So i spent my life savings starting a small welding repair and fabrication company.
I bought a crossfire pro some decent welding machines and a shop. I did alot of advertising and tried to do everything right. Problem is their dont seem to be any demand for repair jobs and the ideas for the plasma that i thought would sell, really havent had alot of intrest with the public. I dont know what to do, im failing miserably.
Anybody have any ideas, i dont want to give up and close my doors!!!
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I think most successful welding and repair shops started as a hobby and gradually transitioned into a business as they built a reputation and client base.
As you’ve found, there is not much money to be made cutting and selling Etsy files. There are too many companies with large lasers that can churn those out for less than it costs you for metal.
You need to find something that people need and no one else is making. For me, that is making discontinued Jeep YJ exhaust hangers. I stumbled into that when a friend asked me to make one for him, because no one is making them. It’s certainly not enough to run a business, but it’s paid for the table and more.
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That is great you took a chance! I’m trying to do the same, slowly i’ll get there, I already have a decent cliental built up that only go to me for repairs but that won’t pay all the bills, just some. I feel like every business struggles, especially these days. Try to keep your head up and keep on keepin on buddy. What kind of welding are you doing? Have you checked into any semi truck companies? A lot of work can be found in semi trailer repair, use to work on them all the time and still get calls on them. Not sure where your located but maybe find some small trucker company to offer your service too?
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My advise, get a job and do your business after you get out of work. Then you can work on building your business and do have to rely on it to pay the bills. Have you ever had your own business?
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For the plasma side, you might try checking with local machine shops and see if they have any work they’d like to subcontract. Basically, you need to represent yourself as an employee and some equipment that they do not need to have in-house. It’s so hard for employers to find decent employees these days, you might get lucky and get some steady piece work.
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This may sound harsh but oh well. You’ve posted a couple times that you’re giving up and you only joined the forum on Jan 13th. Are you looking for someone to swoop in and save the day? You’ve already had guided assistance from the most knowledgeable people here.
It’s clear from your first few posts here that you had no idea what it would take to run the table and the design end of things. Either buckle down and get hustlin’ or manage your expectations. If you thought you’d buy a plasma table and print money with free files off the internet, well you’ve already seen that’s not the case.
If you approached starting a business the way you approached buying a plasma table, I’m willing to bet you overlooked a few critical elements of the process. Im not saying to give up, and I’m not saying you’ve made a mistake, but you need to make this decision yourself and take a good hard look at where you’re at before you cause damage that you can’t recover from.
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The majority of work I did for quite a few years came from one client, a restaurant owner renovating an existing location and opening more restaurants all different (not a chain). From steel table bases, security doors, railings, decorative beams, to a large steel patio enclosure and plenty more. I also did a large amount of higher end woodwork, tables, cabinetry etc. Business is built on relationships not storefront mentality. Then word of mouth and someone just walking up to you for more work begins to happen. I’ve never advertised for any of that work. After a while I had to tell people I just wasn’t available as a one man shop with only one additional helper on occasion. All of this was only half the work I did. For decades I have done professional photography for business clients.
Look up Maker Table, they are outside Nashville, TN. They started small making signs. Now they are growing so fast with huge clients and very large projects. Before I had a plasma table I used them to burn a stainless steel sign for a client, the price was insane for a 3 square foot sign, but they delivered a quality product and my client was happy. They have all the tools, a good size staff. You can see their work on Instagram. I am very impressed with what they have become and continue to grow. While they started as a store front, their work now is a lot of architectural steel work.
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