place. I will say though that whilst you may be genuinely putting in long days to resolve the issues, you are isolated from the troops and that's never good during such times - bosses not being around is generally a bad idea, let alone alone during difficult periods & video calls only go so far.
Running a business, the highs can be very high, but the lows, my god they can be very low. It is a world away from being an employee with a regular payslip and many do not appreciate the demands put on the small business owner.
Not easy to make redundancies especially this time of year, hopefully those affected will find employment elsewhere, I know that there is a shortage of skilled workers through out the uk. Watching this video it's obvious that it's affecting you, fingers crossed things will get bettering in the new year.
I think you need to get back in the UK and get stuff sorted you no use in another part of the world the lads don’t have a leader to go too because your not there, need to sort it out it’s not fare at all on the lads
For what it’s worth…..I enjoy watching the vids. I’m by no means a sparky, but have enjoyed your tips, hints and advice. (And my Netatmo door bell is still working a dream!) Wishing you a great 2024! I🎉
Hi Jordan. I don't understand business but you did seem to have a lot of staff, premises and often many staff on one job. Do you need a lockup and an office when homeworking is an option now days? Hope things get better and to see the channel getting back to you on the tools with simple domestic and commercial jobs.🤞 Anyway, try and have a good New Year. x
I think your pricing is always for profit. The most important thing is cash flow. You need to be taking the jobs that break even/ small profits to keep the core business ticking over, allowing you to take those higher profit jobs for exactly that, profit. That's based on local knowledge and actual quotes.
Bang on the money. I think cutting overheads is just a temporary solution and in 6 months time, he's going to start running out of money again. No jobs in the calendar is a huge problem, what's a business if you don't have any customers. Even just breaking even on ten jobs is far better than having one or two high paying jobs, as you said, cash flow is the most important thing for a business, even if you're making a small loss, it's what helps you build the company, more customers, higher reputation which leads to referrals.
Looks to me like the usual RUclipsr sparky,, you don’t need to flex with your top of the range Hikti tools costing £100’s a month do your job or top of the range Sortimo racking costing £1000’s
Joran thanks for a very good and honest video. I have worked for quite a few American companies, which made redundancies each year as part or normal operating practice. I hade experiences of seeing people being made redundant, being made redundant and making people redundant. The view I took was that job security comes from your ability to do a job and attitude. I was never out of work for more than a few weeks and people made redundant around me had a similar experience. I don't know who you laid off, but through Artisan they would have learnt a lot and had a great employer on their CV. If any appeared on you tube they have a great resource showing their work and ability and I am sure you are helping them find new positions. Overall feel proud that you have helped them along in their career and I am sure that by the end of January or earlier they will have found new positions
Sorry to hear how things pan out First I hope the people you had to let go pick up new jobs right away You're not the first that this has happened too and you won't be the last it's about picking yourself back up see where it went wrong and start again i say back there a few weeks ago sometimes just keeping it simple is not a bad thing maybe that's something to think about for your next step forward I hope all works out for you and all the lads pick work best of luck in the new year, for all
I am an electrician in the United States. I’ve owned a business for over 20 years. I’ve intentionally kept it small to avoid drastic overhead, but even as a small business, our costs can be staggering. I appreciate your candidness and honesty. This business can be brutal. There are a lot of “highrolling” frauds in our industry. The fact of the matter is that most businesses in our field go through this. My thoughts are with you guys as you fight the good fight. God bless and happy new year from your friends in the states!
In the US, crazy code, inspections, insurance and red tape are a big issue but all passed onto the customer but unless you have a big back-office, what other 'staggering' costs are there ?
I've been watching your channel for a long time and love your videos as you give a lot of detail and explain what you are all doing not just showing a group of electricians buzzing around doing a full rewire in 20 minutes. keep up the good work
Thank you for this Jordan! I work for a small business, and I can understand completely where you are coming from, all the exposure and experience accumulated from Artisan electrics is priceless and can be used going forward for the redundant employees, and for all who get to watch your videos in that fact, so please don't slow down but take each step with the same enthusiasm and passion A.E. has always done! 👊
Sorry job to hear of your challenges Jordan, i had assumed the title was click bait and had not realised things were so tough. Its very difficult running a small business when times get so hard after such strong growth and expansion. Its such a toughthing to have to let people go, particulalry at this time of year. I hope they all manage to find work based on the great reputation you built as a business.
Leadership can be tough, the important thing is we learn and strive to do our best. You are a good man, keep leading!
Hope you get things right again, Jordan. Love your videos - I’m a retired mechanical engineer, but I always learn a bit about sparky stuff and I’m always amused by your stories around jobs. Social media is hard to bear but, remember, nobody who is actually better than you would ever bother with hate - they’re all just losers!
Ah man, so sorry to hear this. I'm just a lay person who came here to see what having a new CB install entailed. I stayed because I enjoy your content, watching your team grow has been a pleasure. Your work ethics and that of all your team is excellent and I love how you've brought on Reuben to be a fine young man with the same strong values and pride in his work. I hope you managed to keep him on, you don't say who had to go but I've seen some of the hate that remarked on John's redundancy.
I don't do other social media so I haven't witnessed what happened elsewhere. But having watched your channel for a few years I know what a good man you are. I suspect you're out there doing some charity work, though I know you won't say. It seems that hatefulness is easy on the internet but so is kindness too. This message which I hope you see, is about kindness and thoughtfulness which I know you possess in abundance. I wish the same for you and Lisa and for the future of your company. God bless, stay strong. I'm sure all those you had to let go understand how much it cost you emotionally and how hard you would have tried for it to be another way. Their strong pride and skill in their work will mean they won't wait long for work I'm sure.
Well done on working through this difficult time and I'm sure you'll get on well with a more measured approach. I look forward to your next videos. 🙏👍
I had to make a selection of redundancies during the pandemic and it was by far the most difficult thing professionally I’ve ever had to do. The business survived but I was forever changed by it. There isn’t a management course in the world that can prepare you for what an emotionally torturous process that can be for the people you have to let go, the ones that are left behind and for the person making the decisions. My heart goes out to you Jordan - I know these aren’t calls you’ll have wanted to make lightly.
My best advice would be to keep close to those who kept their jobs. Survivor’s guilt can be a tricky thing to manage.
So sorry Jordan I hope you will survive any head winds , it is hard, you are also doing a lot so well !! My heart goes out to you x 💪💪
I've been watching you since you unpacked your new Fluke in the first episode.
You seemed more relaxed and more into electrical work that you carried out.
Since then it seems to become some kind of tools sales show. Milwaukee with tons of tools, electric vans and to me, some kind of showy off look at me series.
I miss the Jordan that would take on jobs like fault finds and testing and explain what's going on, the bad installations put right etc..
I totally get where you have gone to and am so proud to witness the amazing solar installs and countless battery charges fitted to mega homes or farms.
But maybe bring Jordan back in the New Year and bring back some the Artisan magic.
Have an amazing New Year 2024 to you and your family.👍👍❤
Thanks and I agree - hoping to get back to that former style of content for 2024
That reply might be some of the problem. Stop thinking in terms of content. Think in terms of the business what’s profitable? What’s efficient etc. The content should be secondary and should just be a follow on from the actual work.
You were right to address this Jordan. It’s an incredibly difficult situation for a company to address and announce, should they even decide to announce it. Optics count for everything and I would say the combination of being away and remotely laying people off was always going to attract negativity. There’s nothing you could do to avoid that. The company I work for have gone through it and the messaging was poor and resulted in similar backlash.
Really hope 2024 is a good one and the industry picks up. You’re not alone and you’re one of many industries facing difficulties during this time.
Not a hater, fan of the channel, maybe a little appreciation post needs putting out to the previous member especially John, who in my opinion put some really good informative content out there for you and levelled up Reubens game when it came to inspection and testing, I don’t know the bloke but it left a sour taste to see him put a post out asking for recommendations for cheap racking when at the same time you guys are posting a giveaway for a pack out set, would of been nice to maybe reach out to your sponsors and give him a little haul of stuff to set him up in his next venture, anyway all the best for 2024! Looking forward to more content
This is my biggest issue about everything. Sometimes redundancies have to happen, but announcing it whilst pushing a business course AND not once giving any shout out to help John in his new venture, just doesn’t sit right. They did everything they could to launch Cory, but for John they are deleting everything that mentions him
Jordan, anyone who's been watching this channel a while knows how much you care about your business, your employees and the quality of your work. I look forward to seeing you all not just survive but thrive.
Loves it so much he can go on holiday for three months and watch all his staff suffer
Give it a rest cares so much he pisses off on holiday for three months
Hey Jordan, I operate a small business (in a tangentially related trade) in Spain and have been struggling to make things work for a couple of years. Harrowing and sad though your circumstance is(and I wish you only the best moving forward), it's reassuring to know that even the people I watch and look up to can struggle with such adversity.
Ultimately, when people of strong morals and character have to make tough choices, they'll find the toughest critic is in their own head. Thank you for giving me faith that there are still "artisans" out here refusing to cut corners, in every aspect of business.
Really appreciate your comment - thank you
Anyone trying to do anything with social media seriously or trying to use it to grow a small business will get it and will know how much of a 'Holiday' that probably was and heart breaking the choices must have been. Easy to take a couple of nice shorts looking chilled but how many will have actually understood using it to help the company and worrying about things back home. Not some 9-5 that you check your emails when you get back in the office. People that don't get it are not worth your worry, sticks and stones dude. Look at the work you and your team do on these videos, old school quality work, more of an inspiration than you think.
I know you don't advocate DIY but as someone re wiring a garage and with enough knowledge to know what I don't know and need to triple check, your videos have made me look much deeper into it and see the bodge job that was done before I bought this place. And when it comes time to have serious quality work done, I know the difference between being done cheaply and being done well. Thank you bud, keep it up.
Your amazing Jordan, you all are. The whole team are still standing by you even though the hard times ❤️ keep on getting through it all. Miss you lot.
Thank you so much! We miss you too 😊🙏
You are a brave man , young and the path of learning is open for you .. trust me you are going to make it .
It is difficult now but you have added a lot of experience which will help you and believe me you are lucky to face such a thing at early age .
Have a great year
Experience = Priceless
But can be painful along the way
But you do learn a lot from those scars…
Sorry to hear the news. I am sure if you go back to basics then all will be well. I’ve been through this in the past.Expensive transport was swapped for used 100k mile Volvo estates! Every job title needed to be sustainable or it came out of my salary! Your drive and enthusiasm on the tools can lift you from this present situation. Perhaps those you have let go can return in the future on a freelance per project basis?
Thank you Jordan, I am sorry the business is having a hard time at the moment. I am not in the trade I am only watching because I want to find out more about Solar, there are so many cowboys out there that I want to know what quality work looks like before embarking on this project. You have a quality USP, have you thought of trading on this and providing advice or critique of systems as a service (charged for) for the benefit of less experienced contractors or the general public? Keep your chin up.
Always amazed by you guys doing a solar job with 4 guys while i do the same work in the same amount of time myself or with 2 with the same quality. Newest most shiny bling bling vans and tools. Just go back to the essentials: van, tools, 2 guys in 1 van. 2 teams, 1 guy in the office / you and all will be fine.
Agreed and filming all the work and recording slow motion shots of a screwdriver doesn't help either, but that's the trade off to grow a social media platform
Ye totally agree, to much spent on to many shiny new toys,
You have to plan ahead for a trough. Good companies have this as one of their critical success factors within their strategic goals (to balance the over optimism that is always present in growth goals). As a csf you then have to put an achievable plan behind it . Part of this is prevention - not to over extend. Realistic forecasting is key.
Sorry to hear the troubles you are facing I’m no electrician I just enjoy watching your content you and your team have done an amazing job doing what you do throughout 2023 I hope that things turn around massively for Artisan in 2024.
Good luck Jordan, hope you all get through this tough time and build up artisan again.
Thanks 🙏
That took guts. December/January is a tough time for service businesses in general. I'm going through a similar tight squeeze myself. As probably many in your industry are too. Running a business is hard, most don't understand that.
Thanks for sharing your experience too - it’s a tough time out there for many businesses. Hope you get through it and come out stronger like we intend to.
Good on you for being honest. While i appreciate you may well be putting the hours in abroad, i do feel the team would appreciate you being in the country and physically seeing you.
Back soon 👀
Well done Jordan. You may remember some comments I made in regard of the excellent team building that you demonstrated. You have experienced the hidden gremlin of almost invisble increasing overheads relating to business expansion. Please do not abandon the tenets of Artisan : "best quality workmanship"; best customer experience"; highest quality components"; "high expertise and tested processes" - all of these will support a premium price point. I still believe your greatest asset is your team - particularly as, I am sure you recognise, the coming together of individual strengths and expertise to deliver the premuim service to which you aspire. It is undoubtedly the most difficult responsibility of management to manage the HR balance with the liqidity of the business ! Please do look carefully at other overheads - I am sure you already have? After all, the HR cost is volume related whilst other overheads (regulatory costs, insurance, fixed assets and more) are the "top slice" which drains the business before any paid work is invoiced! My very best wishes for 2024 - keep up the videos - you are a natural presenter!
Business is hard and redundancy is awful for everyone going through that process.
But every rise follows a fall. Keep going with the valuable lessons learned.
Happy to help if I ever can. I’ve had an enquiry for a solar/battery job near you if that’s of interest 😅
Thanks Mark really appreciate your support as always! Yeah ping it over we would love to help.
@@artisanelectricswill do. I’ve read quite a few of the comments on this video. All I will say is nothing quite like experts on the internet… Prove them wrong 💪
Ah no!
Thought times buddy!
I’m sorry to hear that! Hope you all manage to sort stuff out!
I’m a big believer in having a private life and being able to keep things private. However I can see your problem when you’re trying to be open and transparent with people on social media.
It’s a tough place to be I guess! Once again hope you all come through this . I wish you all the best of luck buddy!
I’ve been there. I employed 10 lads and 2 sub contracted test engineers. Dropped down to 6 lads with 2 vans in 2008. Sleepless nights prior to announcing who would be going. One had just become a father. One was a family member. Awful memories. Post 2008 I simply didn’t replace lads as they naturally moved on. Eventually down to 1 van… myself and 2 apprentices. Been on my own since 2010. Never happier. 🤷♂️
I do often think I would earn more if I went back to being a one man band 😂
But I love what we have built too much to do that. And I do see huge potential for future growth still.
An excellent electrician I knew had a great wee business and a very high, reliable income in a nice are on the outskirts of south west London. He wanted to grow his business so went in to commercial office fit-outs. He grew to a bunch of employees and £1million turnover with a £10k loss. He sacked them all, finished the contracts, and went back to just him and his apprentice. First year back he was back to profit and wasn’t worried about losing his house. It’s best to regret the things you have done, not the things you haven’t. I’m absolutely certain that with some restructuring and focusing on a core product/service you’ll return to profitability and we’ll see you smiling again. Happy New Year anyway, you’ve now got a purpose for this year which is never a bad thing.
Wow Jordon, that was a tough video to make. But good for you for being so honest. Its like a breath of fresh air. I how 2024 goes well for you. Stick with it buddy, it will come good for sure!!
I've been through the redundancy process quite a few times as a business owner and as a CEO, but I've never had to explain it to a social media community audience at the same time. It's so hard for the team - both those who are staying and those who are leaving - as well as the management which is much harder to talk about and find empathy for. We can only do the best we can! Keep your head up Jordan, and here's to a more stable 2024.
Thanks a lot and we really appreciate your support as both a channel member and regular customer 😊
@bzubhipheron "I've been through the redundancy process quite a few times as a business owner....."
Maybe you ought to stop running businesses..... 🙂
@@jacklewis100 🤣 Gotta make hay when the sun shines and weather the storms when they show up. Can't win all the time.
Obviously don’t care if your made a video about it
Proud of you for making this video and proud of you for not letting the haters get to you never ever forget you are a very strong person keep being you i have been a supporter of you for many years and seen your company grow and ups and downs do happen unfortunately but the fact your not letting this stop you from keep going is just amazing never ever stop you are a legend and I will forever be a supporter of you guys ❤
Had a solar business for 18 months now. I watch your videos and see you make the same mistakes we make. It’s helped me avoid some mistakes also. Having the right people around you is important. That I have learned the hard way. Not grabbing the next shiny thing has also been a massive lesson. Not buying into the dream of the internet lifestyle is also a shinny something not to buy into. Keep charging artisan keep charging
Where are you based? We’ve got a 20 man team doing commercials/farms so if you have any work let me know pal
Thanks for sharing … being employed you gotta work hard. Self employed is even harder, getting your own work, sorting out your own taxes and keeping track of everything!!!!
I’ve tried running a business before and it’s probably the hardest thing!!! It’s like being self employed X times however many employees you have.
And holidays when self employed or with a business is never fully shut off. I’m on a 3 week holiday working hard everyday on the laptop until 2/3am 😅 but it looks like I’ve got my feet up on social media.
Hopefully you will never have to go through this again as a business …
I wish all the best for everyone in 2024 🎉
Thanks a lot
Draw on your skills and build back. Your knowledge, skills and determination will always serve you well. Good luck and continue your honest approach to business.😊
Thanks
This will only make you stronger! Interesting point you have made about simplifying things. I am confident youll bounce back better than ever !
I really enjoy your videos and your content, and its clear that you care about the people in your team and your business.
when you made the first video about going to thailand and running the business remotely I just thought.. this is going to be a mistake, you need boots on the ground to see whats going on.
it feels like you were asleep at the wheel on this one.
letting people go is hard; but you were always going to get flack for doing it at this time of year and you have been out of the country. to anyone looking in on the outside it looks like you were not paying enough attention to the running of the business while you were away.
I wish you all the best in continuing to build your business, your team and continuing to produce awesome content - I have learned a lot from your videos.
I worked for a power utility a lot of years back. The board decided that the functions of my team had to be outsourced so I found work for most of them in outside firms, a couple I had to make redundant. At the end of the process I was offered a nice job in the core business - but I resigned and got work abroad. I just couldn’t face walking down the street in my town and seeing those guys I’d had to let go. Later in my career I got made redundant twice, so I know the feeling from both sides.
I'm sorry that you had to make that decision Jordan. good luck for 2024.
I think the dream is over for me, nobody wanted to give me a shot with an apprenticeship in 2023... partially because of my age, partially because of my gender, partially because of my work history. I am going to try to become a nurse.
For what it's worth I've been there myself. Had a small business with office staff and guys it was only ever headaches. Spent every waking hour worrying about payroll, vat and suppliers. Somehow I had convinced myself bigger is better, wrong. I too made the hard decisions and scaled it all back. Now I'm a one man band and actually look forward to work now. Pretty much zero overheads and when it goes quiet, and it will, I don't have anything to worry about.
Go back to where you started. It's probably where you enjoyed working the most, I know I do. Good luck in whatever path you take.
I’m very sad to hear that you find yourself this terrible situation and the effect it must have on your family. My heart also goes out to the three colleagues who were made redundant. I wish them well.
Thank you
Such a professional and honest video Jordan. Try not to give the haters a second thought. I can nearly guarantee none of them will have run a business. It does not matter what that business is (I run my own software company), but running any business is not for the feint hearted. I hardly ever comment on RUclips no matter what the channel, but your video really touched me. You are young and are destined for a great career. Keep at it and you will get there. All the Best, Derek
Do not fall into the dark pit that social media drags around with it. Businesses are struggling across all industries. I have in a former life as a people manager been through what you are now experiencing. It’s hard and it never gets easier - if it did then you lose your humanity. Do not go there. Good luck with your future and for being open and honest with those watching this. The haters will always hate, those like me who have used, and want to use your services again will ignore that. I know what your team can do. Take care.
Running a business is hard Jordan. People don’t understand this if they’ve never done it themselves. And having staff is a completely different beast again.
We had to do some cutting back early 23 with the lads days and re look at all our costs and work out how we could be more efficient but still keep the premium service and charge point.
Well done for showing the honest reality of being a boss 👍🏽
People only see the glam but don’t see the stress and anxiety we’re controlling 😂
Good luck mate, social media always has haters, they have nothing better to do. Hope it all works out for you and the team, best of luck! Happy new year!
Thanks a lot Alan
Well, that escalated quick and is pretty much expected. The answer is obvious, you need to come back to the UK and correct things up. You as the business owner need to be in the fore front of things i.e. looking for works, meeting up potential clients. You just can't let your employees handling such task when you're away, let alone when the ship is sinking. May sound harsh, but Artisan is not as big as you think, you are not in the conglomerate stage where you can afford to hire talents that are motivated to run the business for you, artisan hasn't arrive to that level yet, heck even ashville (10-20 times bigger than artisan?) still has its owner running things around.
You've spent years building artisan then just one wrong move and cracks started to appear, do the right thing. fix the crack and come back for second round of re-building. If you just can't my suggestion is to sell your business to others who wanted to manage it locally. From that profit you may live your dream of moving from country to country.
I am part way through qualifying at the age of 52. This and some other feedback I have had has convinced me to go back to my old career and avoid the coming crunch.
Good Jordan and team.
Fortunately for electricians there will always be work ! Electrical systems always need maintaining! Where as a brick wall , or paint just doesn’t .
Sorry you’ve been in this situation. I do think it was inevitable though. A whole team of people, a fleet of unnecessarily swanky vehicles, premises, combined with the extortionate pricing you charge which you freely advertise, all puts you in a very vulnerable position when work dries up. I think you ran before you could walk and realised this the hard way…
Sorry to say but I have to agree. Possibly to ambitious for the path of the company in a very volatile market place in the current economic situation. And I do think his pricing policy didn't help. When the economy is high people will pay the price, when it's on the downturn people will think twice.
Happens to the biggest electrical company’s - Portsmouth , JP electrical, drake and skull , albrights all 50 man company’s and folded .
If there aren't any difficult times in business, you aren't trying hard enough. You have to fail sometimes, as long as it's not catastrophic you pick yourself up and improve. As for a holiday - well, even if you were simply on a holiday (it sounds like there's much more to it than that) your personal finances and the companies finances are entirely separate.
Sorry to hear it. Thanks for the update. Best wishes for a better 2024!
Social media is one of the greatest tools in this day & age for businesses, but it can also be a thorn in one’s side as there will always be keyboard warriors who think they know best. Unfortunately the warriors expertise don’t bring the magic money tree in to keep businesses going.
From the videos I’ve watched it looks like there is a bond between the whole team which makes it an even harder decision which had to be made.
Don’t let the haters get you or your team down.
Take tough business decisions is something all senior management have to do from time to time. It’s really hard to do and the resilience you have to have as a leader of a small business or director/head of department is sometimes almost too much to handle. On top of that you have done this knowing you had to publicly tell people and have done so with integrity. Look after yourself Jordan those people are depending on you to make those calls and do the right thing.
The best customers are the ones that supply a workload month to month rather than one-off customers. The one-offs are good if you have enough of them continually, but they often come in peaks & troughs. Ideally, try to have a mix of both.
Hope you and the team are all ok. It is never easy to say I have made a mistake in the world of social media where people love to kick you when you are down just keep moving forward
Be careful of how big you build the beast because you will have to feed it 👍🏼
😂 so true 😅
Hi Jordan,so sorry to hear about the problems you have been having and the negative comments you have been receiving. I spent 54 years in electrical contracting and I have seen the really highs and the very lows of business. I really admired your work ethic having watched your videos from the early days and saw how you took the opportunities to expand the range of installations that your company would tackle,particularly vehicle charging and renewables. All I can say is that I have seen things go quickly bad but then work has materialised again,feast or famine was the recurring theme for most of my working life, I sincerely wish you all the best and will keep watching, I would bet on you to succeed
Thanks a lot - feast or famine is definitely a thing in this industry! 😅
I've been made redundant 3 times in my working life, it's difficult, you wonder what you've done wrong. Later you realise it's not personal, the second time I got made redundant, the business owner was more upset than I was, he did help me get a job with someone else, unfortunately, that ended in me being made redundant a third time, at which point i had 3 months off due to surgery on my knee, and then became self employed, that was 14/15 years ago. Sh!t happens, people who know you well, will understand it's not something you do lightly.
Noticed a lot of industrial electricians are kicking their heels at the moment - there is a slump going on. Very depressing situation. PLC systems I did, industrial. Water boards etc..
One man band ,it’s the only way to go ,no overheads ,simple
Van simple tools keep it small ,life is more important than money .
💯- you can still earn 100k plus doing this easy . And still be flexible with your time
I do feel for you mate. I feel like you may have made this move too early, build the company up until the point it can run itself fully or until you can sell it then look at seeing the world. A business at your stage needs your guidance on a daily basis and unfortunately you’ve lost more than you’ve earned. Best of luck in the new year 👍🏼
Been a while since I visited your channel.
You have never come across as a bad person and you have always been honest about everything. That's important and why many would pay for your work.
You have many years ahead of you so keep going!
What I don't understand is why the haters are unable to see this.
Wishing you all the best Jordan. Thanks for all your hard work and guidance. You have helped me many times through your channel and personal email contact and it is most appreciated. Don't feed the trolls!
jeezz! how could anyone hate you for having to do what you had to do?! your trying to control chaos with no guides or rule books!
just because the engine stalled doesnt mean it will never run again, just needs fixing and tweaking to prevent stalling like that again!
try to streamline the office imho, combine jobs, tweak what is left... you can do it jordan! go for it!!! 😊
My day job is to write about small business issues, and one thing became clear early on: People care about other people, but they don't care about people who are running a business. In other words, if you run a business then you are on your own in a way that's unique in our society. Nearly always you're in a very hostile environment, where every aspect of the business is either under attack, or even attacking you. I don't think anybody truly gets this unless they've actually run a business.
I definitely agree with that - it’s like self inflicted torture sometimes 😂
@@artisanelectrics There's a reason most trades remain as one man bands, and employ people as needed only on a casual basis. It's also interesting to note that a lot of successful businesses are run by families. That's the only way people get the understanding and support they need to keep going with what is, like you say, a very daft way of life (albeit with huge payoffs if you get it right).
It's good to develop a network of other small business owners. You can bounce ideas off each other and give each other support. Sometimes just an ear so you can let off steam.
Nothing to do with caring, Jordan is an arrogant prick who criticises everyone else apart from himself.
That sucks. I got hired once while a company was way behind work, then it all stopped coming in. Crazy how that happens.
I think I sit on both sides of the argument here. Like others, I’ve always questioned the huge back office staff and the super high prices in terms of sustainability. But from a business owners perspective, regardless of the how or the why…..it’s a horrible situation for all involved. I’m sure plenty will disagree but it will be considerably worse for Jordan in the long run than it will be for those he sadly had to let go. There is plenty of work for everyone at the moment and they will find employment quickly and soon forget all about it. Whereas this whole situation will probably torment Jordan for years to come.
Genuinely hope it all works out for you all.
Down here in Germany December is the month of the year where all businisses have to file some tax related stuff and when they realize that they made to much profits so they would get ranked up in our tax systems they would call us technicians and give us work so it doesnt show as a profit for them
Maybe if you do not find enough work in the UK, you could find it here in Germany.
Have you thought about taking a business course ? Saying dont watch is rude , you can’t have an online presence and not expect to be talked about by the trade your in , good or bad your basically eastenders for sparks and you don’t get to pick the viewers , this video is probably worse than the one you deleted
not sure how you can run a business in uk from tailand. best is to be in uk where the business is
Thanks for making this video Jordan. It's got to have been so hard for you. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made and being under the social media microscope makes it even more difficult. I wiah you a happy and succesful 2024.
Thanks Jim - we really appreciate your support as a channel member for all these years you’re amazing!
I've been running a business for 20 years now and making redundancies is never easy. It might sound harsh but had you not let a small number of people go then it puts everyone's job at risk. By interest rates having gone from practically zero to 5.25% has slammed the brakes on the economy and that's not your fault.
You will rebuild, you will recruit again and you'll be a leaner, better and smarter organisation as a result. Don't wallow in self-pity as the rest of your team need you to dust yourself off and keep pushing forward to keep the rest of the company running.
Good luck.
Thanks for sharing your wise words
Wow, that was an incredible difficult video. Having to lay off people to save your company.
I will keep following your channel. I love the content you make. I just hope you'll be more careful in the future so that I don't have to make another video like this.
Thank you
Sorry for the struggles within the business. Cut the fat, loose the expensive vans and the Tesla, loose the expensive tools, go back to basics and things will get easier I’m sure. Just be an electrician and be humble 👍🏼
Happy new year 🥳
Whilst I’m retired from the industry a number of years ago, I’ve been following you from when you started out posting videos-being an employer of people is a huge responsibility, because you need to have work coming in all the time to keep the wages paid-the problem now is that the general public are delaying getting work done because of the cost of living crisis-- my very best wishes for the new year-
🤣🤣 you were selling a electrical business course, maybe you still are. I dont know how, because you seem like a terrible business person.
Hi Jordan, firstly thank you and your team for all your content. Secondly i feel for you it is a really hard thing to run a business and to employ people and to have to make decisions regarding those people is super hard. It takes a lot of courage to have to come onto you tube and bare your sole! Please try to ignore the haters it just comes down to jealousy in that instance. Thanks to all of your team for the quality and pride that you show to us on a regular basis. Stay positive ignore the hate we all feel for you and the team and keep up the good work business will get better and worse that's the nature of the universe!!
I’m seeing hard decisions like this in so many places recently. I don’t completely understand it because macro economic conditions don’t seem particularly bad right now, but I’m watching businesses who have prospered over the past decade begin to fail all around me. I’m sure there’s just factors that I don’t understand. People are very quick to blame businesses owners without seeing the complete picture- which is why optics are so important to manage. Hang in there Jordan and focus on surviving the immediate storm- and then make a vow to run a slim, focused operation from here on even in profitable times so that you never face this kind of stressful madness again.
❤Best wishes to all, especially those sadly affected by this. ❤
Hey Jordan, it is heartbreaking to let people go and especially this time of year, you are a business owner and have to make the hard decisions, it sounds like you have tried everything not to take this action but if the numbers don’t add up it’s a business decision to save the jobs of others, I am sure things will pick up in the new year and it will turn around.
Don’t listen or be upset by the negative people of the world they are just sad lonely people and love bringing others down.
Good luck and best wishes to you and your team for 2024 and I will defo be watching all your new antics, good luck mate and keep up the good work
Thanks a lot 👊
I'm confused, are you still abroad or did you come back to the UK before all this went down?
Possibly a gifted salesman is needed at Artisan who can do all the magic and convince customers to pay extra for the better service
Classic business mismanagement - you tried to grow too fast. You should have subbed in known good workers who you didn't have to retain, if the work sustains then hire. It's literally business management 101. I love the channel, been here a long time, but unfortunately this wasn't circumstances that caused this.
Jordan all the best with turning things around I understand how hard it must be.
I’ve followed you from the early days and sometimes I question some of your choices but my heart goes out to you and your employees . I let someone go just before Christmas and it wasn’t nice . FairPlay to you and good health in the future .
There are better times to lay people off - sort of.
If it were me, I’d avoid times like Xmas to lay off people.
Businesses know we are in a recession now! Governments will eventually admit that 3-6 months later!
Sometimes, cost reductions are necessary to preserve jobs in the long run. With all the training you gave your people who left I am sure they will pick up work. Hopefully, as the industry evolves towards electric cars and solar energy, there will be opportunities to re-employ those affected. Stay positive; the situation is bound to improve.
Thanks a lot - great comment
I kinda was predicting something like this happening.
I was laid off twice, during my work life, in the month of December, before Christmas. It is not a great news to receive in such a festive date.
I've unsub some months ago because I kinda was seeing the same trend as when i was layoff happening in Artisan: huge investment on vans, people, expensive tools, the same repetitive board changes and solar installs, and I pondered, looking at the current economic outlook in Europe and in the world, combined with how UKs politics and social economics has been after Brexit and started wondering how Artisan could do it when everyone is trying to make their ends meet...
Looks like I was not really wrong in my assumptions. Well I hope that everything starts to turn into better outlooks after the restructure you are doing and hoping for the best.
Going abroad when your business was on the floor is wrong on all counts, having said that i hope things turn around for you.
The hate is due to the way you went about it- mentioning redundancies in the middle of pushing a business course. Even this video is self serving, painting yourself as the victim, and doing nothing to help out the guys you let go. Cory you made a song and dance over, but John, you are deleting every comment that mentions his insta and new business, when you should be the first ones mentioning it
❤ agreed!
Deffo pushing himself as a victim again...plz look at poor me ...youtube watchers, be nice to get the true scoop from ex employees
Deffo hasn't been honest at all ..only caught out ..and badly back tracking now .
He used the mentalheath card too. Mug
I really hope things pick up for you in the new year. So tough to have to let people go.
There's much that can be said about the situation, both constructive and negative, but this isn't really the place. I will say though that whilst you may be genuinely putting in long days to resolve the issues, you are isolated from the troops and that's never good during such times - bosses not being around is generally a bad idea, let alone alone during difficult periods & video calls only go so far.
Very true - will be back with the “troops” in a couple of weeks which I am looking forward to.
Running a business, the highs can be very high, but the lows, my god they can be very low. It is a world away from being an employee with a regular payslip and many do not appreciate the demands put on the small business owner.
TRUTH 👊
Not easy to make redundancies especially this time of year, hopefully those affected will find employment elsewhere, I know that there is a shortage of skilled workers through out the uk. Watching this video it's obvious that it's affecting you, fingers crossed things will get bettering in the new year.
I think you need to get back in the UK and get stuff sorted you no use in another part of the world the lads don’t have a leader to go too because your not there, need to sort it out it’s not fare at all on the lads
For what it’s worth…..I enjoy watching the vids. I’m by no means a sparky, but have enjoyed your tips, hints and advice. (And my Netatmo door bell is still working a dream!) Wishing you a great 2024! I🎉
Hi Jordan. I don't understand business but you did seem to have a lot of staff, premises and often many staff on one job. Do you need a lockup and an office when homeworking is an option now days? Hope things get better and to see the channel getting back to you on the tools with simple domestic and commercial jobs.🤞 Anyway, try and have a good New Year. x
Thanks a lot for your comment!
I think your pricing is always for profit. The most important thing is cash flow. You need to be taking the jobs that break even/ small profits to keep the core business ticking over, allowing you to take those higher profit jobs for exactly that, profit.
That's based on local knowledge and actual quotes.
Bang on the money. I think cutting overheads is just a temporary solution and in 6 months time, he's going to start running out of money again. No jobs in the calendar is a huge problem, what's a business if you don't have any customers. Even just breaking even on ten jobs is far better than having one or two high paying jobs, as you said, cash flow is the most important thing for a business, even if you're making a small loss, it's what helps you build the company, more customers, higher reputation which leads to referrals.
Looks to me like the usual RUclipsr sparky,, you don’t need to flex with your top of the range Hikti tools costing £100’s a month do your job or top of the range Sortimo racking costing £1000’s
Agree, lots of bad decisions based on ego and not business sense.
Joran thanks for a very good and honest video. I have worked for quite a few American companies, which made redundancies each year as part or normal operating practice. I hade experiences of seeing people being made redundant, being made redundant and making people redundant. The view I took was that job security comes from your ability to do a job and attitude.
I was never out of work for more than a few weeks and people made redundant around me had a similar experience. I don't know who you laid off, but through Artisan they would have learnt a lot and had a great employer on their CV. If any appeared on you tube they have a great resource showing their work and ability and I am sure you are helping them find new positions.
Overall feel proud that you have helped them along in their career and I am sure that by the end of January or earlier they will have found new positions
Oh this is so true! What a lovely comment, it's going to help Jordan so much to think of it this way, well done.👍🙏
Thanks for your perspective you’re absolutely spot on
Sorry to hear how things pan out First I hope the people you had to let go pick up new jobs right away You're not the first that this has happened too and you won't be the last it's about picking yourself back up see where it went wrong and start again i say back there a few weeks ago sometimes just keeping it simple is not a bad thing maybe that's something to think about for your next step forward
I hope all works out for you and all the lads pick work best of luck in the new year, for all