May 2022
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Installer Insights<br />
A recent completed project<br />
by Ryan and his team<br />
'FOCUS ON PROFITABILITY'<br />
Ryan Schofield, Managing Director of Thames Valley Window Company, and joint owner<br />
of Business Pilot, answers our questions this month, and explains how having a proper<br />
oversight of your business can help prevent small problems becoming costly errors.<br />
Total Installer (TI): What was your path into<br />
the sector?<br />
Ryan Schofield (RS): While it’s a family<br />
business, my dad said that I should get a career<br />
elsewhere. But, after a successful stint in IT and<br />
recruitment sales, I found myself between jobs.<br />
So, I went door-knocking for my dad, and got<br />
a half-dozen leads a day which helped pay the<br />
mortgage. That was 21 years ago, and I’ve never<br />
managed to move on!<br />
TI: If you had one piece of advice about<br />
starting an installation business, what would<br />
it be?<br />
RS: I’ve never started a business myself, but I<br />
know how easy it is for a small company to get<br />
misled by a growing bank balance. When your<br />
sales increase, so do your customer deposits. But<br />
those deposits turn into manufacturing invoices<br />
two or three months down the line.<br />
If your sales are increasing quicker than your<br />
Ryan Schofield, Managing Director of Thames Valley Window<br />
Company, and joint owner of Business Pilot.<br />
“If your sales are<br />
increasing quicker than<br />
your invoices, you can be<br />
confused into thinking<br />
that you are more<br />
profitable than you are”<br />
invoices, you can be confused into thinking that<br />
you are more profitable than you are.<br />
This is one reason why we set up Business Pilot,<br />
because that gives you greater insight into the<br />
company’s finances, and helps you manage cash<br />
flow.<br />
TI: Tell us about a recent project you are<br />
proud of...<br />
RS: Traditionally, we are a local business with<br />
a reasonably small and affluent catchment<br />
area where we would pick up mostly high-end<br />
newbuild and domestic refurbishment projects.<br />
However, the internet has changed all that, and<br />
we are picking up more variety further afield.<br />
One of our latest projects was to provide the<br />
glazing for executive apartments above a<br />
synagogue in Stanmore, London.<br />
It was far more involved than a typical domestic<br />
project because we had to work closely with<br />
Continued on page 52<br />
50 T I MAY <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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