Frustrated!!

[lxt]

Rf, exactly right!! It all depends on your area though!! just like equipment needs!!

In my area its kinda cutthroat, you can do good if you are good!!, my equipment & lift are paid for!! My lift.... I bought to obtain jobs I would normally had to of climbed & to be faster & more productive along with being cheaper!!

Cheaper....yes! some guys have these lifts & obtain jobs because no one else wants them or doesnt have the lift accessibility!!! where Im at I have to sell my self on less yard damage & lower price...why? because the idiots around my way will drive a 30,000lb bucket into some ones yard, tear it up & tell them thats par for the course!! & that bucket truck is a 1984 sold at auction, never been inspected jem of a machine!!

My Equipment is old, used, well maintained & looks fine!! Guess what? I do just as good as the guy with the new(er) toys! proffessional goes beyond nice equipment.....its heart & love for what you do! not the $$$ or the toys, people today can see right through BS & thats what will drive their decision!


LXT............

 

[capetrees]

I could tell you a number of stories about friends of mine that were in big businesses with all the equipment, pickups, excavators, bulldozers, bobcats, etc.. The works! Everything new, all shiny and lettered and the same guys have long been out of business. The idea that bright and shiny means expensive is true, true, true! By comparison, guys like me own old used equipment, maintain it and run competative businesses without the overhead. Reputation and workmanship gets the jobs, not shiny equipment and fancy outfits. Fancy often scares the homeowners who know a good portion of the bill will go to the overhead for the fancy rides. My price reflects what I personally need for a wage and maintainance, not loans, wage and maintainance.

 

[mckeetree]

Rf, exactly right!! It all depends on your area though!! just like equipment needs!!

In my area its kinda cutthroat, you can do good if you are good!!, my equipment & lift are paid for!! My lift.... I bought to obtain jobs I would normally had to of climbed & to be faster & more productive along with being cheaper!!

Cheaper....yes! some guys have these lifts & obtain jobs because no one else wants them or doesnt have the lift accessibility!!! where Im at I have to sell my self on less yard damage & lower price...why? because the idiots around my way will drive a 30,000lb bucket into some ones yard, tear it up & tell them thats par for the course!! & that bucket truck is a 1984 sold at auction, never been inspected jem of a machine!!

My Equipment is old, used, well maintained & looks fine!! Guess what? I do just as good as the guy with the new(er) toys! proffessional goes beyond nice equipment.....its heart & love for what you do! not the $$$ or the toys, people today can see right through BS & thats what will drive their decision!


LXT............

Yeah people can see right through BS. And other business people can see right through BS too.

 

[custom8726]

Underbidding stands out to me. Its a tuff balance to be competitive and still do quality work at times. I choose to bid what we need to make on the job VS what everyone else is bidding. Eventually if you do infact, do quality work your reputation will speak for itself. I would never go door to door EVER!! It makes you look desperate and the only work you will end up with is the cheapest of cheap customers that no other reputable company wants anyways. Also if you paid $300.00 for your chipper that means you need a full time job doing something else.. Meaning you can not run a full time tree service with a $300.00 chipper... Get a winter job, keep cutting on the side, and build up your Bank roll, clientel, reputation, and the rest will fall in place. Good luck!!

 

[lxt]

Yeah people can see right through BS. And other business people can see right through BS too.

Not really sure what this means????


LXT........

 

[Garfield]

Optimism

It means that Mckeetree is an optimist with a rosy outlook on .....well just about everything.

 

[Blakesmaster]

It means that Mckeetree is an optimist with a rosy outlook on .....well just about everything.

Truer words have ne'r been spoken.

 

[mckeetree]

Truer words have ne'r been spoken.

It could mean that.

 

[conlan]

re: frustrated

I found your story interesting. Here is what I did. I was 34 years old and got out of an industry I was in for 10 years (I was in university until I was 24). I got into the tree business with only a car and a trailer. I put evey available dollar I had into advertizing. I thought "how am I ever going to get any work if nobody knows who I am"? I started off with an advertizing budget of $200 for the first month. After each job I took whatever money I had and advertized more. I kept POURING money into advertizing. As I continued to get more business I would by more equipment and get bigger ads. I first advertized in the local neighbourhood paper and then the Yellow Pages. Now I am only in the Yellow Pages. I curently spend $1,250 per month on advertizing. I am always super busy now (10 years later). If you advertise a lot and do really good work at a resonable price then you will eventually succeed. Don't work too cheap because that is what people will expect when they hire you. Tell them that you are dependable and do good work. People will start to recommend you to their friends. Good luck. Don't do flyers, the're a waste of time.

 

[teamtree]

I like to buy new equipment but I have bought used.

It is not a question of new vs. used it is a simple question of productivity for me. I had a bandit 90 a few years back and I bought a vermeer bc1400xl. I tried one out and from the type of work I was doing I could be more productive with the bigger chipper.

I could get more done each day. Yes, I had to work more to get a little more income to make the bigger payment but on each job I was in and out quicker, especially removals and if I priced them correctly that meant I made more profit for the day.

But I know many guys who make better money than me with no more than a pick up. They are almost guaranteed to make money if they go out and work. Having a crew and a bunch of equipment does not necessarily guarantee anything. I do not want to load limbs on the back of a truck ever again, I like my chipper. I will buy a new one in a couple years. I have had my vermeer for 5 years and it is in good shape.

 

[treesurgeon]

only the strong survive.
hang in there because its not going to get any better any time soon. this coming year is going to be the worst we have had in a while. word of mouth brings in the best work sometimes. so start there and if your doing good work, they will let everyone know.

 

[custom8726]

only the strong survive.
hang in there because its not going to get any better any time soon. this coming year is going to be the worst we have had in a while. word of mouth brings in the best work sometimes. so start there and if your doing good work, they will let everyone know.

Why do you think that??

 

[tree MDS]

only the strong survive.
hang in there because its not going to get any better any time soon. this coming year is going to be the worst we have had in a while. word of mouth brings in the best work sometimes. so start there and if your doing good work, they will let everyone know.

I think I will do fine. I've been at this for awhile now and do good work.

With the economy the way it is though I dont think I'll be buying any more toys for awhile though. I guess bigger chipper this year and the bucket last year will have to do for awhile

I'm just going to fix and maintain what I've got throughout the coming year.

I wouldnt want to be a startup biz now though.

 

[southsoundtree]

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Try to get a job with another company, treework or not. This will mean that you don't have to bid every job to get it, meaning a better margin. Your confidence or lack of confidence in your business comes through in the bid.

Cold calling sucks, but it can work out sometimes. You will most always only get the calls back that are for cheap work. Work it. Use that job to do a great job, and make sure to go to all the neighbors. Schedule for a Saturday.

Go to the neighbors.Present them with a business card, explain them briefly that you are a professional that did x, y, and z for their neighbor, and should they ever need something, please call for a free estimate.
"Hello, I own X tree service. We did some work for your neighbor down the street at 7221 Main St., the red house, second from the corner. I just wanted to introduce myself, and let you know that we offer free estimates on work, and provide the services listed on the back of our card.
For your neighbor Bill, we performed some proper pruning to give them clearance for their driveway and house. We removed a hazardous tree, and ground the stump.
If you should ever have any broken limbs or deadwood that need to be removed for your tree's health, need something removed, or just have concerns about the health of your trees, please call us for a quote.
We are licensed and insured professionals with x years of experience. Thanks for your time."

You'd probably be better off with a rental chipper than sinking a bunch of money into that old thing. Scrap it the next time it breaks down. Its like I told a friend of mine that was going to get a free car. "Any free car, even from a friend, is going to cost you a lot of money." A trailer and dump runs might be cheaper. Maybe cut whatever can be firewood off of the branches, toss it aside, then load it last. Cut it up at your leisure, or give it away/ sell it cheap for people that will cut it themselves.

You may not need a fancy uniform, but for about $40, you can get a Hi-viz safety stripe t-shirt and some ####ies work pants. Your work wear can be your bid wear.

Its a hard start. It takes time for Word Of Mouth to work.

Post flyers as many places as possible, such as gas stations, little neighborhood markets, supermarkets. Craigslist is free.

I've had good repeat, though not big money makers, with a seniors' mobile home park. They have friends and people at church. New people move into a spot and want something done. The park owners will need some prep work done when they take out a old mobile home to replace with a new one. Sometimes there is a newsletter for the park. The owner/mgr can say something about your services. Don't only do the tree work. They need their bushes trimmed, this, that, the other. It gets you name out there. Could be a place to get rid of small firewood that you would otherwise have to dump. I can dump chips in a maintenance area for all the residents that want it as garden bed mulch. Not fantastic, but something.

Vistaprint.com has 250 free business cards, plus shipping and handling (they like to upsell you), as well as lots of other free things like a magnetic sign for your truck, a yard sign, etc.

I made bid sheets on my computer, then take them to Office Depot and get non-carbon triplicates made for about $0.30 each in small batches.

Good luck. The beginning is always the hardest part, I think.

 

[southsoundtree]

Shameless self-promotion. Hand out business cards like crazy. I live in an area that is outside of town with its own housing development, my local market that is farther from a lot of the other services. When I see people at the gas pump when I'm filling my work truck (an there's nothing to say that you can't fill it a little at a time, every evening, as rush hour, I say, "Hi, storm season is here. Should you have a need in the future, I live on Steamboat Peninsula, just down the road. Feel free to call for a free estimate. I'm a Certified Arborist. We are licensed and insured, and can take care of most all of your tree care and removal needs. Thanks."


Be sure that when the customer is telling you that you did such a great job, tell them how much their referrals to friends and family and co-workers means to a small businessman. You will do an equally excellent job for their people at a price that is fair to them and you, both. Word of mouth is one of the best things for your business. Thanks a lot for the opportunity to work for you. We'll be glad to come out anytime, even just if they have questions.

 

[tree MDS]

Some very good advice from SS above... however the unfortunate reality is that you may have to work cheap in the beginning just to get your name out there - sucks but its true. I did it. I didnt want to but I was young and I needed to survive somehow.

Now I've got a pretty decent sized overhead so I sit around here and complain about all the underbidder start ups sometimes - its just the way, lol.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

Shameless self-promotion. Hand out business cards like crazy. I live in an area that is outside of town with its own housing development, my local market that is farther from a lot of the other services. When I see people at the gas pump when I'm filling my work truck (an there's nothing to say that you can't fill it a little at a time, every evening, as rush hour, I say, "Hi, storm season is here. Should you have a need in the future, I live on Steamboat Peninsula, just down the road. Feel free to call for a free estimate. I'm a Certified Arborist. We are licensed and insured, and can take care of most all of your tree care and removal needs. Thanks."


Be sure that when the customer is telling you that you did such a great job, tell them how much their referrals to friends and family and co-workers means to a small businessman. You will do an equally excellent job for their people at a price that is fair to them and you, both. Word of mouth is one of the best things for your business. Thanks a lot for the opportunity to work for you. We'll be glad to come out anytime, even just if they have questions.

:agree2:
Excellent post. I can't count the number of times Iv'e been asked for a business card at a gas station.

 

[treesurgeon]

Why do you think that??

i had a few people come on my job site asking for work because they were laid off. a couple of them said work was slow. and another said his boss has not been this slow in over thirty years. first i thought they were on drugs and got fired but i guess the economy will affect the larger companies first.
this was during the summer, when its crazy busy. i did not know any thing different until november when people were cancelling jobs and it slowed down alot. which it usually slows down in the fall.
i will be more conservative and watch what i buy.

 

[treesurgeon]

I think I will do fine. I've been at this for awhile now and do good work.

With the economy the way it is though I dont think I'll be buying any more toys for awhile though. I guess bigger chipper this year and the bucket last year will have to do for awhile

I'm just going to fix and maintain what I've got throughout the coming year.

I wouldnt want to be a startup biz now though.

its good to have a plan in place and goals also.

 

[custom8726]

i had a few people come on my job site asking for work because they were laid off. a couple of them said work was slow. and another said his boss has not been this slow in over thirty years. first i thought they were on drugs and got fired but i guess the economy will affect the larger companies first.
this was during the summer, when its crazy busy. i did not know any thing different until november when people were cancelling jobs and it slowed down alot. which it usually slows down in the fall.
i will be more conservative and watch what i buy.

Yeah, the economy is sh!t right now but there is still work to be had. Just got to look a little harder and be as diverse as possible.