Looking to start a heavy equipment business? Whether projects are privately contracted or contracted by the city, construction or any type of earthmoving requires heavy equipment. Heavy equipment businesses can be very profitable and are important businesses for every city to have. Before jumping right in and buying expensive equipment, carefully examine the process.

Getting Started

There are a couple of must do’s whenever you start a business. Find out what is in demand in your area so you can address the needs of your target audience. You need to invest in good materials that will pay off in the end. Money is always something to keep track of—how will you manage the money in your business, and how will you get enough to get started? Lastly, you need to register your business.

The equipment is the lifeblood of a heavy equipment business. Do plenty of research to understand the suppliers, and what the pros and cons are each. The cheapest machines aren’t always the best for your company or for the environment, and there are some that aren’t up to city standards.

Check what direction your area is going in development and anticipate their needs for heavy equipment so you can invest in the proper equipment. An important aspect of your business is whether you will lease or buy your equipment. Consider finding a financial advisor who can help you with your business’s financing.

Risks and Liabilities

Risks and liabilities are something to look out for when creating any business, but it’s especially important in heavy equipment businesses. Because of the nature of what you provide, there can be a lot of danger; it is necessary to come up with a plan for if someone gets injured by your equipment (this is part of the reason insurance exists for companies).

Also, because the equipment is so expensive, it’s important to plan for lost or broken equipment. Look up other services for lost or damaged equipment, like repossession services. Repossession services can help to recover lost equipment.

Advertising

Okay, so you have an idea of what to do to start your company and how to protect your company against damages. The last thing you need to do is reach out to your community to get business.

Advertising for a heavy equipment business looks different than for other types of businesses. The typical marketing practices that are implemented for other businesses can be helpful for sure. You need a good website and advertising online and through social media. But remember to think creatively about how to reach your particular audience. Don’t underestimate the power of networking. Reach out to general contracting companies.

This is an intimidating job, and something not everyone would approach, but it’s worth it. Kudos to you for looking into a bigger than life business option. Some of the projects you will be involved in will change peoples’ lives, and it will change your life for the better as well.

Read this next: How to Protect Your Employees in the Home Service Business

Many jobs include certain amounts of risk and unfortunately there aren’t many people who are willing to take those risks. Since those jobs still need to get done, here are a few tips on how to make your employees more willing to take up these riskier jobs.

Offer Just Compensation

If people are willing to take risks for your business, they should be fairly compensated through hazard pay. It isn’t required by law to provide hazard pay. However, employees are more likely to take risks if they know they are being paid well for it. Hazard pay can be applied in situations where employees are performing jobs that endanger their life such as logging or roofing. It can also be given to employees who perform stressful or uncomfortable jobs. Be fair with your employees and provide them with extra compensation when they are taking risks.

Make Them Aware of Dangers

Employees will be more willing to perform risky tasks if you make them aware of any hazards. To do this, make sure you mark those hazards. You can post signs of any dangers such as “high voltage.” Make sure you educate your employees on the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of labeling hazardous material. It can even be as simple as marking hazards with tape, paint, or reflective material. One option is using floor markers in your workplace. Floor markers can have multiple uses besides just reducing hazards. They can help streamline and improve organization as well.

Enforce Safety Regulations

Employees will be more likely to perform risky tasks if they know there are safety measures in place. Give them proper training on how to use equipment and what procedures to follow. Place posters and literature with the regulations around your workplace so employees can always be aware of the regulations. You can also consider taking feedback from your employees on risks they have seen and their thoughts on how to address them. Employees will feel safer if they know you take their feedback into consideration. Failing to enforce these regulations can be detrimental to your workplace. Protect your workers and your business by following and enforcing all regulations.

Making your employees more willing to take on risky tasks can be difficult, but it’s all about making them comfortable. Make sure they know how to handle any dangerous situations both through marking hazards and providing training. Compensate your workers for the risks they take. Show your employees that you value them and they can be a help to you.

Read this next: How to Protect Your Employees in the Home Service Business

You want to have the welfare of your employees at heart but it’s difficult to know where to start when your employees provide their services in the homes of the clients they serve. One home might present completely different challenges than the next. This article will walk you through three things you can do to protect your home service employees.

Train for Different Situations

Make sure your employees are trained for different situations and risks that come with working in various home service roles. It’s important to think widely about different risks entailed to ensure that your employees will be able to feel comfortable and confident in whatever situation they are put in.

Just as it’s important to train an employee in dealing with a variety of different plumbing problems from leaks to broken pipes, it’s also important to train them in handling situations when a kid is home alone or when they personally feel unsafe. Establish company-wide policies for these incidents so that your employees feel comfortable and confident.

Source: https://patinstitute.ca/top-10-plumber-skills-list-what-youll-need-to-succeed-in-this-trade/

Protective Equipment

You have a responsibility to provide your employees with the equipment they need to protect their health and safety. In order to effectively do their job, they need not only the equipment required for the necessary projects but also the equipment that will ensure they are safe throughout the labor.

For example, pest control business owners should provide their employees with protection against painful insect bites and stings. Having these precautions is essential so that employees will feel comfortable enough to do their job. These preventative measures not only protect your employees but they will also protect you from potential charges.

Source: https://www.podium.com/article/insect-pain-index/

COVID Measures

In the age of the coronavirus, it’s especially important to think about specific COVID precautions to protect both your customers and your employees. For home service business personnel, they will be going in and out of many people’s homes and will resultantly come into contact with many different people and germs.

Source: https://www.bellplumbing.com/blog/2020/04/how-to-hire-a-plumber-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/

Think about what precautions you want your employees to take—including wearing masks at all times, wearing gloves, and using hand sanitizer before and after entering an individual’s home.

Making a plan to protect your employees that provide in-home service doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with these suggestions and work your way from there. Implementing even a few changes can greatly affect your employees’ work experience.

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Businesses need marketing. Specifically, they need marketing to be effective and to both convert consumers into customers and turn customers into repeat business. There are lots of tools available that businesses can leverage for effective marketing. Here are some essentials that you should have on your radar.

Online Reviews

Online reviews can be a powerful marketing tool. A majority of people look to reviews before choosing a business for goods or services. What they see as far as reviews of your business can make the difference between them choosing you or your competition. Positive reviews can be a strong influence in this regard, as can how you respond to negative reviews. You can encourage your customers to leave reviews by offering incentives in exchange. This could be a one-time discount, points in your rewards system, or entries for a prize drawing. You can even just ask. A follow-up text or email after a purchase can be a great way to do this.

The Right Social Media Platform

Social media is pretty much everywhere these days. If you aren't using it as a part of your marketing strategy, you're missing out. Of course, with so many different platforms, it can be tricky to know which ones you should be using. Not all platforms are right for all businesses. When determining what platform or platforms you should be using, examine who your target audience is. Different demographics use different platforms, so you should be focusing your social media efforts on those that are most used by people you want to reach. Another thing to keep in mind is that different platforms work better for different kinds of posts. Once you choose a platform, cater your posts to the type and style that works best for it. This will give you the best ROI for your social media marketing.

Video

Video is becoming an increasingly popular and important marketing tool. Many people find videos to be more interesting and engaging than written content, so if that's what your marketing needs to improve on you might need to add some video content. You can do videos that advertise your products and services while showcasing your company's brand and personality. How-to videos have recently seen a surge in popularity as well, becoming one of the ways businesses are striving to maintain consumer interest and engagement during the current ongoing pandemic. If that wasn't enough of a reason to use video, keep in mind that you can optimize videos to improve SEO rankings as well, which will also make it easier for your business to be found on search engines.

Blogging

Blogs can be valuable tools for businesses. It's hard to overstate the importance of content when it comes to marketing and SEO, and blogging is a great way to add content to your site. It can also be used as a way to communicate with consumers, which can be great if that is one of your weak points. Blogging can’t fix all your communication problems, but it can enhance your marketing campaign. Quality blogs can help consumers see you as more of an authority in your industry, and adding a comments section at the bottom can provide you with an opportunity to engage in some dialog with them. 

Email

Email is another great way to communicate with your customers and can be an excellent marketing tool as well. Of course, for it to work, you'll have to get consumer email addresses to contact them with, but there are multiple ways you can approach that, so you should be able to find a method that works. Once you have email addresses you can use them to send customers personalized email marketing messages, which can help you generate repeat business. Personalization is key here, and is a huge factor in getting your messages read and keeping them out of the spam folder.

Data Analytics

Data analytics is key to the success of marketing efforts. It's what allows you to understand and interpret customer data in ways that will be meaningful and helpful to your business. When used correctly, it can help you understand your target audience, know where to find them, and how best to reach them. It also plays a key role in your marketing personalization efforts. By understanding consumer habits and patterns you become better able to predict future trends and can use that information to guide your business practices. You can and should use data analytics to guide your marketing strategies, identify what is working and what isn't, and refine as you go.

Business Listings

Perhaps one of the simplest ways to market your business is to take advantage of online business listings. This is a great way to raise awareness for your business among your local consumer base. Most of the time when people are searching for a business, they prefer for it to be one local and close by. By claiming business listings you increase the chance that your business will be one of the ones they find. There are general listings that are good to claim, like Google, Facebook, and Yelp, and other industry-specific listings that you should also claim. You can improve your chances of being found even further by optimizing your business listings.

Browser Push Notifications

Web browser push notifications are great ways for websites to engage consumers. These notifications work by sending messages to consumers after they opt in to getting them. Some companies find that using a soft opt in approach helps them get more people to opt in. Once customers click on the notification they are directed to the page of your choosing. These notifications can be used to confirm transactions, link to informative pages, to offer promotions, or to mark different points in the customer lifecycle. They're a good way to repeatedly engage consumers and encourage future interactions.

There are a lot of tools businesses have at their disposal that they can and should be using as a part of their marketing strategies and efforts. These tools can make a huge difference in whether or not a business is successful, and how successful they are. If you aren't using some of these methods, give them a try and see if they work for you.

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