Start a business to hunt more?

[Brandon270]

For the past 6 1/2 years I've worked as an Ag. Mechanic/welder for a local dairyfarm. The pay has been good the bosses aren't too bad to work for but I work 6 days a week 60+ hours. I'm also tired of working on tractors, I barely get by trying to do diesel mechanic work. Needless to say there's very little time for family or hobbies. I work every holiday except Christmas and I only get 1 week of vacation a year.

My wife had gone back to school for the last three years and now after graduating accepted a job with full benefits for the whole family and a salary that's about 10k more than what I'm making that supported our family while she was in school.

I'm at a point now where I can leave my current job, but I'm tossing around the idea of starting my own business instead of looking for another job. I can either taking a fabrication shop job that pays 1/2-3/4 of what I'm making now but it would be mon-fri 8 hours a day and get holidays off, or I can put a welding rig together and try my hand at doing my own mobile welding business. I've been welding professionally for more than 10 years so the skillset is there, but my fear is keeping myself busy enough to make it worthwhile.

My question for those who have thier own business or tried it out, what suggestions or lessons from mistakes have you learned? I wouldn't have employees but dealing with licensing and insurance and billing can be a lot to deal with. I know in the beginning you have to bust butt trying to take on business to grow but once you get into a decent clientele it would be nice to have more time available for family as well as time to hunt not working for someone else.

My wife is all for me starting my own thing but I guess my pride in "supporting my family" is getting in the way of going for it.

 

[mdhunter]

I own my own business and work like a dog. Its both personally and financially rewarding however being a business owner is not for everyone. I would encourage you to try it, you can always shut it or sell it and go work for someone else if its not your thing.

 

[Jamen]

i started a small LLC this year. I still have my current job but slowly growing this business. After reading your post i think you answered all your own questions in there. The pros of having better hours, holidays off, more time with your family, more time for hobbies and a wife who supports that is a big green light to go for it. Like stated above sometimes with your own business you probably will be working like a dog to get it going and off the ground. One thing i struggle with is saying "no". i just looked at my calendar for the year and i have 3-4 free weekends from now til new years. Things vary from more work and weddings.

I am new to all the insurance and tax side of things. What can i write off what i cant. Id suggest talking with someone who has knowledge in this area, as well as what types of insurances you would need.

The nice part of working for yourself is you get back what you put in to it. i say you go for it! if it doesnt work out or if you dont like it you can always go back to working for someone else.

 

[KB_]

Dude, if you are a skilled welder, go for it. Setup a good cheap truck with a flatbed and install your welding rig an whatever else you need and freakin go for it. I think you will be surprised at how easy it is to stay busy.

If I could give any advice though. Try to get the business going and making money before you spend to much on your tools....(Fancy diesel dually truck). I say that because that is a mistake I see around here. People go purchase a brand new ford f350 or 450 and out fit it and end up with a 1500$ car payment . Since your a welder already you know exactly what you need for welding equipment and are likely not to over spend on something you don't need in that department.

Good Luck!

 

[Ben Lamb]

9 years as a small business owner. I've hunted less each year as work demands grow.

 

[Brandon270]

i started a small LLC this year. I still have my current job but slowly growing this business. After reading your post i think you answered all your own questions in there. The pros of having better hours, holidays off, more time with your family, more time for hobbies and a wife who supports that is a big green light to go for it. Like stated above sometimes with your own business you probably will be working like a dog to get it going and off the ground. One thing i struggle with is saying "no". i just looked at my calendar for the year and i have 3-4 free weekends from now til new years. Things vary from more work and weddings.

I am new to all the insurance and tax side of things. What can i write off what i cant. Id suggest talking with someone who has knowledge in this area, as well as what types of insurances you would need.

The nice part of working for yourself is you get back what you put in to it. i say you go for it! if it doesnt work out or if you dont like it you can always go back to working for someone else.

Any mistakes are roadblocks come up yet that you didn't expect?

 

[Brandon270]

9 years as a small business owner. I've hunted less each year as work demands grow.

That's one of my fears and a benefit to working for someone else, when you're off you're off.

 

[Treeshark]

My recommendation would be to take a normal job and start your business as a side gig, then grow for a few years to see if it’s full-time viable.

Its a lot easier to grow a business that is already somewhat organized than it is to start from scratch. A lot of stuff up front like creating an LLC, accounting stuff, payroll etc to get dialed in. You could do that while working a conventional job so that you can just focus on growth when you pull the trigger to go full time.

 

[Brandon270]

Dude, if you are a skilled welder, go for it. Setup a good cheap truck with a flatbed and install your welding rig an whatever else you need and freakin go for it. I think you will be surprised at how easy it is to stay busy.

If I could give any advice though. Try to get the business going and making money before you spend to much on your tools....(Fancy diesel dually truck). I say that because that is a mistake I see around here. People go purchase a brand new ford f350 or 450 and out fit it and end up with a 1500$ car payment . Since your a welder already you know exactly what you need for welding equipment and are likely not to over spend on something you don't need in that department.

Good Luck!

I'm probably going to put together a welding trailer instead of a truck. It's a little harder to get around on worksites but it's a cheaper way to start and if your truck is down all your tools and welder isn't stuck in a shop while it's being repaired.

 

[Brandon270]

My recommendation would be to take a normal job and start your business as a side gig, then grow for a few years to see if it’s full-time viable.

Its a lot easier to grow a business that is already somewhat organized than it is to start from scratch. A lot of stuff up front like creating an LLC, accounting stuff, payroll etc to get dialed in. You could do that while working a conventional job so that you can just focus on growth when you pull the trigger to go full time.

That's what I've been leaning towards doing

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

You have a great skill that cannot be outsourced! I hope this venture gets you more liberty with your time. Of course, you’ll dedicate more family time too. It is frustrating to us now to do that instead of hunt, but more important overall.

 

[Jamen]

Any mistakes are roadblocks come up yet that you didn't expect?

Like some have mentioned above, keeping your current job while you figure all the other stuff out is a safe idea. You still have income coming in while you figure the business aspect out. One mistake i make, i briefly mentioned it above is i have a hard time saying no to people. I end up taking on more work and thus having less free time. But as a new business starting out its hard to say no for me anyways to build up that list of clientele and the money coming in. i know people who own their own businesses and they work 7 days a week. I also know people who hunt every weekend and take a few weeks off during deer season.

Also as stated above, just buy what you actually need right away. Yes the fancy tools are nice and make jobs easier but you still want to be able to turn a profit at the end of the day. One thing i learned doing all this if you are good at what you do, if people trust you and your work as long as its not an emergency they will wait for you to have free time to do the jobs they want you to do. In this day and age there are a lot of scum bag business owners who cut corners and rush jobs through. Once people realize you are an honest and hard working person they will wait.

And the biggest thing i took away from doing this is charge what you are worth. I started out doing these side line jobs on the side and never started a business until this year and just worked for cash. I had a hard time charging people the going rates. I always under sold myself and my work at a cheap price. For reference i do car detailing, small catering events, process deer in the fall, and weed spraying for a paving company. i under sold myself on the car detailing i was 30-50% cheaper than what companies charge, looking back i wish i had not done that.

Best of luck to you! if you have questions shoot me a message i am not a business expert but if i can help i will!

 

[Ben Lamb]

That's one of my fears and a benefit to working for someone else, when you're off you're off.

It took me a while to come to terms with it, and it also took a few years to reconcile what owning a business versus personal free time means. You can set your own hours, etc and take time off when you want, but it has a way of coming back on you. Those first 5 years of building your business are going to be tough going both financially & in terms of hours put in. But it's also an amazing feeling to build that business and see the fruits of your labor.

If you go into building a business with the idea that you can do it part time, or have a lot of free time up front, you're not going to be successful. But, if it works right, then you'll reap the rewards of that hard work later. So make sure that's the acceptable path. You're still going to work 60's, but those will likely be the easy weeks.

 

[cedahm]

If you go into building a business with the idea that you can do it part time, or have a lot of free time up front, you're not going to be successful. But, if it works right, then you'll reap the rewards of that hard work later. So make sure that's the acceptable path. You're still going to work 60's, but those will likely be the easy weeks.

emphasis above is mine. It may work out that way longer term, but startup inertia is a real obstacle to a small business. Depending on the business model, you may operate in the red for some time, which is challenging for both your personal and professional lives.

it is extremely rewarding and can become quite lucrative and rewarding, but I have seen a lot of folks take their skills under their own shingle thinking they can just reap more of the rewards without realizing the years and decades of foundation building (marketing, operations, finance, low ‘salary’ for ownership, IT, etc) that their prior employer had invested. Not saying that’s you at all, but not an uncommon scenario.

 

[Akcabin]

You wrote that you are a professional. Do you have any welding certifications or welding licenses ?

 

[Wildabeest]

I’ll just add that it’s worth your while to invest some time upfront determining how to structure the business (ie. LLC vs. sole proprietorship, etc) and don’t commingle your personal and business finances. It may seem easier upfront to avoid all that, but as your business grows it becomes more and more difficult to unwind that which can create unforeseen tax, accounting and liability issues down the road. Time/money spent upfront with a local accountant specializing in small business is well worth it.

 

[Werty]

If you can save 6 months of estimated Bill's before you start your business, it will make life much easier. Good luck

 

[2rocky]

Build in a labor force...Don't make your income depend on you being there. Talk to local FFA programs with students who have completed a welding class and make them your apprentices. Yes you will have a lot of turnover. But when you find the one or more that you can rely on you can leave for a few days and not worry about missing opportunities.

By doing this you create a value in the business.
Not just you and your rig.

 

[Brandon270]

You wrote that you are a professional. Do you have any welding certifications or welding licenses ?

I have quite a few certifications in both structural welding as well as high pressing piping in multiple welding processes. I've found in past jobs that most people either don't care much about that or they retest/recertify you anyway. The main benefit to showing you're certified is that you're capable of passing a welding cert test if a company or job requires it.

 

[Carnage2011]

Go for it. It’s not easy and it will take a little time to build your name and clientele, but it’s very rewarding. Part of the reason I own a business is so that I can hunt more. The first few years I wasn’t able to do that as I was trying to build the business and take every job possible. Now I plan on hunting when the opportunity is there. I booked a sheep hunt last week that I’ll be leaving for in 12 days. It’s tough to do that when you are tied to a job. You won’t be able to take 3-4 months off to hunt, but it may afford you the time to hunt when opportunities show up unexpectedly.