|
|
EveningSo I have read a lot of posts on here about people starting up mobile welding businesses and I have learned a whole lot but I have a few questions of my own.So a little bit about me. Im 23 almost 24 have a bachelors degree in International Relations and Counterterrorism and am one semester away from an AA in Welding Technology. I started welding in college using a buddies fig welder and fell in love with it. When I finally got out and had some free time at night I decided to take some classes at the local CC in welding to actually learn to do it properly. Well fast forward two years from there and I am now in the thick of attempting to start up my own welding business. Its equal parts exciting,exhausting,scary and down right fun for me right now. With my degree and education I have the option to go work a "white collar" job but really detest the idea of doing so, so this business is where I'm putting my eggs for now. Ive been doing fabrication and welding work for a while now as a side gig and have built up a fair amount of clients all who have been very pleased. I passed 6g in both stick and tig at my school and have practiced doing stainless and aluminum work on my own. I have gotten very proficient with both the spool gun and tigging aluminum and have built/repaired a few things for customers using both processes. A few months ago I decided to try and take the plunge and go legit. I still have a part time job but as soon as I can I would love to get rid of it. So far i've formed an LLC, gotten 1 million in liability insurance. I spent every single dollar I made welding and fabricating back in the business buying tools and equipment and just invested a portion of my savings into some used equipment. Here is a list of some of the tools I currently own.Miller Multimatic 200 w/tig kit and spool gunLincoln Ranger 250 GTX mounted on trailerOxy/A setup with 100 feet of hosetig setup for AC welding off the RangerCarbon Arc gouging stinger (still need to get a compressor)Makita 4 1/2 & 6 inch angle grindersMilwaukee 4 1/2 inch cordless angle grinder6 various other 4 1/2 grinders I picked up at pawn shops for cheapMilwaukee cordless impact and drill No name horizontal shop bandsaw.Milwaukee corded bandsaw10 lb portable electrode ovenDelta Drill pressa dozen or more 11R's half as many 9r's and 6r's2 50 foot 220 extension cordsShop outfitters Ring rollerhitachi 14inch cutoff sawSo, I have a few questions. 1) Given my 1 million in liability and equipment what audience/industries would be good for me to pursue as potential customers?2) What is the biggest mistakes you made when starting up your businesses? Or what do you know now that you wish you would have known then?3) What should my next investment tool wise be? Currently I'm leaning towards a pipe bender/notcher so that I can do handrail. Does this seem wise?4)How did you find your work? Was it word of mouth, hustling, advertising or what?I guess I am also add that I am currently reading through "The welding business owner's handbook" by David Zelinski in hopes to learn some helpful information and your guys opinion on the book would be greatly appreciated.Thank youCharliePS: I know someones going to give me crap for the drill press.... but I don't care what you think about that....I hate drilling holes so much. Also, the trailer is still under construction thats why the O/A are just tied up with rope and the airbrushing isn't complete. Attached ImagesLast edited by AMW; 01-02-2015 at 02:08 AM.
Reply:wanted to add some pics of the toolbox =0 Attached Images
Reply:A counterterrorism degree? My gosh, don't let them brainwash you. Stick to welding
Reply:Hahaha I got the degree while in the reserves.
Reply:well i'm glad your onto something , and thinking for yourself
Reply:Originally Posted by AMWSo, I have a few questions. 1) Given my 1 million in liability and equipment what audience/industries would be good for me to pursue as potential customers?2) What is the biggest mistakes you made when starting up your businesses? Or what do you know now that you wish you would have known then?3) What should my next investment tool wise be? Currently I'm leaning towards a pipe bender/notcher so that I can do handrail. Does this seem wise?4)How did you find your work? Was it word of mouth, hustling, advertising or what?
Reply:Originally Posted by DSW1: Bit late in the game to be trying to figure out what you want to do as far as work. That should have been almost your #1 thing to determine. I'd look at a niche market that isn't covered well in your area. Around me there's a ton of guys who used to work for big contractors or quarries doing equipment repairs. When the economy took a dump and they got laid off, they tried to go into business themselves. Most are barely hanging on since there are so many guys out there cutting each others throats to try and stay afloat.A buddy of mine used to get about %0% of his work doing custom railings. Today he almost never touches one of those jobs. There's simply too much competition from cheap places for him to make any money doing this. the high end market has dried up and the low end guys are desperate and will take any work they can find to pay the bills.2: I see a lot of guys go out on their own and fail, not because they can't do the work, it's because they can't run a business. I think you might fall into this category from what I've read so far. Tools are great and wonderful, but you need to have a lot of money on hand as a safety margin. What happens if your truck takes a crap and you need $5K to fix it? You'd better have at least that on hand for emergencies, or to fund that tool the job will pay for, but you need the cash up front to buy it. I see a lot of guys do side work and think they are making money because they covered materials and the big items, yet are losing money because they never accounted for all the small stuff or things like overhead. Grinding disks, mig tips, paint, nuts and bolts add up fast and are hard to track when you aren't buying them right now for the job at hand. Too many times they get forgotten and you don't charge enough to cover those costs. Thus it comes out of the profits.Back to money on hand. Overhead expenses like insurance, rent, electric, taxes and so on just keep coming in regularly. However your work flow may not. I do general contracting and my "busy" time of the year runs from April thru September typically. Once Halloween hits, I almost never have all that many customers who want any major work done during the holidays, and come Jan/Feb, most can't afford it because of Christmas bills. That means I have to keep a certain amount of money set aside to cover what work doesn't come in to pay the bills that do.3: Next major tool investment is the one I need for a job to make me money. No point in me spending a lot of cash on a CNC plasma table, if I don't have work that's going to start paying it off right away. In many cases it may make more sense to sub that job out, or rent a tool vs buying it. Sure I don't make as much "money" and don't have a neat tool at the end of the job, but I may have more on hand cash, and many times that's way more important.I have a really nice tile saw. I bought it years ago cheap, and it's paid for itself several times. However I don't do tile work every day. In 2013 it never left the shop. In 2014 in the spring, I had 2 medium size jobs for it, but it's sat ever since. I can't turn the saw into cash easily without taking a loss, so it won't say pay for new tires on my truck come march if I don't have work for it. If I didn't own it already, it would have made sense to rent the saw and bake the rental cost into the jobs this past year vs buying the saw and having it sit.4: Word of mouth is always a good way to get customers, but your reputation is what does that. A reputation is tough to change once you get it. I see a lot of guys start out cheap and get a reputation for cheap shoddy work, because that's the type of clients they attract being desperate. However the reputation is almost impossible to loose later once they become established, and now works against them getting those better jobs.Best way is for the customers to come to you. If you have a niche market, that usually happens. If you are the only guy in the area doing mobile stainless food service repairs, any one who needs that has limited options and you are one of them. Once you get in say with a restaurant chain, they may just keep feeding you work since you are the only game in town for them.There are so many threads on starting businesses here. I'd suggest you read a few dozen of them and save us all the time of retyping what has been posted time and time again. I seriously wonder if you really are ready to do this. It doesn't sound like you have a business plan together or any idea how to track costs and expenses. Many of the guys I know who run successful businesses can't do the actual work themselves. What they can do is manage all the business ends of things and hire those who can do the work. The worker just worries about getting paid. The boss worries about how to make sure they stay in the black and getting the next job. If you do both, expect really long days with little or no pay much of the time for the 1st few years.
Reply:First off great info a business has its ups and downs but can be good. As far as tools get yourself plenty of clamps I use a lot of Irwin c vice grips, also praxair has some off brand clamps that are good and alot cheaper.
Reply:1) marketing. People starting businesses prefer to do what they love and few love marketing/sales--however, it should be a big part of your time until you have so much work that you can't handle it all. It's part of paying your dues. No, you can't rely on "word of mouth" referrals although that'd be nice. They'll get you business but they can't be relied on to "make" your business. 2) record keeping. This is not just about the tax man, it's about aspects from having contracts to your collection system if you get a deadbeat or 12 to knowing what you did for a customer 15 years ago. Good records and files will pay off--from customer files (take photos!) to accounting. Again, it's not what people love but it's a necessary evil. A good many businesses are killed (some say 80%) by poor record keeping. In my state, one of the first things WISHA inspectors ask for is the records of your safety meetings for example: Legally, even a one man shop has to document monthly meetings with him/herself or face a big fine. Dumb but an actual example of how poor record keeping can bite you.3) Liability protection--and this is beyond that million you mention. I know an ex welding shop that started a 20 million dollar fire on a $ 500 job. Fortunately, he had incorporated so they didn't take his house too. Protecting your *** is about more than just having some insurance. You have to plan safety and protection for yourself and family in case the worst happens. Stop on the way home from work in your work truck to have a single beer and then cause an accident? You might be screwed and someone else might now own your business if it goes to jury trial. Proactive liability protection--4) practice walking away from jobs. Not every job is a good fit..not every customer is worth working with...not every job is a good use of your time, even if profitable. Learn to pass on jobs that aren't right for you without feeling like you are losing something. Even profitable jobs can be losers if you'd generate better/more future business doing a little sales and marketing instead. It's about wisest use of your time, not simply whether you make a buck or not. First and foremost, you are running a business: Welding just happens to be the product. Don't get so caught up in the product that the business end suffers.
Reply:I would keep the other job and keep on building the business until the other job is in the way of making you more money on this business. That is the way I started but it is long hours and no days off for an extended time as you build.I never advertised except business cards. I had a advertising man come to the shop one day and tell me that the size of my business tells him I should be spending about $1500 a year in advertising. I told him he was absolutely right but that I would just do $1500 a year in free work and that would generate referrals and as any one knows, word of mouth is the best advertising. I did things for the FFA, 4H, garden clubs etc. to auction off for their organizations. The contacts that I made doing this are still with me nearly 40 years later. The last pipe fence job I did came from a man that said he had no choice but to call me. He said he stopped at a feed store and asked who they recommended for welding. They gave him my name. He stopped at the pipe yard where he intended to buy his pipe, and asked there. He got my name. He asked at Lamar Steel for a welding reference and got my name. He said with references like that, I was definitely going to build his fence. All this came from doing small, free stuff for these people. Building relationships is what will make your business last through the years and build your reputation. The short term is where it is tough. That is where that other job will help you out. Good luck.
Reply:Is your passion welding, but your degree in counter terrorism and international relations? I would think there is plenty of opportunity in that field either in the govt or private sector. I would imagine lots of those jobs are a couple months on, and a couple off, leaving time for both jobs, but hard for customers to count on. Where did you get the 4 year degree? I have 4 infantry USMC sons that would probably like to do something like that with their GI bill. Funny, they are welding with me now……
Reply:I will also add that marketing is great as said above , so is word of mouth but once my business was booming I got lazy on the marketing and I saw a big drop I business I used to go talk with people I'd stay up half the night on these sites that let you put your info on them for free like Google and yahoo and received lots of work off them also had a website that brought alot of work I was in the dock building business and most of the people I work for were doctor's and Lawyers and if the thought of a dock or a repair crossed there mind they were at there deck and looked it up on the computer. Find your niche and push it hard.
Reply:Originally Posted by blackbartIs your passion welding, but your degree in counter terrorism and international relations? I would think there is plenty of opportunity in that field either in the govt or private sector. I would imagine lots of those jobs are a couple months on, and a couple off, leaving time for both jobs, but hard for customers to count on. Where did you get the 4 year degree? I have 4 infantry USMC sons that would probably like to do something like that with their GI bill. Funny, they are welding with me now……
Reply:Bidding jobs is tough. I'm at a point where I guesstimate the time to do the job then double that time. Example, if I think the job will take 2 hours, I tell customer 4hrs. My hourly rate is $60. Could go higher or lower but it's what I figure I need from my own "overhead". Don't be the cheapest guy in town. I try not to do favors anymore. It costs too much and people always say they can't afford to pay what it's worth. I never offer discounts until after a job is done and Im able figure if there was anything I need to discount for. Unless you get a real builders drawing you should charge for "design" time as well since it is labor.. Otherwise charge from the moment you "clock in" and "clock out". To your point, normal price for that guy would've been $390. Any material involved that I bought for the job I would charge 10-20% or more than what I paid for it.
Reply:This don't sound right. Your specialty is to handle terrorists and international relations, and now your asking for advice on how to handle a farmer?
Reply:123 weld As I'm sure you can understand studying things in a classroom is a far cry from actually doing them. This is my first grumpy customer in over a year at this. This guy is not your normal farmer he also happens to be nuclear engineer.... and a lawyer. I'm also hearing all of this second hand through his son who happens to be a good friend of mine.
Reply:You didn't say what the cost of materials was for the job.If it was negligible, $50 or hour for general repair work may not be much of a bargain, depending on what your location is.Hobart Beta-Mig 2511972 Miller AEAD-200LEMiller 250 TwinNorthern Ind. Hybrid 200Longevity Stick 140Longevity Migweld 200SThermal Arc Pak 3XR
Reply:As you're finding, doing paying work for friends rarely works out best for all involved. Trading work with friends is a better option, or even doing it for free depending on who and what it is. Check into work that Homeland Security has in your area -- with your degree and background there might be something. Even with no connection to the government or outside advertising, I ended up with the installation part of a decent-sized Homeland Sec project several years ago.
Reply:Theres no reason to think anything is wrong w/ your work or charges. If it were me, for my own safety, I'd attempt to completely disassociate myself from these people, while doing my best not to arouse any suspicion. We have an individual w/ a degree in counterterrorism, posing as a welder, working for a Nuclear engineer/lawyer that is disguised as a farmer. It wouldn't surprise me if his son is a Double Agent. I'm thinking this might be some sort of undercover gov't operation.
Reply:You said it all when you said lawyer. Cheap bunch of aszholes who think nothing of raping you but have no concept of what someone's time is worth unless they can benifit from it. Worst of the bottom feeders.
Reply:Originally Posted by M J DYou said it all when you said lawyer. Cheap bunch of aszholes who think nothing of raping you but have no concept of what someone's time is worth unless they can benifit from it. Worst of the bottom feeders.
Reply:What was the repair you did? If it was fairly straight forward and you were working at a steady pace without wasting much time, $50/hr is very reasonable. My guess is this guy thinks he's superior and people should give him better deals. Doing work for friends/family can be iffy at best. Sometimes they will demand to pay full price because they respect you but that's not the norm. Consider what this cheap *astard might not even do anything for less than $500. Might have been better to trade for 6 1/2 hours of legal advice in the future. Your experience vs his.
Reply:Charge for your talent. Those that shop for a cheap price will be the first to badmouth you when it fails. I never let lousy work leave the shop, it makes and keeps the reputation. I won't even let an employee build a lousy project on his own time if it leaves our shop. I even insist on the paint type. Thank you for your service, I know there are a lot of mixed feelings with whats going on now. I had sons in Fallujah, Ramahdi, and Sangin. I can't imagine what they think now about all the sacrifice.Last edited by blackbart; 01-03-2015 at 06:54 PM.
Reply:1) Given my 1 million in liability and equipment what audience/industries would be good for me to pursue as potential customers? 2) What is the biggest mistakes you made when starting up your businesses? Or what do you know now that you wish you would have known then? 3) What should my next investment tool wise be? Currently I'm leaning towards a pipe bender/notcher so that I can do handrail. Does this seem wise? 4)How did you find your work? Was it word of mouth, hustling, advertising or what?AMW good luck with your venture. I started out on my own a year ago and have learned a bunch.1. Local restaurants are a really good place to start, at least in my area. I got a ton of work repairing stainless restaurant equipment. Also decorative railings, and fences are another good idea. I talked to some local contractors and have gotten a lot of work off of them also.2. Don't be afraid to charge! I was afraid to charge a premium for my services because I needed the work so badly. Set your prices and stick to them. Don't forget that you have insurance, equipment and manpower costs, along with your time for estimating, designing, and billing. 3. After your first few jobs you will be able to nail down what you will need next. QuickBooks or some accounting software is also another useful tool. A cordless 28 volt bandsaw comes in mighty handy also.4.Word of mouth will travel fast, and don't miss an opportunity to tell someone or anyone that you meet what you are doing. A web-site is actually not that expensive compared to the reward.Shake and Bake
Reply:DON'T DO IT.... Screw repair welding ....Thats my advice Go into politics it may not be honest but all those suckers seem to get a lot of money .....Some howBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old TruckMight check with local GC's. Most will require the services of a welder for things like handrails, equipment repairs, custom work for projects, trailer repairs/modifications, etc... Also keep an eye out for public bids. There is likely a website that keeps track of this for your region. This allows you to look at all the projects that bid which will be everything from huge projects that include welding items (Big-Small) down to simple maintenance like repairing a handrail or gate at a federal, state, or local government agency. Being able to read blueprints will come in handy for this type of work. Most people will pass on this type of work because of all the paperwork/bidding and safety requirements but these projects typically involve federal funding so davis bacon wages will apply and you should not have to deal with worrying about getting paid. This gives a distinct advantage to owner/operators like yourself because you don't have to turn in certified payrolls with wage requirements on employees like bigger companies do. Sometimes you can find really nice paying work like this.
Reply:If you want to do portable, on site work for commercial clients you will need to add workman's comp insurance to your portfolio. Adjust your bill out rate accordingly. Not sure what it will cost you but in NC, it costs a minimum $10,000/yr up front.Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:Best of luck AMW, I don't know what else to add that hasn't been mentioned above. If your in a very large area work will be available for you, Cities have more work of course so having insurance and all the equipment you listed is a really good start. I wouldn't quit that job you have just yet since you need to build a good reputation, advertise without breaking the bank like printing your own flyers and posts them around, Look into a website. Save up money with your current job so when you go head on with your business and something happens well you won't be completely broke and can recover.In my experience the area determines if you will be successful, If I did fabrication and welding alone I would be broke so I have a list of services that I can do from mill/lathe work, casting services, small engine repair, auto repair, ATV/motorcycle repair, computer repair and the list goes on. I have to stretch myself in order to make it but then again I got other jobs aside from my side business, I am making it just fine since the fridge is stocked up with food and the bills get payed but in no way am I rich, rich in tools maybe since I have over 100k in my shop but in a town of 3-5k population business is not all that great.
Reply:If you do equipment repair you need that compressor not just for the cac or plasma you need an impact gun 1/2 in drive or 3/4 if you do big stuff...and a 3/8 butterfly is handy alsosockets and wrenches needle scaler and an air chiselair drills air die grinders a straight and an angle typeroclock with a lot of different abrasive discs and cut off wheel mandrel clamps you never have enough of the ones you needand that tool you used at home and left on the benchsafety glasses and ear plugs...fire blankets and harbor freight movers blankets unless you like laying in the dirt and mud...and don't confuse the 2 of thoseand the list grows on ...but i have to get to work ... oh thats repair welding..... you don't get saturday or sunday off anymore because that machine that broke they need it first thing mondaybyeOh and don't forget to pack your lunch because once you roll out your cables and tools you can't go anywhere and allow your self time to roll up at the end of the day alsoLast edited by killdozerd11; 01-04-2015 at 09:21 AM.Backed my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:-Wagin I looked into the workmans comp insurance thing for NC a while back and my understanding is that for companies with three or less employees workmans comp is not required. Or are you just saying that they won't even consider hiring me without that insurance?As to location I am in a moderately large city with a high percentage of extremely wealthy people as well as a fairly large population of farming within close distance. Perhaps my biggest problem is the fact that there are a lot of metal artists around town armed with 110 flux core welders who are willing work for $15-20 an hour. That being said the going rate around here for legitimate mobile work is around $75 for one man and $110-125 for two men. Thanks for all the support and info guys. I will be revisiting this thread and re reading what you guys have posted periodically to make sure all this info sinks in.Last edited by AMW; 01-04-2015 at 03:24 PM.
Reply:@ AMW - discern and populate this BMC template for your business prior to buying anything - http://www.businessmodelgeneration.c...vas_poster.pdf. As several folks have advised, running the business es numero uno.Last edited by ManoKai; 01-04-2015 at 04:06 PM."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:I know this is a late response but sounds like you're off to a great start. You got some good equipment and that price to that lawyer is mooore than fair...sounds cheap to me. You can't even get a licensed and insured lawn irrigation guy to come to your house for $50 an hour. Looking forward to business updates.
Reply:Related to response #31...."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Good advice all of you ,for structural you need a mag drill,small hougan with a swivel base.Will be handy all the time. Look for a Lincoln TM-500 AC/DC can run off single phase and do all shop work.Big stick rods won the war and still work.Buy a big compressor never big enough ,used ok.Hypertherm plazma the only brand and Jim Colt to help included!Good luck do not work cheap,value your skill. |
|
发表于 2021-8-31 22:27:32