Chimney sweeping

A friend of mine is seriously thinking about becoming a chimney sweep, he reckons there is a serious need for it in his area anyway. However he only has experience doing his own chimney and family/friends etc at the moment. Has anyone any experience just starting this type of business? i.e pitfalls, costs etc.

For example insurance-wise what would he need?

It's easy, all you need is a few under-fed street urchins who can climb and burst into spontaneous song and dance routines.

ney001 said:

... he reckons there is a serious need for it in his area anyway.

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Is he sure about this?

We light fires but less and less people seem to with every passing year. We have had to locate a 3rd sweep in the last 5 years as the others gave up. Also, remember that no matter how many people have chimneys that need swept, each house will only need the service once a year - if even that. The charge per chimney seems to be around the €40-€45 mark for about 45 mins work.

Did your friend get into chimney cleaning?