Naomi Frankel
Not many people can say that they started their career whilst still at school, but Avrom Leigh certainly can.
At 27, he is the director of “Propertyrun Ltd,” a high-end electrical contracting company based in Borehamwood that specialises in work for landlords, managing agents and councils.
“I knew from a young age I wanted to do electrical work. My grandfather was actually a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, who wrote the original electrical regulations.”
Impressively, Avrom started studying to be an electrician whilst he was doing his GCSEs and A Levels in Hasmonean High School for boys.
“It was a hectic schedule of school in the day, college in the evenings. By the time I left, I was qualified as an air conditioning and refrigeration engineer.”
Avrom undertook an apprenticeship to gain some practical experience, but he found that this was not enough and took initiative in his drive for success.
“In an apprenticeship you are taught theory and some practical, but not how to actually apply that in real life. For example, I studied the theory of installing and wiring a fuse box, but in application you learn to implement the right size and brand for your client. I therefore paid lecturers in college to teach me privately on the job out of college hours and also found work at an established electrical company.”
When he got back from yeshivah in Israel, Avrom carried on working for other companies to further his expertise and thus slowly built up his own company, Propertyrun Ltd.
He believes the ticket to success in business is to “never stop learning because it is important to give clients a great, thought-out product.”
“Even today as a fully qualified electrical inspector, I am still in the process of enrolling on further university courses to qualify in infrastructure and design.”
Avrom attributes his years of hard work as having a direct correlation to his business reputation.
“My dedication to the industry earned me glowing recommendations, which are what my company is solely based around.”
Avrom takes client feedback very seriously and uses this to continuously improve his service. He shares a recent incident with me where he received outstanding client feedback.
“I completed a mains installation for a new block of flats and we then arranged for the installation of the meters by EON (energy company). When they arrived, they were so happy with our level of craftsmanship they called the manager down to take pictures of our work and demonstrate to other contractors how they should be installing a Ryefield Board (distribution fuse board).”
Avrom says that Propertyrun Ltd stand apart due to their unique “same-day response” policy.
“We offer a same-day response to all clients to make sure they’re not left in the dark (pun intended). Not many companies can offer this service, but I employ full-time staff which makes this possible, unlike other electrical contractors who usually have staff working for them on a freelance basis.”
In addition, the Propertyrun Ltd registration with NAPIT and NICEIC professional standards organisations, together with Trust Mark registration, ensure that the highest standard of service is constantly strived for.
“I have to give a six-year craftsmanship guarantee. This is achieved by only employing the highest qualified and reliable staff and using premium quality materials, which deliver a lasting job. Ultimately, the work we do is the higher end of the electrical contracting industry, so my clients know they can expect quality service from us.”
Avrom is married with two children and admits juggling family life with a flourishing business can be quite difficult sometimes.
“On the one hand I can be somewhat flexible, but it also means I have to work exceptionally long hours. For example, my Sunday hours can easily be from 6 am to 6 pm.”
Another difficulty, Avrom says, is f
inding reliable, experienced electricians, a known problem in the industry.
“My strict vetting process aims to avoid this, and I ensure we only employ top-quality, vetted staff whom I have the utmost faith in. For example, my current head of maintenance was the maintenance manager for Hovis Bread for many years until he relocated to London from Liverpool and joined us.”
However, Avrom relates that the main reason why he pursued this career path is due to the satisfaction gained from doing a thorough job.
“I hugely enjoy the challenge of electrical work. My speciality is taking on complicated jobs, which is why I thrive on working with managing agents and councils. The best satisfaction will be turning around in 50 years’ time and saying I’ve done this work, it’s still functional.”
Avrom’s advice to others looking to join the industry is to start by doing an apprenticeship with an established company that is not just domestic based.
“At the end of the day, this is very much a hands-on career, so the most important factor is getting proper experience with a company that carries out work in a variety of places, such as hotels, hospitals, schools and warehouses.”
At 27, he is the director of “Propertyrun Ltd,” a high-end electrical contracting company based in Borehamwood that specialises in work for landlords, managing agents and councils.
“I knew from a young age I wanted to do electrical work. My grandfather was actually a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, who wrote the original electrical regulations.”
Impressively, Avrom started studying to be an electrician whilst he was doing his GCSEs and A Levels in Hasmonean High School for boys.
“It was a hectic schedule of school in the day, college in the evenings. By the time I left, I was qualified as an air conditioning and refrigeration engineer.”
Avrom undertook an apprenticeship to gain some practical experience, but he found that this was not enough and took initiative in his drive for success.
“In an apprenticeship you are taught theory and some practical, but not how to actually apply that in real life. For example, I studied the theory of installing and wiring a fuse box, but in application you learn to implement the right size and brand for your client. I therefore paid lecturers in college to teach me privately on the job out of college hours and also found work at an established electrical company.”
When he got back from yeshivah in Israel, Avrom carried on working for other companies to further his expertise and thus slowly built up his own company, Propertyrun Ltd.
He believes the ticket to success in business is to “never stop learning because it is important to give clients a great, thought-out product.”
“Even today as a fully qualified electrical inspector, I am still in the process of enrolling on further university courses to qualify in infrastructure and design.”
Avrom attributes his years of hard work as having a direct correlation to his business reputation.
“My dedication to the industry earned me glowing recommendations, which are what my company is solely based around.”
Avrom takes client feedback very seriously and uses this to continuously improve his service. He shares a recent incident with me where he received outstanding client feedback.
“I completed a mains installation for a new block of flats and we then arranged for the installation of the meters by EON (energy company). When they arrived, they were so happy with our level of craftsmanship they called the manager down to take pictures of our work and demonstrate to other contractors how they should be installing a Ryefield Board (distribution fuse board).”
Avrom says that Propertyrun Ltd stand apart due to their unique “same-day response” policy.
“We offer a same-day response to all clients to make sure they’re not left in the dark (pun intended). Not many companies can offer this service, but I employ full-time staff which makes this possible, unlike other electrical contractors who usually have staff working for them on a freelance basis.”
In addition, the Propertyrun Ltd registration with NAPIT and NICEIC professional standards organisations, together with Trust Mark registration, ensure that the highest standard of service is constantly strived for.
“I have to give a six-year craftsmanship guarantee. This is achieved by only employing the highest qualified and reliable staff and using premium quality materials, which deliver a lasting job. Ultimately, the work we do is the higher end of the electrical contracting industry, so my clients know they can expect quality service from us.”
Avrom is married with two children and admits juggling family life with a flourishing business can be quite difficult sometimes.
“On the one hand I can be somewhat flexible, but it also means I have to work exceptionally long hours. For example, my Sunday hours can easily be from 6 am to 6 pm.”
Another difficulty, Avrom says, is f
inding reliable, experienced electricians, a known problem in the industry.“My strict vetting process aims to avoid this, and I ensure we only employ top-quality, vetted staff whom I have the utmost faith in. For example, my current head of maintenance was the maintenance manager for Hovis Bread for many years until he relocated to London from Liverpool and joined us.”
However, Avrom relates that the main reason why he pursued this career path is due to the satisfaction gained from doing a thorough job.
“I hugely enjoy the challenge of electrical work. My speciality is taking on complicated jobs, which is why I thrive on working with managing agents and councils. The best satisfaction will be turning around in 50 years’ time and saying I’ve done this work, it’s still functional.”
Avrom’s advice to others looking to join the industry is to start by doing an apprenticeship with an established company that is not just domestic based.
“At the end of the day, this is very much a hands-on career, so the most important factor is getting proper experience with a company that carries out work in a variety of places, such as hotels, hospitals, schools and warehouses.”
For more information, visit http://www.propertyrun.co.uk/ or call 020 8455 3336.
