Well this is not the best time to start up But, You can rest assured of one thing. You cant get work without a rig. NO ONE will tell you "If you go out and put a Rig together , We will promise you work" It doesn't happen that way. First off Get your truck together. Then start beating the bushes. BUT, above all, Please make sure you are a good welder before you venture off into debt. You can loose your back side in a hurry if you can't do what you say you can and beleive me, word travels at the speed of light in this buis.
I'm trying what you are. Would like to get into the pipeline but right now staying local...ish doin' construction equipment, fence, gates, handrail etc. Cactus has a good point ain't nobody gonna promise you work. I've been dropping business cards all over the place tryin to drum up work(first year business-trying to get your name out). I'm not sure about how fast word travels with these guys/gals cause I've not worked with them, hopefully I'll run into some of them out there. But you have to make everything your best, at least that's what I tell myself. I'll have customers that are ok, thrilled with how it turned out and at times I won't be happy with how something looks even though they are thrilled. It was told to me once, your only as good as your last job. Even if someone wants me to half-azz something I really find it hard to do cause it still has my name on it. The next guy that see's it ain't gonna wonder what the owner/client wanted or told you to do, he's gonna be wondering what fool did this? And if it has your name on it you have now added an "Oh sh_t" against your "that a boy" list
good plan my motto is build it like you were building it for yourself some customers want you in and out cause of the money they are spending most appreciate a good job. Ihave done jobs where i didnt like how it looked so i took it down and redid customers get upset when you do this but my thing is if i dont like nobody is gonna like it and i dont charge for a redo i did on my own once you tell them they arent getting charged for the redo they change their mind real quick and it's good bussiness this may sound like a bad idea to some but i havent lost a customer yet
One thing is for sure, if you do get into pipeline work, your name goes on every weld you make (stencil) and even if you can make x-ray, if it looks like s#*t, then it normaly is s#*t. Or atleast thats what will be said about it, and mud sticks remember.
I know what you mean about the looks like sh@t. I've been out with the wife and happened across stuff and seen some welds and some have made me step back and go Ewww! My wife just looks at me funny.
Thanks guys. I'll make sure i think about all the things you are telling me before i go out and give this a try. Thanks again.
I will add that if the customer want you to scab together some junk so he can save a buck, walk away. Otherwise, when it falls apart he will tell anyone that will stand still that you did it..
yeah forgot aboutthat part but have to be nice to them and explain that you dont do work that way becuse you have a reputible bussiness
Sorry, I forgot to add that part!
here is how I get them to stop telling me how to do it
You call me out its 50 bucks an hr., tell me how to do it 65 bucks, help me do it 75 bucks. same people say dont use those 1/8 rods, use those big rods they hold more. hehehe