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- Oct 7, 2016
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Hey everyone,
I am still very new here but wanted to start a progress thread for my Welding business (llc). After reading TMF my eyes have been opened and my mind spun 180 degrees and could not be more thankful for it. Also coming across @IceCreamKid and his thread on carpet cleaning and the blue collar possibilities of the fastlane.
I work a full time welding job during the day and run my business from my home shop at night and on weekends which ranges from repairing broken farm equipment to parts on motorcycles, to complete motorcycle builds ground up, machining and everything in between. I can not stand the thought of working for a company (slowlane) anymore and just being a number, so I have committed to start making changes to allow my adventure to the fastlane to begin!
Firstly I am eliminating some parasitic debt I have to allow me in this next year to walk away from my day gig. I can build budget custom motorcycles monthly to continue my current income at the very least, while most likely I will bring in more cash then that. (I hope) Ebay seems to get the most exposure and allows me to see what is selling and popular in the market.
Second I am reading and learning as much as possible about marketing because I really don't have a ton of customers. It goes from jamming to dead for weeks at a time. I now understand not to chase money but to solve problems and help peoples needs. I struggle to relate this to my job shop welding biz where I do a bunch of different fabrication and repair work rather then a simple niche that I could direct marketing efforts to.
My thought was I always wanted to build bikes for a living and have the welding shop to fund it. Which goes along with the "do what you love" thought that does not necessarily mean you will succeed.
There are no real custom bike shops in my area that do what I do (rake and stretch frames, fabricate hardtail conversions, machine wheel spacers and axles, hand make oil and and gas tanks etc.) That being said there are 4 welding/repair shops in my surrounding area. 1 is staying afloat, 1 is steady and 2 are slammed with work. 2 have no online presence while the other 2 do. These shops don't advertise other then the phone book and maybe a place mat at the local diner. It is by word of mouth and years and years of being around I assume.
One owner works at his shop 2 days a week while the other days his guys run it. I now see he has more than just wealth$ but wealth as in time to do what he wants the other part of his week. That is my goal to eventually have a group of hardworking employees I can trust to take care of my shop.
I have been browsing this website picking up on tips and nuggets here and there. It is a bit overwhelming for me to take it all in but I will continue to grow my knowledge and hopefully my business will benefit from it as well.
I hope this wasn't too long! Thanks for reading. I hope to contribute and help others when and where I can on here. I would be all ears to any suggestions or guidance, good or bad. Thanks in advance!
Eric
I am still very new here but wanted to start a progress thread for my Welding business (llc). After reading TMF my eyes have been opened and my mind spun 180 degrees and could not be more thankful for it. Also coming across @IceCreamKid and his thread on carpet cleaning and the blue collar possibilities of the fastlane.
I work a full time welding job during the day and run my business from my home shop at night and on weekends which ranges from repairing broken farm equipment to parts on motorcycles, to complete motorcycle builds ground up, machining and everything in between. I can not stand the thought of working for a company (slowlane) anymore and just being a number, so I have committed to start making changes to allow my adventure to the fastlane to begin!
Firstly I am eliminating some parasitic debt I have to allow me in this next year to walk away from my day gig. I can build budget custom motorcycles monthly to continue my current income at the very least, while most likely I will bring in more cash then that. (I hope) Ebay seems to get the most exposure and allows me to see what is selling and popular in the market.
Second I am reading and learning as much as possible about marketing because I really don't have a ton of customers. It goes from jamming to dead for weeks at a time. I now understand not to chase money but to solve problems and help peoples needs. I struggle to relate this to my job shop welding biz where I do a bunch of different fabrication and repair work rather then a simple niche that I could direct marketing efforts to.
My thought was I always wanted to build bikes for a living and have the welding shop to fund it. Which goes along with the "do what you love" thought that does not necessarily mean you will succeed.
There are no real custom bike shops in my area that do what I do (rake and stretch frames, fabricate hardtail conversions, machine wheel spacers and axles, hand make oil and and gas tanks etc.) That being said there are 4 welding/repair shops in my surrounding area. 1 is staying afloat, 1 is steady and 2 are slammed with work. 2 have no online presence while the other 2 do. These shops don't advertise other then the phone book and maybe a place mat at the local diner. It is by word of mouth and years and years of being around I assume.
One owner works at his shop 2 days a week while the other days his guys run it. I now see he has more than just wealth$ but wealth as in time to do what he wants the other part of his week. That is my goal to eventually have a group of hardworking employees I can trust to take care of my shop.
I have been browsing this website picking up on tips and nuggets here and there. It is a bit overwhelming for me to take it all in but I will continue to grow my knowledge and hopefully my business will benefit from it as well.
I hope this wasn't too long! Thanks for reading. I hope to contribute and help others when and where I can on here. I would be all ears to any suggestions or guidance, good or bad. Thanks in advance!
Eric
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