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overtimegc

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How many people have only a Stump Grinding business and no chipper and bucket etc. I’m curious if anyone has any advice how to compete against local tree businesses when I can only do drop only trees and grind the stumps?



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I have a couple companies that refer me and it is wonderful relationships.


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How many people have only a Stump Grinding business and no chipper and bucket etc. I’m curious if anyone has any advice how to compete against local tree businesses when I can only do drop only trees and grind the stumps?



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Hi overtimegc

I am new to the business. Started late last year. I have basically done what these guys advice, I am not yet super successful but am trying.

I do what they sudgested, I stop every time I see a team taking down a tree with no grinder on site to give them my card and offer them my services. Respectfully approach. Don’t be an idiot and get under their work area or in their way. Try to flag someone not busy and ask who is in charge. I usually mention I’ll provide them with a flat by the inch rate so they know ahead of time what they can up charge the customer and what I’ll be charging them(rate usually to be discussed later, I just make mention I’ll do that for them). I figure even if it’s cheap work it’s work and they’ll talk about how cheap it is. We can charge more later when we get too busy!

I also do the normal around the town stuff. Leave my cards on the board at grocery stores, pack and ship store, coffee shops, the local feed store, anywhere I see cards I ask if I can leave mine. I don’t leave home without 20 cards. Get yourself a metal card holder so they don’t get beat up in your wallet. Still keep three in your wallet so you never get caught without one, give out the middle one.

Know what’s got me the most buiisnes so far(and also the most BS phone calls)? A $5 craigslist add. You can offer digital estimates. I do. You can always say you need to come look if your not sure about size or height or access or they just took bad pictures twice already.

I made my own cards and signs and shirts on vista print. You can almost always get %50 off if you wait till a sale. I took some pictures of me with my grinder and cartoonized them with an app, did the rest on vista print.

Lemme see if I can attach a pic of my cards and a link to my current add for examples for you.

https://westernmass.craigslist.org/fgs/d/springfield-stump-grinding-service/6845815927.html

There’s my current add. And attached are the pictures I used. And what I came up with. I went through several apps and themes or settings on each app till I got the cartonized look I wanted.

Like I said I did it all with an app and vista print. App was only for the cartoonization. Only other thing I used was MS paint to overlay the name and number on the picture for my craigslist add. I could have made that look better, but it’s getting work. Did all that “photo editing” on the app and card/t-shift/yard sign/machine sign/auto sign building on vista print in probably two nights after the kids went to bed. Was like $300 and change for everything instead of 700 plus with half off. Lots of shirts, 4 yard signs, 2 magnets for machine, and 2 more for the auto, I think hundreds of buisiness cards. I probably got too much stuff, but I’m good to go now.

Feel feee to imitate or copy anything I have done that you like. If you really like my particular cartoonization I can probably find the app and setting I utilized. It did take me a while to find one I liked.

Like you, I am just a grinder. I don’t even take trees down, not that I wouldn’t for some old lady. I don’t have a good saw, or a big one. At least not yet. I’m building a hot rod 046 but it’s mostly aftermarket so I’m not even sure I’ll really trust it. I’m also not nor ever was a full time tree guy. This is a side gig for me and I don’t need anything falling on someone’s house or garage.

Any questions hit me up. I am new too, so my advice is worth what you paid for it! I run a S.C. 252. Small machine. Figure your on something similar. What you have?

Good luck
Bruce
 

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Thank you for the respectful response ammix man! It’s rare on this site.

I have been in business for 2 years now starting my third. I have a Vermeer SC372 and just Stump Grinding and doing drop only tree jobs. I have been in the residential and line clearance tree business for over 20 years now and decided to start small on side work. I would expand with a bucket and chipper but I really do not want the debt.
My first two years Grinding I didn’t advertise as much as I should. I have multiple friends that own tree businesses and they refer work to me but it just is not enough. I will keep trucking on but so far I’ve only made enough to start again the next year. I have business cards, website, etc so I’m good there.
I really like your Craigslist idea and will definitely put an ad on there. I tried Google AdWords but they nickel and dimed me to death with clicks from every country and state than mine.
I really appreciate the advice from everyone so far. Please keep it coming!


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overtimegc,

I do have to warn you about the craigslist add. I get some bunk phone calls, mostly offering answering services for my buisiness. Its probably 50/50 real potential customer or bunk call. It’s no bother as this is a side gig and I rarely answer the phone, I mostly call back when out of my full time in the mornings. The bunk voicemails are quickly ideniftied and deleted.

I may look into Facebook adds. My wife says one can target an area or audience or maybe more with facebook adds. I have no facebookery experience and never had a personal one until now and only now to be an admin on the page she made me. For now there is an Uncle Roots FB page my wife made, but just so that it is there with a phone number if some one searches for it, I do nothing withcthe fadebook ineraction wise as of yet. I have yet to make a website for the same reasons but I intend to do so, have one there, have a phone number, maybe provide some information.

The Facebook adds may be a good idea, my smart wife. She’s not great at the nitty gritty money making, but she’s full of good ideas. I’ll tell you what, I recently sold all the old car parts on Facebook that sat on craigslist for two years in two months with some free Facebook adds this past winter. Also her idea. The wife might be onto something with Facebook adds.

I’ll let you know if I take one out and how it does, or what options they have for target audiences. Do the same for me if you try it!

Do tbe day!

It’s 248am here and I’m not sure I’m going back to bed. Dreaming of a running 046. To the garage I think I go. Lol.

Best of luck again

Bruce
 
cool man! like ur attitude a lot. I used to sub my stumps till I got my SC60TX. I'd never sub to the OP if I knew he also does tree work for obvious reasons.
 
I had a very good stump grinding business for about 15 years. I did not carry a saw, and referred all my tree work to the tree pros. As a result, I got a lot of references from them. I retired two years ago when I had shoulder problems. I sold my stump grinding equipment to one of the tree companies that I worked with. Now, while I made a good part time income from stump grinding, I never felt like it could be a full time profession. There are just too many tree companies around here that have their own machines. In fact, my last year or two, work started to slow down for me, as many companies were buying their own machines for stump grinding. I am glad I sold out when I did, as I felt stump work around here was becoming kind of scarce, as more and more tree companies got their own machines. We probably do not have as many trees here in north Texas, but I just do not feel like you can make a full time job out of stump grinding. It was a very good part time job for me however. Good luck though with your business.
Jeff
 
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