So I lost my ass for the first time on a job...

dynahoescott said:

Hey Aliate, I passed by your job today and it is finished. The saw cutting is a digrace, you were totally right about that, and like I said before your job started at the corner that I ripped up about 2 years earlier I am surprised they let you work there during daylight hours.:drinkup

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haha thats great that you saw it, yeah like I said the GC used his crew to finish the job, because Im assuming hes getting a MUCH higher rate than what he was giving me. Take some pictures for me if you pass by there again. Ive been keeping busy since then doing the small stuff.

Aliate- what you need is a mentor someone local or close by that can meet with you often and give you advice on building a business. As most anyone can tell you that has been in business, the part of running equipment whether it be a saw or an excavator is the easiest part although not necessarily easy. (Please, no offense intended to all the great operators out there... I have operated equipment just enough to know that I don't know anything about operating equipment). It is just that the business part is so very important. It sounds to me like on that trenching deal you could have worked for free (Your Labor) and had the GC pick up the other expenses and been way ahead. Your arrangement is no way to run a business. Add up the total cost of that truck. It sound real expensive.
There are kids that run a paper route and do better. Sorry to be critical..I have made the same kind of mistakes (Only more because I'm older) If only I could go back and redo. The way this computer stuff is going maybe in the future we will have a backspace and spell check on life. Read everything you can on business as well as your chosen trade. If I was the excavation business (retired builder now running a side business in metal fabrication) I would read every post on HEF. This is a excellent source of help. You should read as much as you can every night it might save you allot of mistakes. And those could be very costly mistakes. And ask questions!!! What a bunch of nice guys here on HEF that will answer any question they can. Good Luck.

I was by that site 2 weeks ago driving by. Its typical GC knows somebody young and robs him all the way to the bank. Just curious how did you epect to make money at 30lf in NJ based on your crew of 12 labores, 2 operators, 2 machines, dump truck , and misc tools your cost should be : 6100 for Lab. 1300 for OE. 700 for dump plus all your other stuff misc tools, saw, compressor, laser, etc.. your cost schould be about 10,000 a day i assme this either union or pervailing wage job? what about traffic control cones signs cops? My genarl rule of thumb in NJ is 4000-4500 for 2 laborers, OE with a machine, Forman and tools (typical Crew) and everthing else is excluded,

Rereading this thread makes me laugh now, I always tell my wife about that nightmare....I went out of business 2 years after that, I just decided to call it quits, because of finances and my brother and fathers involvement in business. I have since moved across the country, got married, expecting my first child and am saving money to start a new business the right way. I am also working with a very large utility company so I am learning to do utilities the RIGHT way. We were digging 8in mainline sewer with a link belt 460 this week and I am the top man. I hope everyone gets some entertainment out of this thread. I tell my co workers I was running a crew (or at least I thought I was) digging in downtown jersey city through steel plates at 22 yrs old and they don't believe me lol...

Glad to hear you have picked up the pieces and are getting on well. I wish you the best when you go for it again. You will have a lot of experience so as to not make the same mistakes over again.

Good to hear from you again, Aliate. Sound like life is good for you, Married and a child good for you.

Thanks guys all is well and soon enough I will redeem myself!

See you're in Seattle now, hope you're enjoying this push of work we're getting. Sure is nice to see things start taking off again. And welcome to the Wet Coast.

I'm actually on a job up the road from you on mukiteo speedway, and this is some pretty nice October weather!

Been a weird fall here too. Should have snow by now, but its been in the 40s!

I should update my profile, bought a house in Marysville last year. Working downtown, got into the tower crane gig, way more fun.

Good for U ! We all learn from our mistakes. Anyone who tackles NJ city streets at 22-23 yrs old is a man with steel balls and a good worker in my book . U will be kicking ass and taking names in no time with the experience your building up. Good luck.

Glad to hear you're doing alright!

Aliate, good to see your doing alright, its all about experience

So another update for you guys.

I just read through this entire thread and it still makes me laugh.

I am two years into my second business and its going much better. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Aliate said:

So another update for you guys.

I just read through this entire thread and it still makes me laugh.

I am two years into my second business and its going much better. Hope everyone else is doing well.

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Delighted for you do keep us up dated.............