General building, property maintenance, refurb, or trade subcontracting. Real business chassis for trades and construction professionals tired of operating as sole traders inside a van.
UK construction and trades is a £370B industry with chronic capacity shortage, aging operator base, and persistent demand across residential refurb, commercial fit-out, and property maintenance. The opportunity for new entrants is real — but the industry kills more startups than it grows because of cash flow timing, project pricing errors, subcontractor management failure, and chaotic admin.
The Zundara construction venture solves the admin and pricing chassis. You bring the trade capability (or the construction PM background), and we provide the registered company, the contract pack, the pricing tools, the H&S framework, and the operational systems that turn a competent tradesman or PM into a real business owner with proper margins, proper invoicing, and proper cash control.
This venture is light-regulatory in the sense that no general builder licence exists in the UK — but trade-specific certifications (Gas Safe, NICEIC, F-Gas, etc.) remain the operator's own responsibility for any regulated trade work. The venture supports general building, property maintenance, refurbishment, and trade subcontracting where the operator already holds the relevant trade qualifications.
All figures indicative. Full editable financial model available on operator request post fit conversation.
You need either a trade background (general building, joinery, plumbing, electrical, plastering — and ideally a Site Supervisor's Safety Training Scheme or higher) or a construction PM/QS background. The venture is designed for someone who already knows how a building project actually runs — what subcontractors do, how materials get ordered, what goes wrong on a Tuesday morning.
Trades who have always wanted to "do it properly" instead of operating as a sole trader hidden inside a van — this venture is for you. The chassis turns your trade skill into a real business with proper accounts, proper contracts, and proper margins.
Helpful traits: comfort with numbers (estimating accuracy is the difference between profit and disaster), willingness to do the admin (or hire it), and discipline around payment terms (the industry survives on payment cycles).
Funding application support is included in your Zundara service agreement.
Marco has been a self-employed kitchen fitter for 11 years, working for two different installers. He's tired of being on someone else's books and wants to run his own outfit — but he's been intimidated by the admin, the contracts, and the legal side of taking on his own clients.
He takes the Zundara construction venture, specialises in kitchen and bathroom refurbishment for residential clients in Greater Manchester. Month 1: first job under his own name, £8,500 kitchen, completed in 9 days. Year 1: 14 projects averaging £9,200, £128,800 revenue, mostly his own labour with one trusted plumber subcontracted in.
Year 2: he hires a second fitter (PAYE, £32,000 + employer NI), runs two parallel projects most weeks. Year 2 revenue: £315,000. Year 2 net profit (after his own £45,000 salary, second fitter, vehicle costs, materials, overheads): £52,000. He keeps 90% of the company.
Illustrative scenario. Real trade businesses live or die on estimating accuracy and payment discipline.
After the 12-month minimum, the partnership continues monthly until cancelled. The retained equity stake remains in place independently of the service agreement. See the Partnership terms.
Apply for partnership. We'll come back within 5 working days with a fit conversation. If it's not a match, we'll tell you that too — straight, no waffle.
Apply for Partnership
