any self employed job ideas?

to stay on topic, I have tractors. they're just to old and outdated to hire myself out on them. with that said, I would like to start my own self employed buisness. need some idea's. I have pondered my brain for awhile now but have only came up with some things that would be nothing more than a good sideline and I already have a sideline (cattle and hay). Cant expand in that. Land is way to high. I have mechanical and finish carpentry skills. I'm 38 and may have an interest in distancing myself from the production world and venture into marketing or sales. Linking it all together would be perfect. would like to get into something I could stay as buisy as I wanted at it. Worked in a factory for 8 years, got more than burnt out on that. any idea's? I live in rural area central U.S.A. Have a little money to throw at getting started. If your full time self employed, would like to hear what it is you do.

My son went to the County Clerks office and got a D.B.A. (doing business as) then got some liability insurance and got the word out to some contractors that he was for hire,driving nails or whatever. He started picking up all the work he wanted doing carpentry,concrete and insulation work. By having a DBA and insurance,contractors could hire him without putting him on payroll. They preferred it that way. He just billed them for labor at the end of the week,they paid him without the hassle of taking out taxes or paying any of the other expenses of having an employee. He was on the verge of getting a CDL so he could do even more when he was offered a full time job with good pay and full benefits,but having one would have expanded the possibilities even more.

I have a 953-C Caterpillar track loader that I do excavating with. I do mainly farm work, clearing, building ponds and lakes. I like what I do cause a farmer will not call you until he has the money to pay you. Doing commercial work, you may wait a couple of months. I can do this and take care of my farm as well.
Whatever you do, do good work and be fair to your customer. I live in a tight knit community, and word travels fast if you don't do it right and over charge.
Figure out what you do and do it well. Sounds like it might be a home re-modeler?
I like what Mr. Lund suggested. Have never heard of anyone subbing out like that.
Find that niche. Probably keep it service oriented.
Do a good job and be fair, and you will have work.

I am a trim carpenter! I work exclusively for one commercial contractor! I am a sub, paid by the hour, have to have my own insurance, pay my own taxes! I have no bidding and no selling! Biggest problem is when he gets slow!

Trailer park handyman, they always need help keeping trailers repaired.

Take a look around your area and find a need and fill it. There are usually a lot of handyman type of businesses around but if you have a specialty that you are good at it will bring you business. If you have knowledge and experience you might consider a consulting type of business. Think of your talents and interests and how you might cash in on them. Do your homework on investment vs. profit and have an exit strategy so if it doesn't work so you don't lose your shirt. The possibilities are endless, just need to find what will work in your area and is what you like to do.

I presume you work on your own and provide your own equipment and just charge by the hour. The main contractor just includes his estimation on the materials and your expenses in his original bid. If you are providing equipment and your own insurance (work and health) and paying 100% of your taxes, and gotta allow something for your own retirement, what are you charging an hour? And how much of that are you actually factoring in as your straight labor wage??

might expand on cattle niche marketing its slow building right now i buy calves get them started and resell as started calves also jersey beef once people try it the like it grass fed butchered on farm organic it took me some time to build it but i got a waiting list.
something besides that gardens and farmers markets one guy bought his wife a greenhouse for her birthday now they have several and got the fresh flower market cornered

Building fence can be a good business

I know in my area a finish carpenter can work around the clock and just about charge what he pleases because they are as scarce as honest politicians.

Whatever you do Please don't go back to factory work I have been doing that for the last 20years at a mobile home manufacturer in northern MN It took me 17years to get to the 16$ an hour mark and when I did I thought I was doing pretty good until I started finding out a few of the new guys were starting at 15$ to 17$ with no where near the experience I have. It didn't take long to find out it was time to move on it seemed they were happy with my work but when I wouldn't install something in a house that I didn't think was up to snuff all I would do was catch hell about it- used to be people took pride in their work now they want it done fast and cheap-not my style.So just remember whatever you decide to do take pride in your work and love what you do at the end of the day they cant take that away from you.

Unless you plan to learn to do something really well don't waste everyones time. America already has a vast number of self employed tradesmen, who are learning on the job. Second, if you don't like to return phone calls, show up when you said you would, or remember the price you quoted, you may be well suited for this line of work.

Seriously, I have a card index and cell phone full of numbers for skilled, talented and reliable tradesmen that i respect and call on when the need arrises. I also have thrown away just as many numbers for unreliable, unskilled, loudmouthed, know it alls, that are no loner welcome at my place.

If you are good and like what you do, constantly learn to do it better and faster, there are many places to make a living.

Roofing, Fencing, Concrete finishing. pole barn building, septic systems, come to mind.

I don't know where you are at, but around here, being a carpenter, unless you are union ( pretty rare ), it's a job that tops out a bit over $20 per hour. And no bennies..... I know several guys who are only employed 6 months a year, if that.

Redforlife- I do exactly the same. Provide my own equipment, vehicle, gas insurance, taxes, bonded, SS, federal taxes, etc.

I charge 45-55 per hour but it seems contractors want you to do all that for 12/hour.

I have been a self employed tradesman for 20 years the guy that hard to get a hold doesn't always return phone calls show up on time etc. I know this doesn't make sense are usually the ones who know the most and are the most affordable . The reason they can act like that is because they have so much work. The guy who can get there the next day is over priced or does not have a clue.

There is always a demand for crop insurance adjusters. Or agents if you want to sell it. Under the new farm bill it looks like crop ins. is here to stay for awhile.

Gene

Right sometimes. Other times, drunk, hung over did not pay his cell phone bill, sleeping late, gone fishing, bad phone habits.

Most of my tradesmen call to say I am buried in work right now, you best call someone else if you are in a hurry. I undertand that.

Figure out what you do and do it well! Very well said. Find that niche like building decks, handicap entrances etc. Trying to learn a new job skill as a new self employed venture is a recipe for disaster.

As a self employed person myself you MUST deliver on time, on budget and with no surprises. Followup must be your 2nd nature. Money can be made but requires discipline to save $ for the FedGov and lean times. Bills still come due so work your payables to cover that. I was IT Director for Supply Chain Mgmt firm. I'm now a IT consulting firm with 3 subcontractors.

Email is open if you have questions about how to move ahead.

Do something that is a niche with your talent that you can do fast and well. Specialize in just one thing custom closet, built-ins, carpentery repair work rotting boards etc. I started my bus just doing deck cleaning and sealing and branched out into painting and all types of pressure cleaning. Do your first jobs really cheap and well for word of mouth. When I started my business I would Flyer neighborhoods the kind that people don't do the work there selfs I could spend thousands on ads flyers seems to always work the best.

Field tester for the lucky stiff condom company!

That's what sucks about being in trades everyone automatically thinks your a drunk loser and you did something worng and made bad life choices and you end up a painter.... But that being said the drunks they don't last and a good contractor work speaks for itself and every one wants it and they don't take any money up front.

I know what ya mean. factory's in my area do just that. start you out at a descent wage. then not keep up with inflation on pay raises. a few years of that and your making nothing. pass rising cost of health insurance on to the employee. even had the employer make it optional for him to match our 401K's. had sick leave taken away and lost acrude hours on that. its a bonus for them to have you work overtime cause they have perks on that, and you about have to just so you can make ends meat. thats how it is. dont want to get to fired up on that but its why I'd like to do something for myself. its getting worse as time goes on about just spinning your wheels if your working for someone else. and good jobs with good benefits are getting fewer and further between and harder and harder to find. and I dont think its solely the economy to blame. the whole dang employment system has just gotten nasty I think. employers are getting worse about being greedy and paying joe smuck little or nothing to work for em.

The people who do good work, when they say they will do it, and who have legal and sober employees are few and far between. I offer general farm contracting services. Fence, water lines, land clearing, stock tanks, custom hay, etc. Right now I'm not bidding any jobs, booked solid until at least the end of hay season with contracting. If you've got hay and cattle, use the machinery you have and make it work more days. The money isnt in the regular jobs though. I make decent on them, $1.00 per horsepower hour for the power unit if its on tires, $1.25 if its on tracks plus a charge for the machine and or attachment. The money is in the add ons. Can you look at this, can you fix that. I changed a water valve on a sprayer tank tonight for a lady after work, valve was sitting there, 2 inch plastic ball cock, old one had frozen and burst. Service call is $50 and includes up to 1 hour and 33.75 for each hour after that with the meter starting when I leave the house, billed to whole hours.

I was a sub for a contractor also before I retired. Great job, I basically worked alone about half the time, and never any complaints from the boss. He was great and the pay was good. But like you say, slow times sometimes and not a lot of work, but could work as much as you wanted when busy. I just had to have my tools, and he had all the other problems.

For any idea a person would have to intimately know your area. The only advise a person on a forum could give you would be Henry Ford's. "Find a need and fill it." It takes some saved money to go self employed though. Until you get a clientele going you might go for a couple of months at a time with no business.

Take an acre and grow vegetables!

My son is an assistant store manager with Lowe's He told me that they have a very hard time to find installers/contractors who will communicate with the customers.

Its supply and demand lots of half wits around that think they know how to run a business better than the owners so they are a cheap hire and don't get the $$ they deserve because the employer can't pay less then minimum wage.

I'm retired from engineering and sometimes think about owning a business. I think selling Insurance would have the benefits of: non seasonal, not affected by weather, products never go out of style, products never become contaminated, no inventory required, etc.

Just a thought.

Wish you Well.

Honest opinion - It really sounds like you need to build yourself a solid foundation of experience first. You need a career PATH, not a dartboard.

I'd say any attempt to build a business on your own is going to be a hard way to go.

First step is to build yourself into the person who can build a business.

Once you're great at something - with a proven track record - that's when you can start thinking about going it alone.

Otherwise, you'll just bumble along forever, never really making ends meet.

At 38 you're young enough to make the effort worthwhile - but old enough that the clock's ticking - trust me, it's now or never.

Sounds like your most marketable skill is carpentry.

Not sure about your area - but if you need to be licensed the way you do here in MA - work towards that at all costs.

Hook up with a local contractor to get rolling working for them. Put the required time in. Might take a few years.

Look for a local trade school that can help you get licensed.

There are a lot of skills you can hone while you work for somebody. Obviously your trade skills, but also skills interacting with customers, and pay close attention to the business itself.

Build your reputation as you go. Do good work. Work fast. Show up early - keep your breaks short - leave late. Be the guy that's always available for emergency work. Swallow all your anger, be a people-person. Get along with every coworker no matter how crazy they make you.

You'll become a valuable asset. At some point you can talk about partnering with whoever you're working with - or you can go off on your own.

Other than that - there's always a need for good sales people, but again - to get a good sales job, you're going to have to put the time in - probably sitting in an office basement doing cold calling.

That's brutal work if you don't have the personality for it and/or the drive to be a great salesman.

Others here have offered good advice. I'd offer from the standpoint of a consumer of services: Return phone calls, even if too busy a quick call to say I got your call, very busy right now but I can get back to you in X days and do it. Show up when you say you will and if you can't, call and say you can't, people understand that things come up. Quote an honest price, be honest, do good work that you would be proud of. If you don't want the work, say so.

I've found several contractors I wouldn't hesitate to recommend because they've done all this for us....

For our HVAC guys I just leave the door open when they have to come out, they are more than just contractors, I consider them friends and partners in keeping my place in order. I told the insurance adjuster when we had a tree fall on the roof and chimney that I was calling one particular contractor and they were the only ones I wanted touching my house. He didn't have a problem with that. They came through better than expected, even to the point they met me at my work downtown to show me the brick color but were unhappy with that color when it was delivered to the site, they took them all back to the shop, dyed them for a closer match to the old brick and got our approval before starting. They couldn't repair the stainless liner in the chimney and told me so. I found a young guy in our town that came out, measured, found more damage to the liners in the other flue, gave me an estimate for it all and came out and did the work in one day so the brick guys could get going on the chimney. (Insurance paid for the new liner in the other flue because that was cheaper than tearing down the brick and repairing the cracked liners in it.)

Be those kind of guys and you'll have more work than you can handle.

Hey Red.

If you don't mind traveling consider servicing/upgrading outdoor lighting.

Used bucket trucks are not terribly expensive and I have been approached many times while servicing signs to change lamps in parking lot lighting.

At least around upstate NY many businesses are switching to led parking lot lighting to save on utility bills.

Good luck,

Brad

If most of the people you call to do work for you beg off its probably because they don't want to work for you. For every wino or dopehead tradesman there are 50 cheapskate, whinging, impossible to satisfy customers wanting something for nothing.

Are your finish carpentry skills as good or better than the skills of those currently doing that type of work in your area?

You say you're in a rural area. Is there enough work to support another finish carpenter in your area? Are you willing to travel or relocate to a more populated area?

How will you get work? It's easy to get sub contract work but it's tough to get ahead financially doing so.
It's more difficult to contract the work yourself, but you can make more money doing so.

There's a big difference between excelling at a craft, and excelling as a business person.
Before you start your own business I'd recommend hiring on with an older contractor that has a good reputation and is willing to teach you the business.

Before you start your own business you should talk to your accountant, lawyer, and insurance agent.
Then go talk to the material suppliers about pricing and terms.
Also talk to the building department director in each jurisdiction you plan on working in to find out what you need as far as licenses, bonds, insurance requirements, work hours allowed, etc, etc.
If you're going to do remodeling you'll need to get your EPA RRP certification and license.

It's feast or famine in the new construction business. SAVE as much money as you can when times are good!!!! I can't begin to list all of the contractors that make some quick money then went belly up when business got lean because they got used to living the good life.
Remodeling is less of a roller coaster than new construction, but it's still closely tied to unemployment and the economy in general. Keep in mind that when times are lean there will be more people working for cash that a legitimate contractor can't compete with on pricing.

Look around at the guys working construction. Even the ones doing trim have lots of back, knee and shoulder problems. Are you sure that's the route you want to take?

If you decide to start your own contracting business do as others have suggested...
Return calls. Be on time for appointments. Start and finish projects when you say you will. Don't charge more than you quote. Don't employ undesirable people, or sub contractors. Don't leave a mess. Basically under promise and over deliver. Always, always always pay your suppliers promptly!
Figure on working onsite 8-10 hours a day, plus 2-4 hours a day for ordering materials, meeting with customers, doing estimates, paying bills, and a hundred other things required to keep a business going.

I have excellant money management skills. contract carpenters in general are a dime a dozen where I'm at. my finish carpentry skills are technically in making something. not so much as doing trim work in a new house. it was a wood working factory that I worked in.