Im in Houston and one thing to add about markets, theres many established, trusted, respected, and sought after rod builders. For Houston area alone theres Waterloo, Sarge, Laguna, Old 18, H and H, Fishstix, 1836, El Salveja, Vega, and I know im forgetting some. They vary in cost and quality. So finding where you fit in and how to stand out from that many ok to great builders is difficult and where price and quality is concerned.

This is great information and very nice of you to share. I am in the position you first described and am now stepping forward. There were/are a lot of questions about business licensing, tax liability, stepping up quality, getting the right blanks at the right price, what equipmemt actually increases efficiency, social media, and marketing. I have been very fortunate with Dustin at El Salveja being extremely generous with sharing information. One spot I may differ is the LLC. I now get wholesale pricing from some vendors (30% less than retail) with simply being a sole proprietorship and DBA in my county.

My son has built his Custom Rod building business to the point he needs to hire employees. I am curious what type of insurance you carry as a Custom Rod builder? We are trying to get quotes now. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

Warranty, do you strip the components off the broken blank? A set of 10+ tip recoils or seaguide Ti with RS rings is a $60-$70 guide train. Taking the time to strip those guides is not just a few minutes. So wheres the balance of time vs cost of guides?