Fyredrake Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Hey everybody I'm doing a project for my financial applications class and I have a list of questions I need answered for a report on self-employed blacksmiths. I appreciate all who answer 1) Describe a typical work day 2) What skills are required on a daily basis? 3) What are some of the most challenging aspects? 4) Are there any negative aspects of your job? 5) Which seasons are the most difficult? 6) What is business growth like? 7) Are too many or too few people entering this profession? 8) What future developments could affect future opportunities? 9) Who are some of the most important people in the industry today? 10) What requirements are there for self-employment? Legal or physical 11) What is an initial average pay? Long term potential pay? 12) What sorts of advancements are available? 13) How did you get started? 14) What educational preparation is recommended? 15) If hiring a partner, what qualities should be looked for? 16) How do most people enter this profession? 17) Are there any recommended courses that I should take before opening my own shop/forge? 18) What companies or industries are beneficial to your business? 19) Considering my background (two years of engineering and fabrication classes, in addition to small jobs of building fences and metal artwork for neighbors) do you think this is a wise career path for me? 20) Are there any major lifestyle changes? (ie. frequent travel, late-night business, etc.) 21) Considering all the people you've met in your profession, what sort of personal attributes are essential for success? 22) What professional journals and organizations should I be aware of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I'm not a professional........but i suspect I will enjoy reading the replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I think reading just this section will answer all your questions but you'll have to interpret some or most of the material. We've had some outstanding posts from professionals that address your questions. They won't be replies you can use without reading and thinking about them. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 If you do a site search of the 500,000 or so posts you should find the answers to your questions, answered many times and in many different ways. To address the most of your questions, Blacksmiths are individuals and as such each does things in HIS or HER own way or fashion. Shoeing a horse if different from blacksmithing, which is different from what a fabricator or knife maker would do. If you would add your location to your profile, I would then suggest you contact a blacksmithing group or organization in your area. Find out when they meet and go to the meetings. This is not to ask them questions but instead to WATCH and LEARN as they study the craft and interact with each other. While at the meeting, you should also give blacksmithing a go and pick up a hammer and actually hit some hot iron. This will teach you more about the craft in a few minutes than you would ever imagine. It will put you in a position to answer some of your questions from personal experience, limited of course to your time at the anvil. Bottom line is that if you ask 10 blacksmiths a question you will get 12 or more answers. That does not fit your homework format, but is the real world answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 2 hours ago, Fyredrake said: This is a bit too much like taking a test but I'll toss out a couple of answers. This is more about fabrication than smithing FYI Hey everybody I'm doing a project for my financial applications class and I have a list of questions I need answered for a report on self-employed blacksmiths. Answers can be done through here, or my email amlandsp@outlook.com 4) Are there any negative aspects of your job? : Yes--when you work for yourself, the boss is always a jerk. 5) Which seasons are the most difficult?: This is weird but it seems to follow major school events--business drops just before long holidays, as well as just before the end and start of the year. Nothing to do with school but it seems that people tend to go into a holding pattern that matches the school year. 10) What requirements are there for self-employment? Legal or physical: Too broad a question but people underestimate the amount of time needed to run the back end of the business and think it's all about making product. All that annoying back end stuff like accounting, bills, etc takes up SIGNIFICANT time and energy 11) What is an initial average pay? Long term potential pay?: Go to the US Bureau of labor statistics website and you can find the average info--and note that the after tax profit margins for fabricated metal products is quite low (most people don't realize that it's only about 3% for commercial entities). Overhead eats profits. 15) If hiring a partner, what qualities should be looked for?: Partner? Might as well shoot yourself in the kneecap now and get it over with. Partnerships are like marriages and most end up in VERY ugly divorces. Takes a special fit for partnerships to work well--which should be at LEAST as thorough as finding a spouse. There should also be a very clear agreement from the start on how the partnership gets dissolved when things go haywire. 17) Are there any recommended courses that I should take before opening my own shop/forge?: Marketing marketing marketing sales sales sales. Figure to be successful in ANY business that marketing and sales will take up half your efforts. Might as well learn to do it well rather than trusting that somehow you were magically given the knowledge at birth. 21) Considering all the people you've met in your profession, what sort of personal attributes are essential for success?: Most people who think they are "Self starters" really aren't--it's hard to keep facing the day when your idiot friends are making more than you in the corporate world, you've made the same product 5000 times before, accounting has backed up and needs doing NOW, some client tells you that the local china-mart only charges a dollar, etc. Working for yourself is definitely NOT about making your job easy. The benefit is you might have a little more personal freedom and freedom has value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I'll agree with Kozzy on # 15 DON'T worse than hiring employees. Every Partner/Employees your costs and headaches double. A Partnership is when "Two Fools Meet" #17, Business Management, Financial Management, Economics, Business Law, Accounting I,II, III, IV, then Marketing, Sales, then start taking Tech Courses, esp. on metallurgy, Blacksmithing might help as well. The Best Craftsmen Fail every day because of bad business decisions. You will be a business man who works as a blacksmith. #11 Average starting Pay on your own $0, lots of overhead, hidden unexpected expenses, Income is determined in a large part by how much effort you put in, 40 hrs a week will not generate income 80-100 might get you a little but that is iffy! 80-100 at work and then another 20 in the office keeping your boat afloat and off the rocks! This isn't meant to be just a negative reply, hard learned information. Wish you the best if you continue this direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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