Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

I had lost my job with the Forest Service to the spotted owl but hey I had some tools and skills so I put an ad in the paper.--"Hungry Carpenter needs work". I tell you what that add works very well. I got pretty busy remodeling and I just ran that ad when work got slow. In town here was a roofing company owned by a successful but heavy drinking womanizer. He had finished a large commercial job and just went on a long drunk leaving his storage and yard rent unpaid for months. One morning I was visiting with a former employee of his when he got a call. Seems the owner of the storage lot was fed up and was going to lock the roofing companies assets down Monday if the rent was not paid. My friend had keys to the place. It was raining hard on a Sunday and we got another friend to help and we moved every bit of equipment and materials and a couple of trucks to my place and took an inventory. The owner of the company had no idea what we had done. We found him home and lucid enough to tell him what we had done. I offered him about 25% of what every thing was worth and handed him $300. He took it and for the next couple of years I kept the former owner in booze money till I had given $15000 and I told him I was done. I had changed my ad to "Hungry Roofer needs work" and my phone rang off the hook. I can't stress it enough that ad was the secret to my success. I just fell into it . I no longer advertise and try to just do one job at a time. I learned that I either had to go real big or stay small to make a profit. Every thing in between was a slaughter-working to pay employees and taxes with little left over. I went small and have no regrets--I am not over stressed and I don't work just to feed a buisness. My advice--If you want to start any buisness you either have to go big around 40 employees or small just 2---every thing else in the middle is not going to work out profit wise.

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

I had a similar experience when i ran a race horse stable. I actually cleared more training four by myself than cleared when I had 22 in training. Employees, tax’s and owners were a pain.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

You'd get my business, Tom...but, with a warning that it's one hell'uva long commute

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Since you once made that drive I'll have to believe you. Thanks for the job offer though. I'm actually thinking of retiring to building decks and garden sheds I can do by myself. I have been turning work to a younger roofer who I like and I want to teach his crew metal roofing. It is harder than you think.

Seth

I've seen that reality with others, and you're spot-on.

I was the prime (and only) mover in the business I'm pretty much retired from, and when I needed specialists of one kind or another, I had a pool of independent contractors like myself to call on. It worked fine.

PeterS

Good advice...

elledee

good story....i started subcontracting with nothing but some tools and an old truck after 30+ years here i am retired living in Kauai ....a total paradise.... in America if willing to work its out there... even with that kind of drive and ingenuity Tom I'm not going to ask you to come all the way to Hawaii but your still welcome...good post

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Thankyou very much