How did you get into business?

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Hi, I'm fairly new here and was impressed by the world of information found on this site.  I wanted to start a thread where hopefully you business owners can give a little insight on how you started up, obstacles along the way, where you are at now and what would you have done differently.  Little bit about myself:  I'm 29 and I started welding about 9 years ago, worked at a small shop in NJ fabricating and erecting steel for about 4 years.  In '05 I got into the structural ironworkers union in NYC.  I also have my garage semi- set up for welding.  Still adding to my collection.  I've been on many different jobs and have experience working with big and small companies as well as welding small projects on my own for people.  All and all I'm a hard worker, I go the extra mile, exceed expectations and always try and find out as many details about a job as I can in hopes to one day have my own business.  I've gotten mostly discouaging responses from people who say (and may be absolutely right) that most steel is fabricated in computerized machines for half the price, too much competition, insurance, lawsuits, headache etc etc.  Yet... people are in business for themselves and I'm sure, for the most part, its worth it to them.  I plan on being smart about it, just don't know where to start.  I am not biased, I would like to have my own shop and equipment.  Whether I am fabricating huge jobs, doing welding repairs, welding custom projects... etc.  For what its worth I have taken courses in economics and educated myself regarding finance and I know that it is more involved than just knowing how to weld.  Lastly, yes, I enjoy what I do.Any insight, stories, advice that you have will go a long way.  Thanks!
Reply:Hard work and knowledge will get you half way there.You also need communication skills, an accountant, and an attorney.... and never take on a partner.CWI, CWE, CST for Miller, Lincoln, Thermadyne, Hypertherm & ESABMillermatic 350PLincoln Invertec 205 AC/DCVictor combo torchESAB PCM 1125
Reply:i'll take a stab since no one has replied.I've been welding for over one year, and have acquired quite a bit of tools.  I've been lucky enough to find this board with lots of people helping a newbie like me by answering repetitive and sometimes my moronic questions.  I seem to be doing a pretty good job (pat-pat-pat my own back).  I do a whole lot of test welds, and cutting them apart, along with destructive testing.  I can say with confidence, my welds are strong enough for what i want to do:  building some furniture around the house, and trying to find a niche in some sort of fabrication market.  My weakness isn't in the welding per say, its taking forever, and i do mean FOREVER in fit up (making things square... so on)in Southern california, there's a lot of off-road fabricators.  Granted, it might be a fun hobby, i just can't seem to get into the spirit of it.  guess i'm not the out-doorsy type.  I dont believe in making something you're not interested in or, most importantly, familiar with.  what i discovered is that there seems to be quite a large community of BDSM folks in my area, with a lot of DIY people who are not satisfied with the stuff they make.  Granted, a lot of people might frown upon the weirdness of BDSM, my thought is: whatever floats your boat.  While i'm not a "hardcore" BDSM person, i dont find it subversive or weird.  Besides, its kinda like being in the adult industry.  Which is kind of exciting.My "gimick," if you will, is: every piece is fitted to the person who is buying it.  There's a HUGE market for custom bicycle makers where personal-fit is the most important issue.  I love bicycling, and would love to be able to be able to build bicycles, but i dont think i'm ready to make something that moves along at 50mph with the user wearing only lycra and a helmet.   But I can handle building a fixture sturdy enough to tie a person to.That's not to say i'll refuse to do ornamental wrought iron gate or something "mundane," if its going to pay the bill, I'll do my best in making the best gosh-darn wrought iron gate i can muster up.just need to find that niche market, and get good at it.not sure if this is what you're looking for, but there it is.
Reply:Maedar is very wise...never, ever, no way take a partner...work with a guy on A job,... etc... but not a partnership.  The only ones that work at all are one where each person has VERY different skills... if you both are good Cert Welders... UR doomed  Oh, and spend less than ya take in that usually works... not always but it helpsLast edited by PapaLion; 04-27-2010 at 09:13 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Not to steal your post but i was kinda wondering the same question ya ask. i was wondering if you guys could go more into detail on why shouldn't you take on a partner?
Reply:I almost lost my business due to a best friend wanting to partner with me. Bad idea and it won't happen again. I am always honest and do the best work I can, because I don't want a bad name. I save alot and spend less, my wife says im tight but Im always saving for the hard times that might be around the corner. I try to be debt free. My saying is "If I don't have the money to buy it, then I don't need it" well that's not so easy for my wife to understand or when I see a deal on Craigslist. I praise entrepreneurs for getting out there and wanting to do it. Its a long hard road but it does have some nice rewards to it. Be smart and use good judgement and don't let a partner, friend, whoever ruin your show. GOOD LUCK!BSSServices1997 F250 4X4 Powerstroke w/ Bobcat 225NT & tools1992 F450 SuperDuty 7.3IDI w/ Bobcat 225NT & more tools!
Reply:Originally Posted by jimmiespencilNot to steal your post but i was kinda wondering the same question ya ask. i was wondering if you guys could go more into detail on why shouldn't you take on a partner?
Reply:Does Skeewees post answer your?  Many fellas at age 30 or less, because we had big dreams and small pocketbooks and needed help decided to partner up... well more than 50% of marriages fail... and that can be a good partnership. Course like I said, each of you must have very different skills for even that one to work atallLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:There's no blame game when you work alone.My advice if doing repairs.....make sure you look over the entire item before starting.  I have cut it pretty close more than once and just got bit this weekend.  I'm the new reluctant owner of an aluminum trailer that I've got enough labor into, to buy a new one and have change left over.  I did the requested repairs and a few more that were added after the job begun.  The bill was already higher than either of us had expected, and then I found the frame was broke.  I wasn't about to release it in that unsafe condition after having worked on it and I did not expect the customer to pay as much for repairs as a new one cost.  It should have been scrapped from the beginning, but now I've got money in it.  So I explained to the customer what the deal was and I offered to pay him scrap price for it.  He accepted and I finished the repairs.  Now I've got to sell it for whatever I can get, to at least cover my expenses and some of the labor.  The whole deal sucks, but we are still on good terms and I won't lose any money on the deal.  I just won't make as much as I should have.My name's not Jim....
Reply:hey papalion, what sort of dog is that in your avatar? it looks a lot like an aussie cattle dog (aka blue heeler) cross, but you are obviously in the US. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Cattle_Dogsorry for the thread hijack............
Reply:Sheesh Oxy~ I just figured out what BDSM is, I lead a shelterd life  I kept trying to get zactlee what kinda welding that was?  Well "hot tip" I guess.  Stamp; She is blue Heeler, about 2 1/2 years old. I rescued her from a family who got her and then decided they had a "monster" not a dog... she stole food, peed in the house etc... Now, she loves to go to the ranchita and use up all that energy chasing ground squirrels and "helping" me with the goats.  She can down/stay  and she wouldn't hurt a fly.  I call her CcrazeeeKellie for good cause.  She has a white Bentley mark on her forehead.  She heels my wife, licks her right on the heel. My wife loves this dog ... NOT! Az has a lot of them, great dogs.  I'd like to breed her to a Border Collie near me who is a great sheep wrangler. The only reliable "partner" I've ever had. Do you have one too?Last edited by PapaLion; 04-28-2010 at 06:34 AM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:yes mate, i've got a bluey cross bitch. she's about 13 now and still crazy. i rescued her from the pound 11 years ago and she has been a great dog. if you can find one, you should try to breed her with a kelpie, they are as good with sheep as collies but have better stamina and don't mind working in the heat all day.
Reply:Kelpie huh? don't know them but will see if I  can turn one up.   we do got heat ... 110 all day dawn to dark in August for us. Just like home for U 'n me  send along a pic of her .Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:I had been doing side jobs for years and already had a full shop of equipment.  When it became obvious the company I was welding for was not going to be around forever, I started gearing up for mobile work.  When the day came we all got our walking papers, I was all ready to go, had no debt to pay and had money in the bank, so I jumped in with both feet, took the cert classes at the community college, got the business license and have been surviving ever since.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by oxy moroni'll take a stab since no one has replied.what i discovered is that there seems to be quite a large community of BDSM folks in my area, with a lot of DIY people who are not satisfied with the stuff they make.  Granted, a lot of people might frown upon the weirdness of BDSM, my thought is: whatever floats your boat.  While i'm not a "hardcore" BDSM person, i dont find it subversive or weird.  Besides, its kinda like being in the adult industry.  Which is kind of exciting.
Reply:Originally Posted by martinhoweOxy: both the BDSM and Gay scenes can be incredibly lucrative market segments to deal with.  I used to work as a body piercer and had alot of clients in both scenes.  Very discerning customers (as a general rule) and they really don't mind paying top dollar for top quality merchandise and service.  Alot of people who arent familiar with the scenes dont realize just how much some folks invest in their lifestyles and kinks.  Good on you to be open to approaching lifestyles that differ from yours.
Reply:great post it takes time i did a add in the yellow pagesif you do that do the min. if that, i took out abig add and got two jobs from it i post every week on craigslist and get at least a job a week for every four calls you get you might get one job
Reply:All my work is from the same group of customers.  I have about half a dozen farmers that bring me stuff.  It's enough to pay the bills for now, I'm not trying to grow yet.My name's not Jim....
Reply:I'm in the process of setting up my own mobile rig for light work. No I-beam or pipe welding. I've been on and off un-employment for the last 7 months. While I was sitting around waiting to be called back to the shop I realized that over the years I've aquired almost enough tools (you can never have enough) to have my own shop. I don't have the space to put a shop on my property or the money to rent space, so I figured mobile would be a good way to start. So I bought a used ambulance for a truck. It's nice, I can do small tig work right in the back. Got some business cards and door magnets. I made up some weld samples by welding razor blades together.  Last friday I started going to various machine shops passing out my cards along with the samples. Hopefully I'll get some time to hit a few more shops tomorrow. Every thing is always up in the air because the shop I work at will call me back to work for a couple days then lay me off again. Speaking of parnters. The two guys that run that shop are like ying and yang. Complete polar opposites and yet they work pretty good together. One is always serious and a perfectionist and handles all the mig/fluxcore jobs, the other is a party animal, laid back kind of guy that handles all the tig jobs. You would think these two would never be able to work together, yet between the two of them they get stuff done.Back to my mobile welding, Since I drive an abulance, and offer mobile repair welding I was thinking of making my slogan "Grimm Welding, for your welding emergencies." Is that too cliche'?
Reply:Originally Posted by 66myndhaha, thats interesting.  So I take it your more so in the erection business than fabricating lol.  How do build your clientele / advertise?
Reply:Originally Posted by PapaLionSheesh Oxy~ I just figured out what BDSM is, I lead a shelterd life  I kept trying to get zactlee what kinda welding that was?  Well "hot tip" I guess.
Reply:Oxy UR a strange dude, kool but strangeI see many of the ideas I have used or tried over the years.   Yellow page$$$$ are spendy.  what works easily and cheap is flyers.  Maybe flyers through  a light industrial area or a neighborhood that needs new fences and gates etc.  Growing can be directed at stabilty as easily as size. Let your growth be customer driven.  That really means to NOT buy every TIG welder U would like but rather be ready to take on the rebuilding of a swimming pool fence for a condo assn with the MIG welder ya got and can carry to the job.  Think like ~West Texas~ does.   Van Horn to Del Rio 262 miles. You live on a ranch 1/2 way down Texas State road 90 and then to near the Rio Grande another 25 miles on dirt to your place... UR 164 miles to "town".  You make do, what steel is laying in the scrap pile  is your materials, what welder ya got is your tool, Pliars spot welded shut around the fabrication is your clamp... Make do, wear it out.  Time enough for a new truck, just keep your old heap  clean and maintained and work. It'll come soon enough. relax and enjoy the ride,Last edited by PapaLion; 04-29-2010 at 11:55 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:pappa lion ive got a purbred blue heeler with a bentley mark as well a constant partnermiller maxstar 150   hobart handler 210 w mig conversion hobart 250 arc force plasma cutter    boston ind cutting torch miller performance auto darkening helmet milwalkee 14in chop saw 10,000 watt generator huge drill press and industrial band saw
Reply:Originally Posted by PapaLionOxy UR a strange dude, kool but strange
Reply:Originally Posted by PapaLionOxy UR a strange dude, kool but strangeI see many of the ideas I have used or tried over the years.   Yellow page$$$$ are spendy.  what works easily and cheap is flyers.  Maybe flyers through  a light industrial area or a neighborhood that needs new fences and gates etc.  Growing can be directed at stabilty as easily as size. Let your growth be customer driven.  That really means to NOT buy every TIG welder U would like but rather be ready to take on the rebuilding of a swimming pool fence for a condo assn with the MIG welder ya got and can carry to the job.  Think like ~West Texas~ does.   Van Horn to Del Rio 262 miles. You live on a ranch 1/2 way down Texas State road 90 and then to near the Rio Grande another 25 miles on dirt to your place... UR 164 miles to "town".  You make do, what steel is laying in the scrap pile  is your materials, what welder ya got is your tool, Pliars spot welded shut around the fabrication is your clamp... Make do, wear it out.  Time enough for a new truck, just keep your old heap  clean and maintained and work. It'll come soon enough. relax and enjoy the ride,another thing to think about is sitting down and doing the math and financials to figure out how much it will cost to do business (the legit way) all your expenses and things like that.  A lot of times in welding I've seen guys try to get in and undercut the big dawgs and find out that at $45/hr they are barely making payments on their equipment and truck and the likes and go under. It happens again and again.Another thing to think about  is trying figure out some niche or specialty that can set you apart. knew a family that had got into the fire truck repair business. They need work done too and very few if any mechanics could do the plumbing side. Now he's swimmin in money. Likewise I know a guy who got into doing dental tools. he would make custom picks and pins and clamps or whatever they call them. Dentists already make good money and are mostly independent businesses so they wouldn't mind shelling out $500-1K per tool.Just a thought, also a good idea is to survey your area and figure out what competition is in the area and how saturated the market it is. and who you're potential customers would be.  Business planning 101 I suppose.I've been toying with the idea of forming my own business for years. As a welding engineer with a good amount of welding and fabricating experience I thought about becoming a consultant/ emergency weld service provider.   I can do failure analysis, draft documentation and WPS, weld and inspect my own work. but I'm a little more comfy just working hard at my 9-5 and being happy with an engineers salary and no hustle and bustle of running my own outfit.Welding EngineerCertified Scrap Producer
Reply:mn welder  I got good friend, like for 35 years,  in  Harmony Mn pics ~ we wanna see pics of your blue heeler with the ice hanging off her nose, your biz partner>>Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools