Small Businesses

[IrishDave]

I didn't take insurance into account maybe its for the best not to accept a job like this for the moment. If I made the gate and the spark took care of the electrical part of the job would his certs cover it?

 

[IrishDave]

I take it I need a registered business before I can get PLI?

 

[IrishDave]

I must say I am glad I found this forum without this advice things could have went very wrong over this one job. I'm going to need to start thinking these things through. Maybe for now just stick to the jobs I know won't come back to bit me I don't think I'm ready to register a business and what not this seems like quiet a big jump

 

[Robotstar5]

Then if you want to do anything structural you've got to consider BS EN 1090

 

[IrishDave]

All I can say is I wish I had listened more in my business studies class back in school haha. This is gonna take time to learn the ins and outs of business when I say ins and outs I mean trying to cover myself from getting screwed over by our legal system. Guys if you all don't mind I think I'm going to be coming here often for advice on this sort of thing right now though I need sleep work tomorrow.

 

[Kent]

Don't discount doing farming jobs I started that way and they paid ok. Live in a rural area and your work is going to be rural. If it's only farms nearby then that's the work to start with. A lot of stuff I was doing was because they were buying cheap gates made from paper and they were buckling. I was making them heavier and nearly as cheap and something that would hold an elephant in. Remember they have money coming in every year without fail and you can't weld everything with a stick welder

So your doing proper gates for nearly as cheap as the cheap imports out of the thinnest stuff imaginable
How the heck did you make any money? If we work on you needing £100 min for labour and overheads per gate it don't leave much for steel and galv before your double the cost. Trying to pull even a 25 k wage is nearly impossible and if your gates are any good they should last twenty years or more
Compare that with a gate for someone in town across thier drive and it's a no brainer

 

[Kent]

Then if you want to do anything structural you've got to consider BS EN 1090

You know I am doing a job presently and spoke to the building inspector in the area about this. He said he couldn't care less about it as regards sign off. He was very confident in my work and the design met his tick boxes
It surprised me but to be honest this is what you get from interfering with stuff that never needed fixing

 

[Keith 66]

I started my first business in 84 & ran it for 15 years, at the time i was offered a 1500 sq ft workshop on a local farm at a rent that couldnt be refused.
As a small boatbuilder i did all sorts of work, grp repairs, the odd new build in grp & wood plus restoration work. I got a good reputation but it was always feast or famine normally the latter! Even though i was often busy it was seasonal & paying the rent was always a worry. In the end the council caught up with us & business rates killed it.
I restarted 5 years ago doing rather more specialised stuff but have finally called it a day. I had a workshop with reasonable rent but that went up threefold & that was that.
I would echo many of the comments, if you charge cheap prices, you will only get work from those with short arms & deep pockets or people with no money.
If you need premises you had better be earning loads of money else you will spend your days earning the landlord money.
Plus you cant eat karma & it dont pay the bills.

 

[NickyEng]

Don't discount doing farming jobs I started that way and they paid ok. Live in a rural area and your work is going to be rural. If it's only farms nearby then that's the work to start with. A lot of stuff I was doing was because they were buying cheap gates made from paper and they were buckling. I was making them heavier and nearly as cheap and something that would hold an elephant in. Remember they have money coming in every year without fail and you can't weld everything with a stick welder

Yep I do some farming work to supplement my boat work. They always pay me no problem (say their skint and in a six figure overdraft - I just humour and say welcome to my world) but I don't have the hassle I have with Boat owners who many are just living in spam Valley and can't afford it, the ones who can argue over every penny since a boat is a luxury and they want the toy but dont want to pay for it.
I am really in the wrong industry as a marine engineer and would prefer the farm, hydraulic and fabrication stuff all the time. I also have no income in the winter from boats as it's seasonal and need To rely on my hydraulic hose work mainly.
I am also going in with a mate on his workshop so we can do bigger machines etc and eventually screw the boats back to the minimum since the majority of the owners are certifiable anyway, they don't go near the thing all year then they decide to go out for the day and boat won't start surprisingly. Then they call you at all hrs of the day and won't leave you alone, won't wait in a queue so end up telling them to **** off as I haven't got the patience with them anymore.

 

[NickyEng]

I am in my fourth year of self employment and so far have done so without needing money from the bank. I initially set up with £6k and I now rent a 1500ft workshop, have 2 vans, 8 welding machines and plenty other tools and equipment. This is my first year that I have decided to advertise to expand further but so far it has been word of mouth that has kept me going. I, like most people on this forum will pride them selves on the finished article and believe that is what got me where I am. Don't get me wrong, I am no where near where id like to be and I don't have a big house or fancy car, I go home everynight in one of my vans or push bike but at least I know I am doing something right that will hopefully come to fruition soon (when I say fruition I mean where I can leave my staff to work on the shop floor and I can spend my time in the office watching the money come in, at the moment I run around like a headless chicken trying to do both) but if not, I can sell everything, get a job and have a big chunk of cash in the bank.

Obviously don't turn work down but also don't do it for nothing, I used to be a busy idiot until I realised my worth and now I couldn't be happier.

Good luck

What is it you do mate, heavy production fabrication? Sounds like you you are doing very well.

 

[IrishDave]

So I think I will forget about a that gate for now a friend of mine has told me to start of small making bits and pieces like portable washing line and that sort of thing I don't really now anything else people would be crying out for.

 

[F.J.]

What is it you do mate, heavy production fabrication? Sounds like you you are doing very well.

Thanks pal, I repair heavy plant and their attachments. I also repair cherry pickers and scissor lifts and work closely to a contract company to Peel holdings working on the Manchester Ship Canal fabricating or repairing anything down the stretch of the canal. I learnt how to tig weld and now repair tanker trailers and fabricate flanges for pipe work.
I love what i do and find working on big dirty heavy equipment a pleasure as there doesnt seem to be many around that can do it on site as i can.
Some jobs come in that i have to fabricate from scratch like demo spec cab guards and boxing rings but probably my best bespoke job has been a spiral staircase that i made and erected in our local fully restored rail way station. I loved this job because it was way out my league and a massive learning curve. All the other welding firms round my way turned it down because they had never done one before but i never say no to a challenge

 

[IrishDave]

Lovely job sir

 

[F.J.]

Lovely job sir

Thanks, from starting out welding patches on cars i moved onto converting trucks then naturally moved onto machines and thats where i see myself staying. although i dont say no to anything if i can

 

[IrishDave]

I wish our local station went with that sort of style when it got renovated. Its very modern now, nothing wrong with that but I prefer that style much more. How long have you been doing this work for?

 

[F.J.]

I wish our local station went with that sort of style when it got renovated. Its very modern now, nothing wrong with that but I prefer that style much more. How long have you been doing this work for?

Ive been welding since i was 15 when i started my apprenticeship building and repairing commercial vehicles. I did that for 10-11 years then spent 4 years as an NVQ Assessor which i hated but as it was flexi time i managed to keep my hand in and build quite a few jobs converting 7.5 ton box trucks into beaver tail recovery wagons and other repair jobs. Through those jobs i just got busier and busier until i decided the time was right to hand my notice into the college and to go on my own. It was very hard when i first started and to fill in the empty days i would do freelance assessing and teaching but now i have enough work for me and some staff, although at the moment i am back to being a one man band due to the staff i had not being good enough and i sacked the last guy just last week.
If you are good and most of all confident, you can make it work. One thing i learnt, and it was actually from Arnold Swatzeneggar and one of his motivational speeches and it was simply 'Dont be afraid to fail'

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

One thing i learnt, and it was actually from Arnold Swatzeneggar and one of his motivational speeches and it was simply 'Dont be afraid to fail'

^^Like^^
Nothings a failure if you learn something from it.

 

[steve t]

FJ did you find it a big leap from working on your own to employing someone? Think I would struggle letting someone else do the work and would have sleepless nights worying about cash flow to pay them, I have a lad labouring now and again and that can be bad enough.

 

[IrishDave]

Ive been welding since i was 15 when i started my apprenticeship building and repairing commercial vehicles. I did that for 10-11 years then spent 4 years as an NVQ Assessor which i hated but as it was flexi time i managed to keep my hand in and build quite a few jobs converting 7.5 ton box trucks into beaver tail recovery wagons and other repair jobs. Through those jobs i just got busier and busier until i decided the time was right to hand my notice into the college and to go on my own. It was very hard when i first started and to fill in the empty days i would do freelance assessing and teaching but now i have enough work for me and some staff, although at the moment i am back to being a one man band due to the staff i had not being good enough and i sacked the last guy just last week.
If you are good and most of all confident, you can make it work. One thing i learnt, and it was actually from Arnold Swatzeneggar and one of his motivational speeches and it was simply 'Dont be afraid to fail'

That's cool man where did you work as an assessor I'm actually on my level 3 at the moment can't wait to finish it haha would prefer to be working. Do you not have trouble finding people with the same drive in this field to work for you? a lot of guys in my class just want to work all day party the rest and with that their work suffers well I think so anyway. As for the quote I would live by it but its my family members are more afraid for me taking risks than I am myself

 

[Brad93]

Don't give up everything and try and go at it alone. You'll end up in debt. Like I did. Still paying it back. Need a good 10k behind you to start up I would say.