Choose A Name

Having your name in the fence company is great since if you want to brand yourself it works just fine. We take a different approach when we build our lead generation campaigns. But this is usually a first step for our fence contractors.

 

Decide whether you are going to start as a sole proprietor or an LLC as an example.  
One of the first things after deciding on their name for one of our fence contractors was deciding to create an LLC for his company. There are pros and cons to each but this seems to be a common step for most of our contractors.


 Get Insurance/Licenses

You might not need this to get started or it might be a requirement depending on where you live but it is recommended because you not only protect yourself and your business but customers as well. This also makes you look more professional and can be a reason why you charge a little extra on projects. Another reason to get insurance is because if you want to work on any commercial job the company requesting a quote is most likely going to ask you to fill out an application and ask to see your proof of insurance which might include liability insurance and workers compensation insurance, and they might have specific limits of insurance requirements. So this is just a good idea to get it from the start and add it to your overhead. You might also look into commercial insurance for your vehicle as well. We recommend talking to a commercial insurance broker.

Bank Account

Open a business bank account under the business name. Instead of customers writing a check to your personal name, give them your business name and let them know they are dealing with a professional. Other benefits are to keep track of all your expenses and income to do taxes and stuff. Not the fun stuff, but the important stuff so make sure you talk to a tax professional to get you sorted.

Write A Contract

It is also a good idea to write up a contract between your business and potential customers. You can include items such as if you require a deposit, or how long your quotes are good for. Having a contract is important because it clearly says what you are responsible for and creates good expectations between you and the customer. You might consult with an attorney or contact another fence contractor for advice.

 Crew/Workers  
How are you going to complete the work if someone calls you? Do you have experience building fences? It's not as easy as digging some hols and putting posts in there. It is demanding work and does require skill. If you do have experience you can save on labor costs and find some workers to train. If you don't have experience you should find experienced help and pay them what they are worth. Put some job ads up, ask friends and family, ask fence supply stores if they know of any crews that could use some work. Another thing, are you going to have employees or just pay your crews when you have work? Having a great crew and having multiple great crews as you grow is essential. If you try to be cheap and hire someone inexperienced, they might not be able to complete a quality fence for the customer when could lead to bad reviews and negative feedback.

Supplies/Equipment

You will need some basic equipment to get started such as a post hole digger to make holes for the posts, a wheelbarrow to mix readymix, a shovel, a level to make sure posts are level, a string line to make sure your posts are straight to each other,  nail gun or cordless drill if you are going to use screws to fasten the pickets to the 2x4's, and a truck, and a measuring wheel to measure how many feet you need to estimate for your projects. Of course if you have more money to start or if you have a trailer you can use, having a trailer can be a big help. Another item you can pay extra for to speed up your projects is an auger to dig your holes faster. If you get a large job and have to dig 1000 post holes that can take a while manually but with an auger, it will speed up the process. Some other things you can add down the line or buy now if you have the money would be extra drills or impact wrench, a reciprocating saw, a circular saw, extension cords, generators, welders, cement mixer, water tanks, and maybe even a storage unit to store leftover materials. 

Marketing

Ok finally, you are saying. How do I get jobs, and leads and get people to call me to start building fences?! Some free things you can do is create your google my business, a facebook page, knock on doors, ask friends and family for referrals, and partner with other types of contractors so that you pass referrals to each other. Or you can take advantage of our services and we can get leads for you! 

I hope this helps as these are some common themes that we see from our fence contractors and what we tell people when we are asked how to start a fence business.