Steps to starting out

[Mfenner82]

I have begun to set up a portable welding business and am wondering what steps I should take to ensure that I get jobs on a steady basis. any help would be appreciated thanks

[ronsii]

Weld up something like this small block ford that ate to mush boost and then use it in your welding rig and you'll have people beating down your doors



However if you can't manage that then I would suggest some sample pics of your work posted to craigslist and similar sites for the tech end of it and some cards/flyers to drop around at shops that may give you leads.

[12V71]

Back to the OP's question, Word of mouth is the best advertising there is. When I finally went out in 1989 I had people clamoring for my services both as a heavy equipment mechanic and a weldor. I had spent 2 years doing weekend work for most of these guys before I took the plunge, I probably could have moved out the two years earlier and done just fine but I was worried about feeding a family.
Funny thing is my last employer was one of my best contract customers.

[idacal]

Are you doing yard art, and lawn mowers, or pipelines. Are you plugged into clients power or self sustaining. It all makes a difference. If your financials need steady work, good luck, like anything its going to be feast or famine starting out. There is some books out there like guerrilla marketting, Has some good ideas. then face book, Craigslist, and make sure you answer your phone in the evenings and weekends. Your trying to get the people who are desprate need it fixed now and their normal guy is not answering his phone. And never ever show up hung over, doesn't matter if it is sunday at 6:00 am.

[thegary]

The only way to stay busy is to get into commercial , industrial work or if you are a really creative metal work artist. Residential work is the fastest way to go broke. I used residential work only as fill in work and usually gave a reduced hr rate. To me it was just a form of advertising. People talk and I got larger jobs from people who new someone I did a residential job for.

[user 9328330]

Portable welding covers a lot. What is your history? How old are you? Do you have any specialties, and if so, what are they? What type of business / industry is within an hour's radius of you? We're just shooting in the dark and all of us, including you, are wasting our time here unless you give us more details. Accurate answers require accurate input.

[lotechman]

If you intend to continue as a portable service you will eventually be face with certifications. Up here in Canada shops have bee mostly certified since the mid 1980's. I know the AWS is supporting it in several ways. Certification often includes small contractors who want to get to bid on work associated with large construction sites. What it means for the operator is that he has to meet the requirements of the welding authority. For a guy with a truck it involves an inspection of his equipment and him qualifying on company weld procedures. I notice that now AWS has a welding supervisor certification along with welding inspector. If you are just a portable then likely you personally would have to pass the welding supervisor test which proves you have a working knowledge of AWS code. Up here it is Canadian Welding Bureau.
Think about it when you start to get opportunities to do work on larger job sites because the question will be asked if you are certified. Yes it is a pain jumping through hoops but once your company is certified engineers and architects will have you on speed dial since they do not want the hassle and questions raised about if the welds will meet code.
Which code will apply in your case will depend on the region and industry. There is even a code for working on rolling stock on railways. There are guys who make their bead and butter just repairing rail cars parked on sidings.