Business plan
Sample plan · fictional businessA complete welding business plan: Ridgeline Mobile Welding
Tulsa, OK · Startup plan · a fictional welding business, written by the free generator from five answers
Executive summary
Ridgeline Mobile Welding is a new welding business in Tulsa, OK offering mobile welding repairs on site; trailer, hitch and truck-bed repair; farm and ranch equipment repair; custom gates, railings and handrails; and contractor and light structural welding. The model is one well-equipped mobile rig, a trip fee and an hourly rate on every call, fabrication quoted as whole jobs for the quiet days, and contractor and farm accounts as the steady base.
Startup budget: $17,843 across 11 items, funded from savings. Target: $12,000 in monthly sales.
Twelve months from now, success looks like this: The rig booked four days a week, three contractor or farm accounts on call, and gates and trailers quoted as whole jobs
Products and services
Ridgeline Mobile Welding's core service is mobile welding repairs on site. Every mobile call carries a trip fee and the hourly rate from the first arc; every fabrication job is quoted whole — materials, hours and finish — with a deposit before the steel is bought; and every finished weld is photographed for the customer.
- Mobile welding repairs on site
- Trailer, hitch and truck-bed repair
- Farm and ranch equipment repair
- Custom gates, railings and handrails
- Contractor and light structural welding
Market analysis
The customers are farmers and ranchers with equipment that can't be hauled to a shop, the contractors and fab shops who need a welder on site, and the homeowners who want a gate, a railing or a trailer built or repaired.
- Farmers and ranchers with broken equipment that can't be hauled to a shop
- General contractors, fab shops and builders who need a welder on site for a day
- Homeowners who want a gate, a railing or a trailer repaired or built
- Trucking companies, equipment rental yards and local businesses with repairs that can't wait
Marketing strategy
Most work will come from Google and from word of mouth — someone with a broken machine searches “mobile welding near me” and calls the first welder they trust, so the Google Business Profile, the reviews and a website with photos of real welds decide who gets the call. Contractors, equipment dealers and farm-supply stores, visited in person, bring the accounts that call back every month.
- Google Business Profile and Google — “mobile welding near me” is searched by someone with a broken machine and a deadline
- Word of mouth from farmers, contractors and fab shops who pass on the jobs they can't take
- Contractors, equipment dealers and rental yards, visited in person with a card and a rate
- Facebook Marketplace, local groups and farm-supply bulletin boards for gates, trailers and custom work
- A website with your number, your service area, photos of your welds and your certifications
Operations plan
The owner welds, quotes and drives in year one, keeps the rig, the welder and the cylinders ready for a same-day call, tracks consumables and hours per job, and keeps certifications current — adding a helper or a small shop only when the calendar and the fabrication work justify it.
- A trip fee on every mobile call, then the hourly rate from the moment the welder starts
- Fabrication quoted as a whole job — materials, hours and finish — with a deposit before the steel is bought
- Consumables, gas and grinding discs tracked per job so the rate covers them
- Hot-work safety on every call: a fire watch where the job needs one, an extinguisher on the rig and the area cleared
- Photos of every finished weld for the customer, the website and the next quote
- Certifications kept current, with copies on the phone for the contractor who asks
Startup costs
What it will take to open the doors, funded from savings.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Engine-driven welder/generator for the rig | $5,600 |
| Rig setup on your truck: lead reels, leads, bottle rack and toolboxes | $2,750 |
| Grinders, cutting torch, clamps, table and hand tools | $2,500 |
| Helmet, jacket, gloves, respirator and fire extinguisher | $750 |
| Gas cylinders (lease or buy) and first consumables | $900 |
| General liability insurance (first year) | $1,200 |
| Truck lettering with your name and number | $625 |
| Website and Google Business Profile | $0 |
| Quoting, invoicing and customer records (first year) | $0 |
| Business registration, LLC and EIN | $268 |
| Working capital: fuel, gas, steel and living costs for two months | $3,250 |
| Total | $17,843 |
Typical range to start a welding business in the US: $8,485–$29,800. Your list is what you decided to spend — replace estimates with real quotes as you get them. Website and Google Business Profile: Your Zarla plan includes the website — your number, your service area, photos of your welds and your certifications — and walks you through your Google Business Profile; a designer typically charges $2,000 or more to build one. Quoting, invoicing and customer records (first year): Quotes, invoicing and a customer list come with your Zarla plan; accounting software is separate.
Financial plan
The numbers below come from your own startup list and typical monthly costs for a mobile welding business in the US. Startup is mostly the welder and the rig; the numbers that decide the year are the billable hours a week, the rate and the trip fee, and how much fabrication fills the quiet days.
Typical monthly operating costs for a welding business: $1,060–$3,500 a month, before the owner's own pay.
At $12,000 in monthly sales, Ridgeline Mobile Welding would clear $8,500–$10,940 a month before owner pay and tax, and recover the $17,843 startup budget in roughly 2–3 months.
| Cost | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Fuel for the truck and the welder | $300–$900 |
| Wire, rod, gas refills, discs and tips | $300–$1,200 |
| Insurance: general liability and commercial auto | $250–$500 |
| Gas cylinder rental | $10–$50 |
| Truck and welder maintenance and tool replacement | $100–$400 |
| Quoting, invoicing and customer records (included with Zarla) | $0–$50 |
| Phone, bookkeeping and marketing | $100–$400 |
US ranges for a small operation; replace with your own figures as you learn them. Lines marked (included with Zarla) are what those tools cost separately — with Zarla they are part of one monthly plan.
Risks and honest downsides
Every welding business plan should say out loud what can go wrong. For Ridgeline Mobile Welding, the real risks are:
- A fire caused by hot work is the claim that can end the business — which is why the insurance, the fire watch and the extinguisher are not optional
- Slow weeks happen: without a trip fee and fabrication work for the quiet days, the rig sits and the truck payment doesn't
- Contractor and farm accounts can pay in 30 days or more while fuel, gas and steel are paid today
- Quoting fabrication by guesswork turns a gate into a loss — the materials and the hours need to be priced before the deposit
- One welder is one point of failure: an injury, a burn or an eye injury stops the income
- One failed weld travels fast in a local trade community, and weld quality is the whole reputation
Licenses, permits and insurance
What Ridgeline Mobile Welding needs before it can legally trade in the US. Rules vary by state and city — confirm each item with your local licensing office and an accountant.
- Business registration and EIN — Most welders form an LLC; state filing fees run about $35 to $500. The EIN from the IRS is free, and contractors will ask for it on a W-9 before they pay you. Many US cities and counties also require a general business license.
- Contractor license where your state requires one for welding work — Most US states don't license welding itself, but some require a contractor license for welding on buildings and structures above a job-value threshold. California, for example, requires a C-60 Welding contractor license for jobs of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and for smaller ones that need a permit or use a hired helper.
- AWS or code certification for structural and pipe work — In the US, structural steel welded to the AWS D1.1 code and pressure piping welded to ASME rules must be done by a welder qualified by test for that process and position, and the building code calls for special inspection of structural welds; contractors and inspectors ask to see the certification. Repair and ornamental work usually needs none.
- Hot-work permits where the fire code requires them — Many US fire codes, following NFPA 51B, require a hot-work permit for welding and cutting in or near buildings: combustibles cleared for 35 feet, and a fire watch during the work and for 30 to 60 minutes after it. Many commercial sites issue their own permit before you strike an arc. Check with the local fire marshal and the site.
- General liability insurance written for hot work — Not legally required everywhere, but contractors, farms and property owners ask for a certificate, and a fire caused by hot work is the claim that ends a welding business. Commercial auto covers the rig.
- OSHA welding rules once you hire — In the US, OSHA's welding, cutting and brazing standards (29 CFR 1910 Subpart Q, and Subpart J of 1926 on construction sites) apply to employers: fire prevention, ventilation, eye protection and cylinder storage. Workers' comp is required once you have employees in most states; for welding it is commonly priced at about $4 per $100 of payroll.
Milestones: the next 30 days
The first month's to-do list for Ridgeline Mobile Welding, in order:
- Pick your lane — mobile repair first, fabrication and shop work as the quiet-day filler
- Register the business, take the free EIN and open a business bank account
- Check your state's contractor rules for welding on buildings and your city's business license
- Get general liability quotes written for hot work before your first paid job
- Set up the rig: the engine-driven welder, leads, cylinders from a local gas supplier and a fire extinguisher
- Set a trip fee and an hourly rate from your real costs and local rates
- Set up a free Google Business Profile with your service area and put your website live with photos of your welds
- Visit every contractor, fab shop, equipment dealer and farm-supply store in your area with a card and a rate
- Ask every happy customer for a Google review and a referral
Appendix: what a lender will ask for
This plan tells the story and shows the numbers. If you take it to a bank, expect to be asked for these documents as well:
- Two years of personal tax returns and a personal financial statement
- A month-by-month 12-month cash-flow projection built from billable hours and your rate
- Quotes for the welder, the rig setup and any truck you're financing — the equipment is the collateral
- Proof of insurance, business registration and any certifications
- Letters or a list from contractors, farms or shops who will send you work
- Your credit report