Starting Small: A Tradesman Tries His Hand at Investing
I bend metal for a living. My day job is duct fabrication—cutting, welding, shaping, and building things that move air. I’ve spent years worrying about sheet metal prices, shop efficiency, and whether my layout crew measured the transition right the first time.
But as a small business owner, I understand supply chains. I understand what happens when raw materials get scarce. And lately, I’ve been watching the way the electric vehicle (EV) industry and clean energy are shaping the economy.
All of that growth—new cars, battery storage, data centers sucking down power—needs one thing: raw materials.
So, I bought 25 shares of a company called TMC – The Metals Company. Nothing fancy. Just a little experiment. Robinhood makes it too easy to tap “buy.”
What is TMC? And Why Should a Duct Fabricator Care?
TMC isn’t digging holes in the ground like your typical mining outfit. They’re trying something I’d only ever read about in Popular Mechanics as a kid: deep-sea mining.
The company plans to collect polymetallic nodules—rock-like chunks sitting on the ocean floor, rich in nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese. These are the same metals that end up in EV batteries, wind turbines, and other tech that supposedly fuels the future.
As someone who orders sheet metal by the ton, I think about where raw materials come from a lot. The idea of scooping battery metals off the ocean floor instead of tearing up land-based mines… well, it’s intriguing. Whether it’s better for the environment or not, that’s for smarter people to argue—but as a business move, it’s bold.
The Speculative Side (and Why This is a Risk)
TMC is not a safe bet.
- They don’t have huge profits yet.
- Environmental activists are against deep-sea mining, and governments could slam the brakes with regulations.
- The stock is volatile and could swing hard either way.
But that’s also why the stock is interesting. If they succeed, TMC could supply a significant share of the world’s EV metals. If they fail? Well, my 25 shares will be worth a duct fitting or two, and I’ll chalk it up as tuition for my investing education.
Why I Bought Anyway
I run a microbusiness. I know what it’s like to have to prove yourself when you’re small and chasing big contracts. TMC reminds me of that—small company, big dream, trying to crack into a market dominated by giant players.
Also, I love history. The world has always moved forward on the backs of raw materials:
- Iron built the railroads.
- Steel built the skyscrapers.
- Aluminum built the airplanes.
If EVs are the next great industrial leap, then the companies supplying the metals are the new steel mills.
So, I bought in, not because I think I’ll get rich, but because I want to learn. I want to follow how this story unfolds, and sometimes you learn best when you’ve got a little skin in the game.
My Plan
- Entry Price: Around $8/share for 25 shares.
- Long-Term View: Hold and watch. If TMC makes it, great. If not, I’ll have learned something about market cycles and speculative plays.
- Next Steps: Track company news, especially permits and contracts. Research the way I would before buying a new piece of equipment for the shop.
Want to Learn With Me? My Favorite Reads
If you’re also learning to invest—especially as someone who works with their hands or runs a small business—here are a few books that helped me think differently about the economy and investing:
- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham – Classic investing principles that apply whether you’re buying stocks or running a shop.
- The Big Score: The Billion-Dollar Story of Silicon Valley by Michael Malone – A great read on how industries grow from small players to massive powerhouses.
- Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne – Not investing related, but a fantastic historical perspective on resource competition.
- The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations by Daniel Yergin – Essential reading for understanding how energy and raw materials drive global politics.
Final Thought
Investing, like running a fabrication shop, is about balancing risk and reward. I don’t expect to retire on TMC, but I do expect to become a better investor—one small trade, one story at a time.
And who knows? Maybe in a few years, the ducts I fabricate will be cooling servers powered by batteries built with metals from the bottom of the ocean. If that happens, at least I can say I owned a tiny piece of it.
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