Starting a fabrication business is a huge deal. That’s why we asked FastCut table owners what advice they’d offer to those who are new to the industry.
Getting the perfect CNC plasma table is just one of many steps you’ll need to take to hit the ground running.
STARTING A FABRICATION BUSINESS:
Never sacrifice quality and workmanship – One of our clients offered this advice to new users: “Quality and workmanship will always be the base of your reputation. Do not sacrifice it.”If you build a solid business based on high quality workmanship, your reputation will help bring in a steady stream of clientele.
Be mindful of pricing – When it comes to pricing, don’t undervalue your products or services. If you’re offering competitive pricing that’s too low, you may find yourself losing money instead of making it. There can be a lot of costs associated with starting up, and you want to make sure you charge accordingly.
Find your niche – Once you open up shop and spend some time creating products, you’ll likely discover where your skill set and product demand lies. Once you’ve figured that out, tailor your shop to focus on those in-demand, skillfully created products.
Ask questions – There’s a good chance you’ll have a lot of questions about your table or the industry in the first few months of starting up a fabrication business. By reaching out and asking the guys at FastCut or other industry professionals your questions as they come up, you’ll be in a much better position to serve your clients and build up your income. One of our current clients said it best, “There are no dumb questions, but a dumb assumption is dangerous.”
Invest in the right tooling – Once you’ve discovered your niche and business starts to pick up, don’t be afraid to invest in the appropriate tooling. If you’re good at what you do, the demand for your workmanship will continue to grow and those investments can be paid off quickly. As one of our current table owners simply stated, “Invest in the proper tools and then just giver.”
We also reached out to our Instagram followers for feedback as well. Here’s some of fabrication business advice they had to say:
Follower Innovaspeed had these great words to share:
“Don’t devalue your work because people whine and want to be cheap. It’s ok to throw some early discounts to move jobs through, but don’t work for free or you won’t make it past 6 months. Also, everything you use for the job has cost so remember electricity, consumables, your time, etc. It’s so easy to forget all the little costs that add up fast.”
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Follower OriginalJonLam dropped some knowledge regarding customer service and communication:
“Customer service is key, if your customer service is bad, people will not come back. If you promise a product by Monday, and it’s not ready Sunday evening, stay until the job is done. Be up front with unavoidable delays, and don’t BS customers. Make sure your product is exactly as you describe.”
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Rynguy30 knows how important the human element is, and the challenges of HR…
“You can fill your shop with the best tools available, but if you don’t have the skilled people to use them you have nothing. Invest in your people, but only the good ones!”
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Our friends at PrecisionWeldingAcademy shared talked about the wisdom that surrounds us all:
“Take advice from all the fabricators you can and then mold what they taught you to fit your personality! Not one fabricator or welder are the same, everyone has their own signature and style. Find yours and own it!”
As our FastCut table users can attest, there is a lot to consider when you’re starting up, but with these great tips from table owners that have established themselves in the industry, you’ll be well on your way to running a successful fabrication shop in no time.
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