I've decided to go into business for myself (been there before ...) building window bars and A/C surrounds . I've checked a few local fabricators , and I can beat their prices by a pretty fair margin . Nothing fancy , just basic security bars . Just returned from the steel yard with a load of stock for fabricating samples ... Getting laid off last week might be a blessing !
-- Snag When times get tough , break-ins go up ... are YOU protected ?
Good luck!
If your e mail addy is good, I can send you a few basics on the major things to watch for, or post them here.
BTDT. Check for the local fire laws on releases, and where they are required. You can get in a boatload of trouble for that. All the rest of the stuff is small stuff you can solve or negotiate. If some gets fried to a crisp, you'll be neck deep in it, and the FD investigators and insurance agents will be crawling in your front yard at first light.
I did what you did when I left the hotel. Never looked back. Had my contractor's license in two months. There's a lot of advice here, so ask as you go along. Dance within the lines and be safe.
Terry, I have thought about doing the same thing. Down in Houston there is a company named S&S Steel Supply. They market a line of steel bars that have been worked by various blacksmithing techniques. These elements can be used to make custom looking bars, windows, and stair case ballustrades. I don't remember the name of the line. But it's an Italian company if my memory serves me. I think S&S has a web page showcasing this stuff.
Vernon
The forged iron products are sold by Indital.
Ernie. Yup. That's the liine. Thanks. It's like pullin' a grass burr outta my head. V
Gotta be careful with those grass burrs . We had a cat once , one got embedded in it's butt , caused an abcess . Glad yours was removed in time ! And thanks , Ernie , I'll check those products out . Not likely to need them in the market sector I'm shooting at , but ya never know !
snipped the advice ... after I printed it !
EXCELLENT !! Thanks Steve .
Do some homework. Who is your competition? What's the market?
If you have a lot of guys doing this where you are at, but not doing it well, that's a good thing. Like you said, if you can beat their prices, do it, but you don't have to do it by much. Example, if they charge $200, and you can make money at $100, charge $150 and don't walk away from the $50. Don't do free work for anyone. Charge what it's worth, and I'd start with a $50 minimum and a $75 hourly rate. I said start, because you can always negotiate. Just don't come down too far or you might as well take a nap or go fishing. No sense to work all day for gas and supplies.
Look at the market around you. Go ask businesses, apartment projects, property management companies, shopping centers, etc, if they are happy with their present providers. I got one property management company that put me in business with seven apartment projects and when I sold out, I had 275. Most all of them said the welders did a crappy job if they showed up at all, and charged $300 for an hours work. Treat them square and you'll keep them.
Stick with the "gravy work." Those are quick easy good paying jobs. Particularly cash. I could make more money fixing some gate that some poor welder cobbed together than I could by making the whole gate. There's a need for portable repair, particularly now when people want to repair instead of replace. If you have to spend time figuring out and designing a solution, charge for that, too. If they knew how to do it, they would hand you the plans. That also is worth money, so don't give it away.
Barter when you can. Sometimes you get twice the value than what you would get in money. I have fixed those cart return rails for many a shopping center, and those managers hand out those gift certs pretty loosely, and they're just like cash. Mom likes them, too.
If you trade work, do it full retail for full retail.
Don't fall for the carrot and donkey trick. "I got more work for you if you will do this job at a cut rate." Negotiate each job like you will never sell that customer again. Most of those guys never come back with the "good" or "big" work.
Keep your truck stocked. Going to the hardware store or welding supplier will blow a four hour no profit hole in your day. Alarm your truck.
Employees are the kiss of death. Do everything you can by yourself, and stay a one man operation as long as you can.
Use proposal sheets. They help you remember what you quoted for a job. If the guy is a real pain, put a star on your copy, and know to refuse to do the work, or that this guy is going to be a pain in the nuts. If they complain about the price, they will pick you apart on everything else. Careful about this until you understand the rules about contracting. You may have to offer to do the work for $$ per hour, but when you quote a fixed price, it goes from handyman classification to contract (offer and acceptance) and you may need the license for that.
I'd save the money and get the contractor's license anyway, as the jobs you can snag will pay for it quickly. It lets you run with bigger dogs.
GET DEPOSITS on custom work. I got 50/50.
Avoid the urge for nice new shiny trucks. Poor boy it. Used trucks and used welders perform nearly as well as new ones. Fully paid for ones seem to run even better. To customers new shiny expensive means this guy is going to charge a lot. Look good, and get some shirts from work clothes suppliers with company name and yours on it.
Get right and stay right with the authorities. Start out with small licenses, like handyman for your city. Post your sales tax bond, and learn how to pay the least on there. In some states, labor is not taxable, or you can just pay use tax up front, and not have to break the sales down at the end of the month. Your contractor's license will present itself. If you are turning down work because you don't have one, get one. If you're just doing hourly handyman work, don't get one.
GET WORKERS COMP. You can somewhat manipulate the money you pay yourself, and that will be in the 10% range, a lot. But have your wife work as a secretary, her rate will be 1/20th of yours because she isn't exposed to anything more than a paper cut. Save$ $$. It is really cheap insurance on you, and if you have a helper, it can save your bacon if he gets hurt. Some jobs won't let you on property without it. It will open the doors to the vault.
This is a lot, and it's a sequence, and not things to be done all at once. First thing is to get ringing the cash register, pass out some cheap cards, investigate the market and competition, go ask about licenses telling them "you're thinking of doing this" and not actually doing it. Usually city licenses are fairly cheap. State Contractors Boards USUALLY will let you off with a warning or two, but check your state. I got a steel erection contractor's license, and only had to take the office management part of the test. NOT ONE question of welding, nor did I have to provide certs! Had them, though.
I'm ready to hook up the old SA200 and try to go out and find some work, too. But you just have to be selective, or else you have to go full boat and get all the licenses and stuff. Don't forget that you can pick up and deliver, and not have to have the on job exposure that site production involves.
HTH
You can do it. Just try to do it within the lines so some gummint geek doesn't trip you up.
Steve
Terry, I have thought about doing the same thing. Down in Houston there is a company named S&S Steel Supply. They market a line of steel bars that have been worked by various blacksmithing techniques. These elements can be used to make custom looking bars, windows, and stair case ballustrades. I don't remember the name of the line. But it's an Italian company if my memory serves me. I think S&S has a web page showcasing this stuff.
Vernon
S&S handles Indital, IIRC.
Steve
Snazzy when powdercoated. Makes some purty stuff!
Steve
Mebbe not, but those high end jobs bring in good bucks. There are a couple of locals here, one of them
Steve
Terry,
Notwithstanding the gum gnashing gnay sayers a small business is always entirely viable if you get down and dig in your heels. But there's no reason not to go for the higher end market. After all, they have more money, which is what you want. That Indital stuff is very nicely done. V.
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