One man operations

General questions for you guys and gals that are running this gig as a full time job as owner and grunt. Are you finding that it is almost impossible to do it? Trying to market for new business, pick-ups, break down time, selling, generating new customers and vendors......

I am sitting here really looking at my path in life and being in a cube farm just isn't for me anymore after 15 years doing it. I want to turn my part time gig into a full time gig but the same roadblocks keep coming up. I don't have enough steady business to turn on the switch. I can't generate anymore business because this is only part time but I don't think I can generate a decent middle class wage as there just isn't enough hours in the day or I have to have 3 of me running different segments just to keep up.

I don't want employees. To much BS that I don't need or won't deal with. I want to be a one man show. I don't want to get rich and working hard isn't the issue. I am just seeing that it might not be in the cards to go full tilt as a sole proprietor and really make it long term with a comfortable wage back to me. How are some of you one person shows doing it?



Looking for sugestions, opinions, comments.......

Its possible but you have to do something to set yourself apart from the others. I have a couple part time employee's to do breakdowns on pc's and pay them by the pc. I drop the load off to them and pick it up when they are done and ready for more. This gives me time to do more time picking up new clients. I buy from lots of scrap yards. Have to pay a slight bit more but get lots of quanity. You have to wear many hats. If i am doing tear downs or sorting and i have to meet a new perspective client i usually run home and change. The wife helps me get and keep paperwork straight. Some days are long but if something comes up or i get bored i can arrange my schedule for the most part. Some of my pickups are an hour away and can tie up half a day.

Full time owner and grunt here. I can't tell you when my last day ''off'' was, lol. I am able to lift and load most stuff myself, even being a girl. If I have a large pickup I know I will or might need help on I will take my dad or a brother. during the busiest times in the spring and summer I was picking up and breaking down 7 days a week with one or two dropoffs a day depending on what I had and worked on stuff until I couldn't stay awake any longer and have pulled many, many all nighters staying awake for 2 days at a time. Yes, some things did suffer around my house because in addition to doing this I also take care of my parents house and yard but thats the nature of the beast lol. I was exhausted to the point of delirium at times but to me it was worth it. I'm my own boss, if something goes wrong I have no one to blame but myself and I don't have to worry about helpers that don't help. As I spent more time doing this I have honed more efficient ways to break down and maximize time, have worked hard and honest to get my name out there with great results and have now started to reap the benefits of those contacts. I work hard, very hard and can honestly say I love every minute of it even when I'm sweating oil and dirt and think everyone hates me for not being able to spend ''fun'' time with them.

Victor, I'm a girl and I was scared to death when i started doing this. I used every family member and friend to get my name out there, I am a considerate scrapper, I always smile and wave when I drive my routes and as people have gotten to know me it has paid off. Sometimes I don't think it does because it seems I'm always putting money back into my truck or whatever and it gets frustrating when nothing pans out for a week. But then I sit here and think to myself, ''Now wait a minute Cindy - you paid cash for your kids college this year, you paid cash for your parents wedding anniversary party, you have pocket money, you paid cash for those truck repairs!'' And it all came from MY scrapping money, not out of household expenses from what hubby deposits every month and guess what? We have money left in the bank now the day before payday when before it was a struggle to make the paycheck last past the 4th day it was deposited. I started doing this full time in April and if I, an almost 50 year old gal can get this far in just under 7 months so can anyone! doing it this way is not for everyone but I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing unless I was forced to physically, I will do this until I no longer can. Good luck Victor!

Cindy, I did enjoy your story. Others here have related similar stories and even ones where they dug themselves out of debt. Nothing like determination and hard work, Mike.

Originally Posted by Ewasted

If you don't want emplyoees, you will never own a business... you will be the business. You think you have it bad now, imagine losing customers cause you missed a call because you were sick with the flu...

^This is very true and makes total sense. I guess I just can't let myself get that far ''out'' of the business to make that kind of *change* to my business. Gotta be a trust issue lol.

Thanks Mike for the kind words! My story is probably not the kind the OP wanted to hear lol, but if I can do it then it proves it can be done. I never thought it was possible to get to the point I am at today by myself but it can be done. I know it sounds like a horror story all the time I devoted to it to get off the ground, but things get better, faster and easier with time and I'm not nearly as manical now as I was then, I do actually have down time now and do some fun things. Lol, Victor is probably going to run screaming from this thread now thinking the cube farm might not look so bad after all!

Thanks for the replies all. I know this last year I have really worked at increasing my breakdown efficiency. Picking up that extra battery operated driver or specialty tool, staging my work better, spending less time on non-value added steps, etc... I am also working my commercial routes a bit more effectively to minimize on the road time and gas usage. Doing alot of refining trying to gain back time spent and improve my motions so as not to waste what hours I do have on non-productive efforts.

It just seems as the years go on I am still stuck with the same issues. It's either space problems, a lack of consistent volumes going into the shop or out to the yards, having a difficult time marketing my business in off hours, family needs pulling at my limited part time hours. I find myself working 3-4 hours per night and Sat/Sun. About once every 6 months I catch myself saying that this is the time....I need to pull the trigger and go on my own. If I fail, I fail but at least I tried. Later on I'm talking myself out of it because of the security of a full time job and the lack of a consistent payday at this side venture.

My brain is running…. “But if I could just spend the time I am at work on this I could make it”…..”No no, you know how many computers you need consistantly to make $$$ per month net every single month, there’s no way” It’s like the good angel on one shoulder and the bad angel on the other…all night long as I am staring at the ceiling. How screwed up is this….even as bad as this economy is and even though my job is secure but is burning me out….I actually catch myself fantasizing about getting laid off so I got an excuse to go full on.

I'm torn and I'm getting older. I feel like I'm right there, the carrot is within reach but I still got both legs in quicksand.

Hope I am making sense and this resonates with everyone. Thanks again for all your thoughts and keep the discussion going....

Originally Posted by newattitude

Victor is probably going to run screaming from this thread now thinking the cube farm might not look so bad after all!

Not at all newattitude....Thanks for your input....it's appreciated.

The cube farm is nothing but politics, BS, and working as a wage slave to make another person rich. The corporate luster has worn off long ago and I know how the game is really played at this stage in my career. I guess I am looking at it from the stand that if I am working that hard for anyone and putting up with that much BS..I should be working for the hardest boss I know.....me. It's hard to explain I guess.....

Nope, makes perfect sense!!
It sounds like you are close to making a decision one way or the other and I can't blame you for holding out if you don't think it will generate what you need. Maybe work on getting more contacts set up first before taking the major plunge so you know you have some security going into it as a nice start. That might make you feel you aren't standing quite so deep in quicksand. It's rough starting over which is basically what you would be doing and the scrap business is certainly not without uncertainties but its up to you to let those uncertainties remain or work to get past them. Keep us posted.

Its a tough decision to go at it alone. Mailed many business cards, paid for referrals, paid for people to pass out fliers at local busines, amd many other things. In one year i make more than i ever did at a decent paying job. I do almost exclusive ewaste for commercial businesses and one appliance removal contract. It can be done but you have to work hard at it.

One man show here too and it keeps me pretty busy. Seems like I'm always chasing the next junk car(s). Keeps cash in my pocket though and I do good selling car parts and tires.