New tractor business

hosejockey2002 · Apr 4, 2003

Hello all-

I've recently started a small business using my tractor (Yanmar 1401D- 17 hp). I got my contractor's license, am insured, bonded, all that. I'm looking for any and all suggestions on how to market my business. I'm going to do brush and field cutting, light grading and clearing, gravel and topsoil. My attachments are FEL, box scraper, landscape rake, tiller and brush hog. I placed an ad in the local direct mail newspaper but have yet to get any calls. If things go well I want to upgrade to a bigger, newer machine with a Harley rake and possibly a backhoe. I would like to hear from anyone who has started a business similar to mine. Thanks.

Roy Smith
RJS Compact Tractor Services

DKinWA · Apr 4, 2003

If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just described the business I started about 6 months ago. It's a part time thing for me, but I hope to expand it into a full time business by 2005. Right now I've got a TC40, F800 dump truck and equipment trailer. I've talked to some of the local rock pits and they were very helpful and willing to send customers my way. They even let me hang some business cards on their wall for potential customers to see. One pit manager even offered to come in on weekends to load rock if he wasn't busy fishing or had other plans. I'm also going to talk to some of the nurseries and landscape materials suppliers in my area and see if I can't strike up a mutually beneficial business relationship.

One thing that's really surprised me, is the number of coworkers that have sent business my way. They've given me one new driveway job and 3 or 4 jobs to clean up and maintain their existing driveway. I also find once I'm working on a project it seems like it usually generates some busineess with a neighbor. I even got my pickup lettered in addition to my dump truck so I'm always advertising wherever I go. One other thing I found was to never miss an opportunity to strike up a friendly conversation with people where ever you go. I was gassing up my truck the other day and someone else started a conversation and by the time we were going are seperate ways, he said he'd give me a call if he ever had a need for my services.

Unfortunately I choose the worse possible time to start a business like this in western washington, but things are slowly picking up. I'm sure things will really pick up when the ground starts to dry out and folks get spring fever. I know I've got spring fever and I want to play in the dirt!

Sorry for being long winded, but I think I inherited the trait from my mom. Good luck with your business venture.

DKinWA · Apr 4, 2003

Duh! I just noticed you're in western washington too.

normde2001 · Apr 4, 2003

I'm not familiar with a direct mail newspaper, but a small classified ad, placed on a regular basis in your highest circulation regular local newspaper should bring results for only a few $'s a week. Before I got my tractor, that's where I looked for bushhog work.

Gary_in_Indiana · Apr 4, 2003

DK,

I think you're starting at the best possible time, not the worst. If you can make it while things are slow and the economy is bad then you'll be fine when things get better. I'm always amazed by the number of people who go into business when times are great and think because they're making money then that they are good business people. The first little hiccup and they have no clue as to what to do. You're better off starting now. You'll learn how to make it in tough times this way. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

ejb · Apr 4, 2003

>>I think you're starting at the best possible time, not the worst. If you can make it while things are slow and the economy is bad then you'll be fine when things get better

Very good point of view. I agree 100%. When times are booming it has a way of making people lazy and greedy...not a good combination when things get tough.

DKinWA · Apr 4, 2003

Gary,

I never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right. When you start at the bottom the only way to go is up. Fortunately my wife and I expected that money wouldn't just start rolling in and we'd likely have to pay some of the business expenses with money from our day jobs. I just finished up the march paperwork and noticed the business virtually paid for itself (a good sign). Now we can take the money that we had been paying into the business and give it to the irs since it looks like we still owe them /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

cstocks · Apr 5, 2003

Around here folks with their own small business like to post notices on bulletin boards at the local country stores. I see business cards, hand written advertising and computer generated advertising printed on printer paper. Also, a lot of folks like to make small (but readable from the road) signs and tack them on telephone poles and fence posts. It is not uncommon to see such signs advertising dozer and tractor work. A couple of months ago I was interested in getting some quotes for dozer work and found more phone numbers on the road side than I did in the local phone book. Word of mouth is also a good way to make business contacts.

hosejockey2002 · Apr 6, 2003

You've got quite a bit more machine than me, but like I said if things go well the equipment will get bigger. I'm hoping to do a lot of driveway renovation also. I did a job for a guy whose driveway was almost impassible, and in two hours I had it to where it was just like driving on asphalt. Before I did the job he would just spread a truckload of gravel on it every year and wonder why it never got any better. I'm also thinking that this may be a rough time to start a service oriented business, but if I can make a go of it now, it should really go well when the economy improves.