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I finally did it. I quit my job.

peckham4

Aluminum
Joined
Feb 17, 2005
Location
Castle Hayne, NC 28429
I finally did it. I quit my job and I am starting my own business building custom machines. It’s kind of scary not knowing where the work or money is going to come from but it’s a risk I have to take. Owning my own business has always been a dream of mine. I now have the opportunity to do just that and I don’t want to waist it. Now it’s time to do some sales. So let’s see I need a website, brochures, Logo, ad in the yellow pages. So much to do.
 
I sure hope you have some work in hand. All the frills (ads, brochures, web pages blah blah) can come after the work is in hand.

John
 
So let’s see I need a website, brochures, Logo, ad in the yellow pages. So much to do.
My hat's off to you. I think I would have had a lot more of this set up (along with John's feelings, too, about having work in hand) before jumping in with both feet. I wish you the best of luck with it.

Mark
 
The short answer is yes. But how much do you think is enough to start a business. In years past I have done about 10-20K a year. Not to bad considering working only after hours and no sales at all. I will need much much more then that now.

Pete
 
I'd have thought that all those things would have come before quitting your day job
We had a cash supply of 8 months when we stepped off the deep end. Depending on where you are I might even recomend more than that.
Get into networking and tell everyone you know what you are doing
I never meet someone without telling them what I do. They may not need what I do but I'll bet they know someone that does...
Get some business cards and get into the yellow pages
I wouldn't have thought it but hte yellow pages have done very well as an advertising tool for us
Jim
 
Personally I think the yelow pages are a waste of time and money. I have had an ad under "Machine Shops" for over five years and all I get is calls from dorks wanting cylinders bored or heads refinished.

Since I am now semi retired, I have discontinued all advertising. I have not noticed any slowdown of work because of it.

You have to be on the web, but I think a web site is only useful if you have a complete product to sell. I do business with only my e mail add'y.

Never underestimate the power of mouthworks. Be a Bullshipper, talk to everyone. You will get more hot leads that way than any other. Some guy always knows some guy who wants machine work done. That is how you get in the right place at the right time.

When the edge hits the metal, everything is technical, otherwise all businesses are social. You can have consumate machinist skills but if you are a social animal you will have what is really needed to succeed.
 
That's an interesting point about yellow pages. I get a fair amount of auto work requests. I tell em I don't do that repair stuff but I'll make em most anything. I always tell em who to go see in town and have had some call back when they wanted something made.
We have the Navy here, an dthey (and contractors) have found me in the yellow pages.
I picked up a VERY lucerative project because they found me in the yellow pages.
Go figure...
Jim
 
What kind of custom machines?

Different businesses require different approaches... For example, yellow pages would do nothing for me.
 
Personally I think the yelow pages are a waste of time and money. I have had an ad under "Machine Shops" for over five years and all I get is calls from dorks wanting cylinders bored or heads refinished.
I would tend to agree . It seems that a yellow page ad will generate calls from every imagineable directory wanting to sell you advertizing in there fine publication.
On the other hand if you have had success generating revenue with a yellow pages ad by al means go with what works.
 
So let’s see I need a website, brochures, Logo, ad in the yellow pages. So much to do.
Forget the Thrills & Chills. That type of
Marketing will get you nowhere.
The International Business School of Hard Knocks
will teach you that in this industry, you will
be throwing away what little working capital
you have, with no ROI.
You would do better to invest in a good pair
of shoes, four good tires, and a tank of gas,
a pack of breath mints, a pocket hair comb,
and start banging on every door you can imagine.
It's the only way to do it, remember you also
have a lot of competition out there, and your
going to have to sell yourself. You, your skills,
and abilities, are what you have to Market, your
CREDIBILITY. Then once you have established that,
you can market your custom machine tools.
Not trying to disillusion you, but your
competition, will be fierce, they will try their
best to bring you down, to destroy your
credibility, to destroy the new kid on the block!
Starting a business any one can do, look AMWAY,
but to build a business, from the ground up,
takes guts, suffering, and endurence. Best spend
your money on the tooling, you'll never have
enough, take what ever work you can do and charge
accordingly, we all have to pay our dues. Need
financing, make a viable business plan. No bank
or finacial institution will finance your business
without one. If your turned down, try,try again &
again. Stat's are for every 100 you aproach, 80
will turn you down, 20 will give you their
attention.
Jim
 
I've found that having a logo is useful. It doesn't have to be fancy, but something to put on business cards and letterheads lends a bit of credibility to new ventures.
 
GHAWDD!

If you are going to do a logo and want it to be on your letter head and business cards, seek the advice of a graphic designer if you aren't one.

Then have the letter heads, envelopes and business cards printed by a real-life commercial printer.

Nothing will make your outfit look more like a ham and egger shop than anything done with stay at home computer software.

Everybody knows what you have done 'cuz they all have computers themselves.

For heaven's sake it's the same as going out on a sales call wearing muddy shoes, having your hair mussed up and sporting a Zoot Suit!
 
If you are going to do a logo and want it to be on your letter head and business cards, seek the advice of a graphic designer if you aren't one.
Well said, Jim.

That's exactly what I did. I did a small job for a guy, making parts for his motorcycle. Turned out he was a graphic designer. He "paid" me by doing my logo. I "re-paid" him by having a link (and a credit) to his design site right next to the logo on my site.

I also tried those DYI business cards, too. What a joke. Nothing like a professional job to look professional, yourself.

Mark
 
What kind of custom machines?
Basically any type of automated equipment. No custom choppers or mill rebuilding here. I have been practically successful with hydraulics and presses (powered metal). Some of my “side jobs” have been automated pin stamping machine to put part numbers on parts. A part blow off retrofit to an existing machine, which solved a customer’s problem with coolant on their floors. I have built over a dozen workstations for one customer who does laser engraving. I would also love to find some rebuild jobs.

Pete
 
Unless I'm reading you wrong, it sounds like most of your potential customer base would be within a few hours driving distance.

Besides canvassing local manufacturing companies, I would check in with machinery dealers. Many times a dealer will have a request from a potential customer for automated tooling to go with a new or existing machine. For an incentive they will sometimes package your tooling with a new machine.

Unless Wilmington has more shops than I would suspect, I doubt a sizable yellow page ad would help. Small one perhaps. A free listing with a business phone might be enough. Watch cash flow.. Once you sign up for yellow pages you must pay or lose your phone.

Since you are close to the water, you might want to check in with the marinas in your area. Some of the boat people like to automate things on an expensive boat and have the money to pay. Even if not automation, some special boat stuff can be pretty lucrative.

If you can get satisfied customers to agree to let you use them as references and put same in writing for a brochure or ad, that helps a lot.

Among others, I have written permission to use The Timken Company (the bearing people) as a reference. Like word of mouth on a big scale. Check my website for a permitted use of a reference by Hutchinson Technology. Get permission in writing, with the specific wording of their statement.

Live cheap to invest in your business... Cash flow is KING.

I could go on and on, but I need to get some work done too. More later if you want it.
 
After 25 years of construction mixed with working every little fab shop in the area I decided that I was just too contrary to work for someone else anymore. I took my 40 x 60 hobby shop and started accepting jobs that I wouldn't ordinarily take because of my 9-5.

Do good work and work will come to you. None of the local guys here have to advertise at all. If you get slow walk into a larger shop and ask for sub work. Lots of those guys love to shed the scraps to us littl'uns.

I use the "home computer" software and my home shares the business line. I have all the work I want. Last year I kept 4 employees working.
I don't try to impress anyone with what I drive or wear. Loans are short term and ONLY when returns are guaranteed! One of my mentors once said: "People buy things they don't need - with money they don't have - to impress people they don't like"

I have close friends who are into the "big business" and they have no time, ulsers, and debt. My usable income rivals theirs.

The ultimate goal is to be happy.

It helps tremendously to have a wife with good healthcare insurance. If you have half a brain you can always get another public job. I bounced back and forth for a few years before finally burning the bridge. No Regrets, SCOTT
 
I do a lot of field installation of telecom equipment (fiber optics, satellite, microwave, etc) and I have spent 30-40k on machine shops just from looking in the yellow pages. Near our office I have an idea who to call, but out in the field I hit the yellow pages.

Lots of it is simple high profit stuff like building brackets. If they do a good job, I may give them work if I need a similar piece on a future site.

Now, I don't care how big the ad is, but if it implies they do my kind of work, I'll give them a call. If it implies they are mostly a CNC operation or automotive machine shop I wont. Also if I see the term millwright, I get the idea that they are used to doing what ever it takes to get the job done. ie some holes may be drill and reamed, some may be torched.

Also I would want the ad to mention both your name and company name. So if I remember Bob was in my office telling me what he can do, I can match it up with Bob Smith, Owner of BS Machining.

The add could be as simple as

BS Machining
Machining * Machine Design
Millwright Services * Hydraulics and Pneumatics
Bob Smith, Owner NPA-NXX-XXXX
 
check out guru.com for the logo work. its basically a big RFQ site. ive used them before and done work off it before, pretty good if you are careful who is doing the work.
 








 
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