Latest / The Electrical Show / Thomas Nagy and Paul Meenan on 'isms' part 2 - Smart Home Installation

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Thomas Nagy and Paul Meenan on 'isms' part 2 - Smart Home Installation · The Electrical Show

• 0:01
  The Electrical Show with Thomas Najie sponsored by Bosch Professional Powerful power tools for measuring
• 0:07
  tools and experts accessories. Welcome to the Electrical Show with Bosch Professional here on
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  Fix Radio. I still have a cold from COVID. I've got one of
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  those, you know. I had it like must have been three months ago,
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  and I've still got that as a chesty cough and I just can't get
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  rid of it. I feel fine, and I've just got this irritating coughs.
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  So if I just splurt spontaneously during recording, I do apologize everybody.
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  It's not intentional, it's just the way it is. I can't shift it.
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  Now. Over over the past few weeks, you've been listening to Paul
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  and myself, we've been talking about specialisms here on the show. Now,
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  on today's show, we're going to take a look at a very special specialism,
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  smart home installations, and we're gonna be talking to a chap called rich
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  Heppel. Now you actually know this fellow, don't you do. He is
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  the king of what is known as art Smart and that's his business's brand.
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  I knew Richie again via socials. I've watched his journey. He is an
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  amazing character from where I call Winterfeld, up north of England for those who
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  are not Southerners. But he is a self made man, a very driven
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  man, very kind, very decent, very passionate and he absolute. Every
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  time I see him on socials, I just I want to learn from him
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  more. So I went up and visited him and he was incredibly gracious as
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  a host. So this is going to be an exciting chat today. I'm
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  looking forward to it. He is, actually he is a pretty self made
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  man. He started it from zero, so yeah, just standard sparks on
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  the tools, with lots of questions, lots of thoughts. Realized that,
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  you know, there were parts of the industry that you know, maybe he
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  could do himself. And he's gone on a journey and it's fair to say
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  he's been up against a lot of adversity on that journey as well, but
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  he succeeded. And I think today will well he'll tell us herself well before
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  we get into the first link. Actually it's a very good little story.
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  I love stories of sort of not rags to riches, but a stories of
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  hard work, termination and perseverance equals wealth and success. And I think for
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  me, one of the best ones. I've always absolutely always admired as the
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  right brothers, so I think we all know just to bring up to speed,
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  right brothers. They didn't. They didn't prove that it was well.
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  They proved the concept of motorized flight was possible, but absolutely fascinating. I
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  won't go on about it because we've got to get to the next link,
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  but just incredible. December seventeenth, nineteen over three was their first flight.
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  I st I know this off by heart. Seventeen, nineteen o three was
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  their first motorized flight. Thirty seven meters they flew. They literally lifted off,
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  touchdown again. That was their first flight. They went to all the
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  papers everywhere to spread the word. Nobody was interested. They were like,
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  we're not interested in this. This you just Charlatan's six years later, right,
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  six whole years later of just constantly tweaking, tweaking, tweaking this design.
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  They sold their biz is for one hundred thousand pounds in today's money,
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  that's over ten million quid. So it goes to show a bit of persevere
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  in six years, but I mean bit of perseverance. They coined in big
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  time. I can't believe that deep that was worst, Matt. I just
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  love it. I love that sort of stuff. Beautiful story. The Electrical
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  Show on Fixed Radio. I'm Thomas Najie with Paul Mean and here in the
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  hot seat and on today's Electrical Show, we're talking about specialisms. So if
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  you've just tuned in, don't worry, we are just getting warmed up now.
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  Joining us now is Rich Heppel, who he actually helps electricians who are
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  looking to specialize in the smart home installation world. So first you, Rich,
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  thank you very much for joining us on the show today. And Rich,
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  tell us a bit about how you got into the smart home world.
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  Just give us a sort of a brief overview to bring the audience up to
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  speed. Yeah, for sure. Well thanks into Tom. So, basically
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  I was an electrician. I was into last day of vegetia season at school,
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  so fifty to sixteen years old. I went through the electrical industry right
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  through to electrical supervisor level you know, two, three nine on all the
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  rest of it. I predominantly did commercial and industrial works, so with a
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  little bit of residential frown into the mix, which might sound a bit while,
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  and then went into smart homes. But I discovered it on Twitter hashtag,
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  hashtag live install and basically was obsessed with that for years. I discovered
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  that when I was actually renovating our first house, so as an electrician just
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  brought in my first house at twenty lucky, what cool stuff can I point
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  to this house? And I stumbled across the world of smart arms, which
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  at the time twelve years ago wasn't really such a thing as it is these
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  days. You know, these days we've got Slaus and Nest and Alexas and
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  all the rest of it which have brought smart homes stuff into the mainstream on
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  what people think of a smart homes these days. And the card ended up
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  down that rabbit hole. So three years after making my old employe to move
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  into this sector, which fell on DEFFI is October twenty seventeen, decided to
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  make the jump going along and find out everything for myself. And that is
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  a littutshell is it's about the industry. Excellent, good, good man,
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  Look why why now? Why is smart home installs something that's worth looking into
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  now as a specialism Because youre right in what you say, like ten years
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  ago, you add the in fact and you can still get them now if
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  you go to a home base or something. You can get those the super
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  that was the really early days of smart stuff where you just had a remote
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  controlled socket and that was yeah, yeah, well the remote controlled dimmers and
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  that was like cutting edge back then. But why now, why is it
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  worth looking into now? So, like I said, kind of the insured
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  pipe there, the Alexa's Nest and that Candy devices have really brought this something
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  into the mainstream. Obviously Nest being on by Google and the marking revenue they've
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  got behind themselves has really pushed these products into the mainstream and we're becoming more
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  popular. It's been down the price of a lot of stuff. Now.
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  I do see this smout home sector in two or three different markets. There
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  is the stuff that they can go buy from being q homebase that people can
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  install themselves maybe DIY or is what I'd refer to as a do it for
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  me service, so as people may able to buy these products but not have
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  the technical expertise to install them, which because they're getting to electrician to do
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  it to me service. And then you kind of move of the realms into
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  the equipment into the more higher into the marketing and stuff that we'd do which
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  would be the control for lutron side of things, which is the real high
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  end amount home stuff. What how about the benefits for electricians. Let's say
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  that you've got electricians looking to get into this specialism. Because it is a
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  specialism. This isn't really something that I mean, I think you agree with
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  or on this point, it's not really you can't really dabble in this.
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  It's like you specialize in. It's a very niche area, isn't it.
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  In the deep What sort of person would suit this kind of work, if
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  that makes any sense, because this isn't going to be for every attrition,
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  is it. No? No, definitely not so electricians that have deep technical
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  study of things. Really people are probably into the it enjoy the computer and
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  networking side of things. Definitely able to need to be able to make off
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  Cat five and Cat six then yeah, for sure. Yeah, I'm but
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  yeah, it's a lot more of that that kind of the side of things
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  with the data. So it's a lot more data. You've got to have
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  a especially in the high end systems, have a good understanding of networking.
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  So it's a real crossover. And as you say, specialism fixed radio,
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  this is the electrical show and Thomas Naji here with Paul Meenan and we are
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  talking to Rich Heppel from Art of Smart about making smart home installations your specialism.
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  We've been talking about specialisms lately and we're just carrying it on now.
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  My good friend Paul, it is over to you, sir. Well,
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  Rich, I am now going to probe more on your isms. Actually,
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  but I said that out loud that sorry, what do people when they're looking
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  to get into smart home installs, where do they need to start that,
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  you know, education of themselves and what do you think they need to embrace?
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  Yeah, it's not we have a saying which of probably what's say I'm
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  radio is that if you can head other networking, you are Yeah, the
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  networking network is absolutely essential. Things to do with TCPI pre networking. So
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  let' be getting on some networking foundation cars because if you find that piece of
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  it difficult, the rest of it is going to be really hard. Probably
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  need to look at another specialism, fair enough. A couple of weeks ago
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  we spoke to the rather beautiful Danny Webb sparking Milan about ev installs, which
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  he's currently doing quite a lot, and he told us about some common customer
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  complaints he faces in his line of work. What kind of curveballs and customer
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  issues or complaints can you expect from customers when when doing smart homes? So
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  I would probably say great, yeah, yeah, yeah, I just need
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  to careful, I say, so I don't get sued. Yeah no,
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  but with the type of works that we do, probably some umber staying this.
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  But I'll give you this one anyway. So we obviously do the very
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  high it's not where generally for millionaires, footballers, billionaires even so really at
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  the high end of the market. And there's a reason those people are rich,
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  just they don't like parting with the money. So yeah, we've had
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  a few jobs that you know, no matter what you do that we just
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  will not be happy trying to delay or even not payments. So yeah,
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  we've always one or two of those. So in sharing all the ducks are
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  in order. Contracts of water tight deposits at the right stage, payments at
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  the right place is absolutely essential getting these jobs because something the revenue and the
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  project turnovers themselves on the job can be substantial. So yeah, make sharing
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  that year if you were in the finance of the project properly is important.
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  So one of the things I think I like about Riches stories. He started
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  off as a as definitely one of us and has worked hard to become an
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  inspiration to others. What was the best way that you approach this work?
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  So you know, who do you need to bring in to get this to
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  work with you? You'd enjoy having a team. Do you think maybe even
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  a one man band could be successfully? Yes, so probably sharing a little
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  bit of myst more of the business stories it went on, we'll actually pulled
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  the two together for you. So obviously I stayed out of smart fill the
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  twenty seventeen and it wasn't as if I just sort of stick it up,
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  started a few Instagram pages and all of a sudden, really they're bringing me
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  up for Undregram Cinemas. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. It makes
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  if it did a couple of years of persistent hustle, and again, because
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  I was an electrician coming into an industry in the smarm sector, which is
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  typically run by hi fi guys and installers and you know, and that kind
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  of the market is what traditionally was. I came in and I was kind
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  of like the black sheep. If you're like you you know, because I
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  was an electrician be coming, I was the destructor. I was electrician coming
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  into this industry, and I was having the whole industry saying, who electricians
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  can't do this well? In actual facts, In actual fact, electricians are
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  much more qualified and they're in a much more better place then the high Fi
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  installer or an aerial installer or a TV installer, because they've got much deeper
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  a standing, especially when it comes down to the lighting control. I would
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  much rather have an electrician try and get a cable from it to be within
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  a property with minimal damage than an aerially staller probably just clipper on the outside
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  of the house. You know, the electricians have a lot of the court
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  skills that are required for these kind of works, which is probably why I
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  felt feel the industry was threatened when I came into it. Bob, I
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  got to a point with the business and it was actually in lockdown where I
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  was having a lot of because we build a bit of a brand on social
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  media and we're having guys saying to us, you know, rich, where
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  do we learn to do what you do? How do we how do we
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  do what you do? Toyed with the idea for a couple of years.
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  But when lockdown hit well first month probably saying as a lot of us first
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  first well head with a little bit itself, and then I decided to sell
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  up a training school. So we at least the unit built a train in
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  academy and we open the doors in October twenty twenty to the Art Smart Academy
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  based up here in York, and then week in, week out over the
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  next couple of years, we turned a group of eight electricians at the time
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  who would come to us. They do weeks training, which a weeks training
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  is not enough to teach somebody everything you need to do. But how we
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  advertising and how it courses people cann do the training. We teach them through
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  a little bit of the design, the semin nations, the installations, the
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  rap building, building lighting panels, a little bit of networking, CCTV and
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  programming, so we give hi assistion to everything. Those guys at the end
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  of the week can either go go with hungry, inspired, wanting to learn
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  more and wanting to dive headfirst into the industry, while they can go that
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  really isn't for me. Are can decide I want to do this, but
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  I really need to learn more about x Y, I said, and then
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  we can help him with servi training. It's certainly stuff that isn't common.
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  Finally, before we let you go, Richie, which we're going to have
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  a little year around for the next link for a bit more advice. So
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  stay with us and we'll continue talking here on fixed radio the Builders Station,
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  The Electrical Show with Thomas Naji. On fixed radio the Builders Station, you're
• 13:39
  listening to the Electrical Show with Bosch Professional and Thomas Naji here with Paul Meenan,
• 13:43
  and we are talking to rich Heppel and we're getting some advice from him
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  for those looking to specialize in smart home installation. Now, rich once you're
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  ready to complete work, how do you how do you need to present your
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  services to potential clients? And I suppose more importantly, where do you actually
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  find the work? I guess because it's a niche market, isn't it.
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  It is a very niche market. I mean when I started doing this five
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  years ago, social media was a brilliant, brilliant way, and I probably
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  built my business to a couple of million turnover just purely for the back of
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  Instagram and Facebook. I do find the social landscapes. We've changed a lot
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  of the last couple of years. I've become a lot more saturated. But
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  regard as to saturation, a lot of it's pay to play, you know,
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  it's made it just mainly wanted to have some stuff running through. So
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  we've kind of a lot of our work these days comes from unreferral and recommendation
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  from from existing clients. Obviously by doing the partner their work well effectively put
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  two hundred sales guys around the country as well. Which way is on the
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  lead? Well, for somebody starting out, I'm going to revert to the
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  old school and say, a good website with some good SEO sounds like good
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  advice. You've you've worked closely with electricians obviously who've made this their ism as
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  it were there especialism. Yeah, what's the feedback like from those sort of
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  who are actually out in the field in terms of how they find it and
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  like what kind of money, job satisfaction, that sort of stuff. Yes,
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  well, yes, the way that we were our training and teach people
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  up and obviously a part of their work. We don't act as a gatekeeper,
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  you know, So a lot of ring cents of these guys in saying
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  you have the wear with us, Lots of them go off and have success
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  within their own rights. I think for most electricians going into this is a
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  real eye opener with how much more you actually need to know. I say,
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  our apprentices technically go through five apprenticeships within their time to get qualified.
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  But in terms of job satisfaction and obviously what you can make on it,
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  I mean the jobs are good and who you're doing them for, who know,
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  it's good money that said were generally try not to send the mike how
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  our client self. You know, we still operate unfair priceing and you know,
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  whether you're a self mair businessman or you play on England Squad, you'll
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  you'll pay the same place with us. And again I find that that works
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  well for us and it keeps us well because you're building that trust with people.
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  But one of the other real jobs that suctions it is is you then
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  develop a whole host I mean, how will you do with it, but
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  develop a whole host of you know, celebrity and footballer clients as well as
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  I mean my favorite ones and the self their business people are we're in for
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  indiversally surrounded myself with a client base who with little chats here and there have
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  actually become business mentors without them there. So so yeah, it's fantastic.
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  All right, Well look what what can those looking to get into this learn
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  more about smart home installs and the skills that are needed. Where can people
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  learn more about it? Well, that's pattery is where we help the academy.
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  So I mean they could check out our academy. I'll give it a
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  shame must plug asi academy dot com like yeah, and we can also have
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  a look on Instagram and our YouTube channels are great resource. Stugent sees inside
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  some of these projects and see some of the tech that we put them there.
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  So yeah, we search smart TV channels then, yeah, we've got
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  loads of content on smart homes. You get to see someone loves to do
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  in the install, some of the stuff we see, some of the some
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  of the cool cinema room as we do. If anybody ever finds themselves local
• 17:22
  to your work, pop into a coffee or show I was sure whom the
• 17:26
  office is. It's a good point if you if you are in want insight
• 17:30
  into that world. Some of richie social stuff is legendary and it's really good
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  insightful snapshots of how it all works and if it inspires you to want to
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  do more, is there in front of you. So we go. Rich
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  thank you very much for taking the time and coming on to our humble little
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  radio station. We do appreciate it. Good sir, Thank you very much.
• 17:49
  Guys, keep the great the Electrical Show on fixed radio. That's it
• 17:55
  for today's electrical show. Our little train has chugged into the station and we've
• 17:59
  been talking to Rich Hepple and we've got some insight into what into what you
• 18:03
  can expect if you choose to specialize in smart home installation. And Paul,
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  what's your thoughts on this as an ism? As it were? Smart homes?
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  For me, smart in general is the best of the isms because I
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  think it's the hardest to attain. It's the hardest journey, as I think
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  rich has very succinctly told us about his journey. But the hard work.
• 18:26
  If you want to put hard work into saying and reap the rewards, I
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  think Richie is a perfect inspiration for someone who can make it and have I
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  mean you heard him. Millionaires and billionaires, Hello, hello, alarm bells
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  ringing? You want to make money go into Smart. I think the work's
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  there, and let's be per frank with the way technology is going. If
• 18:48
  you're this expert in your little county, your area, everybody's going to be
• 18:52
  empty in there while it's to you. So it's it's the better of the
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  isms. In my opinion, pros and cons. We think rosa that you
• 19:00
  can make a lot of money roses the end output. I think Richie's kind
• 19:04
  of He's definitely stable in his journey, and he has been on a journey
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  the const I've been up to his art Smart Academy. It blew me away.
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  The cons is the amount of money you have to spend, the risk,
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  the hard work, the long long hours. I mean that guy will
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  do a twenty hour day and not about an eyelid. And you also,
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  if you're going to go into this, go into it with passion and zest.
• 19:27
  If you don't have that, my personal opinion, just don't even attempt
• 19:32
  it. That's a good place to leave it. Do remember, please sign
• 19:37
  up to the Electrical Show newsletter, as that helps us grow and you also
• 19:40
  get exclusive content and access to competitions which your regular Joe Blogs just doesn't get.