Harrison Stone is taking a gamble on himself.
Stone, who owns A&H Welding Services, grew tired of using his expertise for somebody else. So he decided to step out and take a chance on his own.
“I just got into welding maybe three years ago,” he said. “I got my associate’s degree from Tri-County Technical College, and worked for a plant in Anderson getting the basics of what I needed to know.”
One thing he learned was the difference in his expertise and his reward. That’s something he knew he wanted to change.
“Nobody’s going to pay you what you’re worth,” he said. “It takes a certain skill set. It’s not just something you can go in and do. I just didn’t want to work like that.”
So, Stone decided to go to work for himself. He’s recently opened his business, and is hoping it will take off.
A&H offers all manner of welding to its customers.
“I’ve done trailer jobs, off-road modifications on Jeeps, trucks, 4-runners. We do handrails, gates, and pretty much anything people need done. I’m there to solve a problem. If it’s broken, I’ll fix it. If it’s anything that needs to be fabricated or welded, I’ll do it.”
Stone knows that stepping out on his own requires a ton of confidence and faith in his own abilities. He’s learning that it also requires a ton of discipline.
“When you don’t have a boss making you be there at a set time, you’ve got to get out of the bed,” he said with a laugh. “Managing yourself is an entirely different thing. You can’t sleep in.”
Stone is also finding rewards in what he’s doing.
“I’ve built parts for Facebook, for Google, and for the military,” he said. “That’s what I was doing before. But you don’t have to make something to send to Boeing to make good money, and you get to see that you’re helping somebody. Usually, I’m there to solve a problem. There’s definitely a reward in building something to help somebody who needs it.”
He hopes that approach, as well as his skill, will translate into even more opportunities.
“With welding, it comes down to mostly word-of-mouth,” he said. “If you do a good job, it’s going to spread. If you do a bad job, it spreads faster. I want to make sure I’m comfortable with the job and that I can do it correctly. Right now it’s a lot of doing that, doing the best job that I can do, and passing a bunch of business cards.”
If you're in need of welding or fab work, give Harrison a shout.
Phone: 864-380-4085
Email: weldingservices.ah@gmail.com
If you're in need of FR wear, head to your nearest Harrison's or shop online for free shipping across the US.
