What does having a welding business involve?

admin

I just got in from the day...while some of you lucky ducks were slacking, I was working -- and most of it non-paying.  On a Saturday.  Tomorrow I'll be back at work on a paying job at 8 a.m.I want to put out a list of what sorts of things are fair game for this subforum.  I'm cheating and copying this list from the old sticky, but it's good info and nothing has changed as far as relevance.  Questions about any of this stuff are what I and other business owners are here for, and this forum isn't just for newbies, it's also for peer-to-peer questions and head-scratching.Cut and paste follows below this line.  Enjoy!1) Insurance2) Salesmanship3) Estimating4) Licensing5) Taxes6) Vendors7) Customers8) Safety9) Personal Finance10) Business Finance11) Regulations12) Invoicing13) Accounts Receivable14) Accounts Payable15) Bookkeeping Programs16) Short, Medium, and Long-Range Goals / Planning17) Flexibility18) Business Life Cycle19) Balancing Business vs Life20) Hours Worked: Reality Check21) Gross vs Net: Reality Check22) Likelihood of Getting Rich: Reality Check23) Dealing with Employees24) Handling Screw-Ups25) Judging Readiness to Jump In by Questions Being Asked26) "I'm starting my own business, what welder should I buy?"27) Working in the Residential Sector28) Overhead, Fixed and Variable29) "How much should I charge?"30) Working for Friends31) Business Classes, Are They Dumb?32) "Should I blindly trust business advice given on the interwebz?"33) "Who is Stick-Man, and why does he steal from tbone550?"34) Working for Farmers35) Net 60, or, "Why don't I have my money yet?"36) 2%10/Net 30, or, "Why should I pay some of my bills promptly?"37) "Why do you guys own your own businesses if all you do is complain?"38) "It's 12:05 a.m., why is tbone550 typing this crap instead of sleeping?"39) Vacation Time40) Sick Time41) Personal Time42) How to Quit Working for the Man Without Burning Bridges43) Politeness: Is it Important?44) Skill at Welding vs Skill at Business45) The Golden Rule Applied to Business46) Mobile Work vs Shop Work47) Timeliness48) Hiring and Firing49) Drug Testing50) USDOT and Other Regulations on Mobile Welders51) How to Figure Break-Even Points52) Buying Equipment: Used vs New, Basic vs High-Tech53) Understanding Your Market Segment54) Advertising, or, "Did I just smell a Unicorn Fart?"55) Reputation, or, "What you do and say Matters."56) How to Deal with your Competition57) Doing More with Less, or, "Was my old boss right sometimes after all?"58) Why Isn't the Grass Greener Over Here?59) Statistics, or, "Figures don't lie, but liars figure."60) End of the Year Quandary: Spending to "Save" Tax Money61) Emergency Funds62) Risk vs Risk Aversity in a Business Owner63) Cash Flow, or, "Will I eat today?"64) Budgeting vs Blowing Money on Frivolous Crap65) Retirement Savings, or, "Do I want to be doing this when I'm 80?"66) Entrance and Exit Strategies
Reply:tbone55, How you doing these days?"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by tbone550I just got in from the day...while some of you lucky ducks were slacking, I was working -- and most of it non-paying.  On a Saturday.  Tomorrow I'll be back at work on a paying job at 8 a.m.I want to put out a list of what sorts of things are fair game for this subforum.  I'm cheating and copying this list from the old sticky, but it's good info and nothing has changed as far as relevance.  Questions about any of this stuff are what I and other business owners are here for, and this forum isn't just for newbies, it's also for peer-to-peer questions and head-scratching.Cut and paste follows below this line.  Enjoy!1) Insurance2) Salesmanship3) Estimating4) Licensing5) Taxes6) Vendors7) Customers8) Safety9) Personal Finance10) Business Finance11) Regulations12) Invoicing13) Accounts Receivable14) Accounts Payable15) Bookkeeping Programs16) Short, Medium, and Long-Range Goals / Planning17) Flexibility18) Business Life Cycle19) Balancing Business vs Life20) Hours Worked: Reality Check21) Gross vs Net: Reality Check22) Likelihood of Getting Rich: Reality Check23) Dealing with Employees24) Handling Screw-Ups25) Judging Readiness to Jump In by Questions Being Asked26) "I'm starting my own business, what welder should I buy?"27) Working in the Residential Sector28) Overhead, Fixed and Variable29) "How much should I charge?"30) Working for Friends31) Business Classes, Are They Dumb?32) "Should I blindly trust business advice given on the interwebz?"33) "Who is Stick-Man, and why does he steal from tbone550?"34) Working for Farmers35) Net 60, or, "Why don't I have my money yet?"36) 2%10/Net 30, or, "Why should I pay some of my bills promptly?"37) "Why do you guys own your own businesses if all you do is complain?"38) "It's 12:05 a.m., why is tbone550 typing this crap instead of sleeping?"39) Vacation Time40) Sick Time41) Personal Time42) How to Quit Working for the Man Without Burning Bridges43) Politeness: Is it Important?44) Skill at Welding vs Skill at Business45) The Golden Rule Applied to Business46) Mobile Work vs Shop Work47) Timeliness48) Hiring and Firing49) Drug Testing50) USDOT and Other Regulations on Mobile Welders51) How to Figure Break-Even Points52) Buying Equipment: Used vs New, Basic vs High-Tech53) Understanding Your Market Segment54) Advertising, or, "Did I just smell a Unicorn Fart?"55) Reputation, or, "What you do and say Matters."56) How to Deal with your Competition57) Doing More with Less, or, "Was my old boss right sometimes after all?"58) Why Isn't the Grass Greener Over Here?59) Statistics, or, "Figures don't lie, but liars figure."60) End of the Year Quandary: Spending to "Save" Tax Money61) Emergency Funds62) Risk vs Risk Aversity in a Business Owner63) Cash Flow, or, "Will I eat today?"64) Budgeting vs Blowing Money on Frivolous Crap65) Retirement Savings, or, "Do I want to be doing this when I'm 80?"66) Entrance and Exit Strategies