> I am a business owner.
>
> I have a part-time helper, my brother. He works with me one, maybe two days a week, depending on the workload.
>
> I do sub a good bit of work out to my friend, who is solo as well.
>
> I have been in business since August 1007. I have had two full time employees (at different times) in the past, but much prefer this situation now.
Since 1007? 1005 years. You have to be older than Methuselah. B-)
minority partner - company approx 2x larger than 5 years ago
business owner here
about the same size now as 2007
we went down by about 50% but are back up to almost full capacity now
Just me and a part-timer since 1993 (same part-timer since 1997), though I occasionally sub out to a couple of folks to help with height mod projects. Business is much slower than it was 3 years ago, but I'm still paying the bills.
In business going on 15 years . Had 3 crews at one time in 08 , Then dropped to me and a helper in the field 09-now.. money about the same less hassle . Just came back in office permanent for the summer . Son wanted in on the business.. I have him and party chief in the field . Had a great year last year but with only two people it about killed me . I was working around 80 hours a week . Having a good year this year but have no back log to speak of . The work just comes in . Paying off field equipment and a truck this year . Things are looking up for me.
Went into business in 1979 with 5 partners; within a year there were just 2 of us. In 1984 I bought out my partner (he went to work for the US Park Service) and hired two people. By 1990 we had 40 people and I had 3 partners, one of them a PE. In the recession in the early ‘90’s we were down to 5 people (all of the partners). By 1995 there we 3 partners (the PE, an employee who had gotten her LS, and me) and we were back to 14 employees. In 1999 we sold the company to a larger engineering firm. That company sold us to a much larger (2000 + employees and 35 offices) engineering firm. In 2010 that company closed several offices and ours was one of them. I went from being a senior VP of a large engineering firm to being a partner in a three person firm. My partner is one of my old partners (the LS) from 1999 and our employee has worked for all four companies since 1995.
That was before the Norman Conquest 😉
> That was before the Norman Conquest 😉
Yep, 59 years, IMSM.
:-O
Owner. Only one.
jud
Dammmmmmmmmmmmmm Jimmy
You must be the oldest poster here.
I had a pretty good side business which dried up in '08 and '09.
I don't miss it. I don't miss dealing with clients, especially Civil Engineers (why can't you just show the boundary which is in chains and doesn't close by 40'???-on a topo-multiple attempts to explain it got nowhere-maybe I'm a bad communicator or maybe C.E.s are bad listeners. I can survey the boundary but it will take time and money).
I still have all the equipment which I sometimes loan to myself due to frustration with the past-life-limit equipment situation at work. My new boss has been great, though, he hit the ground running and scrounged up money so we can replace a lot of old, inadequate, worn out and just inappropriate equipment. They transferred him over from Caltrans because neither of the two Chiefs (me and another guy) wanted to promote out of the field. He is doing a much better job than I could; I am better and happier kept out of the general office population-keep me out in the wilderness where I belong.
I have been using my Trimax for the past few field trips and although it is heavy it is 100 times less frustrating to use on rough setups and the legs are long which is very useful in a forest environment. My new boss is getting me a truck full of Trimaxes. I discussed it with my subordinate employee and he suggested we just go with all Trimaxes (rather than a combination with some lighter weight tripods) so we can put the scanner on any tripod already setup. That is my inclination anyway because they are just less aggravating to setup in difficult situations.
I really hate to sell the stuff because it is probably worth more to me than someone else. Also, like others have said, if I needed to I could use it to make some money if ever necessary. The trouble with the electronic equipment these days is it seems to have a shelf life. My wife would like me to sell but then I just know I could never replace it and I would be in a spot if I needed to find some work.
I have a lightly used Topcon GPT3005LW (which I really like), three ProMark 3s, 4 prism poles with push button tripods, a Trimax and various other stuff. I also have a Carlson Explorer (one of the first ones, a real classic, it's vintage, an antique). I also have a Dietzgen 1' Transit (6100 series) and some steel tapes and other small stuff which my Father gave me a few weeks before he died.
I thought I owned it, but the government is the one making a profit from it.:'(
Dammmmmmmmmmmmmm Jimmy
Oh, I don't know about that - check out my instrument to the right ---->
In business 20 years now, started on my own when my former employer retired. Originally myself and one full time employee. Went solo about eleven years ago. Best decision I ever made, less headaches more profit.
Yup.
Two partners.
Myself and a full time Chief in the field.
Down by not quite half of 2007 levels.
Rick
Co owner with my brother. Took over from our father in 95 and purchased another firm and took it over in 2004.
At the height of things back in 06-07 we had 12 full time employees. We are now down to my brother and I being the only ones working full time (not paid, working).
We had two, about 3/4 time, crew guys until one ended up in jail this past January (a story for another time), so now one of us takes his place.
I have a drafter that works on-call and an office manager that works about 3/4 time as well. She has had some health issues over the last year and a half, so it has varied.
We started laying off in late 2007 and went to 3 days a week for the crew in mid 2008. I though things had stabilized (at a low level, mind you) in 2010 only to have the bottom drop out again last Oct-Nov.
Things have gotten better the last couple of months, but that has happened before so not holding my breath. When I see steady work for more than 6 months in a row, I'll believe things have turned the corner.
Please do not take this wrong and it is not exactly your situation, but I believe that this is sort of what has happened in this area that has driven down prices.
That is, as the economy got worse, firms laid off crews and as fun-employment ran out, those former crew members that were licensed that had access to some equipment simply hung out a shingle and started taking work in.
An established firm with overhead has a hard time competing with someone working out of their garage and no other employees. I know some will say that maybe we should then cut the overhead, but I believe that the overhead we carry actually helps us get and keep some clients. Also, as others have eluded to here, I want to be in a position to move forward when things really do turn around.
I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with others striking out on their own. More power to them as it is after all how my own father got started. Just stating the reality of it.
As a juxtaposition to this stated thread, I would like to know how many current owners were employees prior to the downturn and how it has effected how much they earn and how much they charge compared to their previous employers.
One thing that works in my favor in this particular situation is that the company I work for is located across the river from where I live, in a different state. I am not licensed in the state they are located in and that is where most of their work is from. I have done everything I can think of to eliminate any conflicts of interest.
