Bootstrap Survival -- Creating Your Own Job -- Small Engine Repair Business

It is easy to get caught up in the worst of times, and forget how they can become the best of times. Fourteen long months have passed since he last had a job, a tremendous blow to a man who has never been unemployed, even after he took an early retirement after thirty-seven years on the railroad.

Unlike many people today, he wasn't laid off, nor did the business didn't close -- he lost his job because he had a health crisis -- a heart attack. Luckily, he survived and was OK'd for return to work in less than four months.

Unfortunately, in that short period of time, jobs in the transporation industry took a dramatic turn. This previously was almost a guaranteed instant job, if you had the Class A license, his safety record, and experience.

Now, with a glut of unemployed desperate for work, transport companies could be picky. They no longer wanted the experienced, with a clean driving record, and good background check -- they wanted fresh hub mile blood -- the kind they can run through training classes and get large federal dollars in grants as students, and start out a low mileage pay. Nothing like collecting, on average, about $10,000 in federal money for your newest employee to be in a locked down contract for about year working for low wages.

Weeks of filling out job applications, running down every lead, or small hope of a job, canvassing the want ads (both in the newspaper and online) dragged on and became more of the same -- online applications that no one acknowledged, or a faceless computer sent a canned response. Weeks turned into months. Calls to companies were depressing dead ends of:

• Sorry, that position has been filled
• The safety department requires experience in the last three months.
• Our insurance carrier won't allow us to hire anyone who hasn't worked in the last six months over-the-road.
• Sorry, we can't give you the reason you've been turned down for hire, but you can write us a letter and we'll respond. (That was eight months ago, he's still waiting for that letter).

So, even though he was probably never healthier, and now walking several miles twice a day, he never felt older, or more useless, or more depressed. He was convinced that it was his age. He was convinced it was him personally -- not fully accepting the real reality -- that our state currently has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

So his wife said: It's Time To Create Your Own Job

Well, he looked at her like she'd grown two heads. "With what, and how? He threw back at her.

"When you have nothing, you make something out of it," she said as she stomped off to retreat behind her computer screen.

The answer was as close as the nearest "free" section of Craigslist.

If you are unemployed and in dire need of income, while you continue your search for a more stable job --creating your own job may be the answer your are looking for.

The Craigslist listing simply read:

"Free MTD lawn machine, sitting on the corner of Shady Lane and Beacon. I don't care what you do with it as long as it is gone."

One hour later, they were unloading it in the garage. Two hours later, she was downloading the free PDF repair manual she'd found on line. Four tires, a tune-up, a little touch up paint, and a new seat, he had it running like a new lawn tractor three days later. Their out-of-pocket expenses were $101.56.

They found out online, that this model of yard machine retailed for $1295 at local stores. They found out online, that this riding mower averaged about $500-$750 used.

"Reconditioned MTD lawn machine, complete tune up, new seat, new tires, looks and runs great. Pictures below: $750 obo."

Three hours later, he was on his way to Harbor Freight Tools, his all-time favorite store with $700 burning in his pocket, feeling a lot more useful than he'd felt in a long time.

"Do you think you could look on that there Craigslist, and find me something else I could tinker with and make some money off of? You could even pay for it, if no one's got anything free laying around. That was the easiest $598.44 in profit I ever made. You know, $199.48 a day ain't bad for a non-union job."

"We buy your unused, broken, and non-working lawn mowers, riding tractors, weed-eaters, and other power garden tools (gas or electric)."

The phone rings all day long and the listings on Craigslist -- both the buyers for his reconditioned and repaired small engines and tools -- and those who need money by selling their unwanted and broken equipment, are all well satisfied customers.

He's still looking for a regular job, but he's no longer stressed and depressed. He gets to go to Harbor Freight Tools a lot more often too. Best of all, he understands how you make some out of nothing, and why old timers talk about "one man's trash is another man's treasure."

Obviously, there are a lot of ways to approach having your own small engine repair business other than making use of Craigslist.

Of course, it's probably an endeavor only those who are mechanically experienced in repairing small engines.

In his case, he'd grown up on a farm and making tractor and mechanical repairs were a way of life -- something you just learned to do because there usually wasn't anyone to do it for you, or money to pay them if they were around.

So, my point here, is that when you are faced with making a job where there are no jobs readily available -- dig deep within yourself and your background -- chances are you already have inside you what you need to succeed. Do what you know. Do what you enjoy. Fill a need for those who don't have your particular skill set.

The small engine repair business can be very profitable and doesn't require much more than a space somewhere on your property for you to work, your basic tools, and an aptitude for working with your hands.

As for customers, every home owner, at one time or another, has a need for such repairs. Then, there is a fair amount of profit to additionally be made by buying, repairing, and reselling used equipment.

If you are by nature a good mechanic, the possibilities are endless, you can repair:

• ATVs
• Chain Saws
• Dirt Bike Engines
• Edgers
• Generators
• Go-cart Engines
• Jet Ski Motors
• Lawn Mowers
• Leaf Blowers
• Marine engines (for small boats)
• Motorcycles
• Pressure Washers
• Riding Mowers
• Roto-tillers
• Snow Blowers
• Small Tractors
• Snow Mobiles
• Tillers
• Trenchers
• Trimmers
• Water Pumps
• Weed Eaters