You need to work out a realistic business plan
With what you are suggesting, advertising is going to be a large, reoccurring expense
Cost of materials for attendees
Cost of rental for the building you will need
Insurance is a must, but it is not as expensive as some people may be leading you to think
And a weekly income for yourself
As part of a government department, you got paid if you trained one person or a hundred. With your own business you need a constant traffic. How will you go during winter months when your services are not needed as much?
Also, before there were others who could take bookings, answer enquires.
When it is your business, it will be just up to you. You will need to be contactable from earlier than 9.00am until at least 6.00 pm, seven days a week
I think it will be hard for anyone to make this work
In my current job I answer phone enquiries as well as on water enquiries. My phone is on 24/7 and I am expected to answer it. I typically travel anywhere between 900-1200km's per week the vast majority of which is towing my patrol boat around the country side. Then I conduct on water patrols which inevitably leads to issuing penalty notices i.e. fines for various forms of non compliance. I assess aquatic licence applications and create marine notices (formal documents outlining the closure of waters due to special events) and when they happen I investigate collisions which typically involves several trips down to melbourne during the off season which entails statement taking and formal record of interviews. I am also required to assess development applications which may impact on navigation. Mate if I can't answer phone calls about my own business and administer a web page where all the bookings will happen then I will give the whole shebang away.
Running courses during the winter months will be a challenge but as they say, I will make hay whilst the sunshines in the boating season. I have a few other things I can do during the winter to keep some money rolling in slowly e.g. sales rep for a local PFD manufacturer, drive cruise boats on a Lake nearby and work on my own business.
Yes I will need public liability insurance, yes I will need to pay myself as well as superannuation.
Yes there will be weekend work as well as evening work. That will be my choice and not that of an EBA which dictates I work 37 weekends a year as well as every public holiday. I will be able to conduct 2 or 3 courses over a weekend easily and out of that is the potential to make a months salary at my current pay level during the peak season. A guy that travels over from the coast charges $145 per adult for the licence course, I will be charging $95, it doesn't take long for the word to get around in the country and I am very confident that my courses will be well attended.
I have numerous locations lined up that will not charge me to use their premises.
To start up on water practical style training requires the purchase of a suitable boat so this won't happen this season. I will look into it over winter. Along with that comes additional insurances and the like as well but is there a market for it - absolutely.
Can I do this part time and keep my current job - no. I have tried before and they deem it to be a conflict of interests so it is all or nothing.
So I spose, am I going into this on a whim without any clue at all. No. I have been dreaming of doing it for about 4 or 5 years now and the only way it was ever going to be worth doing was if I got something like a VR. If I walk from work under my own steam I will get a certain amount. If I walk as part of a VR, I stand to get about four (4) times that amount.
