Starting a llc and picking up some smaller jobs

[Cpmm4m4]

I just bought a 2380 with a fel and GS0548. I have been kicking arround putting it to work picking up some smaller jobs. Wondering how many guys here have been successful starting a business with a small tractor?

 

[85Hokie]

Only thing I can say - be careful, not so much for your safety - please be safe, but rather expect the totally UNEXPECTED when it comes to .........

- you did a bad job, I am not paying you!
- you messed up my grass - I am not paying you!
- you hurt my prized bush - I am not paying you!

Be prepared to see an ugly side of human beings - I hope you never have a problem, but problems seem to find everyone ....... at least one time.

Get stuff in writing -
get paid at least half up front when you show up-

calculate what you will need for you money wise AND more IMPORTANTLY what the tractor needs.

Many more people will give you advice - listen them all!!!

I am not trying to talk you out of anything - just be careful and check ALL the boxes needed to do work on the side.

 

[lugbolt]

yes you will quickly learn a LOT. One, the government wants over half of what you make so you have to be prepared for that. And, then what Hokie said-all truth there.

Owning/running a business is very rewarding, or should I say it CAN be, but you have to stay on top of EVERYTHING. It is work. The nice thing is you set your own hours, and you only have to work a half day. The problem is deciding which 12 hours you want to work.

 

[DustyRusty]

Also keep in mind that you will need insurance, all types of insurance, such as personal injury and property liability, workers compensation is required in some states even if you are the only employee. Then there is liability insurance for the tractor while it is off your property, and a commercial automobile policy if you are using your truck to transport the trailer that the tractor is moved on. I know of a few people that started a small business in their basement doing machine work, and then they decided to go bigger with a commercial location. Once they realized everything that they had to do as a business rather than as a hobby, they realized that it was a mistake. Don't forget that if your state has a sales tax, you will need to register to collect that and file monthly or quarterly reports. It isn't as easy today as it was 60 years ago when I started the business. One more thing to consider is that many of the states no longer allow you to file a paper return, and it has to be done on the computer. I was just reading the new rules in Massachusetts for restaurants. They now have to separate out credit card sales from cash sales, and some of the other reporting requirements require a computer filing in a method that I wasn't familiar with. I don't know what the little corner mom and pop luncheonette is going to do. I am sure glad that I am not in the restaurant business.

 

[hagrid]

The worst you can do is strike an underground utility.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

'jobs' ? What kind of 'jobs' and who IS your competition ? Small tractor with loader and box blade..wondering just what jobs are out there,but it is YOUR neigbourhood.
We'll assume you have pickup and trailer, and as said before LOTS of insurance !
Consider that for every hour you're actually doing a job, making money, you'l put 2 hrs into 'office' an d 'shop' work. The books, banking, taxes, paperwork, advertising, maintenance,repairs, getting fuel, fixing flat tires.
One of those 'look before you leap' situations. yes, it sounds GREAT, a job here, nuther there..until at the end of the day (2AM), when you finish the books, you see you've LOST $2300........

Grab a pencil and paper,really, REAL paper, write down 3 columns.. Pros, Cons, Costs. WRITE down everything you can think of, then go onto the net and see what you didn't consider, write them down...
If you're single...forget about the bar beers...no time for that, if you're married and kids...better choose wisely !!
Hay, small businesses built our countries but it is a very,vert tough 'row to hoe' these dayze !

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

"- you did a bad job, I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!
"- you messed up my grass - I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!
"- you hurt my prized bush - I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!

You did a great job, love it, but don't want to pay you. And now I'm suing you!

I've been through all these scenarios!

 

[Cpmm4m4]

yes you will quickly learn a LOT. One, the government wants over half of what you make so you have to be prepared for that. And, then what Hokie said-all truth there.

Owning/running a business is very rewarding, or should I say it CAN be, but you have to stay on top of EVERYTHING. It is work. The nice thing is you set your own hours, and you only have to work a half day. The problem is deciding which 12 hours you want to work.

I love that pick which 12 hours I want to work. I know that's the truth! I'm a toolmaker now and pre

Only thing I can say - be careful, not so much for your safety - please be safe, but rather expect the totally UNEXPECTED when it comes to .........

- you did a bad job, I am not paying you!
- you messed up my grass - I am not paying you!
- you hurt my prized bush - I am not paying you!

Be prepared to see an ugly side of human beings - I hope you never have a problem, but problems seem to find everyone ....... at least one time.

Get stuff in writing -
get paid at least half up front when you show up-

calculate what you will need for you money wise AND more IMPORTANTLY what the tractor needs.

Many more people will give you advice - listen them all!!!

I am not trying to talk you out of anything - just be careful and check ALL the boxes needed to do work on the side.

When calculating how much

'jobs' ? What kind of 'jobs' and who IS your competition ? Small tractor with loader and box blade..wondering just what jobs are out there,but it is YOUR neigbourhood.
We'll assume you have pickup and trailer, and as said before LOTS of insurance !
Consider that for every hour you're actually doing a job, making money, you'l put 2 hrs into 'office' an d 'shop' work. The books, banking, taxes, paperwork, advertising, maintenance,repairs, getting fuel, fixing flat tires.
One of those 'look before you leap' situations. yes, it sounds GREAT, a job here, nuther there..until at the end of the day (2AM), when you finish the books, you see you've LOST $2300........

Grab a pencil and paper,really, REAL paper, write down 3 columns.. Pros, Cons, Costs. WRITE down everything you can think of, then go onto the net and see what you didn't consider, write them down...
If you're single...forget about the bar beers...no time for that, if you're married and kids...better choose wisely !!
Hay, small businesses built our countries but it is a very,vert tough 'row to hoe' these dayze !

I'm really wanting to try somthing on my own. I'm really wondering if the ends justify the means. I have a full time job as a toolmaker so I can't devote a full 40 hours a week to this side business and with taxes and insurance I wonder if I would come out ahead or just be working for nothing.

 

[85Hokie]

"- you did a bad job, I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!
"- you messed up my grass - I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!
"- you hurt my prized bush - I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!

You did a great job, love it, but don't want to pay you. And now I'm suing you!

I've been through all these scenarios!

I older guy and his son run a very respectful business that do all kinds of remodeling - all top notch work at a very reasonable cost. A couple of weeks in the summer I help and get paid well too.

So - kitchen remodel - THE OWNER tears up the underlayment (breaking in the floor while removing the existing tile floor. We lay down all NEW floor and then tile over with 12x12 tile ....... 24 hours later the wife comes and walks on it .......... the floor squeaks ..... the tiles are moving, NO MATTER what the explanation was, your husband ripped up the floor before we got there or the fact the tiles were NEVER moving .......

we had to tear up the entire tile floor and do it again .................

 

[Henro]

I older guy and his son run a very respectful business that do all kinds of remodeling - all top notch work at a very reasonable cost. A couple of weeks in the summer I help and get paid well too.

So - kitchen remodel - THE OWNER tears up the underlayment (breaking in the floor while removing the existing tile floor. We lay down all NEW floor and then tile over with 12x12 tile ....... 24 hours later the wife comes and walks on it .......... the floor squeaks ..... the tiles are moving, NO MATTER what the explanation was, your husband ripped up the floor before we got there or the fact the tiles were NEVER moving .......

we had to tear up the entire tile floor and do it again .................

Having dealt with squeaky floors, I can tell you for certain there was something moving with respect to something else to cause the sound.

Now that guy may have torn out the sub floor, but the installer put the replacement sub floor in, and installed the tile as well. AND afterwards there was a squeak. OR maybe multiple squeaks.

Having trouble seeing how this blame can be put on the owner who was paying for someone to start at the point he left it, and expected that the final job would be satisfactory.

Too bad the wife did not have my current hearing levels...LOL...

 

[ken erickson]

“I'm really wanting to try somthing on my own. “

This world is full of people who have/had the same yearning as you that now have made that dream come true. Risks? Of course there are. As had been said many times, most peoples biggest regrets are the things they did NOT do.

Offer a quality product, competitive price, treat customers fairly and you might be surprised how the rest falls inline.

Being a tool maker speaks to your intelligence , work ethic but only you can decide if this venture is right for you. What ever road you go down , good luck!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: tile floors
odds are good the floor joists and subfloor were not spec'd for tiles. I've passed on many tile jobs unless joists are 12oc, 5/8T&G screwed every 6" and glued.

 

[85Hokie]

re: tile floors
odds are good the floor joists and subfloor were not spec'd for tiles. I've passed on many tile jobs unless joists are 12oc, 5/8T&G screwed every 6" and glued.

the floor WAS tile before ..... he ripped it all up .......wife did not like color/shape ......etc........

the amount of screws we used the first time on the backer board was ridiculous! Like 4" on center......
I can assure you the tiles were not moving or squeaking...........

like you mentioned - the work the second time was just as good as the first.......... I got paid, not sure how the boss got paid!

 

[ZTMAN]

There are a few YouTube videos on whether or not you can make money with your tractor. As I recall, one fellow broke everything down as far as income, expenses, etc...
There are jobs out there for small tractors, but be very selective. Personally, if I were to do that, I would target bush hogging and driveway grading.

 

[dirtydeed]

I just bought a 2380 with a fel and GS0548. I have been kicking arround putting it to work picking up some smaller jobs. Wondering how many guys here have been successful starting a business with a small tractor?

Congrats.

There are many of us on here that fit that category. I just started another LLC recently, but I had my landscaping business a decade ago using a BX23 (older version). Made a crap load of money with it at the time.

Just be sure to do things the right way, don't be a scab. Form the business, get appropriate insurances and know (or learn quickly) what jobs suit your interests/skills/equipment. Be sure to check if your state requires that you register with them, and need to obtain a contractor license. Many people don't know that if someone performs work without a license, there is no obligation to pay them for that work. Don't be that guy that learns the hard way.

Make sure that you consult an accountant. There are many business write offs that you can leverage.

Be careful on just how you provide quotes and what terminology to use when describing job types. Depending on your state, most "maintenance" type jobs require you to collect and report sales tax. That can be a real PITA. I closed my first business about 10 years ago. I still get reminders from them that they are looking for any state owed sales taxes.

Since you have another source of income, that allows you to pick and choose when and how you want to work. I was in the same situation (and I'm there again). That's a great position to be in. I found that there were many smaller 1/2-2 day jobs that the large landscaping services would pass on as being "too small" to be of interest to them. You can clean up ($) on those.

Best of luck to you in your decision.

 

[Lil Foot]

Guy down the street had some low block walls put in his front yard.
Contractor called Blue Stake and brought out a small excavator to dig the footers.
Before he started, he walked around with the homeowner marking all the underground sprinkler pipe, drip lines, and electric lines and such in the yard.
Then he handed the homeowner a paper to sign that basically released the contractor from everything that had ever happened or would happen from the birth of Christ to the end of time.
Contractor said he had had too many incidents with homeowners "forgetting" a sprinkler pipe or something, that later got hit it while digging, and the homeowner used that as an excuse not to pay.

 

[DustyRusty]

I love that pick which 12 hours I want to work. I know that's the truth! I'm a toolmaker now and pre

When calculating how much

I'm really wanting to try somthing on my own. I'm really wondering if the ends justify the means. I have a full time job as a toolmaker so I can't devote a full 40 hours a week to this side business and with taxes and insurance I wonder if I would come out ahead or just be working for nothing.

Sometimes it is better to do some overtime than it is to do work on the side for yourself unless you know very well the people that you are doing the side work for.

 

[DustyRusty]

Congrats.

There are many of us on here that fit that category. I just started another LLC recently, but I had my landscaping business a decade ago using a BX23 (older version). Made a crap load of money with it at the time.

Just be sure to do things the right way, don't be a scab. Form the business, get appropriate insurances and know (or learn quickly) what jobs suit your interests/skills/equipment. Be sure to check if your state requires that you register with them, and need to obtain a contractor license. Many people don't know that if someone performs work without a license, there is no obligation to pay them for that work. Don't be that guy that learns the hard way.

Make sure that you consult an accountant. There are many business write offs that you can leverage.

Be careful on just how you provide quotes and what terminology to use when describing job types. Depending on your state, most "maintenance" type jobs require you to collect and report sales tax. That can be a real PITA. I closed my first business about 10 years ago. I still get reminders from them that they are looking for any state owed sales taxes.

Since you have another source of income, that allows you to pick and choose when and how you want to work. I was in the same situation (and I'm there again). That's a great position to be in. I found that there were many smaller 1/2-2 day jobs that the large landscaping services would pass on as being "too small" to be of interest to them. You can clean up ($) on those.

Best of luck to you in your decision.

Just because you closed the business, doesn't mean that you are not still responsible for filing the state returns. You need to notify the state that you are no longer in business and that you are requesting them to cancel your registration to collect sales taxes. The penalty is based on filing a return on a timely basis, even if no tax is due. If you were a corporation then you must dissolve the corporation with the state of incorporation, otherwise, you are still responsible for filing returns.

 

[mikester]

"- you did a bad job, I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!
"- you messed up my grass - I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!
"- you hurt my prized bush - I am not paying you!" And now I'm suing you!

You did a great job, love it, but don't want to pay you. And now I'm suing you!

I've been through all these scenarios!

No good deed goes unpunished.

 

[dirtydeed]

Just because you closed the business, doesn't mean that you are not still responsible for filing the state returns. You need to notify the state that you are no longer in business and that you are requesting them to cancel your registration to collect sales taxes. The penalty is based on filing a return on a timely basis, even if no tax is due. If you were a corporation then you must dissolve the corporation with the state of incorporation, otherwise, you are still responsible for filing returns.

Done, did it...Several times! Including official paperwork from my accountant. E-Tides (electronic filing system) is a joke.

The state offices are run by morons.