EP #42 – Why This Installer Won’t Do Gas Boilers w/ Hollie Stallworthy

by | Nov 12, 2025

On The Tools

Overview

Think you need a big team to make a big impact? This tradesperson proves otherwise.

In this episode, we sit down with Hollie Stallworthy, an OFTEC-registered oil engineer who went from marine biology graduate to running a thriving heating business in Kent, with over 600 loyal customers.

Highlights

Self employed vs employed
  • (1:42) Hollie walks through the pros and cons of being self employed.
  • (3:34) Balancing work and life, and knowing when to take on a job or say no.
    • First work out your hard boundaries. 
Self employed vs employed
  • (5:40) Hollie won’t do jobs on weekends or evenings, but she does does have to do a lot of the admin and quoting at home. 
  • (7:13) The majority of Hollie’s cerification and invoicing is done on the job with Gas Engineer Software. She can then forget about it after the job, and “put a full stop on it”. 
Hollie’s story
  • (9:24) Hollie originally studied marine biology – but pivoted to heating and plumbing. 
  • (10:30) As a millenial, Hollie was told she can do anything she wants for her career – but reality isn’t always so simple. 
  • (12:05) Hollie shares how she originally got into the oil industry. 
Benefits of specialising in just oil
  • (13:40) Specialising in oil or branching out to gas as well? Hollie shares the pros and cons. 
  • (15:20) Hollie can keep a good stock of parts available because she specialises in only oil. This means less return visits and better service quality.
Starting her company
  • (17:23) Hollie gained experience in her first company with all aspects of the job, which made transitioning to a sole trader much easier. 
  • (18:05) Local groups on Facebook were great for initial customers. 
  • (19:05) In her first year of trading, Hollie made £13,000 of profit – which was a start. 
    • In your first year, you have lots of additional costs like tools, van, insurance, website etc. 
  • (20:50) You can largely set up your business before you leave self employment. Don’t leave before you start or get at least some things sorted. 
    • A van is the most important thing.
  • (23:13) Hollie’s old business stopped trading, and a lot of her old customers transitioned into her new business. 
  • (24:30) Having a good website with some basic SEO to make sure it appears for users is crucial too. 
    • Facebook and other social media too. 
  • (28:30) Heading into maternity leave, Hollie’s partner and brother is helping take on some of the jobs. She also has friends in the industry that can help out with a job here and there.