Solo Surveying

It is not necessary to pay cash for an instrument. There are plenty of financing options. Investigate "Small Business Administration".

Robotic, certainly. GPS only is not really an option. That would lead to you using GPS in places where you shouldn't. Having a gun only will lead to reduced efficiency in some circumstances. Of the two, I'd prefer the latter.

I think you need to do much more thinking before diving into the pool.

First, what will be your primary focus as far as job selection. Small, simple boundaries in newer subdivisions? Large, complex boundaries requiring more research than fieldwork? ALTAs? Topos? Construction staking on small projects? ILCs?

Second, what level of investment do you see as appropriate to match your full gamut of gear to provide one or more of the above functions?

Third, can you survive for six months to a year with a negative cash flow?

Fourth, do you mean solo as THE ONLY PERSON DOING ANYTHING TO COMPLETE A JOB or do you mean yourself plus specific helpers for specific functions on an as needed basis?

Fifth, can you find totally new clients with no connection, past or present, to your current employer?

Sixth, who can you count on to give you solid business advice when you need it....and you will, we all do from time to time even after decades of experience.

I'd be listening to the couple smart guys above. Put your business hat on and don't put all your business into one or two clients. Never make more than 50% of your sales from one client.

I went solo circa 1995 (after 4 yrs of employees) with a robot. MI and GPS wasn't exactly in lock step then, and neither was my budget. Things went well because I kept things SIMPLE. Then we move on.... and I tended to move slower than the technology and market allowed.

Keep it simple, hope you have waaayy more than $20K. Add a zero to that or forget about it IMVHO.

Good luck to ya and remember that surveying is fun, but business is business.

If I had to buy a used one, I'd go with Trimble 5600 or Focus 10. The downside is parts are scarce. I'd also get some GPS, even if you have to start out with some used L1-only static, it's helpful.

I went solo in 2009, and the advice above about keeping it simple and diversifying your client base it excellent.

There are A LOT of good threads on here about owing on your own and solo instrument selection Do a search.

I have not done it yet but I've purchased just about everything I need to make the jump, including a reflectorless instrument and a gps unit. I bought everything with cash over time so it's all paid for. Now that I have everything, I'm not sure I would recommend buying the big stuff until you're ready to go though. I'm sure if I waited I could get much better technology for my money.

Gregg

I'm employed by a government department so I don't have to much advice to offer on the business side of things. As far as equipment goes I'd definitely get a robot in your situation. That way you can keep yourself pretty productive, run your own race without working around others, and you accuracy is not diminished in high accuracy situations which you may experience with GPS. You also can't locate building corners etc. with GPS, which has to be seriously considered aswell.

As far as the make and model, I'd hate to admit it but I think Leica is probably the way to go if you are going to buy 2nd hand gear. Leica equipment can be a pain in the backside to use at first because the older programs aren't as user friendly as the others, but you eventually get the hang of it. Anything from the 1200 series onwards is fine, as they continue to use the same parts in their current range of instruments, the TS12 for example, meaning you'll maximise the serviceable life of your purchase. Buying older instruments can be risky as manufacturers only continue to produce parts for a set amount of years once they're superseded.

I've always had a soft spot for Topcon/Sokkia instruments as every one I've used in the past has been bullet proof and user friendly, but from what I've read on this forum it sounds like Magnet field has left a few unhappy customers in its wake, so I'd want to test drive them thoroughly before I'd buy.

I Would start small. you can get by with a conventional total station and a bi-pod for you prism-pole. Obviously, reflector less is better; but, twice the money.You will also want some GPS. Some suggest l1 only receivers for static control. I would by a single l1/l2 receiver and use OPUS. You can always upgrade to RTK later; when your cash-flow is at least somewhat predictable. All you will need is another receiver and a radio.

you definitely want to be able to survive at least 6 months without a salary; so bear that in mind when you set your equipment budget.

Hard to give any definitive answers without knowing where you plan to work or what type of work you plan on doing.

But....two words of advice: demo unit. When I started up solo in 2009 I got my Sokkia robot with a Carlson data collector for 80 cents on the dollar since it was a dealer demo. Because it hadn't "technically" left the manufacturers supply chain it still came with the same warranty as a new unit.

If I was starting up now I'd find the money for a handful of L1/L2 static units like the X-90 OPUS or some older units off ebay and sign up for a OPUS Projects training (even if I had to drive a day to get to a class). Adding that capacity to a robot is really going to cover a lot of your options.

I would definitely look for a used reflectorless robot. A good one can be found for under $10K easily. To really be productive, you need a robot, in my opinion. Time is money, and if you are totally solo, there will be enough walking moving backsights and foresights. Having to do that for each shot on every job would not be feasible.

Both my robot and my total station are reflectorless. I would not own an instrument that was not reflectorless. You can pick up so much more information so much quicker.

If you need the GPS/RTK options, you need to talk to Mark Silver at Igage. He has some very affordable options that will not break the bank. He has both static and RTK options with receivers that will carry you well into the future of your new business, for not much more than used receivers would cost. The return on your investment would be much better, in my opinion.

I have been mostly solo for 7.5 years. I do team up with another solo surveyor on a regular basis on bigger jobs. It is not for the faint of heart. You will work more and harder than you do for your current employer, but you can control your own destiny.

I use Carlson Survey in the office. I just replaced my plotter with an HP T520. It is a great plotter that I got on a lease with a $1 buyout at the end for $60 a month. The plots are fantastic.

The lure of working for yourself can be very tempting, but you absolutely must have the support of your wife and family.

Starting out is tough. It takes planning. Plan on being efficient. If it means waiting a little longer to start out with the right gear, then do it. I personally would not skimp on that. I shopped around, and found a used RTK base/rover setup and robotic setup that a guy had for sale when I started. I am using those two setups today. It allowed me to take on any project right out of the gate, and compete with the big boys in the area.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. My email is in my profile. I started my business in July/August 2007. I have been very blessed, and thank the good Lord above for helping me through the tough times.

Good luck

I agree with Norman. Stick with a TS, robotic if affordable, good reflectorless if not. There was a discussion a little while back on the Trimble M3, the new one is very nice and I think under $10K.

GPS Receivers can be rented when you really need them.

> It is not necessary to pay cash for an instrument. There are plenty of financing options. Investigate "Small Business Administration".
>
I respectfully disagree.
Pay cash.

don't begin a lifetime of servicing debt.

While I agree with this for the most part... Just bought another robot and went with 2 year 0%, after recently paying off the first robot and antenna on the same plan. I have the cash to pay it off, and will if I get to where I have to, but this option allows me flexibility- for instance, just paid cash on a stupid deal on a utv (which is admittedly a bit of an extravagance right now, but I'm acquiring while it's good). All that said- I have work signed up for at least the next six months, and a decent amt more in the pike. Whenever it crashes (I'm expecting in the next 18-24 months), I still plan on having everything paid off and no monthly equipment overhead to worry about.

My input for joeprop would be to really honestly assess your revenue stream first. I'm admittedly lucky in that I'm in a good place in a good economy, working with people who won't stop feeding me work. I realize most people aren't gonna have that. And I'm notoriously risk averse with money. But the sun is shining bright right now- I'm making as much hay as I can.

And to be perfectly clear- I lived on tortillas and my kids' leftovers for about 6 months until the first invoices started coming back in paid.

I respectfully would suggest you are not ready for going solo if the answers to these questions are not clear.

I was teaching at a community college when I began buying my equipment. I paid cash as I went, buying the basics first. My Schonstedt was the first thing I bought, then tripods, prisms and bipods. For most solo boundary work, an ATV is indispensable as an equipment hauler and setting up backsights and foresights when doing point-to-point traverse. A reflectorless total station is a "must have" along with a good field controller.. My Leica only goes to 200 meters to light surfaces, but most of the topo I get is less than 400 feet away. You won't believe how much you can do with a reflectorless until you start experimenting with it. I use the visible red laser to cut line, and it is especially visible in low light conditions. I can also set corners "on the red dot" and "walk" a point in when I turn the layout angle and start shooting the layout distance. Prism pole bipods are a must - I have three bipods and one prism pole tripod (also helpful in performing field bubble checks and adjustments).

You can purchase additional modules for your field controller as you continue to add or improve your equipment. I do not have a robot, but I am considering one. A price mentioned above was less than 10k, and I saw a Sokkia ES at a conference that was quoted around 45k. Several good mentions and recommendations were made above for GPS. I have a base and rover with network RTK. The network rover is usually the first piece of equipment I get out of the truck on a new job. I complete most of my work with the network rover if possible, and use the base station on a GNSS point if the network signals are weak. I then switch to my total station to do under canopy work and critical point work.

I agree with the posts above. Start with an affordable quality robot, then maybe one or two opus units, and go up from there. I am solo, and I like it. Count on spending a good portion of your time doing the business of surveying. And get a good CPA and attorney to help set up a corporation. Good luck!

It depends on where you are. We have a lot of open spaces so RTK and reflectorless is perfect for what I do. I tried robotic but didn't like it.

You can start off with minimal used equipment and buy top of the line after you are established. It will be labor intensive at first, but that's okay and will give you a lot of good experience.

I was surprised at how many quality clients followed me, so I was quite busy from the start. They are still feeding me work and referrals after 15 years.

I have never, not even for one moment, regretted starting my own firm, and doing it solo. My wife and I count our blessings every day and one of them is owning our own firm. She does the paperwork and I do the surveying.

The former head of the large company where I worked saw me one day and asked if I was still working solo. When I confirmed that he said, "Well, doing what you like is important," and I immediately knew he still didn't get it. I wasn't solo on a whim or being antisocial: I did it to maximize profit, and I was right. Efficiency is critical to success and having a highly motivated and experienced man doing all of the work is an obvious advantage. It was to me, anyway.

I agree with above about keeping it simple. How many companies or individual went broke because they started out heavy in debt.

Only thing I can add is don't forget about the software and other equipment. Metal detector is nice. Data collector? Do you need software to download. AutoCAD? List goes on and on...

Solo Surveying & stuff

One of the great things about beerleggers and the site Wendell put together is the unity, eons of knowledge, and more differing experience levels that we all chime in about that we may or may not even give a care about. That's just some of the fun stuff we learn.

But it all goes together in some way, shape, or form. Surveyors are just plain weird anyway, so it's a good club to join IMHO.

One thing that most of us solo guys do agree on is keeping costs down, revenue up, find a niche that suits your objectives, and keep a good bean counter at the ready for the tax man. Plus some more things like never back off, not all clients are good, you will need some vacation in your place of choice, and keep the momma happy.

With $20K I'd be keeping my day job. Moonlighters have about as much respect from fellow peers as that gal in Vegas who makes $200 for an hours "work".

Pick your poison and enjoy the ride.

Solo Surveying & stuff

> With $20K I'd be keeping my day job.

I started with $40k, but that was in 1993. Used pickup, new everything else, tiny home office. "Everything else" on the field side was basically a total station, HP-48SX/TDS data collector, Schonstedt, prism and pole, and a couple of chains. (I could have done without the chains -- I rarely used them, and now I only keep the 100-footer in the truck for nostalgic reasons.) In the office it was a Dell computer, HP laser printer (no plotter, I used a service bureau in the beginning), vanilla AutoCAD, LLCOGO, and MS Office.

I didn't spend the whole $40k at first, I lived off of some of it for the first 6 months. Year One was pretty spare, after that I made enough to live comfortably if simply, and by Year Five I was living well. I'm not a one-percenter by any means, but I'm pretty happy.

Solo Surveying & stuff

> I started with $40k, but that was in 1993. Used pickup, new everything else, tiny home office. "Everything else" on the field side was basically a total station, HP-48SX/TDS data collector, Schonstedt, prism and pole, and a couple of chains.

See Jim, you kept it simple. Back in '91 I started with about $50K, including the usual house hold debts we have (plus $900/mo child support), but it all was good after many years. Not will ever be rich, but Richard is in fact my middle name. 😉

Lot of trials and tribulations later, I started back up in 2007 with about $90K. Bought what I thought I needed, knew many people, marketed my ass off and was way busy and things looked good.

Opps, somebody pulled the plug on the economy around 2008. Wasn't me for certain, but most folks just went into hold.

If our grasshopper thinks he can make a go with $20K, good for him. I just hope his SWMBO has a really good gobment cheeze job to keep things moving. It ain't a hobby, it's a business.

... just sayin'. tell me I'm wrong please because I really am a perpetual optimist.