Portable welding, need some advice please!

admin

Been doing quite a bit of welding and fabrication as side work over the last 6 years or so and was looking into setting up for mobile welding. Looking for an idea of what percent of your business is what....  For instance...50% is with 2 construction companies, 1 trucking company, and 1 container company (continuous repeat)  25% misc phone calls from phone book ad....and 25% from local referals.  And also what process...40% stick, 40% mig, 20% tig. I understand geographically that markets are different and what might work for one may not for another...just like to hear from a few people to compare and give me an idea.  Thanks!
Reply:What I weld seems to change all the time. (side work) If you were asking about suggestions, I'd look at a nice engine drive like a Bobcat. You have everything for stick that you would need and it will most likely run an existing mig from the gen set. The price for a bobcat isn't to bad to start with. A trailblazer is a lot more versitile machine but the price goes up.The little inverter machines like the maxstar or dynasty from miller will run from 110v for lighter work in stick/tig.My torches travel more than anything else I have. That and my 110v mig. I really regret not grabing a used engine drive machine when I had the spare cash. With out it I have to drag most stuff back to the shop rather than work on site.
Reply:Thanks, but actually looking for info on the marketing side.  I know if I put an ad in the phone book I will get misc calls but I don't think it will really amount to much income.  I was thinking that I would need to have a base of several customers that were repeat or steady work.  Just interested in knowing what others customer base is.  I know some may target construction, automotive, hospitals, food industries, manufacturing plants, etc, etc, as the main income and then the misc calls as a small portion.
Reply:I find the business rule of 80/20 to be true.  You do 80% of your business with 20% of your customers.  What YOU get into and what you are good at will determine what you get for customers.   For a while I did a lot of stainless in kitchens.  Resteronts, hospitals, old folks homes and like that.  I found it the hardest sector to get paid from, so I quit doing it.  I get a lot of good work on trailers, trucks and some equipment.  I also get small production jobs that pay the best.  Last year I did structural work on cell towers.  That was 25% of my annual income.  HUGE, but the company went away.Its all what you are into and  Who you know.  We all have "buddies" that want you to do a job that will only take you 5 minutes.   Now I tell em a buck a minute and do a nice job.  If they don't like it, they can find a new "buddy".Good luckDavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Thanks for the info! Anyone else?  Guess I'd just have to expect things to be slow for a while until I could get a base built up, hard to get the business first....and then the equipment.
Reply:I agree with David R on the 80 /20.. I have 4 steady customers.. I do mostly pipe .. In my area every body wants to fight over all the structural stuff , and they can have it.. I may drive a few extra miles for most of my work, but I know my customers will always have work for me too.
Reply:I get most of my work from a few customers, probably 60%. I used to advertise about 4 months out of the year split up into 2 month blocks and by the end of 2 months I would be 6 months behind. I quit doing it mostly because of all the squirrels I would get. They all think you should work for 100 bucks a day like all the illegals around here do. I have even had them call wanting to know if I did repairs for free.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Thanks, yeah I get the same thing in the shop.  I'll use the mig, tig, plasma, air compressor, a handfull of air tools, jack, jackstands, etc...and they expect to pay some crazy price like you used pliers and a coat hanger...