Your niche?

tophopper

tophopper

The resident asshole
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
1,247
Location
Minneapolis
What do you consider your niche or specialty?

Where I currently work, Im known one of the removal guys. I get all the uglies no-one else will do or cannot do, because Im good at them and get them done safely. The other day my general foreman made a comment that he thinks I like the hazardous takedowns and sketchy ( half dead or dead) removals.
After some thought, I realized he was right. I do like the sketchy trees that scare the shit outta most people. Im not sure why, but I think they create a set of problem solving challenges most people just assume avoid. Its good in the sense that my crew knows, me as a foreman will not ask anything of anyone I would not do myself. And when something really ugly comes along, I will do the climbing, instead of delegating it out to someone on my crew. I do have an up and com'er on my crew but he has a way to go yet. I have to say, sometimes when I look at him, I see myself almost 2 decades ago. Somedays he frustrates the hell out of me, but many days he really impresses me. I'm sure someday soon he'll be where Im at and I will become expendable.
Anyway, whats your niche?
I know some guys are great pruners, some are great removal men, some are great operators, some are great groundies, and some are great sales / businessmen.

What do you excel at? What do you do that leaves others in your dust? Don't be modest!
 
I've created a bit of a niche for myself in my area. Most think of me as the go-to removal guy but a couple also appreciate my pruning skills. 90% of the pruning in this town is shit, they simply cut all the green off the bottom half of the tree. The more you cut off, the better job you did. I despise that part of my industry. I really enjoy it when I get to do some nice pruning work on trees that haven't been hacked up already.
 
Our niche here is pruning, specifically very fine pruning, selective pruning, and shaping. Some places we've gone so far as to take hand pruners up the tree with us to cut stuff. Crazy I know, but its what we're getting payed for and we're the only ones around that do that sort of thing. Dad's big thing though is fine pruning small trees, stuff he can do with hand pruners, hand saws, pole clips, that kinda thing. He loves shaping trees like that. He used to be a photographer, so thats where he kinda brings that skill into tree work, kinda an artistic perspective that not many other people can match, certainly not anyone around here.
 
I think if I were to pinpoint our niche, it would be work with little or no crane or bucket access. If you can't get equipment in to it, you call us. One of the local guys even calls us for rigging jobs if he is up against his limits. Low or no impact jobs. People really value that we value the heritage mazanitas and other flora that need not be squished. Or those trees planted by loved ones in memory of...
People have really come to like our pruning style (less is more) and I seem to have a place in that category. I still am not an expert in pruning by a long shot. I do take a lot of pride in everything we do and I think it shows and translates to the customer.
I do ok with the business end. I am good with the sales, I believe it is a result in believing in ourselves and that aforementioned pride in what we do that sells the customer. That and a hard earned reputation.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7
Adrian.

I wish when I was your your age, I was at where you are at.
 
Thanks top. I've learned a lot about pruning from Dad. Out of all aspects of tree care, I think I've learned the most from him about pruning.
 
This is a great thread, because it allows me to talk about my favorite subject, ME!! Toby Keith would be proud.

I guess I would have to say my specialty is pruning, I find myself able to zen out and have the patience for the fine pruning that most others do not. There is nothing I find more satisfying in tree work than walking away from a big old tree for which I've have done my best to blend both the art and science of proper tree care for its preservation. Knowing that, for the most part, these trees will stand for years after I've shuffled off, is humbling and drives me to honour the big ol trees with my best. Not that I don't focus as intently on lil' jap maples or smaller trees, but...well, you know.

But, I's a badass wrecker too, yo. I'm with you Top, unless the tree is within the LOA of HV wires, there ain't nuthin I've walked from, and certainly wouldn't delegate the nasties to others unless I felt that it was well within their skill set. (If its too close to the HV, I'm not legally allowed to work on 'em unless I get certified, so I don't mess with it)
 
Interesting thread topic. A lot of other tree services here send me their difficult, backyard, climbing trees because they either cannot do them or don't want to. While I think I am pretty good at difficult removals, I am feeling less and less interested in them. I don't think they pay as well as some of the easier, less stressful work. Still my ego usually gets the better of me and I end up doing a lot of that stuff. I am a really good climber for Boise, Idaho. Compared to a bigger market, I am just OK. I think my real strength is working with customers.
 
no one here can touch my pruning.....it feels good to say that....

i do a lot of places where extreme attention to detail is critical
my clean up is impeccable
we used to be the big removals for cheap guys, but the other guys are doing it too cheap now

i have a sense about trees that others dont, i talk differently about plants and their kingdom
most people talk about them like they mean nothing,
i see 10 yrs down the road, the others cant see past this work now
 
Mainly the same as Tophopper. If it was big, ugly or dangerous, I ended up doing it. Trees my competitors had turned down, or got into difficulties with.

However, more than anything, its the engineering of the industry thats always been my niche - I've ended up designing and building chippers and grinders, buying bigger and bigger land clearing, forestry and cable logging machines.

Now I'm designing and project managing a biomass fuelled power station. Running on woodchips, it will drive a steam turbine generator with over 4000 shaft horsepower.
 
Hmm, that gives me an idea. How about a 4000hp woodchip powered steam turbine woodchipper? Self powering!
 
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