How I got into the excavation business 

Thanks for having me on. Enjoyed our time together! Congratulations on reaching 100,000 subs!

I’m 14 and had 2 old junk mowers that hardly ran I fixed them up and got both of those for free sold them and bought a new zero turn now I am running 2 zeros turns and I want to go into excavation when the money allows👍🏻

Good advice on starting small. An old African proverb says "only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet". Work within your means, work with someone in the same line of work in order to learn to operate the machines, to learn to bid jobs, and how to run a business. The most important advice I ever got was that if I was going to miss bid a job, err on the high side. I'd rather bid too high and not get a job than to bid too low and go bankrupt.

One thing I learned over the years. No matter how crappy a job is (I pumped septic tanks at one point) try to learn as much as possible and be the best you can be at it. Because all those "little things" you learn over time add up to make you an asset instead of an "employee".

I’ve built my business the same way, I still own old paid for equipment and don’t owe the bank anything on my 8 pieces of equipment. I even told people it might not be new but it’s paid for!

Wow .... This is Gold . I have watched this a couple of times and learn more and more every time I watch it . The words of wisdom are very much appreciated and applied .

Started with a dump truck then a trailer and dozer then a trackhoe then a loader it’s took me 30 years to get it.thanks great video 👍

The ability to maintain repair saves a lot of money. Also makes you money too.

Mike, although I'm at a stage in life, were I'm pretty darn sure I won't be venturing into a new career, but I find yours and Tims advice very sound. Nubees listen to the voice of experience. Thanks for sharing👍😺🤗🐺

I have been scrapping for 31 years I have the original truck 1975 Scottsdale last year my birthday came around in October my dad passed away and I inherited some money so I bought a 1998 Silverado pickup truck for scrapping I have 45 stops every week to go to I have industrial stops I also been snow plowing for 25 years I'm 63 years old right now I feel great I have no problems I'm single I love my job

Great, great, great video. People just don't think of what's involved. If they know somebody in the business, or like me, watch the video's, " It LOOKS easy! WRONG!!!! You are going to make people think. One thing I might have missed in the video, hourly rate for a repair shop. Sticker shock. If you can't fix it your paying someone to fix it. NOT cheap. You mention warranty, that does not mean it's free. My first experience was with a motorcycle, warranty check up, oil change, valve adjustment. Eighty bucks! 1980. Barley had enough for the bike payment. Great video.

Don't forget the rock clause! We don't have X-ray vision. If we run into differing site conditions (rock, a spring, anything requiring a soil correction, soil change deeper than anticipated, etc.) Will keep you informed but that work is billed on a time and materials basis and it will more than likely affect the schedule.

Mike , I enjoyed this more than I thought I would at the beginning . Can you do another one on the people you work with ? How did you meet Jerry , Capt. Kleeman , Aaron and Matt . Did you ever have full time employees ?

Working at the Mack dealership was an amazing advantage even just being able to overhear other conversations with customers gave you an appreciation of how to handle different situations. Things happen, being able to explain what happened or needs to be fixed can sure defuse a situation.

You WIN some, you LOSE some, and you take a BATH on some. You try your best to keep the BATH's to a minimum, your doing great!!! I'm telling you one and all, you will take a bath on a job, and boy do they sometimes HURT!!!!!!!! But do LEARN from them, and that's what will keep them to a minimum. Good luck to one & all.

Kinda surprised you didn't go the dump truck and tag a long trailer route instead of the semi early on.

I have a mini excavator, a wheeled skid steer, 2 tractors (35hp,90hp) a dump trailer and I am still nervous about opening my own business. I bought these machines old and broken but I am a full time mechanic and I fixed all of them. I like my day job because I work with excavators and it is never boring (check my channel I have a few videos) but I love more to work with my machines and I do some jobs in dirt 😜 at moment just for family (driveway, septic tanks, footings, some grading, demo jobs, trenches...) peapole are asking to work on projects but my biggest problem is not being able to charge my work so I just say no, I found this video very spot on on my problem.

I have PRAYED that you or Chris would do this very thing. I had the advantage of Dad and Grandpa. I got so sick of hearing learn to fix it first then you can learn to operate it. This is stuff you can’t teach in a classroom. IF THE TRUCK DON’T GO YOU DON’T GO! Please keep it coming.

first, chris had good placement of his sticker in the 120. Tim and i are quite similar, i have been programming/developing software since i was a small child really started with my uncle teaching me how to make a computer from scratch. the one thing i have learned in my life is everyone can do what they desire, its all a matter of having the motivation to learn how. i guess my autistic brain obsesses and i just keep doing it until i get it right. my first time using an excavator was in the middle of winter my septic backed up and was plugged in the tank. i couldnt get anyone to come dig the top. so i rented a mini from our local center, the guy who delivered it was a friend so he gave me the advice, its a real life video game, i managed to clear the top of the tank with relative ease, the septic guy was like im gonna have to charge extra for all the dirt you got in there. well he pumped the tank there was 0 dirt in it. since that point i have went and cleared a few for other people. i dont want to run an excavator full time because i think i would grow to hate it like i do computers. ill stick to doing it when i can for the enjoyment of doing it. people like you, chris, capn, mr aj works and many others help me learn, My advice follows yours get with someone to learn from then ease your way in.

Thank you for the time! (SERIOUSLY!) You know, you didn't have to do this video but being YOU, what else could we expect but "honest help & advice" from someone with a RU-vid channel called, "DIRT PERFECT"! I've been here since your start and have enjoyed seeing ALL your work. NOT just the jobsites but WORK on rebuilding your equipment, maintenance, comradery with your CREW/friends that are now our friends and the GREAT TRUST you've put behind everything you do and set out to do. YOU put a lot of hours in your presentations and WE put a lot of hours into viewing your efforts and enjoy you taking us all over the country to VENDORS and the heavy INVOLEMENT & BOND you form with them where we would NEVER get to go! INTEGRITY is KEY and that's YOU - the MAN, Father, Husband, Friend, Mechanic, No Fear of taking on challenge, Building, Talking, Playing in the DIRT and SO MUCH MORE! So YEAH, THANK YOU for SHARING "You"! Regards, buddy! Sonny

With my company it was 7 days a week 24 hours, just the nature of the business. Communications Tech/ Computer system. Large businesses stay open 24/7 and when they are down you are up and going. 35 years of it, and loved every minute, I never had a job, to me it was just fun.

Well done! If anyone has a problem applying this info to their situation, is a person "locked" in a concept and more than likely will never learn to be successful. One must be very flexible to do business with all kinds of characters (a person's inner content of character). Everyone approaches living differently and may even have "limited" moneys. Staying in business is hard work and one must pay attention to all the details. Building something great takes time.

Two men I respect; two men I admire. A video with invaluable advice. Now retired, I once ran a successful small business. It was far afield from excavating, machinery, etc. But the principles espoused here apply to ANY small biz stat-up. My way in was similar to Mike’s. I followed a similar path and it worked beautifully. Start small,work your way up, capitalize on your strengths, one note: I did well with not-to-exceed bids. I made a practice of coming in underbid until I learn how t estimate a job. No one ever objected to paying less. Thanks guys for a great video and invaluable advice.

I play the middle line of both of yall. Mechanically inclined, like older but cheaper for me to buy new due to my area. Difficult to bid as theres many in my area. I bought the equipment for my personal use typically help out neighbors all the time. A lot is free, a lot was just cover fuel. The bidding scares the heck out of me. The equipment i have is easy to transport with my 1 tin and 40ft. Just 2 pieces of equipment doesn't fit out the gate of my land and are challenging at 14ft wide lol. So, they hardly leave. Think here soon my neighbir wants me to level his yard which is 4 acres. That'll be fun after i get it through the gate. But thats a farming area for you. I battle my neigh ir up the road whi does custom baling. I did notice my field came out a lot better than his with me having worse ground.

Your advice is spot on. I'm old and still work as an owner of a manufacturing facility. As a business owner there are things that you have to give up if success is your goal. If your main goal is toys and the time to go play with your friends you'll probably fail. The "owners" here on youtube who are always out playing or spending million+ on grainbins fail to mention that the income stream from youtube is what brings in the money. Any content from thier "business" is usually clickbait to keep the youtube money flowing.Start small,grow your skill set,expand your capabilities,limit number of employees,concentrate on being the best at your game. BE HONEST.

Many people don't understand the difference between estimate and quote and my view is to estimate a little higher than the actual goal and have it come in at or below the estimate and as you said it gives confidence to the customer about your honesty. I have seen too many times when an estimate is given low because the business is afraid of loosing the job, then try to explain to the customer why the bill is higher. Years ago I had a customer that got upset because the valve job ran cheaper than the the average price I gave him because he already had a check made out for the estimate price when he came to get his car. After a little back and forth I said "I can remake the bill to match your check if so desired" He wrote another check instead.

The way we do it is by the hour on bigger jobs and we have a set minimum. If it takes a hour we have a 2 hour minimum that’s including moving to the job because fuel isn’t cheap. And on bigger job we require half the money upfront and it work for 35 years

What a great video. I have owned a successful small software development company for over 20 years now. It is now time for a change. I have been in IT for about 40 years. There are no plans to retire. That just does not seem to be an option. Not because of any financial requirements. Idle hands are the devils workshop. I grew up working on the farm. How did I end up in IT? Well that is a story upon itself. The video was real and, in my opinion, was better than a semester at any business school. College is a great choice for those that want to go that route (I did that route) but college does not deal well in reality - IMHO. Tim and you should go into business consulting. You are both successful. My take on you both is that you would both be successful no matter what you did including selling Fudgy Wudgys at the shore. Thank you for all that you do.

You know the one thing one forgot is , little big man you know that’s the backbone of the company. No all jokes aside it’s good to had guys like you have to make it even though they seem kinda of nuts some times they seem to be good guys. Love watching your videos keep it up.

Excellent advice! Thank you Mike and Tim!

Thanks DP for another great video. I'm not an excavator but what your teaching about how to start a business can apply to most construction start ups!!

Yes It does make sense to me thanks Damon

My experience in the heating and air is A happy customer can get you 3 jobs, Where an unhappy one can cost you ten. Meaning unhappy people yell their feeling where happy people talk about them.

Your Absolutely right the work doesnt Stop because You came home. When owning a Excavating Business. I seen that from watching my Dad with His Company.... People work and when they have an Emergency they call you up and theres times where I had to go back to work load up a piece of equipment and go back to work . Septic systems stuff like that even a Slides. That stuff happens not from 9 to 5 . During a day. It happens Whenever....Also the STRESS of owning a Excavating business is HIGH... You did a great job explaining it. Its a business if people want to get into they need to know its 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 365 a yr...But its a lot of fun and REWARDING...

Hard work, perseverance, experience, a bit of luck, a lot of patience will pay off..

Great video Mike, thanks for the information

Really appreciate this. Great information for anyone looking to start a business of any kind.

Great information! Thank you for taking the time to really talk about your journey. And congratulations on 100k!

Best Video yet

Thanks for the insight. Also thanks to Tim for his insight. Good advice from both viewpoints.

The compact tractor with the right implements is the "swiss army knife" of the industry !!

What an awesome side video! Many thanks for taking the time out and actually going ahead and doing this for us. It was a very honest insight. I'm self-employed myself and know the rigors of trying to price a job and yeah.. it's not fun lol. Congrats on your 100k subs! Don't forget to order your Silver Creator Award plaque from RU-vid and please please do show us all when you get it through :)

Congrats on 100K!! Been here since before 20k...keep the great videos coming!!

Thanks for the education DP and Tim - continued success

Yes its been informative, thanks for taking the time to do this, keep them coming when u can.

Congratulations on 100,000 subs. You have great content, the rewards will keep coming.

This was great to hear your story I'm in the same boat as Tim.

Very good, especially for people who want to start a new adventure

Appreciate yas taking the time to break this down for us!!!! In the end honesty usually pays!!!

I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on 100 thousand subscribers!!

Great vid Dp and Tim thanks so much!!!

I worked for a construction company driving their lowboy for 20 years, It started small (4 people} I didn't own the Truck but what I added to the deal was service, I had customers who told Me they could hire other trucks cheaper but when they hired us I was on time and got their equipment moved in a timely manner, other would take longer and cost them more, As far as hours worked, some morning my wife would say what time do you think you will be home tonight? then We would both laugh and I'd head out the door lol

You guys are awesome!

Good video. I like Tim’s story, I was an electronics engineer for 12 yrs and now I’m a carpenter running my own business.

I enjoy watching both your channel’s..I find it interesting that not only do the jobs pay,but using your experience for RU-vid and have that pay a little as well is cool.

Operators are only as good as their desire and interest in operating the piece of equipment they are on and developing the skill set to operate that equipment to maximum potential without abusing it ( ie Jerry). Equipment, no matter the brand, is only as good as the maintenance program they are maintained with and the attention to the machine, as it’s operating, to the tell tale signs of a potential problem, (not a catastrophic breakdown). Above all is the honesty with customers , dealers, and employees ( if you own the business) , that In itself will take you a long ways to the goal one seeks. It takes years to build a relationship with customers and community, it only takes minutes to lose it , one bad decision, one wrong word or bad attitude will damage that relationship, and once it’s lost, you may never get it back. If you run a business, own it all, good and bad, life is life, it’s neither fair nor unfair, it just is , deal with it. You sir seem to do that well, and I am sure we don’t see all that goes on but, from my point of view, I don’t need to, because who you are, and what your company stands for,comes thru in these vids. Best to you and your family and company.

Awesome perspective!

Fantastic video Mike! I’ve been waiting for you to post this. Very valuable information and pointers you mention here. I’m hoping in the next 6 years to be on my own doing excavating and I want to start small and work my way up. All I like to do is dig and move dirt. Congrats on 100k subscribers!

Yep did enjoy bro and congrats on achieving 100k subs. Safe travels up your way

Pricing at a mechanic's shop is the same too. Most of the time you're close. Sometimes you make a killing and feel a little guilty. There's also the ones you lose your button. Well done, thanks for sharing. :-)

I can't thank you enough for the details of equipment skills and out course our own skills. I can't get enough of your videos. I love the history of people. I honestly look up to you I'm a small excavation and grading owner!! I honestly love your skills you have a real eye for what you do!! You've actually given me a whole different outlook on jobs, bids ponds ex!!! Your really confident in yourself and your business!!!! I could go on and on I dropped all other followers and strictly watch dirt perfect. I can't thank you enough

Another great video. I always love hearing you talk about bidding jobs. Personally i like a estamate and do cost based time and materials. Dirt work can be hard, because you don't know what your getting into till you start moving dirt.

Thank you !

Congratulations on the 100k subs. Others are learning what some of us have known for a while and that is awesome, all the best and looking forward to more.

Interesting topic. Enjoyed the video. My company is probably a little smaller than yours but like you I started with nothing but work ethic and a conscientious attitude about my work. However now in year 4 it’s amazing to see the growth. God bless and have a happy thanksgiving.

Mike and Tim great video with great content, two different stories with great outcomes! Thanks for sharing! Kevin

Thank you sir!

Great video DP. I started business 16 years ago and you hit the nail on the head . A happy customer means everything .I got in this business 34 years ago and learn a lot working for someone for 18 years before I started mine.how to run the business and how to bid a job then how to set it all up to keep you moving on up the ladder.(I'm a flooring contractor).I was always tough your only good as your last job .word of mouth can hurt or help you more than you would think 🤔.keep up the great work 😎✌️👍👌🇺🇲

This is one of the absolute best videos you've ever done, God bless you and your family brother and thankyou for your detailed advice. Don't see this no where. Best advice ever

Great video! Thanks for sharing all the helpful information. Many people won't talk about this side of a business.

Very informative video! I managed a clinical laboratory, my brother in law was a home builder and could not get his houses painted. He asked me to help out his regular painter. I really enjoyed it and when I retired it was a natural transition to my “ hobby job”!

from the Netherlands thanks for the video DP

Good discussion! One thing that would be helpful. Talk about market segments (or types of projects). You mentioned that jumping up to a bigger excavator was a game changer. So you must have done different types of projects with the bigger machine. What types, how did you market into that segment etc. Thanks

also need that insurance and expect the unexpected phone lines , gas lines water and so on ,, even if they say there is nothing there watch what you dig . also if you have helpers working for you .. they will get paid and you might not .. sometimes the pay don't go as far as you thought ..a lot of company's go out because they take there pay when they should have left some of it in there company .. great video ,,

Spot on Mike!

..and the rest is history....lol... good one, keep safe and have a great weekend

Great info for customers and contractors !!

Thanks for sharing your adventure Mike a big thing to do good on you Al from Nova Scotia Canada 🇨🇦

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Always enjoy your videos and incites. I believe the aspect of finding your work rewarding is very important. I loved the comment Tim made about enjoying the first 25 years of a 30 year career, I can relate. I often wish I could restart a new career but the experience I have is of little use outside of its particular skill set and my experience at anything rewarding leaves much to be desired. I sometimes wish I had taken a different path in life closer to yours and live vicariously thru your videos. Thanks again, wishing you and your family the best.

Mike love watching your videos especially with MBTS. Great advice for staring out in business. I have a small machine shop business and that is how I got my start too, staring small, and working day and night, and growing it slowly up. Thanks

Great advice to heed

Your knowledge was very helpful I was thinking about starting my own business now I have to think it all over again thank you

Wow Mike, this was a very valuable video! Thank you for sharing. I am in agreement with your strategy about starting small and working up. Know your skill set and keep adding to it. Buy used and fix it up. Be vigilant of your cash flow. Learn from each mistake and vow to not make it again. I have used all these in my business and found some success. Excavating is a seasonal occupation and it is good to have some diversity so you can still make money during the down times. Also, during slow periods, get out in the shop and maintain your equipment. You have to be proud of your accomplishments, and I am proud of you.

you did a good job on explaining how to do a business and keep it going. I had my own business for about 25 years and you was pretty much spot on everything. I am retired now and enjoy you tube watching tou guys work.!!! keep up the good work.

Great vid from you and Tim. I am closer to your skillset but closer to Tim in career path. Ive ran equipment since i was very young, and love running it, and as Tim mentioned it is my stress relief, but that doesn't always make the wife happy! The struggle is real when it comes to time management even as a side hustle.

Thank you for the video. I have no intent to ever do what you do, but it was fascinating to see your take on starting a new business. My folks always owned their own business and I saw first hand the struggles. It took may years before they got comfortable with business and home life. Any video you put out, I watch.

Excellent video and advice. I had a concrete finishing business. I started out doing small jobs and gradually progressed. Until I got to the point of not being physically able to continue and lost time with my family. DP you touched on the family time aspect. But that is also a major part of owning your own business also

Congrats on 100,000 subscribers!

For someone like myself who’s just starting. This was a awesome video. Great perspective and advice.

Great video congratulations on 100 k subscribers

What a brilliant insight, from someone who started early and has the skill set to fix their own equipment and from someone who started after a career in something else. Really interesting. 👍

Loved this video Mike, it was exactly what start up guys/gals need to hear and take to heart. This video was spot on from what I experienced working for a landscaper here in Eville, IN for a couple years before going out on my own with my landscaping business. Now 4 years into my business, it’s showed me plenty of lessons and given me lots of knowledge from the school of hard knocks to add to what I learned working for the landscaper for a couple years before starting my own. Spot on starting out small, and I can attest to the fact that it’s scary starting out and growing the company. I’m still going slowly and biding my time as things grow slowly. It’s def hard to be patient and grow slowly but it def pays off over time. My 1025r has been nearly perfect for me starting out and making life much easier.

Thank you! This was good to hear. I’m active duty Navy and coming up on retirement in a few years. I have been watching you along with JPayDirt. I look forward to both of you posting new videos every week. I grew up in excavation, and would have gotten out of the Navy sooner, but life’s not about me and responsibility comes first. But over the years I have continued to hone my skills and have acquired assets. I just need to wade out in the water. Again thank you and God Bless you, your family and friends.

Your advice is so true not only in this business but in many others as well. If you don't have the time to put into your business then it won't grow and most likely it will not last. Thanks for your insight.

Great video. Very informative. I agree with everything you brought up. Start small and work your ass off to get where you want to be. I think the biggest thing is if you are going out alone you have to be honest and a people person. You can be the best operator in the world but if you cant talk to customers and explain everything to them and have a bit of fun with them you wont last long. Personality is in my opinion one of the biggest differences in a successful business compared to a struggling one.

Great Video Mike. There’s a lot to be said about Pride of Ownership along with Customer Satisfaction. A successful business is an extension of reliable follow through you build with your customers and venders while complying to state, county and local regulations. From one job to the next, every customer becomes a calling card for years to come..🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

That was a very valuable video especially the part about bidding vs hourly. Thank you! I jumped in with both feet but like Tim had the finances from another career and an engineering and construction background. Anyway having loads of fun.

Great video and advice. I followed most of the steps you and Tim mentioned when I started my trucking company. I bought a used truck to start. I choose an ex government unit. I was able to get the complete service history when I bought the truck, this helped reassure me that the truck was well maintained. What I didn't take into account was parts availability for international trucks. My local parts stores like napa. Only carried common parts like filters and lights. For most every other part I needed I had to go to the dealer to get. My nearest International dealer was almost 70 miles away. Every time I had to go to the dealer, I drove past Peterbuilt, Kenworth, Frightliner, Mack, and even Volvo. This was an inconvenience for planned repairs. But for the unplanned, the I have to fix this tonight before we work tomorrow repairs this was a killer. The 2.5 hour drive for parts often took more time than the repair did!

really really good information. Thank you for putting that together. Easy lesson, take it slow and easy. Bring your skill before your equipment.

I have to say you and Tim were spot on!! GREAT info for anyone getting into ANY construction business. As a genral contractor when I love to have a set price on the job I hire you to do.