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QUESTION:No one here can answer the question. It sounds as if you will need a
backhoe, a skid steer, a box blade tractor, a dump truck, miscellaneous
trailers, and the trucks with which to pull them at a minimum. The list may
go on toward dozer (what size?) track hoe (what size(s)?) Commercial site
work demands more equipment than residential.
-Do you honestly have the experience to haul heavy equipment?
-Do you have your CDL?
-Can you operate most pieces of heavy equipment? Operate demands
performance to finish grades, not just starting and loading.
-Instrument work and layout?
-Work or own any laser equipment?
-Education? Degree?
-Understand, BID, and execute blueprints?
-Ability to design legal systems?
-Experience working with code authorities?
-Do you have any equipment of your own now?
-Do you have a good credit rating?
-Do you know anyone in the banking/insurance/bonding business? This is
probably the biggest stumbling block for tradesmen. You may be a helluvan
operator, have a fantastic eye, perform design and engineering work: but, if
you can't play with the suits, you can't make it. You need a banker, an
underwriter, and a bondsman in your hip pocket to make a go of it.
Be able to make payroll, equipment loan payments, insurance payments, etc
when the contractor "beats" your account for 120 days.
Put down your personal pluses and minuses on a sheet of paper. You, your
banker, and your gut need to decide whether you can "cut it".
ANSWER: I read the other replies... for instance "do you know how to deal with the
'code authorities' etc. and the book keeping, hiring, delegating and all
that. I have a whole nother approach... a good start is not to call these
morons at city hall 'authorities'.. or you end up kissing their ass as they
try to stick you with code issues that they themselves in many cases do not
understand correctly. Understand the issues and the code (yer old man can
handle that easily, you will pick it up from him in a year)
Im 62. Ive been self employed most of my life, except for about 10 years as
a consulting engineer (industrial facilities, mechanical systems, petrochem,
nuclear and semi conductor.. nationally)... Ive made every single mistake
in the book...been there done that, right and wrong, several times in
hundreds of different scenario's.... errors are not fatal... for you, with
your family history in the business, it should go very well.
Id finish high school and take 10 units a semester at a junior college for 4
years in business administration etc. but Id start the business just
before I got out of high school. take off work to do college 4 hours a
day. It will be good for your delegating skills..
My advice is take you father up on the joint venture...he wants to hand the
operation to you on a silver platter...he will keep you out of trouble until
you learn how to deal with the 'code authorities' etc. ..let whomever is
doing the book keeping now do it, then ask to be shown how its done.... In
a year you will be doing OK...in 2 or 3 years, and after 10 or 20 jobs you
will be doing a lot better than fine...you will be at or nearing
professional levels.
You will learn very very little working a job for someone else, and you will
be doing it for peanuts..and you will be learning all of their
mistakes...and you will be putting up with others without the moxie to do
thier own business...thats bad. The mental set is a hazard to an
entrepreneurs health.
Better you should make yer own mistakes those will cost you a tenth as much
as what you will loose by taking a wage job driving someone elses truck.
Mainly dont let anyone back you off in life....just a little bit of that,
and it gets to be a habit. Better to go for it. Unless one is a drunk or
an idiot, he has a good chance of making it...if you listen to your dad...
you have almost 100% chance of making it. He is trying to give you a half a
million dollar head start with equipment, heavy coaching, *an established
customer base!..... and an offer to help manage.
thats a world class offer. If you like the idea, I say go for it.
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