How to start a concrete business

Foundations and structural work need more engineering, inspections and capital. Most start with flatwork.

Many states cover concrete work under a contractor license, often above a dollar amount, and cities usually require permits for driveways and new slabs, sometimes with rules for the curb cut and the approach. Our general contractor licensing guide shows how each state handles contractor work.

OSHA's silica standard for construction applies to work that creates silica dust, such as cutting, grinding and drilling concrete. OSHA says employers can either use the control methods in Table 1 of the construction standard or measure workers' exposure and choose their own controls, and that all covered employers must have a written exposure control plan. In practice that means wet cutting or saws with dust collection, and a written plan once you have a crew.

Excavating for a slab or driveway is digging, so call 811 first. 811 says anyone who plans to dig should contact it before digging to have buried utilities marked.

The SBA lists the launch steps in this order: pick a location, choose a structure, choose a name, register, get federal and state tax ID numbers, apply for licenses and permits, open a business bank account, and get insurance. For a concrete business working out of a truck, the location is usually your home address and the area you will serve.

• Structure. A sole proprietorship is the simplest. An LLC keeps the business separate on paper. Ask an accountant which fits your state and your plans.
• Tax ID. The IRS gives out an employer identification number (EIN) online, and says you never have to pay a fee for one. Websites that charge for an EIN are not the IRS.
• Self-employment tax. The IRS lists the self-employment tax rate as 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Income tax comes on top, so set money aside from every job.
• Bank account. Open it before the first payment lands, so every dollar in and out is easy to find at tax time.

Your name goes on the truck, the invoices, the Google profile and the yard signs, so pick it once. The free concrete name generator gives 36 ideas for your town and style, each with a domain idea, and lists the checks to run before you commit: your state's business name search, a federal trademark search and the domain itself.

The SBA describes general liability insurance as cover for financial loss from bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses and defending lawsuits. It says businesses with employees are required to carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and some states ask for more.

Cracked slabs, damaged driveways from trucks and equipment, and injuries during the pour are the claims to plan for. Ask your agent about general liability including completed work, commercial auto, equipment cover, and workers' compensation as soon as you hire.

No total here on purpose. What you spend depends on what you already own, new or used, and how much work you plan to take on. Price your own list with a local supplier, then put the numbers in the startup cost table of the free business plan generator, which adds them up for you.

• A truck and trailer for forms and tools
• Form boards, stakes and a laser or transit level
• Screeds, bull float, hand floats, edgers, groovers and brooms
• A plate compactor and a concrete saw with water or dust collection
• Wheelbarrows, rakes and rubber boots

Concrete is ordered per job from a ready-mix plant, so the startup spend is forms, finishing tools and the truck. Rent a power trowel or skid steer until the work is steady.

Price by the square foot from the real costs: yards of concrete plus waste, base material, rebar or mesh, forms, labor for prep, pour and finish, removal of the old slab, permits and profit. The free concrete driveway cost calculator shows how they add up. Measure from above with the satellite measuring tool before you drive out.

• Landscapers and builders. They need patios, walks and slabs poured.
• The neighbors. A new driveway gets noticed. Koira mails nearby homes.
• Follow up on bids. Koira nudges open estimates.
• Photos. Before and after shots by finish type on your website.

Take a deposit on signing so the pour date is held. Collect the balance when the forms come off, with pay at the door, and offer financing on driveways.

Grow your crew before you grow the job size. A pour needs enough hands to finish before the concrete sets. Add decorative finishes when you can show them.