Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Young.
Ryan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was first introduced to welding by an artist name Rebecca Lowe in Fort Worth. She has an art studio near our old house that I wandered into one day out of curiosity and she was kind enough to give me a tour.
That sparked my interest to become a metal artist, which then led me into a career as an Ironworker or Welder. That was 25 years ago. I welded for two companies as an Installer and Service Technician in warehouses and distribution centers. Then I decided I wanted to pursue something more in line with my passion, so I quit and started my own business.
To paint a picture: I had no money, no credit, a young baby, limited tools and one client. That was 11 years ago and I have made more mistakes than I could even count, some of them I even made multiple times. But, somehow out of pure scrappiness and tenacity (maybe just too stubborn to quit) I have managed to succeed and develop a business model that works very well for me. I cannot take all of the credit though, I knew nothing about running a business and I was fortunate enough to find and listen some amazing mentors. When I first started, I would meet a client, get the job and then go home and watch YouTube videos on how to complete the job. I would do anything and everything to get by and had to do that for many years before I found my niche. I look back at that and shake my head with amazement because I always did things the hard way, its the best teacher though… I’ve always learned at the speed of pain. It’s not that way anymore and now I am very discriminate of the projects I take on.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, not at all. I knew nothing about running a business and I made almost every mistake you could make. I kept everything in a notebook instead of using bookkeeping and invoicing software, I wouldn’t suggest that. I started with no money and without a line of credit, so cash flow was always an issue. When cash flow is an issue, EVERYTHING becomes and issue. I would take jobs that I shouldn’t have taken for less than I should have charged just to stay afloat, but I couldn’t see where we were leaking money. Know your numbers! I tried to grow too quickly and overextended myself even more, causing more stress which was making me less effective as an Owner and Operator. One of my mentors told me “Bigger is not better, better is better.” and that really hit home with me. It was another two years before I adopted that philosophy. I keep it simple and charge what I am worth now, it took some time to get there though. These are some of the big ones that come to mind.
Please tell us about Avery Ironworks.
We’ve done quite a few sculptures, signage and custom work over the years. I still will for the right client or cause but, we have settled nicely into the niche of structural steel fabrication and erection. What sets us apart is that we work on small to medium-sized projects that sometimes require a delicate touch. For instance, we often work with high-end residential General Contractors on remodels and repairs. So, when you need to carefully thread a 25′ beam that weighs 1500 pounds through a kitchen window, you’d call us. We also do complete ground up residential, commercial and work with restaurants on their steel packages.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.averyironworks.com
- Phone: 8179035008
- Email: ryoung@averyironworks.com
- Instagram: averyironworks
- Facebook: @averyironworks
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