Ever seen a recent grad start his own business?

[zartangreen]

Hace frío hoy means that it's cold today. If a person is cold, the verb is tener, and if it's the weather, it's hacer.


Change the name ASAP,, and start Fresh with your Internet fingerprint george,, formally worked for AirP????? And with your sub rate 1?5 U will definitly Not make it. U will make another contractor Rich with that rate and maybe u can help him also build an extension to his garage u know for that new car.
Google is sponsoring buses to take people to Volunteer in Staten Island all week great opurtunity not four Sales but to mingle with Many other contractors,, they will respect U right off the back, But don't go solely for that reason if it's not in your heart thats whole different thread. I have an insurance guy when your ready,, Fyi your looking over 12 thou for Umbrella Policy,, but with that U can work in google ,, wall street Calvin etc:::I know it's expensive but think how much Gas u will save. Service calls can literally be back to back with in a four block range. worst comes to worst a whole 2 miles North

[keviekev70]

3 NO
0 Yes
0 Dares

You get a YES here.
Keep the faith. I was 19 out of tech school, universal EPA, couldn't get a job with any company....Did my first job ever on my own (well my dad an electrician give me a hand) installing 2 3ton split. I invested all my profits in my 1st vacuum pump, B-tank, Torch set, and can of R-22.I did a few more service pull window units check boilers ect. then I relocate to NYC where there is no shortage of work, learned the trade and opened-up shop. If you truly want to be Independent the door is always open just do right by the customers and that door stays open.

[keviekev70]

You get a YES here.
Keep the faith. I was 19 out of tech school, universal EPA, couldn't get a job with any company....Did my first job ever on my own (well my dad an electrician give me a hand) installing 2 3ton split. I invested all my profits in my 1st vacuum pump, B-tank, Torch set, and can of R-22.I did a few more service pull window units check boilers ect. then I relocate to NYC where there is no shortage of work, learned the trade and opened-up shop. If you truly want to be Independent the door is always open just do right by the customers and that door stays open.

After seeing your other post on this tread Word of advice, your attitude determine your altitude keep your EGO in check.

[TTE]

You seem pretty adiment about starting your business even though everyone agrees its not a wise idea, so heres some advice to possible (most likely not) increase your chances, start your buisness specializing in schedualled PM's only no repairs or service (and if you dont know what PM's are or how to do them then your really not ready to have your own business yet). And in the mean time continue trying to find a job with someone else because your overhead and insurance will still be high in comparison without a client base.

[anacdoctor]

Yes I have.
He started out very well.
He started by selling Maintenance Aqreements to residents from the gated community he lived in
He was OK with doing a PM on a system.
Where he ran into a problem was when he was called out to a no cool, and he found the system needed to be replaced.
Other then what he learned in school, he had never installed a system.
He would Con the HVAC instructor to help him.
He was also my instructor, and he told me it was getting old having to help Ken, out all of the time.
I did call the gated community a few years later and was told they have no one living there with his man.
I would say you would need field experence

[ddalberto]

School is ok...but nothing beats experience...go to work first.

[barriefurnacerepair]

School is ok...but nothing beats experience...go to work first.

Excellent advice by everyone here. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained at this forum.

Rather than tell you [Hace] what you should do, you will probably go ahead and follow your gut in this case, regardless of what anyone has to say. That said, let me comment on a call I made last week.

It seemed simple enough, a typical residential no-heat call on a 13 year old power assisted vented furnace going into a "b" chimney. I got there and noticed some things that weren't typical of the equipment operating properly. I have lots of experience, so I felt comfortable understanding the situation. The issue on the surface was that a roll-out switch had tripped. If I had less experience, it might have been a case where I reset the switch and cashed in on a service charge. That was not the case. I reset the switch and examined further. The next thing I noticed while running the furnace through a cycle was some discoloration on the furnace door louvers. The tape on the wires a bit melted and some wires were discolored. I watched the flame and everything seemed fine.....at least at that moment. The furnace air circulation fan had started and soon after, I noticed a slight intermittent flutter on the edge of one burner - to a noob, it wouldn't seem like a big deal. I pulled the burners and cleaned it to ensure it wasn't fouling. After reinstalling the burners, it continued to foul. I felt heat near the front of the furnace as well. There was more to this....experience told me that. I looked inside the heat exchanger cells and took this snap with my phone.



The little chips in the bottom are part of the heat exchanger inside each of the cells. If I had missed it, a whole family may not be around today.

To put it simply, this is not the sort of trade to make mistakes as you cut your teeth. We're not meteorologists. Being new, mistakes are going to happen which is why you're getting so much resistance from the veterans who frequent this site. You'll need some supervision for a bit. I would be doing you a disservice to tell you what you want to hear. I like your independent attitude.....don't lose that. Ask lots of questions and soak it up like a sponge.....put ego aside and take your lumps.....you should do just fine in a few years. Try an install team and slug equipment for a while - build on that.

"No" for me.

[Kobe RBVBD]

I have had to re-train every "school-educated" tech that we've hired.

[Hace Frio]

To put your minds at ease a bit, back in Sept I was "hired" (subcontracted) by a guy with over 20yrs exp who answers my questions and teaches me

My own business is starting slowly.. I service a small pizza chain and a convenient store. Getting insurance wasn't a problem. I got a good deal on a minivan, almost all the tools I need second hand and hoping to get a contractor's liscence soon. I just ordered quicken books to start the acounting. Installed the first furnace by myself this past weekend.

Thanks for sharing that story. I'll try not to get in over my head.

[Kobe RBVBD]

I'm kind of curious how you plan on getting a Contractor's License. I don't know what the regulations are in your state, but here you need a Certificate of Work Experience signed by a contractor or journeyman indicating you have 5 years of Journeyman experience before you can even think about getting a Contractor's License.

Actually, I just took a moment to look it up and you would need 8,000 hours of field experience and 500 hours of schooling to get a Contractor's License in New Jersey.

[koolkahuna]

"How do you make a small fortune on Wall Street?"

Start with a large one.

[koolkahuna]

There are no shortcuts.

There is a small chance you may be able to make a go of it financially but for the sake of safety get real world on the job experience first.
If you go belly up you can rebuild. If you kill someone due to negligence there is no second chance for them.

[rcac101]

Life saving advice. When u pull the disconnect or kill the brker chk for power, if u leave chk for power on return, check each leg to ground then ground each leg as u pull it. Tape off the brker and before you touch the wires check for power again. Have a pair of insulated sole boots keep u from being grounded 240 will grab u and u will cook in place. Hvac guys die each year, carry a fire extinguisher, utilize your mentor and know your limits. Also u can hire someone with the experience u dont have, not a hack or rookie, or a guy with accounts and be up and running. i know b/c i did it. Remember the goal at the end of each day is to get home to your family the same way you left and $$ in pocket. Treat everyone with respect and focus on knowing your trade. So much more too this pm me i will try to help...Strictly A/c and refrigeration we have no need for heat in S. Florida