# I want to run a concrete business after high school?



## Chris Johnson

You think someone is going to just give a 300k slab to you?

Crawl

Walk

Run


----------



## LCG

I read all of these posts and I must admit they are all true. I own a successfull roofing business and like most, I learned it the hard way!

I will tell you the same thing I told my neices an nephews before they graduated and will tell my own children when they are old enough to understand. (the oldest is in kindergarden. The world is still nice to her. Love their innocence.) 

Back to reality:

Go to SCHOOL! I know, I hated hearing that too.

I don't care if you want to bake cakes or work at Mcdonalds. If you have taken 2 years of business at your local C.C. you will be way ahead of the game and advancing in your career of choice will be much easier. Everything is buisiness! Its all money. Learn the business side of it. Not the getting/doing the work side of it. You can land all of the jobs in world and piss away every red cent if you don't know what your doing. Believe me I have been there. 

Pull back the reigns and whoe' that horse. We can all appreciate your chomping at the proverbial bit. What we appreciate more is a properly run business.

Take some courses in quickbooks, accounting, and whatever else your local C.C offers in business. You have your whole life ahead of you. We have all spent at least 10,000hrs perfecting our craft and we are all "still" learining the business side of it. 2 years of CC will put you ahead 10 years in the real world.

Make your dad proud and do it RIGHT.


----------



## Tquentin

TO add on to what ^^ said. I'm sure your CC offers night classes and they may only meet one or two times a week. 

Good luck!


----------



## chew

You have a awful lot to learn & it sounds like your dad does not have the business knowledge to help you. You have a long way to go before you want to do commercial work ( those guys will eat you up ). Here's the short list on some of the things you need to do :
1) get a good accountant
2) check the laws for your location on what you need to do to operate a business legally.
3) join local chapter of ACI
4) join a sub-contractor's association
5) get ACI cert. for field tech. level I
6) get more ACI certs.
7) take drafting & business classes in high school
8) get an AA in accounting
9) then get an AA in engineering
10) ask questions all the time & never stop learning ( the more you learn the more you realize to less you know)

Just because you have a P/U with your name on it, businees cards & a few tools does not make you a business. Go slow & remember every mistake you & your employees make cost you. How many mistakes can you afford to make ? Just because you send someone a bill doesn't mean you will get paid. Good luck a remember 12 hours is only a half day.


----------



## FramingPro

rselectric1 said:


> We need young ambitious guys in the trades so don't let it get you down, but know ahead of time that it's a rough business world out there.
> 
> You've got exactly the right attitude, but probably have a LOT to learn.
> 
> You should talk to Framing Pro (Nick) He's been a member here since he was 14 or so *and WILL go places*. I'm guessing he's about your age.
> 
> (someone post a link to him will you?)
> 
> Just giving you some reality bud. It's not a bed of roses out there.
> 
> But we all love to help young tradesmen here. :thumbsup:


you think so?
I hope so :whistling


----------



## Jaws

FramingPro said:


> you think so?
> I hope so :whistling


 I'd bet on it.


----------



## FramingPro

jawtrs said:


> I'd bet on it.



me and this guy should be partners :laughing: :thumbup:


----------



## Chris Johnson

FramingPro said:


> me and this guy should be partners :laughing: :thumbup:



That's the funniest thing I've read today :laughing::laughing:

Take the rest of the day off too Nick


----------



## Deckem

If you want to join the contracting owners community, I would suggest
finding a girl to marry first because:

A) You will need someone to support you when things get slow/ customers won't pay!

B) You won't find a woman who will deal with the a$$ho.. you have become, after dealing with the erratic Home Owners, lazy employees, broke sub-contractors always wanting money and unreasonably demanding General Contractors.

C) You will need somebody to stop you from putting your Ramset in your mouth and driving a spike into your brain because of the business pressures.....or doing this to sombody else.

D) You will need someone outside the contracting world that can talk about anything other than contracting problems/issues. This is not a career where you can things at the door, when you get home.

I wish you luck and will tell what I told my kids (none have joined the trades) Get a high level education, make sure you love what you do and become the best at what ever you decide to do and get set in your faith, you will need GOD more than you realize!


----------



## FramingPro

Chris Johnson said:


> That's the funniest thing I've read today :laughing::laughing:
> 
> Take the rest of the day off too Nick



i dont get it.
i was just kidding,
but whats so funny? :blink:


----------



## Gary H

Deckem said:


> If you want to join the contracting owners community, I would suggest
> finding a girl to marry first because:
> 
> A) You will need someone to support you when things get slow/ customers won't pay!
> 
> B) You won't find a woman who will deal with the a$$ho.. you have become, after dealing with the erratic Home Owners, lazy employees, broke sub-contractors always wanting money and unreasonably demanding General Contractors.
> 
> C) You will need somebody to stop you from putting your Ramset in your mouth and driving a spike into your brain because of the business pressures.....or doing this to sombody else.
> 
> D) You will need someone outside the contracting world that can talk about anything other than contracting problems/issues. This is not a career where you can things at the door, when you get home.
> 
> I wish you luck and will tell what I told my kids (none have joined the trades) Get a high level education, make sure you love what you do and become the best at what ever you decide to do and get set in your faith, you will need GOD more than you realize!


All very true.


----------



## RhodesHardwood

If you don't have a website get one and start promoting it, this is the best way to get more work.


----------



## olligator

*Go to School* after high school. At least stick with it long enough to get your AA or better. Accounting, business, and trade specific classes would be ideal; if you can squeeze in as much mathematics and physics as possible that's even better. That education will give you more of the tools you need to really make your company successful.

Think about what Chris posted too: Crawl, Walk, Run. I wouldn't hire you for the 12,000SF slab I'll be doing next month because you're still in the crawling phase. If you jump immediately to run, you are risking putting yourself out of business without the experience and capitalization to handle it properly. Stay hungry and keep after it Grasshopper!


----------



## fjn

*buisness*

Diazconcrete; I too have read all posts regarding your question.My advice to you,do not let all of the naysayers dash your hpoes and ambitions. They would like you to believe the MYTH that success comes as a result of hard work,luck, or favortism. The reality of the matter is ,success is the result of consistent thoughts and feelings of success. Their thoughts have created THEIR reality . Do not accept their reality as your reality. The only thing working your fingers to the bone will get you is boney fingers. Work from the shoulders up. Direct your thoughts to the out come you want and harness the power that creates worlds. The naysayers thoughts created each and every aspect of their realities . Look at the glass and see it half full,not half empty.The best of luck to you. Believe me, you can make it happen,enjoying every step of the way watching it all unfold.


----------



## Scribbles

One thing that has ben bugging me

"I want to run a concrete business after high school?"

This should be a statement, not a question.


----------



## Jaws

Work with the crew. Learn every damn thing about the concrete business. Learn the codes, learn better practices. Learn form work until you can do it with your eyes closed. Same with grading and finishing. Learn everything you can.

Then learn the business side. Go to night school and take the classes you need.

Learn to network. Get active with sub contractors associations, builders associations, ect. Do what you say you will when you say you will.


----------



## Concreteguyjp70

I would not be so eager to jump into commercial concrete. I am in OKC and work for a large commercial contractor. It is a vicious market in Texas right now. However, if you were to make the appropriate steps to become a 100% E-verified company, there is a ton of money to be made on military bases. Small projects with the COE (Core Of Engineers) have great Proffitt margins. This would be the ideal way to build revenue and reputation, before moving into the commercial market. There are very few companies that are 100% E-verify, and they are raking in the profits.


----------



## Ethos

While family businesses can and do work, it complicates things if you don't have the proper relationship with your business partners. Family businesses have some advantages in that there is usually more trust among the partners, and also it can in some instances make business discussions more frank and honest. At the same time, it can put stress on the family if the family members involved don't have the right personality type. One common symptom of family business models is that they became a hydra, a multi-headed monster that is constantly in contention with itself.

I've worked with my father in the past, but after a certain point I learned all I could from him and it was time to move on. It wasn't until I went on to work for other contractors that I started to re-expand my knowledge. I was able to bring that knowledge back to my father later on, and currently we're on the right track. I also improved my skills as a tradesman, and have a much higher work ethic than when I was younger. Business is improving beyond what it was, and we are showing marked growth in areas we weren't before. Another thing that has helped is that he has taken a more back-seat approach, as I now have more experience with more successful businesses than his had been in the past.

But what makes us work? We're very honest with each other, and can have an argument without resenting each other. We hold nothing back, and aren't worried about hurting each other's feelings because this is business, not personal. We can transition quickly from having a heated discussion on a particular business strategy to working side by side with our eyes on the prize. We both realize that we argue with each other because we care about the success of the company, and how it can benefit us as a family as well.

My advice to you is this: 

Don't try to take on too much too early. You're in highschool, so you haven't seen enough to run your own trade business just yet. Work for your dad for awhile, and understand the labor side of things. Also try to observe how your dad handles the business side of things. Then, if your dad's business isn't successful, I would advise to work for others, or at the very least, study other companies that are doing the right things. Taking some courses in business simultaneously would help immensely as you should have a basic understanding of accounting, marketing and business in general if you want to be successful outside of labor.


----------



## diazconcrete

...


----------



## FramingPro

diazconcrete said:


> All I see is a bunch of guys talking down on me haha
> Yall can check out my website www.diazconcreteservices.com
> Its been over 3 years I have been on this thing and I have something to say to all yall. You want something you go for it and never give up. I must say it was hard trying to build my reputation on my area but I got it done. I have so much work that I subcontract some of it out. Starting a $250,000 slab next Tuesday so if any of yall wanna come down to the job site and take a look it feel welcome to come . Don't forget your hard hat and safety vest hahaha


The arrogant tone of your post is gonna catch you some **** :whistling


----------

