EP #52 – Walking Away From British Gas: How Jones the Gas Got Started
📑 Table of Contents
TOC
📑 Table of Contents
Overview
Five years ago, Dean Jones walked away from British Gas with no safety net. Today @Jonesthegashello is one of the most successful and well-known engineers in the industry.
This episode covers his whole journey — from building a customer base from scratch, using social media to grow fast and why he thinks most engineers would earn more staying employed.
Highlights
The start of Jones the Gas
- (01:31) – Why Dean walked away from British Gas
- (02:59) – During COVID, Dean had time to research every piece of the business. Van, tools, redoing qualifications, insurances, software.
- (03:34) – Branding taken seriously from day one. The right van, signwriting, uniform — none of it left as an afterthought.
- (03:50) – Setting up a business bank account.
Where the first jobs actually came from
- (05:19) – People he already knew, ready to come to him on day one.
- (07:30) – Paid lead-generation companies: “You’ll end up doing contract servicing for peanuts.”
- (08:00) – Social media as a free marketing channel for a new business. The time it takes, and why it’s worth it when you have no budget.
What’s the hardest part of going solo?
- (09:55) – Job and time management, not the technical work. The “while you’re here, can you do this?” problem led to Dean working until midnight on many days.
- (11:01) – Allow significantly more time per job than you think you need, even when you’re worried about cash flow.
Working with family
- (12:10) – How Dean’s wife became the engine of the business. Phone calls, bookings, materials, waste runs — and early on, even hanging radiators on jobs.
- (13:00) – The kitchen-radiator disaster that triggered the change to working full-time as a team.
- (14:00) – The “never really off work” problem.
Would you do it again? Dean’s honest advice for going solo now
- (16:19) – The honest 2026 take. The industry has tightened so much that, for most engineers, working for a good employer who pays well is probably the better deal.
- (16:52) – Use a separate work mobile, so customers can’t ring you wherever you are.
- (17:12) – Get proper tools and software that can reduce admin workload and elp you document records.
- (17:44) – Get proper insurance cover.
- (19:30) – The freedom myth. Self-employment gives you less time off, not more — and you have to genuinely love the work for it to be worth it.
- (21:29) – Every new business has to choose: be the cheapest and rushed off your feet, or keep standards high and protect the margin.