new member, new dilemma

[Boots]

Hi guys and girls! I have been in the industry in one way or another for over 23 years now and have been self employed since 2000.
I'm a cabinet maker by trade and have worked on the bench making everything from high end bespoke kitchens to welly boot racks for luxury yachts, reproduction antique furniture and everything else in between. 
Back around 2007 I was laid off my friends business when he shut his workshop and I actually got a job fitting very low end kitchens in social housing, as rough as it was at times the money wasn't bad and it was regular work, I ended up being there for the best part of 5 years eventually running a small team of fitters until the contract expired.
I then found myself doing my own thing working odd days here and there both as a cabinet maker and kitchen fitter/site carpenter.
In mid 2016 I decided to go it alone properly and set up my kitchen installation / finish carpentry business which is where i'm at to this day and am proud to say I have a very good reputation locally. 
Currently I am supplying and fitting mostly Howdens kitchens which might make some of you cringe! I am thinking I need to make a change here as I'm just making very little to no money on them and find their whole business module so frustrating not knowing prices and waiting weeks to get a Cad plan drawn up. It's whilst searching around Cad design software I've found this forum.
Currently at a place where I need to get off the tools a bit more for health reasons and am looking into the possibility of doing my own design and supply and perhaps going back to my roots with a higher end product.
I welcome all feedback, looks like a great little resource you have here

[PJK]

Welcome to the forum mate. I would have a dig around on here for a few days. I’m sure you’ll find out what you need. We’re all off to the KBB this weekend so it might be a bit slow on here. You’re welcome to come too if you’d like. We’ll be at the Hokney Heath Premier Inn getting pissed from 3 o’clock today 

[andy5405]

There's a load of suppliers out there to meet your needs and a load of software to help with the design and pricing. We all have different favourites but between us all on here we can probably point you in the right direction.

I would list these as a starter for CAD, they cover what most of us use on here:

Compusoft: Excellent for complete, not so good for the component market, includes good built in pricing.
Articad: Probably the most used on here, despite most users having a love/hate relationship with it. Has excellent graphic capabilities in the right hands.
Autokitchen: The most versatile and definitely the option for bespoke.
NexusCad: A cheap basic package used by many on here.

Pricing:

Easyquote: It's a lot more advanced than the name sounds and has hundreds of up to date manufacturer catalogues.
Spreadsheet: Cheap, I used to do it, but wouldn't wnat to go back to it now.


Suppliers:

The list is endless with the main decision whether to go complete or component. I think most of us on here are component, i.e separate cabinet and door manufacturers.

Hope that helps as a starter.


P.S As PJK has said don't expect too many answers this weekend, most will be in Birmingham working their way towards a stomach pump.

[owen]

As ansy says above, there are loads of options, and it depends how far you want to take your business, and in which direction.

Like you, I got fed up with Howdens, so approached a local independent showroom and they supplied me with a better product at a better (and consistent!) price.  It worked well but I wanted to take it further, so 5 years ago I set up my own showroom.  Very rewarding but a lot of hard work!  I'm happy with the decision I took, but if this is not your ultimate aim you can still further your business without the expense and risk of the overheads of a showroom.

I would approach local independent showrooms and see what products they can offer you on a supply only basis.  They will generally be offering a higher quality product than Howdens/the sheds, and speaking personally, if we can get a supply only kitchen sale it's a nice little bonus for us - good fitters are hard to find, so if I can make a bit of profit without the hassle of arranging the fitting it's ideal.

The main choice you need to make at this stage is how far you go down the design route yourself, as proper design software is a significant investment.  I started with NexusCAD which is basic but is really very good for the money.  We now use Compusoft Winner which IMO is the best out there for our needs, but is mega money.  It just depends how far you want to take things.

[Boots]

Thanks for your replies so far guys some useful information already. I'm not looking to take the step into having a showroom yet but want to offer higher quality product and more streamlined planning and pricing so I'm not reliant on Howdens doing my own seems the obvious route. 

I have a few local showrooms and I've fitted the odd kitchen for some and know some of the brands (Benchmarx, most of the DIY chains, Macintosh, Chippendale, Symphony, Laura Ashley etc) and in honesty am of the opinion that most of it is lower grade or equal to Howdens.

I am possibly going to try and make the KBB show myself though its rather last minute I think it'd be the perfect time to look at options first hand as most of the companies pictures & websites all look impressive. 

Lot of research to do and appreciate all the advice so far.