How to become a successful Rubber Surfaces Contractor

How to become a successful Rubber Surfaces Contractor

When I started working with rubber it was at a time when this type of industry was brand-new. There were only but a handful of people doing it around the world and most of the people who got into it had worked for one of the main leaders in the industry (and they know who they are).

Rubber Surfacing was new and exciting to contractors and customers alike. Rubber offered a much needed solution to the lack of lasting and safe coatings for weathered stone-based surfaces. The moment a customer gazed upon the before and after photos of Pool Decks brought back to life they were hooked and it was a easy sell.

Not much has changed since then aside from the fact that Rubber Surfaces Contractors are now in high-demand, and the products and materials used are being innovated all the time; the industry just keeps getting better and better. This is good news for anyone who is interested in becoming a Synthetic Surface Contractor; the market is hot, the jobs are lined up, and the products and installation methods are getting to the point where we, “as contractors“, now have a greater degree of confidence in their longevity, finish, and overall durability.

With the right attitude and personal drive one can become highly successful and it can be a lucrative and rewarding career if tackled in the right manner. A lot can go wrong and if your not careful from the beginning of your venture you will sink your ship. I did three times while working in the industry; it was out of a lack of maturity on my part, coupled with a general lack of know-how when it came to making Rubber Surfacing a career.

I was young and optimistic but this was a new trade that had been dominated by a hand-full of companies and they didn’t like revealing the little secrets about what can and will go wrong if you aren’t careful. I don’t know how many botched jobs I had to fix as a result of ignorance when it came to the proper methods of installation. But, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger and from all the trial we eventually get it. As in life, some of us have to face financial ruin before we can learn from our mistakes and with all the hard work and perseverance to fix those mistakes I came to the point where quality, efficiency of installation, and product longevity were no longer in question.

With having said all that anyone can be successful in the industry but it takes the know-how and a serious amount of dedication to quality to ensure that success.

Step #1: Your climate and market

Before you decide to engage in this industry you need to take a look at your climate and the potential market. My company in based out of Ontario Canada and while we are seasonal, the economy is healthy and the amount of Pool Decks there are in need of repair is staggering. Where there is snow and ice there is the surety of cracked and heaved concrete and that is what we want.

Where are you going to make the greatest financial impact demographically? And what type of applications would be best for your company? Take the steps to plot our a plan and area of focus, do not spread your market too thin by taking on a variety of application types unless you are equipped with the resources and experience to do so. If you keep it simple it will pay out and save you many headaches in the long run.

In Ontario we like Pool-decks because there are so many, the surface area is big enough to turn a decent profit, so that is our main focus. In places like California and southern climates customers prefer stone-based products around their pools for the look. They may generally be more concerned with the feeling and look of luxury than the folks up here in Canada. Although Rubber Surfacing in my opinion is luxury, there is still the “SYNTHETIC” stigma attached to it.

Climate is also something to consider: If you live in an area like Seattle or Vancouver BC you are going to get rain and when it’s raining you can’t install rubber. I am happy to say that even that aspect of Rubber Surfacing is changing; every year companies are coming up with new bonding agents and poly-urethane hybrids that are suitable for wet applications. The moral of the story is, do your research and know your game plan and make it work for your area.

Step # 2. Marketing Strategy

With any business, you have to know how you are going to represent your company in print, media, and personal marketing. Like any industry, marketing is a tricky thing but once you get it you get it. You need to test the waters for your specific game plan and see what works for you. I found newspaper articles and trade-shows to be the best ways to market in Ontario; marketing strategies change and vary from place to place so there is nothing I can say besides test the waters and stay within your own personal strengths and your companies financial threshold.

Step # 3. KNOW HOW TO DO INSTALL RUBBER SURFACES

The most important step is obvious, get to know the products the binders, the methods of installations, and the tricks of the trade first. See if you like installing and if you can handle the long days in the hot sun. Ensure that you know everything about the resins that you order and use them on your own property first before going out on site and potentially messing up a clients job.

Ask questions, research other surfacing contractors, see if you can come on site, and pay them for the knowledge they give you because in the long-run it’s priceless. Watch the videos and read the articles within this website and get your hands dirty. Once you have conducted your first installation wait a while to see if everything has worked out before jumping into the game.

Step #4. Materials and logistics

Choose a Rubber Surface supplier that knows the product and will offer you assistance if by chance you get into a bind. Find out what their shipping times are and test them on the speed of the completion of your orders. Minimize shipping costs by ordering larger quantities at once, be sure not to order materials that may not be utilized; order the specific amount and colours for each individual job.

Only use quality products and never cheap-out because in the end it will come back to haunt you. There are many different types of rubber and resin out there are they are not all created equal. Testing in a lab means nothing to testing them in the real world and you can only gain that knowledge from those in the industry who have tried a number of different mixtures over the years.

Test you logistic carriers and see what their shipping times are like. If your shipping cross border you will need to find a reputable customs broker. See that you shipments arrive within a timely manner and be sure to request for a residential truck with a tail-gate loader if you do not have a warehouse or access to a life-truck. Rubber Surface products are very heavy so know this before the carrier shows up at your door-step and you have to manually remove the product bag by bag, wasting their time and yours.

Make sure you have a dry and convenient place of storage and keep everything clean and in order so that you can load materials quickly and find the colours that your looking for on the day of an installation.

Step #5. EQUIPMENT, EMPLOYEES and RESOURCES

Rubber Surfacing is a tough job. Not because it is difficult in application, because it’s not, it’s the fact that the days can be long and the weather is hot and you could be on your knees for extended periods of time. The right equipment and workers will ensure that you stay comfortable and your installations run in an efficient and productive manner.

Hire people who are used to the same type of work like landscape contractors and outdoor workers. Purchase the right tools and find out what other companies are using…KEEP THE TOOLS CLEAN and they will last you a long time (don’t get lazy with that, dirty tools affect work quality). Don’t spread your resources too thin meaning it is better to do one job at a time with everything in one spot before you decide to branch out and expand. Treat every job like it’s your last and keep a close eye on the jobs to maintain quality and a high degree of detail because with Rubber, one patch of messy rubber will cost you time and money.

Once you have a system that ensures site efficiency, cleanliness, and effectiveness you can start to think about repeating the same method and expand into two teams of employees. Get it right the first time and then you can really do some damage in Rubber Surface Installations.

Cheers,

Greg

www.rubbersurfacing.net