squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Going crazy here. I'm starting to reap the benefits of my good rep I think. One of my big local competitors who came crashing in this year all gungho is on their way down. Mwa ha ha ha.
"so....hows bizness"
- Thread starter SkwerI
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lumberjack
Young man on the go
I finished the only full cleanup job I've had on the books in a while. 20 some odd trees, pretty tiny, but man cleaning up all those stumps in non yard areaa sucked major. Get paid tomorrow. 
Work is still trudging on, picked up a single-stump job this afternoon. Whoohooo!
Work is still trudging on, picked up a single-stump job this afternoon. Whoohooo!
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
I've been doing quotes almost every evening this week. Working Saturday and quoting most of the day Sunday, quite a few of those quotes are just to give them an idea of cost, it's already in the bag. Got quite a few repeat customer calls this week.
wiley_p
Climbing Up
Down 75% from 20 months ago. The economy is NOT picking up yet. I am now working 3 part time jobs spread between 4 counties North to South.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
You never know, good luck!
My area sucks.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
Overall it's going well here. Of course I am a bit diversified and that keeps me hopping.
Trees are steady and I do the small jobs (I really did try to retire) and I refer most of the larger jobs to a friend who has two crews. I get commission for the referrals and he keeps his guys busy all winter and the added work helps.
The home repair work is good but not too many additions and large jobs due to the economy. Met another fellow who had let his two guys go as his siding and additions business was terribly slow. We go in together on larger jobs and alone on smaller stuff. He has helped me get through a backlog of the small home repair stuff. Small stuff like dishwasher install and door hanging aren't much, but pays the bills when they are coming in consistently.
I just diagnosed and repaired a bad gpu in a laptop and cleaned up several malware-ridden computers over the past three evenings. That has all been word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied computer customers.
Got bored last evening so I made up some friction savers:
Trees are steady and I do the small jobs (I really did try to retire) and I refer most of the larger jobs to a friend who has two crews. I get commission for the referrals and he keeps his guys busy all winter and the added work helps.
The home repair work is good but not too many additions and large jobs due to the economy. Met another fellow who had let his two guys go as his siding and additions business was terribly slow. We go in together on larger jobs and alone on smaller stuff. He has helped me get through a backlog of the small home repair stuff. Small stuff like dishwasher install and door hanging aren't much, but pays the bills when they are coming in consistently.
I just diagnosed and repaired a bad gpu in a laptop and cleaned up several malware-ridden computers over the past three evenings. That has all been word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied computer customers.
Got bored last evening so I made up some friction savers:
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
It's working up here Brian. I'm busier then hell, and lovin' it.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
You should phone and ask WTH 'Property Clearce' is.
Dufus's
Heh that looks as if it may be scanned? Lol.
Dufus's
Heh that looks as if it may be scanned? Lol.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Hot off the board and the scanner friend.
They "aslo sell firewood and granite"
They "aslo sell firewood and granite"
N
Newfie
Guest
Justin, "clearce" is what they do to your "proprety." Stephen, call them and tell them you only need one dude but he's gonna work his ass off. Never seen group rates increase. For more info: would that include finding out where the hell they learned to spell and add?
Wow, Stephen.
You probably already know this Brian but Cali is already a substantially higher tax state than any of the surrounding states. Still the state and the local governments don't have anywhere near enough money to do what they want to do. Well, I could go on.
You probably already know this Brian but Cali is already a substantially higher tax state than any of the surrounding states. Still the state and the local governments don't have anywhere near enough money to do what they want to do. Well, I could go on.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Hey Mike... Best I can figure is they drink more beer when they get together. Just passing the cost of overhead on..
N
Newfie
Guest
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
That's great to hear, but it sounds like you're not charging enough.
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Been wondering if I should go back to running solo, less bidding, less marketing, less maintenence, fewer jobs, no comp, less over head, more profit...
brendonv
Tree Hugger
I don't know how you guys make money running a few man crew. I think it's either big big, or one man and an occasional groundie. Finding that occasional groundie is my current biggest down fall. I can't imagine having a crew, I see what goes on in my PT job and it really bothers me. No one gives a shit about anything really.
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
I keep one guy going full time + right now and it's easy to make money imo. You don't have to be a genius to figure out how to make money. If you're not making enough, charge more. I'm about 3 weeks booked out now and getting more jobs almost daily. Yesterday I sold 4g in work after work. Zero advertising all word of mouth, bidding is more just a rough estimate of cost. I don't think I've bid against another company all week. But soon enough it'll be winter, and fall is traditionally busy here. If you're not making it around here right now, you have no hope.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
My employee, Ben, is pretty ideal for me. He is invested in staying in the area to finish school at some point (29 YO), lives in a yurt where he works off his rent to the landlord, enjoys time off to be recreational if work is slow, has a secondary source of income, and increases my efficiency. After this last round of working mostly solo for a month, I don't relish it. I knocked down a small deodora cedar (previously topped, 19" dbh, 40') yesterday. Had to untangle some large low limbs from dropping the bottom of the canopy and hanging a pull rope, just in case, as it was backleaning.
I think that a good part timer that isn't interested in full time work all the time is good. Saves a lot of body strain by the team being efficient. Too hard to rope down limbs and land them efficiently. Synergy.
Might be good to tag-team with another solo operator.
Comp is directly proportional to your payroll, right? A variable expense. So, when you need the help you pay for it. Payroll taxes are a variable expenses, as well, unlike payroll processing.
I'm sure that a mini-skid would facilitate solo clean-up, but its definitely a trade-off. A hired grapple truck has helped me a lot during the times running solo. I just drive my pick-up with gear, and maybe a trailer for the grinder. My hired grapple truck operator lives a mile from my house/ shop, and so I don't lose out hardly at all on travel time when he brings logs to my house (he charges portal to portal).
I can see running solo more easily in the land of small trees, like Oklahoma. Hard to imagine it in the lands of big trees.
Two days ago, we removed a willow. I finished the clean-up myself yesterday, as Ben had plans on his usual Friday off. I'd rather have someone else take some of the unskilled strain, and save my finite allowance of wear and tear for more technical work.
I think that a good part timer that isn't interested in full time work all the time is good. Saves a lot of body strain by the team being efficient. Too hard to rope down limbs and land them efficiently. Synergy.
Might be good to tag-team with another solo operator.
Comp is directly proportional to your payroll, right? A variable expense. So, when you need the help you pay for it. Payroll taxes are a variable expenses, as well, unlike payroll processing.
I'm sure that a mini-skid would facilitate solo clean-up, but its definitely a trade-off. A hired grapple truck has helped me a lot during the times running solo. I just drive my pick-up with gear, and maybe a trailer for the grinder. My hired grapple truck operator lives a mile from my house/ shop, and so I don't lose out hardly at all on travel time when he brings logs to my house (he charges portal to portal).
I can see running solo more easily in the land of small trees, like Oklahoma. Hard to imagine it in the lands of big trees.
Two days ago, we removed a willow. I finished the clean-up myself yesterday, as Ben had plans on his usual Friday off. I'd rather have someone else take some of the unskilled strain, and save my finite allowance of wear and tear for more technical work.
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