Trying to get a 250EX System...

[blasphemy000]

Well in the last week my mother has been helping me start a welding business. Just a couple days ago I got an email notification that my business application was approved by the state of PA and that I would be receiving paper copies of my sales tax license and business license in the mail with in 7-10 days. Very excited about this. (This is not my first time owning a business, I owned/operated a computer repair and sales shop out of my house a few years back and did really well for myself.) My in-laws just finished building a large 2-bay garage and gave me the green-light to use 1/2 of the garage as my workshop/place of business. Hooray for free work space. So, since my business application was approved and my mother and I now officially own a business, "George's Welding & Repair," we applied for a lease of a PowerTIG 250EX, PowerCool W300 Water cooler, the USA-Made foot pedal, the 25f. WP20 torch, and a Strongman welding helmet(Everlast is out of the Fabricator model), and thanks to Oleg for the great price quote he gave us. We received notice that our lease could only be approved with a cosigner since our business effectively has NO credit. We've gotten a couple people to agree to cosign for us so we will be faxing in that paperwork on Monday morning to try and get this ball rolling again. I guess I just wanted to tell my hopeful story so that people could wish us luck in our new business venture, and hopefully our lease will be approved and I will be able to start posting pictures of the jobs I will be doing very soon!

Also, there are a small handful of welding shops around my area but given this fact, I still think that I will be able to easily get business. Half of the welding shops in my area only take on large welding projects for other companies and flat out refuse to do any work for individuals, and the other half of them that will take on small welding jobs either don't have the equipment to weld aluminum or they just refuse to do it. I built a Turbo-Charged Dodge Shadow back in 2006 and I needed to have a custom intake manifold welded up and none of the shops in my area would take on the project. I did all the fabrication work myself, even properly prepped the parts so all that needed done was the welding itself. I ended up having to send the parts of the manifold to a friend in Texas that welded it up for me and sent it back. This is the niche that I am looking to fill with my welding shop. Small projects for individuals, aluminum work, and other repair work.

Also, please note, I do know my skill-set and I am well aware of my own limitations when it comes to my welding skills. I will NOT be taking on any projects where there is a possibility of somebody getting hurt or injured should my welds fail. I am very confident in my welding skills but I will refuse any jobs that might result in an injury or death should something go wrong with my welds. While I know that this will limit some of the jobs I am able to take, I'd rather be safe than sorry, and I don't want to see anybody get hurt and I definitely do not want to be sued.

[Rodsmachineshop]

I have been in business for over 25 year i don't use a sales tax licence , as long as you sell parts or materials at what you pay for them you dont need a sales tax licence make booking keep so much more easy . but you do need a business licence

[Brian Ski]

Sounds really good.. I hope it works out well for you. I know what you mean about shops that only do the work they want to do. I wonder if you can get in good with them and they can refer people to you, for jobs that they don't want to do... Not just problem customers.... LOL

I had a snow mobile that I needed track clips replaced. I didn't have the time of tools to do it. I called up a local snow mobile/ motorcycle place... One that works on every brand. He started asking question about what kind of shape is it in and how old is it??? Why do you need to know??? He said they only want to work on newer easy to work on stuff. I am thinking, I am paying you by the hour and you are complaining??? Well I did it myself.

[undercut]

Well in the last week my mother has been helping me start a welding business...

Good luck in your new venture! Sounds very exciting. Good choice not to do anything that might cause death, harm, destruction, etc. Definitely a good idea if your business isn't a limited / incorporated entity. Fill that niche, make some money, have fun!

[blasphemy000]

Thanks for the ideas and kind/encouraging words everyone! Really hoping things work out this time...I've been having a really rough spot in my life the last almost 6 years so I'm trying to make a change for the better and get things back on track with myself and my family...

[undercut]

Thanks for the ideas and kind/encouraging words everyone! Really hoping things work out this time...I've been having a really rough spot in my life the last almost 6 years so I'm trying to make a change for the better and get things back on track with myself and my family...

Chin up. You've obviously have family members who love and support you. You've scoped out a business and have done some homework on your competition and the opportunities. You've purchased some really high quality equipment. Get your name out there. Provide excellent customer care to ensure your customers are your best advertisement and hopefully attract referrals. It may take some time to get your business established. Plan for this in case this is true. Don't get discouraged and be sure to try to have fun. It shows when potential customers can see you love what you do.

[everlastsupport]

I have been in business for over 25 year i don't use a sales tax licence , as long as you sell parts or materials at what you pay for them you dont need a sales tax licence make booking keep so much more easy . but you do need a business licence

I have the customers write reimbursement on the check for the material. Ball is back in their court after that. They paid for labor only.

[Rodsmachineshop]

I hated doing sales tax when i started my shop way back when , then found out from my book keeper that i didn't need a sales tax id . word of advice get a book keeper it makes life so much better when running a business my book keeper was also my tax guy also . a good tax and book keeper can save you lots of money and instruct you when to buy shop equipment to bring down your tax's and also deductions you don't need receipts for .

[geezer]

I hated doing sales tax when i started my shop way back when , then found out from my book keeper that i didn't need a sales tax id . word of advice get a book keeper it makes life so much better when running a business my book keeper was also my tax guy also . a good tax and book keeper can save you lots of money and instruct you when to buy shop equipment to bring down your tax's and also deductions you don't need receipts for .

Good book keeper,,,LOL,,,my experience with most of them is they are overly cautious and don"t always give the best advice,,,case in point,,,some take the easy way and ask you to write off equip, and other stuff over a period of years,,,when most big companies writeoff that type of tools and equip within the same year...justify the writeoff as job specific,,,small business people always seem to get the short end of the stick compared to larger outfits..

[Rodsmachineshop]

I had great book keeper but he only did automotive repair shops so he knew all the in and outs on tax stuff for auto shops . need a book keeper that specializes in what field your shop work is . my bookeeper saved me between 1000 to about 5000 a year on taxes . lol had my ex wife do my taxs when first starting out my taxs was like about 9000 dollars , when i hired my bookkeeper he told me he could have made it about half of that I told him yey rite , he did a tax readjustment to the IRS and got me back 4200 credit back from the IRS . my taxes a year was around 3500 to 4000 after hiring him. as for equipment a deprecation is best if leasing a lot of equipment. my normal total lease payment a month at my big shop was around 3500 dollars lol leased smog machine with dyno, 4 wheel alignment machine with alignment rack, 2 brake lathes, zep cleaning equipment, 3 - 2 post auto lifts , air conditioning recover recycle machines , antifreeze recover recycle machine , transmissin flush and refill machine , and other stuff i cant remember lol

[everlastsupport]

Thanks for the ideas and kind/encouraging words everyone! Really hoping things work out this time...I've been having a really rough spot in my life the last almost 6 years so I'm trying to make a change for the better and get things back on track with myself and my family...

First off, I work for Everlast, but not on Sunday. haha.

I'm in my 50's, did a trailer rebuild on a Sunday. It was 105 outside in the area I was working in front of, with my 17 year old son that wanted to leave over and over.. I do that for a reason. If you want to weld. It cost money, takes a little brains, it is WORK, and it's hot normally where I'm at.

First off, Rod's a sharp guy here and been around the block. Like Geezer, RamBozo, Sportbike and many, many others I didn't mention...

I don't think anyone here will "not" help you.

You can call Everlast and get me anytime (or leave a voicemail and I will call you back US and Canada).

I'll tell you how to cut a corner, save in areas. Like the other guys will here as well.

[everlastsupport]

Good book keeper,,,LOL,,,my experience with most of them is they are overly cautious and don"t always give the best advice,,,case in point,,,some take the easy way and ask you to write off equip, and other stuff over a period of years,,,when most big companies writeoff that type of tools and equip within the same year...justify the writeoff as job specific,,,small business people always seem to get the short end of the stick compared to larger outfits..

My book keeper spends more time on Everlast than telling me when to buy something new. hahahaha..

They are good to have at a low level and high level. If you can find a book keeper that welds or buys milling machines or CNCs. That is cool.

Mine keeps the books right. I side with Geezer on this one.

[EchoSixMike]

Sounds really good.. I hope it works out well for you. I know what you mean about shops that only do the work they want to do. I wonder if you can get in good with them and they can refer people to you, for jobs that they don't want to do... Not just problem customers.... LOL

I had a snow mobile that I needed track clips replaced. I didn't have the time of tools to do it. I called up a local snow mobile/ motorcycle place... One that works on every brand. He started asking question about what kind of shape is it in and how old is it??? Why do you need to know??? He said they only want to work on newer easy to work on stuff. I am thinking, I am paying you by the hour and you are complaining??? Well I did it myself.

I can tell you about this. Working on old stuff is a massive PITA, especially in the rustbelt. Yeah, you say you're paying him by the hour, but some jobs are not worth the hassle of dealing with the customer when it comes time for the bill. I get this ALL THE TIME. Dude has a five plus year old (any non KW/Pete semi older than 5 years is invariably a POS) truck with 800k miles and wants me to come change his clutch on the side of I94(not doing it, tow it in to a real shop), and he's not paying more than XX. Yeah, I hang up the phone on those people, they're not even worth trying to save as a customer.

Or a job I have in the shop now, changing front torsion bars on a ten year old Ford van. It's a busted, rusted disaster, trying to save bushings in a bent-up, rotted out control arm while heating and beating the end of the broken torsion bar out of the socket. And if the dude refuses to pay, even after signing off on the estimate, you're stuck with some crap you're going to be unable to resell and you've sunk a ton of parts and time into.

So anyways, that's why shops do that S/F.....Ken M

[Rodsmachineshop]

lol i hate rusted trucks and cars , when a person comes with a rust bucket to my shop first thing i ask what no one else in the town would touch your car lol most time the reply is yes , ok 200 up front cash before i will even touch it . then we will go from there . good rule i take only cash at my shop and a check if i know them for a long time , i cant count how many times i have been ripped off by bad checks .

[performance]

Make sure you have an Oxy Acetylene outfit. I love to sell plasmas, don't get me wrong, but you cannot have a business like you are heading up without the ability to "heat" things up.

[Rodsmachineshop]

lol i would be lost with out my victor torches

[blasphemy000]

Just had the O2 bottle filled up last week actually. It's an oxy-propane setup and I'm fairly good with it.

I've done welding repairs for people in the past, in fact I did a repair on a mower deck for a Kubota tractor last week(Guy ripped the front guide wheels off of it). I'm just trying to go legit and get a stronger customer base where my jobs aren't so few and far between(which I understand might take a while). I'm also trying to expand my horizons on the type of welding I can do as well. Currently I'm stuck with a TIG that won't do much more than 1/16" steel and a 90A MIG welder, so the repairs that I'm currently able to make are only on light-duty materials so my equipment is very limiting at the moment. With the 250EX I'll have all the TIGing power I think I'll ever need, the ability to do aluminum, and I'll be able to practice my stick welding until I'm able to use it for repairs as well.

And Mike(everlastsupport), I've been a member on this site since last September, I just haven't done a lot of posting. From what I've seen on this forum ALL of the Everlast employees that are members here are excellent with their helpfulness. Also the members themselves seem to be for the most part very helpful as well. I really enjoy being a member of this website. I'm just trying to be a humble individual going into this business venture. While I have operated a business before, and I'm fairly confident in my welding skills, I do know that I'm not even close to knowing everything and I am always open to learning new/better ways to do things. And thanks everyone for making this a friendly and welcoming website.

[performance]

Just had the O2 bottle filled up last week actually. It's an oxy-propane setup and I'm fairly good with it.

I've done welding repairs for people in the past, in fact I did a repair on a mower deck for a Kubota tractor last week(Guy ripped the front guide wheels off of it). I'm just trying to go legit and get a stronger customer base where my jobs aren't so few and far between(which I understand might take a while). I'm also trying to expand my horizons on the type of welding I can do as well. Currently I'm stuck with a TIG that won't do much more than 1/16" steel and a 90A MIG welder, so the repairs that I'm currently able to make are only on light-duty materials so my equipment is very limiting at the moment. With the 250EX I'll have all the TIGing power I think I'll ever need, the ability to do aluminum, and I'll be able to practice my stick welding until I'm able to use it for repairs as well.

And Mike(everlastsupport), I've been a member on this site since last September, I just haven't done a lot of posting. From what I've seen on this forum ALL of the Everlast employees that are members here are excellent with their helpfulness. Also the members themselves seem to be for the most part very helpful as well. I really enjoy being a member of this website. I'm just trying to be a humble individual going into this business venture. While I have operated a business before, and I'm fairly confident in my welding skills, I do know that I'm not even close to knowing everything and I am always open to learning new/better ways to do things. And thanks everyone for making this a friendly and welcoming website.

Oxy propane is good for cutting, but it heating is just not quite the same, especially for pinpoint heating.

[DaveO]

Welcome back, Blasphemy! Good luck with the launch of your new business. There's been at least this post about how to drum up business, possibly others. This may give you some ideas-

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...low-everywhere

Keep us posted, let us know how it goes!

[blasphemy000]

Well my original cosigner has backed out. I am hoping to meet with another individual today to discuss them cosigning the lease for my mother and I. Hopefully we are able to pull this stuff together and get this going as soon as possible. I've come too far this time to back out now. I'll make this happen one way or another. Thanks for the support everyone!