We enjoy the input of small businesses as employers and movers of our economy. According to the Small Business Administration, there are 33,185,550 small businesses nationally. Small businesses employ more than 61 million Americans, equivalent to 46.4% of private sector employees. Read on to understand the intrigues of starting a small business and which industries to consider joining.
1. Plumbing
Are you interested in helping ensure clean waterways and working pipes for homes and businesses? Consider starting a small business as a plumbing technician. Before that, you need to address some basics.
First, you must earn your contractor’s license. You’ll be expected to prove your experience performing plumbing jobs such as water heater installations and hydrojetting services. You must also prove that you are financially capable of doing the business by producing your financial documents.
It’s advisable to get professional help, such as a contractor application service assistance, when navigating the process of getting your business licenses. The assistant will help you determine whether your business will be a corporation or another business establishment, such as an LLC. Depending on the business establishment, you could benefit from tax exemptions.
Choose a business structure that reflects your growth and development strategy. Among your daily work calls from clients will be jobs that include a plumbing service. You’ll be fixing faucets, opening up pipes and waterways, and cleaning them.
You can choose from many plumber service specializations. What matters is where you’re going, so opt for a specialization that best matches your career goals. You can choose to specialize in residential or commercial plumbing.
You can select between service work and repair work. There are also water supply plumbing jobs, sanitary services, or construction plumbing. Choose carefully.
2. HVAC
Before launching your HVAC business, ensure that all legal certifications are current. Every HVAC technician should have a federal Section 608 Technician certification managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
You must pass four certification categories, including EPA Type I Certification that involves servicing small appliances.
The next is EPA Type II Certification, which involves servicing high-pressure systems. Third is the EPA Type III Certification, which involves servicing low-pressure systems, and finally, the Universal EPA Certificate, which covers all three other certifications. To start your business, you need at least one of these certificates.
Normally, before starting out on their own business lines, a technician starts by working under the supervision of an experienced hand. During these apprenticeships, you’ll learn to perform AC installs and other technical jobs offered by a heating and air conditioning company. Besides that, before starting a small business in this industry, you must write your business plan.
Write your vision, set practical goals, and devise a strategy for implementing these plans. You want to finance the right insurance package as a business providing HVAC service. Ensure what you get includes liability, health, and worker’s compensation insurance.
These coverages help mitigate most unforeseen business problems. With proof of insurance, your business is attractive to highly competitive employees. Insurance also protects you from lawsuits.
3. Roofing
To be a successful roofer and start your enterprise, you must first train in a local trade school. However, you may also learn to be an expert roofer by apprenticing with local roofing companies. In the learning phase of your journey, you’ll be taught the basics of handling roof jobs, including installations, maintenance, servicing, and roof repair.
While working with expert roofing contractors, you’ll learn how to schedule jobs, order roofing materials, ensure safety during your work, and the intricacies of handling your clients. These will be useful skills and tips for a smooth transition when starting a small business. You may be required to get a roofing contractor license in some states.
Some states ask for just the general contractor license. The local county office will clarify this when you visit them for advice on registering your business. Note that the need for a license will depend on the types of projects that you’ll be working on and the fees you plan to charge. Your roofing license will be valid only in the state where you acquired it. You’ll need a new license for each location to expand your business beyond your state.
4. Fencing
Begin by writing your business plan when starting your fencing company. Doing this will help you identify your customers, know your competitors, and have a clear strategy for the business. A business plan will also be useful for getting finances for starting a small business.
Any investor wants to be sure that their money will be spent wisely, and it’s a business plan that will help them determine this. List the services that your company will offer customers. These may include installing and repairing fences and temporary fencing, among others.
Study your target market well so that your pricing strategy will factor in details such as the location and kinds of services on offer. Study your competitors in the fence business to see which area you can strengthen your services and become an authority in. For instance, consider meeting a specific niche, such as fencing using wrought iron.
In your marketing plan, include the job roles you’ll need to outsource and at what price. It would also be best to have business insurance for you and your employees. This way, you won’t have to worry about the financial liability of losses from damages, theft of your equipment and tools, or injuries during jobs.
5. Home Renovation
Home renovation requires many skills like carpentry, plumbing, concrete, and electrical work. Other useful skills include masonry, flooring, carpeting, tiling, drywall, painting, and fixing doors and windows. You’ll want to build up your home renovation skills before starting a small business in the industry.
Remember, though, that for each skill or expertise, you’ll need its certificate to legally operate the jobs where it’s involved. You’ll obviously not be a master of all these skills. Hence, you may have to subcontract those you’re not skilled in. Consider venturing into carpentry, as it’s quite in demand for most home renovation jobs.
Whatever you specialize in, ensure you buy the right general contractor insurance to protect your business. It shall include commercial auto, commercial property coverage, general liability insurance, tools and equipment, and workers’ compensation. Add a bond to your insurance for enhanced protection
6. Landscaping
If you love working with your hands and enjoy a freshly cut lawn, starting a small business in landscaping could be for you. Some common landscaping jobs are mowing, weeding, treating, and maintenance services. You may also be hired for tree care services in some cases. However, before opening your doors to customers, you must choose the sector you want to specialize in, between residential and commercial. Doing this will help inform your marketing efforts and other important decisions.
After you’ve chosen your specific service niche, buy or rent the right equipment for it. Some manual tools include rear tine tillers, cultivators, shovels including the square-mouth, spade, trench, wheelbarrows, tillers, and more powerful items like chainsaws and drills. Note that, over time, your business will grow, so you’ll need bigger, higher-grade machines.
That’s why preparing yourself by setting aside money for purchasing these is important. You also want to get a suitable business insurance package. Consider general liability insurance first. It will cover all expenses, such as legal fees, repairs, accidents, and other emerging and unexpected costs.
Besides that, invest in employment law liability insurance. This insurance package will cover overtime calculations and wage and hour violations for your staff. Get your financials in check. For new landscape contractor businesses, accounting software will help manage invoices and automate some of the fixed asset management needs.
7. Garage Door Service
Starting a small business in garage door repair and servicing requires sufficient preparation. If you’ve been working with garage doors and have expertise in mechanical systems, this is a good business line for you. Like any other business venture, you’ll want to start by writing an elaborate business plan.
It should capture your goals for the business, the funding options available, and plans for scaling up. Do you have any savings set aside to start? Or do you plan on taking a loan from the bank? You can look for angel investors or turn to crowdfunding options to raise the much-needed startup capital.
After sorting out the funding, register the business as a sole proprietorship or limited liability company and complete all the legal paperwork required by your state. You’ll also want to apply for all necessary licenses and permits. If you’re planning to hire people to work with you, purchase business insurance such as general liability and worker’s compensation to protect your investment and your workers, too.
Next, acquire the products and equipment needed for your garage door work. When installing the garage door, you’ll need a ladder for reaching high heights. To secure the garage door to the frame, you must have locking pliers, clamps, and unwinding bars to help unwind the door’s torsion spring.
You must also have safety equipment to prevent injuries, concussions, and contusions. Some equipment may be easy to buy, but others are extremely costly. You can rent the more expensive ones when starting a small business.
8. Sewage Service
Thinking about starting a small business in sewage and wastewater cleaning? You can succeed in this niche if you have a genuine interest and follow the relevant guidelines. After you’ve written a business plan and secured your financing, your business will need the right equipment to start off.
A vacuum truck for transporting wastewater, a septic tank, tools such as a water flow sensor, and a water velocity meter must be part of your startup costs. Acquire safety gear and equipment, including protective clothing and eyewear. Once you sort that out, buy the right insurance coverage.
Insurance protects you in case of legal issues that may arise. Remember to take some time to understand the regulations you must meet for starting a small business in wastewater and septic treatment within your locality. Ensure you’re compliant with them.
9. Pest Control
The main aim of pest control is to eliminate unwanted rodents and bugs from premises using chemicals. If you plan on starting a small business in pest control, be ready to do a lot of work in preventing and controlling these rodents in residential and commercial buildings. Your job will involve laying traps, handling chemicals, and regularly spraying the client facilities.
Some tasks you can expect to be hired for include treating attics and crawlspaces, nest removal, rodent control, and outdoor pest removal. You may also be tasked with fumigation and baiting. Starting a small business in this industry can be quite involving, and you must put in a lot of time before you get your business to a break-even point. Besides that, you’ll have to get used to working in unpleasant spaces. However, it has its benefits too, such as repeat clients if you do a good job.
10. Chimney Service
All brick or stone chimneys need routine maintenance and repairs to ensure structural integrity and functionality. Common chimney repair tasks are rebuilding chimney crowns, fixing and installing new rain pots, and replacing bases and flashing counters. Are you thinking of starting a small business in chimney repair? Have some basic masonry skills and on-the-job experience.
You can start off by offering to clean chimneys in your neighborhood. That’s a great way to showcase what you can do and market your business. Get certified in chimney repair and cleaning services to improve your credibility.
A certification proves you have good business knowledge, so you’ll attract higher-paying customers. A certification from The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) will set you miles ahead of the competition. You can offer chimney sweeping, cleaning, repairs and inspection, and installation of a chimney cap. Besides that, consider adding masonry repairs, stainless steel relining, and animal removal to your service list.
When you talk to most people, they’ll tell you that opening and running a small business is challenging. However, starting a small business has its joys, too. Beyond being independent and owning control over your entire business, you also have an opportunity to train younger professionals who will one day be like you. You have a great chance to improve lives and build an empire your family can enjoy for generations.
