Meet Donte Singleton | Welder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Donte Singleton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Donte, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up in New Orleans I was not around too many people that owned their own business. All I really knew was working for other people. When I came to a South Dakota in 2012 I started out jumping from job to job, never really finding something I truly enjoyed. In 2015 I went to welding school with my brother and ended up falling in love with the craft. Once I finished school I worked for several welding companies and learned a lot of what I know today from being in the field with great co workers. During this time I also came to realize I could do my own smaller projects on the side for extra money. As things started to pick up I always wondered if I could do this on my own. I lost my brother in 2020 and my mother in 2021. With the motivation of knowing I wanted to make them proud and very good, loyal, supportive friends and family I decided to take the leap of faith and go full time owning DS Weld and Repair.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
DS weld and repair started off as a part time job doing metal railings in 2020. After every completed job my wife and I would post pictures of each project. These social media posts and word of mouth continued to give us steady business, part time from 2020-2022. In 2023 I went completely full time owning DS Weld and Repair. During this time I was working out of our double stall garage. I continued to grow based off recommendations and postivie reviews. We completely grew our business ourselves and this makes me extremely proud. In late 2023 I moved to my own shop in Tea Sd.

One of my most proud moments is In 2023 I was asked to be on the HGTV show “Down Home Fab” with Cole and Chelsea DeBoer. Their directing company found my Instagram page and gave me the amazing opportunity to do several projects that were aired on the show. This was a major proud moment.

One lesson I have learned is that it is not easy owning a business and not everything goes as planned. also, when things do not go as planned it is up to me to correct it. This has been a learning process. I have learned I need to speak up and take advice from other business owners.

I want the world to know that owning your own business is possible! Never doubt yourself and surround yourself by positive people. If you would have told me at the age of 34 I would own my own welding company that has contracts with major construction companies in the Sioux Falls Sd area, be aired on HGTV, and be able to support my family, I would have never believed you. But I am here and I am 100% dedicated to it because it’s more than just a paycheckz It is so much more!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Food-
Breakfast – Josiah’s, original pancake house, all day cafe
Lunch – mamas Ladas, jl beers
Dinner – roots of brasil, crave, roam, Crawfords

Drinks – highball, treasury, bin 201.

Activities – flow and paddle, great shots, downtown area has great night life, levitt, falls

Patients choice medical canibas dispensary in Tea SD (owned by amazing family members)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife – Alyssa Singleton
She has helped me from day one with this business and does so much work behind the scenes

My brother – Derrick Singleton
If it was not for him I would have never gone to welding school
Rest in Peace – his passing has given me the motivation to do the best I can so I can not only be there for my family but his as well

Instagram: DS Weld and Repair

Facebook: DS Weld and Repair

Other: Dsweldandrepair@gmail.com