9 February 2021
Bright spark Josh builds on his reputation
A YOUNG electrician who found himself out of work after completing his apprenticeship set out on his own and is now running a thriving business.
Josh Lawrence has lived in the Woking area most of his life, moving houses several times following the progress of his father’s building business.
He went to West Byfleet Junior School and Bishop David Brown School at Sheerwater before going to Guildford College to study to be an electrician.
“With my dad’s work, I was always looking to be in building but fancied doing something a bit cleaner,” he said. “I was interested in maths and physics and this went hand-in-hand with electrical work.”
After college, Josh worked as an apprentice with a local firm of electricians. “It was a lot easier learning while working than just studying,” he said. “You could immediately put things into practice.”
In 2011 – just before Christmas and his birthday – Josh was made redundant, in his early 20s.
His father, John, came to the rescue by employing him to work on some of his building projects. He built up a good reputation and was able to expand his business.
Despite the pandemic, Josh’s work has expanded to include the complete wiring and other electrical work on an eight-bedroom mansion in Hook Heath.
He has also rebranded his business as Jolt Electrical. “The name just popped into my head,” he said.
Josh generally works on his own but has electrician friends who can join him to tackle bigger projects. He welcomes the larger work, such as landlord safety tests, data and network installations, and CCTV and security alarms installations, but is also happy to do the smallest of jobs.
A large number of repeat customers is testimony to his belief in making sure people are happy with this work. “I’ve had people who were moving house and I’d take down the lighting in their old place and put it up in the new one,” he said. “Then, a few years later, they’d be having an extension and call me in to work on that.”
Older residents have called Josh to sort out a minor problem. “I even had one who wanted a lightbulb changed, and I was very happy to do that.”
During the pandemic, Josh is making sure he follows the precautions and wears appropriate personal protective equipment when visiting a customer’s home.
For more information, email [email protected], or visit www.joltelectrical.co.uk.
