Thank you also for BEING on and sharing. NEITHER of you guys had to do what you did by sharing. Hopefully, the combined experience will help MANY others in your path and adjust to the variables! Thanks!
I’m 14 and had 2 old junk mowers that hardly ran I fixed them up and got both of those for free sold them and bought a new zero turn now I am running 2 zeros turns and I want to go into excavation when the money allows👍🏻
What type of exavating? Landscaping or construction? Sounds like your learning to run a business and very well. Maybe you can find a local company to work for...gain experience knowledge of regulations and operations. God bless your off to a good start. Ps. Stanley "Dirt Monkey " has some good videos on how young people started their careers in business, check him out.
Same man I fix them and sell them I’m too cheap to buy a nice mower still use my craftsman that was free but I’ve got a trailer and have been doing mulch jobs but I want to do excavation I’m renting a Massey Ferguson 1429 with a loader a box blade tiller grading rake a brush hog and a snowblower I rent it from my grandfather with a trailer I also have a dump trailer I own bought it from my grandpa I’ve done a couple jobs tilling garden plots and grading driveways how has your business gone so far?
I’ve built my business the same way, I still own old paid for equipment and don’t owe the bank anything on my 8 pieces of equipment. I even told people it might not be new but it’s paid for!
One thing I learned over the years. No matter how crappy a job is (I pumped septic tanks at one point) try to learn as much as possible and be the best you can be at it. Because all those "little things" you learn over time add up to make you an asset instead of an "employee".
Wow .... This is Gold . I have watched this a couple of times and learn more and more every time I watch it . The words of wisdom are very much appreciated and applied .
Good advice on starting small. An old African proverb says "only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet". Work within your means, work with someone in the same line of work in order to learn to operate the machines, to learn to bid jobs, and how to run a business. The most important advice I ever got was that if I was going to miss bid a job, err on the high side. I'd rather bid too high and not get a job than to bid too low and go bankrupt.
Always bid high. I did once, bid 2X's more thinking the job would pass. However, others bid 3X's more and I got the job. 😲 Oh well. NOTE: If you really don't want the job, DON'T BID!!
I have been scrapping for 31 years I have the original truck 1975 Scottsdale last year my birthday came around in October my dad passed away and I inherited some money so I bought a 1998 Silverado pickup truck for scrapping I have 45 stops every week to go to I have industrial stops I also been snow plowing for 25 years I'm 63 years old right now I feel great I have no problems I'm single I love my job
Thank you for the time! (SERIOUSLY!) You know, you didn't have to do this video but being YOU, what else could we expect but "honest help & advice" from someone with a TH-cam channel called, "DIRT PERFECT"! I've been here since your start and have enjoyed seeing ALL your work. NOT just the jobsites but WORK on rebuilding your equipment, maintenance, comradery with your CREW/friends that are now our friends and the GREAT TRUST you've put behind everything you do and set out to do. YOU put a lot of hours in your presentations and WE put a lot of hours into viewing your efforts and enjoy you taking us all over the country to VENDORS and the heavy INVOLEMENT & BOND you form with them where we would NEVER get to go! INTEGRITY is KEY and that's YOU - the MAN, Father, Husband, Friend, Mechanic, No Fear of taking on challenge, Building, Talking, Playing in the DIRT and SO MUCH MORE! So YEAH, THANK YOU for SHARING "You"! Regards, buddy! Sonny
Great, great, great video. People just don't think of what's involved. If they know somebody in the business, or like me, watch the video's, " It LOOKS easy! WRONG!!!! You are going to make people think. One thing I might have missed in the video, hourly rate for a repair shop. Sticker shock. If you can't fix it your paying someone to fix it. NOT cheap. You mention warranty, that does not mean it's free. My first experience was with a motorcycle, warranty check up, oil change, valve adjustment. Eighty bucks! 1980. Barley had enough for the bike payment. Great video.
I have PRAYED that you or Chris would do this very thing. I had the advantage of Dad and Grandpa. I got so sick of hearing learn to fix it first then you can learn to operate it. This is stuff you can’t teach in a classroom. IF THE TRUCK DON’T GO YOU DON’T GO! Please keep it coming.
You WIN some, you LOSE some, and you take a BATH on some. You try your best to keep the BATH's to a minimum, your doing great!!! I'm telling you one and all, you will take a bath on a job, and boy do they sometimes HURT!!!!!!!! But do LEARN from them, and that's what will keep them to a minimum. Good luck to one & all.
Don't forget the rock clause! We don't have X-ray vision. If we run into differing site conditions (rock, a spring, anything requiring a soil correction, soil change deeper than anticipated, etc.) Will keep you informed but that work is billed on a time and materials basis and it will more than likely affect the schedule.
Many people don't understand the difference between estimate and quote and my view is to estimate a little higher than the actual goal and have it come in at or below the estimate and as you said it gives confidence to the customer about your honesty. I have seen too many times when an estimate is given low because the business is afraid of loosing the job, then try to explain to the customer why the bill is higher. Years ago I had a customer that got upset because the valve job ran cheaper than the the average price I gave him because he already had a check made out for the estimate price when he came to get his car. After a little back and forth I said "I can remake the bill to match your check if so desired" He wrote another check instead.
Two men I respect; two men I admire. A video with invaluable advice. Now retired, I once ran a successful small business. It was far afield from excavating, machinery, etc. But the principles espoused here apply to ANY small biz stat-up. My way in was similar to Mike’s. I followed a similar path and it worked beautifully. Start small,work your way up, capitalize on your strengths, one note: I did well with not-to-exceed bids. I made a practice of coming in underbid until I learn how t estimate a job. No one ever objected to paying less. Thanks guys for a great video and invaluable advice.
Your advice is spot on. I'm old and still work as an owner of a manufacturing facility. As a business owner there are things that you have to give up if success is your goal. If your main goal is toys and the time to go play with your friends you'll probably fail. The "owners" here on youtube who are always out playing or spending million+ on grainbins fail to mention that the income stream from youtube is what brings in the money. Any content from thier "business" is usually clickbait to keep the youtube money flowing.Start small,grow your skill set,expand your capabilities,limit number of employees,concentrate on being the best at your game. BE HONEST.
Mike , I enjoyed this more than I thought I would at the beginning . Can you do another one on the people you work with ? How did you meet Jerry , Capt. Kleeman , Aaron and Matt . Did you ever have full time employees ?
I can't thank you enough for the details of equipment skills and out course our own skills. I can't get enough of your videos. I love the history of people. I honestly look up to you I'm a small excavation and grading owner!! I honestly love your skills you have a real eye for what you do!! You've actually given me a whole different outlook on jobs, bids ponds ex!!! Your really confident in yourself and your business!!!! I could go on and on I dropped all other followers and strictly watch dirt perfect. I can't thank you enough
The way we do it is by the hour on bigger jobs and we have a set minimum. If it takes a hour we have a 2 hour minimum that’s including moving to the job because fuel isn’t cheap. And on bigger job we require half the money upfront and it work for 35 years
What a great video. I have owned a successful small software development company for over 20 years now. It is now time for a change. I have been in IT for about 40 years. There are no plans to retire. That just does not seem to be an option. Not because of any financial requirements. Idle hands are the devils workshop. I grew up working on the farm. How did I end up in IT? Well that is a story upon itself. The video was real and, in my opinion, was better than a semester at any business school. College is a great choice for those that want to go that route (I did that route) but college does not deal well in reality - IMHO. Tim and you should go into business consulting. You are both successful. My take on you both is that you would both be successful no matter what you did including selling Fudgy Wudgys at the shore. Thank you for all that you do.
Mike, although I'm at a stage in life, were I'm pretty darn sure I won't be venturing into a new career, but I find yours and Tims advice very sound. Nubees listen to the voice of experience. Thanks for sharing👍😺🤗🐺
Your Absolutely right the work doesnt Stop because You came home. When owning a Excavating Business. I seen that from watching my Dad with His Company.... People work and when they have an Emergency they call you up and theres times where I had to go back to work load up a piece of equipment and go back to work . Septic systems stuff like that even a Slides. That stuff happens not from 9 to 5 . During a day. It happens Whenever....Also the STRESS of owning a Excavating business is HIGH... You did a great job explaining it. Its a business if people want to get into they need to know its 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 365 a yr...But its a lot of fun and REWARDING...
Mike, you pretty much got it and good advice. The one thing I would add is to get a good CPA the first year and ask questions. So many come with lots of trade skills, but no business knowledge. Depending upon your state and local area an employee can cost you from half again as much as you pay him to double what you pay him. And that is just to break even on his time. Social security match, unemployment insurance, workman's comp insurance, etc is real overhead you need to cover and then you need to mark up their time for your profit margin. Estimating rules of thumb are critical. Tax laws can be used sometimes to cover as much as thirty percent of your cost for equipment and tools. Not always but that is where the accountant can help advise you. Depreciation schedules are some of the complex issues very few people know when they start a business. Everything from an office computer to your most expensive purchase can impact taxes on the company. Use the rules to your advantage. It is not cheating to optimize taxes. That said, don't think you can cheat on taxes and never get caught. Seen a whole lot of guys go down with the IRS grabbing everything and locking it up all the way to garnishing the wife's paycheck. Not a good spot to be in. The wives usually are pissed off at that point. Licensing, permits, codes, etc. all need to be on your radar. Some rural counties that is not much, but the closer you get to a city, the tougher they are. Just be sure you find out and know before you bid. I started many companies and most went well. But if you never fail, you are being too safe generally, so be sure to protect your personal money and life from your business risk. Today it is simple to incorporate as an LLC or whatever they call it in your area. If the company goes belly up, they can only come after your company assets, not your personal assets like the wife's check or your bank account. It is worth the expense to protect your life. The old "sole proprietor" or the "simple partnership" are just too risky and not worth saving the little cost to go LLC. I usually file my own, but we covered that in my college courses in business school. Does not take a genius to do it. Maybe fill it all out and pay a lawyer to look over the paperwork before you file the first time to be safe and be sure you did not miss something. Just some thoughts. Best thing I ever did was work for myself. Yes, you work hard, work long hours, but the reward of doing it yourself outweighs the headaches usually.
I play the middle line of both of yall. Mechanically inclined, like older but cheaper for me to buy new due to my area. Difficult to bid as theres many in my area. I bought the equipment for my personal use typically help out neighbors all the time. A lot is free, a lot was just cover fuel. The bidding scares the heck out of me. The equipment i have is easy to transport with my 1 tin and 40ft. Just 2 pieces of equipment doesn't fit out the gate of my land and are challenging at 14ft wide lol. So, they hardly leave. Think here soon my neighbir wants me to level his yard which is 4 acres. That'll be fun after i get it through the gate. But thats a farming area for you. I battle my neigh ir up the road whi does custom baling. I did notice my field came out a lot better than his with me having worse ground.
first, chris had good placement of his sticker in the 120. Tim and i are quite similar, i have been programming/developing software since i was a small child really started with my uncle teaching me how to make a computer from scratch. the one thing i have learned in my life is everyone can do what they desire, its all a matter of having the motivation to learn how. i guess my autistic brain obsesses and i just keep doing it until i get it right. my first time using an excavator was in the middle of winter my septic backed up and was plugged in the tank. i couldnt get anyone to come dig the top. so i rented a mini from our local center, the guy who delivered it was a friend so he gave me the advice, its a real life video game, i managed to clear the top of the tank with relative ease, the septic guy was like im gonna have to charge extra for all the dirt you got in there. well he pumped the tank there was 0 dirt in it. since that point i have went and cleared a few for other people. i dont want to run an excavator full time because i think i would grow to hate it like i do computers. ill stick to doing it when i can for the enjoyment of doing it. people like you, chris, capn, mr aj works and many others help me learn, My advice follows yours get with someone to learn from then ease your way in.
You know the one thing one forgot is , little big man you know that’s the backbone of the company. No all jokes aside it’s good to had guys like you have to make it even though they seem kinda of nuts some times they seem to be good guys. Love watching your videos keep it up.
Working at the Mack dealership was an amazing advantage even just being able to overhear other conversations with customers gave you an appreciation of how to handle different situations. Things happen, being able to explain what happened or needs to be fixed can sure defuse a situation.
Well done! If anyone has a problem applying this info to their situation, is a person "locked" in a concept and more than likely will never learn to be successful. One must be very flexible to do business with all kinds of characters (a person's inner content of character). Everyone approaches living differently and may even have "limited" moneys. Staying in business is hard work and one must pay attention to all the details. Building something great takes time.
Pricing at a mechanic's shop is the same too. Most of the time you're close. Sometimes you make a killing and feel a little guilty. There's also the ones you lose your button. Well done, thanks for sharing. :-)
I have a mini excavator, a wheeled skid steer, 2 tractors (35hp,90hp) a dump trailer and I am still nervous about opening my own business. I bought these machines old and broken but I am a full time mechanic and I fixed all of them. I like my day job because I work with excavators and it is never boring (check my channel I have a few videos) but I love more to work with my machines and I do some jobs in dirt 😜 at moment just for family (driveway, septic tanks, footings, some grading, demo jobs, trenches...) peapole are asking to work on projects but my biggest problem is not being able to charge my work so I just say no, I found this video very spot on on my problem.
Exactly right I own my own lawn care business and I am extremely small I do what I say I don't make promises I can't keep and I enjoy every time I do work for my customers I love to make them happy and they in return make me happy. I also started this winter since work is ceased I am starting classes to further my education on the business side to grow my business. I always say if u do good they will do good for u. Dude you are an excellent person I watch your channel more then anyone else keep it up 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks DP for another great video. I'm not an excavator but what your teaching about how to start a business can apply to most construction start ups!!
also need that insurance and expect the unexpected phone lines , gas lines water and so on ,, even if they say there is nothing there watch what you dig . also if you have helpers working for you .. they will get paid and you might not .. sometimes the pay don't go as far as you thought ..a lot of company's go out because they take there pay when they should have left some of it in there company .. great video ,,
Finding work or getting asked to do a job is my biggest struggle. I have everything things else, equipment, skills to do the work, knowledge of bidding. So many other local businesses do the same work and I do this on my off time from my daily job. Which I work remotely and only home about 1 week a per month.
You’re right about being able to repurpose, repair and maintain equipment is a great asset to any one wanting to move earth. Being a farmer, construction or trucking requires you to be take care of your stuff.
No matter how many times I do it, I have a knot in my stomach for a couple days when I buy a "new to me" piece of equipment. Never know when you are buying someone else's headache. But I love dirt work. Good money and satisfying work. Just like you said, start small and always treat your customers well. Do a good job and they will tell one maybe two people but do a bad job and they will tell everyone who will listen. And that is in any business. And I always do little extras for repeat customers. You never have to sell repeat customers, if you are always honest with them. They know they can trust you and want worry about price shopping you. Good luck to any of you new guys.
Wow Mike, this was a very valuable video! Thank you for sharing. I am in agreement with your strategy about starting small and working up. Know your skill set and keep adding to it. Buy used and fix it up. Be vigilant of your cash flow. Learn from each mistake and vow to not make it again. I have used all these in my business and found some success. Excavating is a seasonal occupation and it is good to have some diversity so you can still make money during the down times. Also, during slow periods, get out in the shop and maintain your equipment. You have to be proud of your accomplishments, and I am proud of you.
Great video DP. I started business 16 years ago and you hit the nail on the head . A happy customer means everything .I got in this business 34 years ago and learn a lot working for someone for 18 years before I started mine.how to run the business and how to bid a job then how to set it all up to keep you moving on up the ladder.(I'm a flooring contractor).I was always tough your only good as your last job .word of mouth can hurt or help you more than you would think 🤔.keep up the great work 😎✌️👍👌🇺🇲
Great information for any situation. People pay for your skill and there time. In my life I've been paid better for my honesty than my ability. I don't have a business or anything. Just a skill that's needed every once in a while.
This is an awesome video. 6 months ago I started a dump trailer business, top dressing driveways and renting it as a dumpster. I had no idea what I was doing but its working. I keep thinking in my head "if only I could go buy a mini tractor and start working that I know I could make money at it". Its time to start chasing that dream. I've also been having the internal debate between mini tractor or skid and this totally answered that question. I'm excited!
I think this video is a good outlook on anything you do in life. The 2 biggest things I learned as a prior small business owner is I loved the work and I suck at business management. By that I mean I loved everything about construction but hated everything about running a business. Now if you take out the word excavation and institute any other word like college, computers, games, TH-cam creator, etc the lessons in the video will still apply. Play to your strengths, start small, find mentors or help, have a plan, and or course if you aren't enjoying it dont be afraid to find your passion. These are the same principles I learned in my defunct business. It was NOT a failed business. It was a learning experience and I learned that the business aspect was not for me. But it also taught me a level of self confidence that allowed me (and my wife) to make the jump to TH-cam. And with any new endeavor plug away, have a plan, and most important... have fun with it! P.s. shameless plug... I know.
Good discussion! One thing that would be helpful. Talk about market segments (or types of projects). You mentioned that jumping up to a bigger excavator was a game changer. So you must have done different types of projects with the bigger machine. What types, how did you market into that segment etc. Thanks
Saw your video on Tractor Time with Tim. Your the man. I started as a handyman 27 years ago, now I am only doing high end commercial property maintenance. Learning to bid is a huge learning curve. And I might add, taking care of employees. I know we all go into business to make money, but without them we can't do what we do. I have never paid by the hour. They get a percentage and are treated like a partner. The first guy I hired is still with me and the newest one has been with us for 15 years. Back to bidding, when your starting out, you have to bid low to get work and get your name out. Expect to bust your ass to make a buck. As you gain customers you can raise prices to weed out the bargain shoppers. When you get really good you can cherry pick your customers to make bank. Also, bigger is not always better. My ex partner went big. 2.5 million in debt and does 4 times the work I do. I am debt free and clear twice as much. And who does he call to bail him out when his hourly quit? Lol. Yep.
You gave such good advice Mike. I called it baby steps when advising someone who asked me how I started. Skills are the key in my opinion. I was fortunate in that I was able to train on the job. I took that very serious and it has payed ten fold throughout my career. You touched on some great points in having a business and you were spot on! Great video Mike!!
Best piece of advice ive learned over the years is you can always come down, but you can never go up on a price. Takes time to learn what you can do with you machines and how much work you can do in an amount of time. Learning when to charge hourly, and when to charge by the job.
What an awesome side video! Many thanks for taking the time out and actually going ahead and doing this for us. It was a very honest insight. I'm self-employed myself and know the rigors of trying to price a job and yeah.. it's not fun lol. Congrats on your 100k subs! Don't forget to order your Silver Creator Award plaque from TH-cam and please please do show us all when you get it through :)
Good video my friend a lot of wisdom goes with that for a long way start small work up have a great day my friend I hope you and your family is doing fine God bless🙏👍
I just saw this video and would like to add that its very important to communicate with your customer. It seems so many contractors today don't call the customer if there is a problem getting to the job when they said they would. I know things go wrong and prevent the contractor from making their appointments but a quick call to the customer and keeping them informed is very important.
Operators are only as good as their desire and interest in operating the piece of equipment they are on and developing the skill set to operate that equipment to maximum potential without abusing it ( ie Jerry). Equipment, no matter the brand, is only as good as the maintenance program they are maintained with and the attention to the machine, as it’s operating, to the tell tale signs of a potential problem, (not a catastrophic breakdown). Above all is the honesty with customers , dealers, and employees ( if you own the business) , that In itself will take you a long ways to the goal one seeks. It takes years to build a relationship with customers and community, it only takes minutes to lose it , one bad decision, one wrong word or bad attitude will damage that relationship, and once it’s lost, you may never get it back. If you run a business, own it all, good and bad, life is life, it’s neither fair nor unfair, it just is , deal with it. You sir seem to do that well, and I am sure we don’t see all that goes on but, from my point of view, I don’t need to, because who you are, and what your company stands for,comes thru in these vids. Best to you and your family and company.
My only thing to add is I believe I bought a construction estimating book I believe it was by Dewalt at Home Depot it gave the formula to how to calculate the time to dig different trenches to how long to install vinyl siding. It gave me a very good baseline on how long it should take me to do things plus it also gave me a good idea how I was doing as an operator…what I needed to improve on to fit the industry standard…Best 30$ I ever invested …DP you did a beautiful job and great advice on starting a company
I would like to hear your better half, and her take on how this ride was from her point of view. The ups and downs and so forth. Great job young man on your growth.
Great video Mike. I’d still like to hear the story of Jerry. He’s the mystery man to me. He got to his skill level one way or another, and I’d sure like to hear how he got there.
I would like to hear Jerry's would love to get him on a podcast story also. Or just sitting down like you did this podcast and interview him or should I say let him tell his story. I would love and do love guys like this since I am one of them they are very interesting except in those days in the excavation or construction business we tend to how should I say not use the proper words of today's language Noah's days we had a language all of our own not appreciated by many LOL PS it is just not the same I enjoyed the 750 B the noise the smoke it just sounds altogether different I love your older equipment watching it work listening to it
My story of my excavation business is similar to yours, I had a skid steer and a mini. I had the opportunity to buy my neighbors PC138 excavator it opened up so many opportunities so fast it wasn’t even funny. I’ve been so slammed ever since and shortly after I bought a 953c track loader which gained even more jobs. I’ve figured out you can’t do the job if you don’t have the tool, it’s risky to buy something but every time I do it pays off.
What a brilliant insight, from someone who started early and has the skill set to fix their own equipment and from someone who started after a career in something else. Really interesting. 👍
With my company it was 7 days a week 24 hours, just the nature of the business. Communications Tech/ Computer system. Large businesses stay open 24/7 and when they are down you are up and going. 35 years of it, and loved every minute, I never had a job, to me it was just fun.
Thanks for making this video. I am 28. Just bought a JD 755 with a bush hog and box blade. Got it to maintain our 20 acres. But now I am trying to get a business going with it, and eventually work my way up into bigger machines. Appreciate the advice.
Awesome video and great information. I'm retired now after 32years at the same job and like you, I started small and worked my way up. Still do some work for friends and family mostly for material and no labor charge. Like Jerry ,just for fun and to get me out of the house. Sometimes I will get paid but never expect it.
I enjoy watching both your channel’s..I find it interesting that not only do the jobs pay,but using your experience for TH-cam and have that pay a little as well is cool.
Awesome!! Thanks Mike! I recently quit my job and turned full time and I learn so much from you, Chris, Todd, Brandon and others. I love these videos as they inspire me. 👍 NOTE: tell Tim I’m a fellow software engineer and I had enough of that as well. So cool!
Mike, nicely explained how you started your company. What I do miss a bit is that you also need good people around you who often understand them well, handle your material / tools properly and also treat your client neatly and well. With all the money you can buy beautiful new and large machines, but the operator still makes the difference. Also for your company. You really have a great team of people around you. Be proud and careful of that. They have helped to grow your business. greeting from Jan Wieger from Friesland Netherlands
Mike good advice. Have been self employed for forty years. Still learning still make mistakes with pricing. The biggest problem with customer is if you give them a daily rate they multiply it and assume you are earning that. You will know how far from the truth that is. Also your comment that if you are awake yet are working is so true. I have customers who ring me on a Sunday night and immediately want to know time scales price and when I can do it. It is exhausting.
Excellent video and advice. I had a concrete finishing business. I started out doing small jobs and gradually progressed. Until I got to the point of not being physically able to continue and lost time with my family. DP you touched on the family time aspect. But that is also a major part of owning your own business also
I like watching your rainy day vids as much as your other content, my thoughts are it's fun to watch and how many thousands of dollars is he saving and also seeing your assistants.
I started in a small op learned alot & boy those lessons have helped me alot to build my company to what it is today I run a multi million dollar company & do many muli million dollar jobs as well as smaller jobs having my owen shop & mechanic crew is night & day I do alot of my owen work when I can
We have quite similar stories. I have worked in excavation and road construction for 12 years. I purchased my 973C seven years ago while I was still working my full-time job. I learnt how to operate heavy equipment on someone else’s dime, someone else’s equipment, it was a learning experience. I also farm with my family so I took both paths and put them together and started out clearing land. Putting the knowledge I have to maximize productivity. My thing with charging by bid with land clearing is I am very picky. I’m not going to take the quickest and easiest way to the finish line. I’m going to take the trees and move them, take the extra time to make the job right and most of the time you can’t see that until you get into it. After 7 years of owning just my 973C I took a plunge and advanced to try and maximize revenue from each job I get. Buying complimentary equipment to what I already have. Thanks for sharing your experiences
Great video and great advice. I'm one year into my own Land Services business and I think this would help anyone looking to get started. I had a L2501 Kubota and a trailer when I started out. I bought a 1976 C65 single axle dump truck and I soon left my job as a Paramedic. Just upgraded to a 1993 tandem axle international and an MX5400. An 8 ton Excavator is on the radar for next year.
Great Video Mike. There’s a lot to be said about Pride of Ownership along with Customer Satisfaction. A successful business is an extension of reliable follow through you build with your customers and venders while complying to state, county and local regulations. From one job to the next, every customer becomes a calling card for years to come..🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
i have been watching you for 6 months I ran a d6 b for 25 years and a L Insley drag line. the older equp. i maintained my self. sure i had my share of brake downs. but with good maintenance the old stuff made me a good living.. and no payments
Thanks for having me on. Enjoyed our time together! Congratulations on reaching 100,000 subs!
Glad I found you on this video. That was very helpful.
Welcome any time
Thank you also for BEING on and sharing. NEITHER of you guys had to do what you did by sharing. Hopefully, the combined experience will help MANY others in your path and adjust to the variables! Thanks!
I’m 14 and had 2 old junk mowers that hardly ran I fixed them up and got both of those for free sold them and bought a new zero turn now I am running 2 zeros turns and I want to go into excavation when the money allows👍🏻
What type of exavating? Landscaping or construction?
Sounds like your learning to run a business and very well. Maybe you can find a local company to work for...gain experience knowledge of regulations and operations.
God bless your off to a good start.
Ps. Stanley "Dirt Monkey " has some good videos on how young people started their careers in business, check him out.
Same man I fix them and sell them I’m too cheap to buy a nice mower still use my craftsman that was free but I’ve got a trailer and have been doing mulch jobs but I want to do excavation I’m renting a Massey Ferguson 1429 with a loader a box blade tiller grading rake a brush hog and a snowblower I rent it from my grandfather with a trailer I also have a dump trailer I own bought it from my grandpa I’ve done a couple jobs tilling garden plots and grading driveways how has your business gone so far?
I’ve built my business the same way, I still own old paid for equipment and don’t owe the bank anything on my 8 pieces of equipment. I even told people it might not be new but it’s paid for!
One thing I learned over the years. No matter how crappy a job is (I pumped septic tanks at one point) try to learn as much as possible and be the best you can be at it. Because all those "little things" you learn over time add up to make you an asset instead of an "employee".
Wow .... This is Gold . I have watched this a couple of times and learn more and more every time I watch it . The words of wisdom are very much appreciated and applied .
Thanks
Good advice on starting small. An old African proverb says "only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet". Work within your means, work with someone in the same line of work in order to learn to operate the machines, to learn to bid jobs, and how to run a business. The most important advice I ever got was that if I was going to miss bid a job, err on the high side. I'd rather bid too high and not get a job than to bid too low and go bankrupt.
Always bid high. I did once, bid 2X's more thinking the job would pass. However, others bid 3X's more and I got the job. 😲 Oh well.
NOTE: If you really don't want the job, DON'T BID!!
Kinda surprised you didn't go the dump truck and tag a long trailer route instead of the semi early on.
I have been scrapping for 31 years I have the original truck 1975 Scottsdale last year my birthday came around in October my dad passed away and I inherited some money so I bought a 1998 Silverado pickup truck for scrapping I have 45 stops every week to go to I have industrial stops I also been snow plowing for 25 years I'm 63 years old right now I feel great I have no problems I'm single I love my job
Thank you for the time! (SERIOUSLY!) You know, you didn't have to do this video but being YOU, what else could we expect but "honest help & advice" from someone with a TH-cam channel called, "DIRT PERFECT"! I've been here since your start and have enjoyed seeing ALL your work. NOT just the jobsites but WORK on rebuilding your equipment, maintenance, comradery with your CREW/friends that are now our friends and the GREAT TRUST you've put behind everything you do and set out to do. YOU put a lot of hours in your presentations and WE put a lot of hours into viewing your efforts and enjoy you taking us all over the country to VENDORS and the heavy INVOLEMENT & BOND you form with them where we would NEVER get to go! INTEGRITY is KEY and that's YOU - the MAN, Father, Husband, Friend, Mechanic, No Fear of taking on challenge, Building, Talking, Playing in the DIRT and SO MUCH MORE! So YEAH, THANK YOU for SHARING "You"! Regards, buddy! Sonny
thank you!
Great, great, great video. People just don't think of what's involved. If they know somebody in the business, or like me, watch the video's, " It LOOKS easy! WRONG!!!! You are going to make people think. One thing I might have missed in the video, hourly rate for a repair shop. Sticker shock. If you can't fix it your paying someone to fix it. NOT cheap. You mention warranty, that does not mean it's free. My first experience was with a motorcycle, warranty check up, oil change, valve adjustment. Eighty bucks! 1980. Barley had enough for the bike payment. Great video.
The ability to maintain repair saves a lot of money. Also makes you money too.
Started with a dump truck then a trailer and dozer then a trackhoe then a loader it’s took me 30 years to get it.thanks great video 👍
I have PRAYED that you or Chris would do this very thing. I had the advantage of Dad and Grandpa. I got so sick of hearing learn to fix it first then you can learn to operate it. This is stuff you can’t teach in a classroom. IF THE TRUCK DON’T GO YOU DON’T GO! Please keep it coming.
You WIN some, you LOSE some, and you take a BATH on some. You try your best to keep the BATH's to a minimum, your doing great!!! I'm telling you one and all, you will take a bath on a job, and boy do they sometimes HURT!!!!!!!! But do LEARN from them, and that's what will keep them to a minimum. Good luck to one & all.
Don't forget the rock clause! We don't have X-ray vision. If we run into differing site conditions (rock, a spring, anything requiring a soil correction, soil change deeper than anticipated, etc.) Will keep you informed but that work is billed on a time and materials basis and it will more than likely affect the schedule.
Many people don't understand the difference between estimate and quote and my view is to estimate a little higher than the actual goal and have it come in at or below the estimate and as you said it gives confidence to the customer about your honesty. I have seen too many times when an estimate is given low because the business is afraid of loosing the job, then try to explain to the customer why the bill is higher. Years ago I had a customer that got upset because the valve job ran cheaper than the the average price I gave him because he already had a check made out for the estimate price when he came to get his car. After a little back and forth I said "I can remake the bill to match your check if so desired" He wrote another check instead.
Two men I respect; two men I admire. A video with invaluable advice. Now retired, I once ran a successful small business. It was far afield from excavating, machinery, etc. But the principles espoused here apply to ANY small biz stat-up. My way in was similar to Mike’s. I followed a similar path and it worked beautifully. Start small,work your way up, capitalize on your strengths, one note: I did well with not-to-exceed bids. I made a practice of coming in underbid until I learn how t estimate a job. No one ever objected to paying less. Thanks guys for a great video and invaluable advice.
Your advice is spot on. I'm old and still work as an owner of a manufacturing facility. As a business owner there are things that you have to give up if success is your goal. If your main goal is toys and the time to go play with your friends you'll probably fail. The "owners" here on youtube who are always out playing or spending million+ on grainbins fail to mention that the income stream from youtube is what brings in the money. Any content from thier "business" is usually clickbait to keep the youtube money flowing.Start small,grow your skill set,expand your capabilities,limit number of employees,concentrate on being the best at your game. BE HONEST.
Mike , I enjoyed this more than I thought I would at the beginning . Can you do another one on the people you work with ? How did you meet Jerry , Capt. Kleeman , Aaron and Matt . Did you ever have full time employees ?
I agree that would be very interesting.
Have a podcast on some of that on my other channel a few points form perfect
I can't thank you enough for the details of equipment skills and out course our own skills. I can't get enough of your videos. I love the history of people. I honestly look up to you I'm a small excavation and grading owner!! I honestly love your skills you have a real eye for what you do!! You've actually given me a whole different outlook on jobs, bids ponds ex!!! Your really confident in yourself and your business!!!! I could go on and on I dropped all other followers and strictly watch dirt perfect. I can't thank you enough
The way we do it is by the hour on bigger jobs and we have a set minimum. If it takes a hour we have a 2 hour minimum that’s including moving to the job because fuel isn’t cheap. And on bigger job we require half the money upfront and it work for 35 years
What a great video. I have owned a successful small software development company for over 20 years now. It is now time for a change. I have been in IT for about 40 years. There are no plans to retire. That just does not seem to be an option. Not because of any financial requirements. Idle hands are the devils workshop. I grew up working on the farm. How did I end up in IT? Well that is a story upon itself. The video was real and, in my opinion, was better than a semester at any business school. College is a great choice for those that want to go that route (I did that route) but college does not deal well in reality - IMHO. Tim and you should go into business consulting. You are both successful. My take on you both is that you would both be successful no matter what you did including selling Fudgy Wudgys at the shore. Thank you for all that you do.
thank you
Mike, although I'm at a stage in life, were I'm pretty darn sure I won't be venturing into a new career, but I find yours and Tims advice very sound. Nubees listen to the voice of experience. Thanks for sharing👍😺🤗🐺
Your Absolutely right the work doesnt Stop because You came home. When owning a Excavating Business. I seen that from watching my Dad with His Company.... People work and when they have an Emergency they call you up and theres times where I had to go back to work load up a piece of equipment and go back to work . Septic systems stuff like that even a Slides. That stuff happens not from 9 to 5 . During a day. It happens Whenever....Also the STRESS of owning a Excavating business is HIGH... You did a great job explaining it. Its a business if people want to get into they need to know its 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 365 a yr...But its a lot of fun and REWARDING...
Yup
Mike, you pretty much got it and good advice. The one thing I would add is to get a good CPA the first year and ask questions. So many come with lots of trade skills, but no business knowledge. Depending upon your state and local area an employee can cost you from half again as much as you pay him to double what you pay him. And that is just to break even on his time. Social security match, unemployment insurance, workman's comp insurance, etc is real overhead you need to cover and then you need to mark up their time for your profit margin. Estimating rules of thumb are critical. Tax laws can be used sometimes to cover as much as thirty percent of your cost for equipment and tools. Not always but that is where the accountant can help advise you. Depreciation schedules are some of the complex issues very few people know when they start a business. Everything from an office computer to your most expensive purchase can impact taxes on the company. Use the rules to your advantage. It is not cheating to optimize taxes. That said, don't think you can cheat on taxes and never get caught. Seen a whole lot of guys go down with the IRS grabbing everything and locking it up all the way to garnishing the wife's paycheck. Not a good spot to be in. The wives usually are pissed off at that point. Licensing, permits, codes, etc. all need to be on your radar. Some rural counties that is not much, but the closer you get to a city, the tougher they are. Just be sure you find out and know before you bid. I started many companies and most went well. But if you never fail, you are being too safe generally, so be sure to protect your personal money and life from your business risk. Today it is simple to incorporate as an LLC or whatever they call it in your area. If the company goes belly up, they can only come after your company assets, not your personal assets like the wife's check or your bank account. It is worth the expense to protect your life. The old "sole proprietor" or the "simple partnership" are just too risky and not worth saving the little cost to go LLC. I usually file my own, but we covered that in my college courses in business school. Does not take a genius to do it. Maybe fill it all out and pay a lawyer to look over the paperwork before you file the first time to be safe and be sure you did not miss something. Just some thoughts. Best thing I ever did was work for myself. Yes, you work hard, work long hours, but the reward of doing it yourself outweighs the headaches usually.
I play the middle line of both of yall. Mechanically inclined, like older but cheaper for me to buy new due to my area. Difficult to bid as theres many in my area. I bought the equipment for my personal use typically help out neighbors all the time. A lot is free, a lot was just cover fuel. The bidding scares the heck out of me. The equipment i have is easy to transport with my 1 tin and 40ft. Just 2 pieces of equipment doesn't fit out the gate of my land and are challenging at 14ft wide lol. So, they hardly leave. Think here soon my neighbir wants me to level his yard which is 4 acres. That'll be fun after i get it through the gate. But thats a farming area for you. I battle my neigh ir up the road whi does custom baling. I did notice my field came out a lot better than his with me having worse ground.
Very well done with very good advice. Always remember that ALL big companies started out small. Some started out in the family garage.
Yup
first, chris had good placement of his sticker in the 120.
Tim and i are quite similar, i have been programming/developing software since i was a small child really started with my uncle teaching me how to make a computer from scratch. the one thing i have learned in my life is everyone can do what they desire, its all a matter of having the motivation to learn how. i guess my autistic brain obsesses and i just keep doing it until i get it right.
my first time using an excavator was in the middle of winter my septic backed up and was plugged in the tank. i couldnt get anyone to come dig the top.
so i rented a mini from our local center, the guy who delivered it was a friend so he gave me the advice, its a real life video game, i managed to clear the top of the tank with relative ease, the septic guy was like im gonna have to charge extra for all the dirt you got in there. well he pumped the tank there was 0 dirt in it. since that point i have went and cleared a few for other people. i dont want to run an excavator full time because i think i would grow to hate it like i do computers. ill stick to doing it when i can for the enjoyment of doing it. people like you, chris, capn, mr aj works and many others help me learn,
My advice follows yours get with someone to learn from then ease your way in.
You know the one thing one forgot is , little big man you know that’s the backbone of the company. No all jokes aside it’s good to had guys like you have to make it even though they seem kinda of nuts some times they seem to be good guys. Love watching your videos keep it up.
Working at the Mack dealership was an amazing advantage even just being able to overhear other conversations with customers gave you an appreciation of how to handle different situations. Things happen, being able to explain what happened or needs to be fixed can sure defuse a situation.
True
Well done! If anyone has a problem applying this info to their situation, is a person "locked" in a concept and more than likely will never learn to be successful. One must be very flexible to do business with all kinds of characters (a person's inner content of character). Everyone approaches living differently and may even have "limited" moneys. Staying in business is hard work and one must pay attention to all the details. Building something great takes time.
I think personality goes a long way as well as how honest you are.
True
Being self employed is more of a lifestyle than a job. Thanks for the great information!
Yup
Yeppers
Pricing at a mechanic's shop is the same too. Most of the time you're close. Sometimes you make a killing and feel a little guilty. There's also the ones you lose your button. Well done, thanks for sharing. :-)
I have a mini excavator, a wheeled skid steer, 2 tractors (35hp,90hp) a dump trailer and I am still nervous about opening my own business. I bought these machines old and broken but I am a full time mechanic and I fixed all of them. I like my day job because I work with excavators and it is never boring (check my channel I have a few videos) but I love more to work with my machines and I do some jobs in dirt 😜 at moment just for family (driveway, septic tanks, footings, some grading, demo jobs, trenches...) peapole are asking to work on projects but my biggest problem is not being able to charge my work so I just say no, I found this video very spot on on my problem.
Exactly right I own my own lawn care business and I am extremely small I do what I say I don't make promises I can't keep and I enjoy every time I do work for my customers I love to make them happy and they in return make me happy. I also started this winter since work is ceased I am starting classes to further my education on the business side to grow my business. I always say if u do good they will do good for u. Dude you are an excellent person I watch your channel more then anyone else keep it up 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks DP for another great video. I'm not an excavator but what your teaching about how to start a business can apply to most construction start ups!!
also need that insurance and expect the unexpected phone lines , gas lines water and so on ,, even if they say there is nothing there watch what you dig . also if you have helpers working for you .. they will get paid and you might not .. sometimes the pay don't go as far as you thought ..a lot of company's go out because they take there pay when they should have left some of it in there company .. great video ,,
Finding work or getting asked to do a job is my biggest struggle. I have everything things else, equipment, skills to do the work, knowledge of bidding. So many other local businesses do the same work and I do this on my off time from my daily job. Which I work remotely and only home about 1 week a per month.
You’re right about being able to repurpose, repair and maintain equipment is a great asset to any one wanting to move earth. Being a farmer, construction or trucking requires you to be take care of your stuff.
No matter how many times I do it, I have a knot in my stomach for a couple days when I buy a "new to me" piece of equipment. Never know when you are buying someone else's headache. But I love dirt work. Good money and satisfying work. Just like you said, start small and always treat your customers well. Do a good job and they will tell one maybe two people but do a bad job and they will tell everyone who will listen. And that is in any business. And I always do little extras for repeat customers. You never have to sell repeat customers, if you are always honest with them. They know they can trust you and want worry about price shopping you. Good luck to any of you new guys.
..and the rest is history....lol... good one, keep safe and have a great weekend
Wow Mike, this was a very valuable video! Thank you for sharing. I am in agreement with your strategy about starting small and working up. Know your skill set and keep adding to it. Buy used and fix it up. Be vigilant of your cash flow. Learn from each mistake and vow to not make it again. I have used all these in my business and found some success. Excavating is a seasonal occupation and it is good to have some diversity so you can still make money during the down times. Also, during slow periods, get out in the shop and maintain your equipment. You have to be proud of your accomplishments, and I am proud of you.
Thanks David
Great video DP. I started business 16 years ago and you hit the nail on the head . A happy customer means everything .I got in this business 34 years ago and learn a lot working for someone for 18 years before I started mine.how to run the business and how to bid a job then how to set it all up to keep you moving on up the ladder.(I'm a flooring contractor).I was always tough your only good as your last job .word of mouth can hurt or help you more than you would think 🤔.keep up the great work 😎✌️👍👌🇺🇲
Great information for any situation. People pay for your skill and there time. In my life I've been paid better for my honesty than my ability. I don't have a business or anything. Just a skill that's needed every once in a while.
This is an awesome video. 6 months ago I started a dump trailer business, top dressing driveways and renting it as a dumpster. I had no idea what I was doing but its working. I keep thinking in my head "if only I could go buy a mini tractor and start working that I know I could make money at it". Its time to start chasing that dream. I've also been having the internal debate between mini tractor or skid and this totally answered that question. I'm excited!
I think this video is a good outlook on anything you do in life. The 2 biggest things I learned as a prior small business owner is I loved the work and I suck at business management. By that I mean I loved everything about construction but hated everything about running a business.
Now if you take out the word excavation and institute any other word like college, computers, games, TH-cam creator, etc the lessons in the video will still apply. Play to your strengths, start small, find mentors or help, have a plan, and or course if you aren't enjoying it dont be afraid to find your passion.
These are the same principles I learned in my defunct business. It was NOT a failed business. It was a learning experience and I learned that the business aspect was not for me. But it also taught me a level of self confidence that allowed me (and my wife) to make the jump to TH-cam. And with any new endeavor plug away, have a plan, and most important... have fun with it!
P.s. shameless plug... I know.
Thanks
We Appreciate You 🫴 🙏
Good discussion! One thing that would be helpful. Talk about market segments (or types of projects). You mentioned that jumping up to a bigger excavator was a game changer. So you must have done different types of projects with the bigger machine. What types, how did you market into that segment etc. Thanks
For someone like myself who’s just starting. This was a awesome video. Great perspective and advice.
Glad it was helpful!
Good info on starting a dirt business 👍👍👍
My father always told me you got to crawl before you can walk and you got to walk before you can run enough said. Good job Dp!
Saw your video on Tractor Time with Tim. Your the man. I started as a handyman 27 years ago, now I am only doing high end commercial property maintenance. Learning to bid is a huge learning curve. And I might add, taking care of employees. I know we all go into business to make money, but without them we can't do what we do. I have never paid by the hour. They get a percentage and are treated like a partner. The first guy I hired is still with me and the newest one has been with us for 15 years.
Back to bidding, when your starting out, you have to bid low to get work and get your name out. Expect to bust your ass to make a buck. As you gain customers you can raise prices to weed out the bargain shoppers. When you get really good you can cherry pick your customers to make bank.
Also, bigger is not always better. My ex partner went big. 2.5 million in debt and does 4 times the work I do. I am debt free and clear twice as much. And who does he call to bail him out when his hourly quit? Lol. Yep.
Congratulations on reaching 100,000 subscribers!
Thanks
Congrats on 100K!! Been here since before 20k...keep the great videos coming!!
Thanks Greg
Excellent advice! Thank you Mike and Tim!
You gave such good advice Mike. I called it baby steps when advising someone who asked me how I started. Skills are the key in my opinion. I was fortunate in that I was able to train on the job. I took that very serious and it has payed ten fold throughout my career. You touched on some great points in having a business and you were spot on! Great video Mike!!
Best piece of advice ive learned over the years is you can always come down, but you can never go up on a price. Takes time to learn what you can do with you machines and how much work you can do in an amount of time. Learning when to charge hourly, and when to charge by the job.
This was great to hear your story I'm in the same boat as Tim.
Yes It does make sense to me thanks Damon
What an awesome side video! Many thanks for taking the time out and actually going ahead and doing this for us. It was a very honest insight. I'm self-employed myself and know the rigors of trying to price a job and yeah.. it's not fun lol. Congrats on your 100k subs! Don't forget to order your Silver Creator Award plaque from TH-cam and please please do show us all when you get it through :)
Good video my friend a lot of wisdom goes with that for a long way start small work up have a great day my friend I hope you and your family is doing fine God bless🙏👍
I just saw this video and would like to add that its very important to communicate with your customer. It seems so many contractors today don't call the customer if there is a problem getting to the job when they said they would. I know things go wrong and prevent the contractor from making their appointments but a quick call to the customer and keeping them informed is very important.
Agree
Operators are only as good as their desire and interest in operating the piece of equipment they are on and developing the skill set to operate that equipment to maximum potential without abusing it ( ie Jerry). Equipment, no matter the brand, is only as good as the maintenance program they are maintained with and the attention to the machine, as it’s operating, to the tell tale signs of a potential problem, (not a catastrophic breakdown). Above all is the honesty with customers , dealers, and employees ( if you own the business) , that In itself will take you a long ways to the goal one seeks. It takes years to build a relationship with customers and community, it only takes minutes to lose it , one bad decision, one wrong word or bad attitude will damage that relationship, and once it’s lost, you may never get it back. If you run a business, own it all, good and bad, life is life, it’s neither fair nor unfair, it just is , deal with it. You sir seem to do that well, and I am sure we don’t see all that goes on but, from my point of view, I don’t need to, because who you are, and what your company stands for,comes thru in these vids. Best to you and your family and company.
Well said. Especially about the operators desire to develop his skills
My only thing to add is I believe I bought a construction estimating book I believe it was by Dewalt at Home Depot it gave the formula to how to calculate the time to dig different trenches to how long to install vinyl siding. It gave me a very good baseline on how long it should take me to do things plus it also gave me a good idea how I was doing as an operator…what I needed to improve on to fit the industry standard…Best 30$ I ever invested …DP you did a beautiful job and great advice on starting a company
Wasn’t boring at all, i find these kind of videos interesting and even a bit educational.
Congrats on your 100000 subscribers 🥳
Thanks
Very good, especially for people who want to start a new adventure
I would like to hear your better half, and her take on how this ride was from her point of view. The ups and downs and so forth. Great job young man on your growth.
Have a podcast on my other channel about that a few points from perfect
Congrats on 100,000 subscribers!
Thanks Alex
Great video Mike. I’d still like to hear the story of Jerry. He’s the mystery man to me. He got to his skill level one way or another, and I’d sure like to hear how he got there.
I would like to hear Jerry's would love to get him on a podcast story also. Or just sitting down like you did this podcast and interview him or should I say let him tell his story. I would love and do love guys like this since I am one of them they are very interesting except in those days in the excavation or construction business we tend to how should I say not use the proper words of today's language Noah's days we had a language all of our own not appreciated by many LOL PS it is just not the same I enjoyed the 750 B the noise the smoke it just sounds altogether different I love your older equipment watching it work listening to it
Working in it
@@DirtPerfect
You could always tell Jerry no more running the 850 B until he talks to you first!!! 🤔🤣
My story of my excavation business is similar to yours, I had a skid steer and a mini. I had the opportunity to buy my neighbors PC138 excavator it opened up so many opportunities so fast it wasn’t even funny. I’ve been so slammed ever since and shortly after I bought a 953c track loader which gained even more jobs. I’ve figured out you can’t do the job if you don’t have the tool, it’s risky to buy something but every time I do it pays off.
What a brilliant insight, from someone who started early and has the skill set to fix their own equipment and from someone who started after a career in something else. Really interesting. 👍
Mike- Thank you for being such an honest and common sense person. We have enjoyed all of your videos!
Thanks appreciate that
Great info for customers and contractors !!
With my company it was 7 days a week 24 hours, just the nature of the business. Communications Tech/ Computer system. Large businesses stay open 24/7 and when they are down you are up and going. 35 years of it, and loved every minute, I never had a job, to me it was just fun.
Thanks for making this video. I am 28. Just bought a JD 755 with a bush hog and box blade. Got it to maintain our 20 acres. But now I am trying to get a business going with it, and eventually work my way up into bigger machines. Appreciate the advice.
Awesome and good luck
Awesome video and great information. I'm retired now after 32years at the same job and like you, I started small and worked my way up. Still do some work for friends and family mostly for material and no labor charge. Like Jerry ,just for fun and to get me out of the house. Sometimes I will get paid but never expect it.
I enjoy watching both your channel’s..I find it interesting that not only do the jobs pay,but using your experience for TH-cam and have that pay a little as well is cool.
from the Netherlands thanks for the video DP
Hard work, perseverance, experience, a bit of luck, a lot of patience will pay off..
Your knowledge was very helpful I was thinking about starting my own business now I have to think it all over again thank you
Best of luck
Awesome!! Thanks Mike! I recently quit my job and turned full time and I learn so much from you, Chris, Todd, Brandon and others. I love these videos as they inspire me. 👍
NOTE: tell Tim I’m a fellow software engineer and I had enough of that as well. So cool!
Thanks and good luck buddy
Yes its been informative, thanks for taking the time to do this, keep them coming when u can.
Thank
Good video. I like Tim’s story, I was an electronics engineer for 12 yrs and now I’m a carpenter running my own business.
Mike, nicely explained how you started your company. What I do miss a bit is that you also need good people around you who often understand them well, handle your material / tools properly and also treat your client neatly and well. With all the money you can buy beautiful new and large machines, but the operator still makes the difference. Also for your company. You really have a great team of people around you. Be proud and careful of that. They have helped to grow your business.
greeting from Jan Wieger from Friesland Netherlands
The compact tractor with the right implements is the "swiss army knife" of the industry !!
Great video congratulations on 100 k subscribers
Thanks
Mike good advice. Have been self employed for forty years. Still learning still make mistakes with pricing. The biggest problem with customer is if you give them a daily rate they multiply it and assume you are earning that. You will know how far from the truth that is. Also your comment that if you are awake yet are working is so true. I have customers who ring me on a Sunday night and immediately want to know time scales price and when I can do it. It is exhausting.
Congratulations on 100,000 subs. You have great content, the rewards will keep coming.
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Congratulations on reaching 100k subscribers Mike.
Thanks
Excellent video and advice. I had a concrete finishing business. I started out doing small jobs and gradually progressed. Until I got to the point of not being physically able to continue and lost time with my family. DP you touched on the family time aspect. But that is also a major part of owning your own business also
I like watching your rainy day vids as much as your other content, my thoughts are it's fun to watch and how many thousands of dollars is he saving and also seeing your assistants.
Wise words.
I started in a small op learned alot & boy those lessons have helped me alot to build my company to what it is today I run a multi million dollar company & do many muli million dollar jobs as well as smaller jobs having my owen shop & mechanic crew is night & day I do alot of my owen work when I can
We have quite similar stories. I have worked in excavation and road construction for 12 years. I purchased my 973C seven years ago while I was still working my full-time job. I learnt how to operate heavy equipment on someone else’s dime, someone else’s equipment, it was a learning experience. I also farm with my family so I took both paths and put them together and started out clearing land. Putting the knowledge I have to maximize productivity. My thing with charging by bid with land clearing is I am very picky. I’m not going to take the quickest and easiest way to the finish line. I’m going to take the trees and move them, take the extra time to make the job right and most of the time you can’t see that until you get into it. After 7 years of owning just my 973C I took a plunge and advanced to try and maximize revenue from each job I get. Buying complimentary equipment to what I already have. Thanks for sharing your experiences
Awesome
Thank you for the business model
Great video and great advice. I'm one year into my own Land Services business and I think this would help anyone looking to get started. I had a L2501 Kubota and a trailer when I started out. I bought a 1976 C65 single axle dump truck and I soon left my job as a Paramedic. Just upgraded to a 1993 tandem axle international and an MX5400. An 8 ton Excavator is on the radar for next year.
Great Video Mike. There’s a lot to be said about Pride of Ownership along with Customer Satisfaction. A successful business is an extension of reliable follow through you build with your customers and venders while complying to state, county and local regulations. From one job to the next, every customer becomes a calling card for years to come..🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
i have been watching you for 6 months I ran a d6 b for 25 years and a L Insley drag line. the older equp. i maintained my self. sure i had my share of brake downs. but with good maintenance the old stuff made me a good living.. and no payments
Exactly and thanks Jim
Excellent information 👌 thanks for sharing this information. 👍