Here is a pic of our local pros and government

[teamtree]

Its easy to take potshots boys, blast away:angry2: after all being a small co owner is the easiest gig of all (been there done that).

yeah...much easier than showing up and doing what someone tells you to do. I tend to agree with you on everything but I take exception to this comment. I find it hard to believe securing jobs for a small crew and keeping them in a paycheck is easier than working for a municipality. I have too many friends and family members that will tell you different. I am not saying the work is not hard but not too many municipal guys go without work. Trying to feed 3 or 4 families is not easy.

I did not take any potshots but your comment about being a owner of a small tree care company is not easy...but maybe you were referring to the guys who show up in a pick up truck and take 3 days to remove a tree....then, yeah, I suppose it is pretty easy to work for beer money.

 

[reachtreeservi]

yeah...much easier than showing up and doing what someone tells you to do. I tend to agree with you on everything but I take exception to this comment. I find it hard to believe securing jobs for a small crew and keeping them in a paycheck is easier than working for a municipality. I have too many friends and family members that will tell you different. I am not saying the work is not hard but not too many municipal guys go without work. Trying to feed 3 or 4 families is not easy.

I agree. I think running a small tree service is one of the hardest jobs out there. Certainly harder than working on a municipal crew.
Alot of the work is the same or very similar, but trying to chart a course for your business and facing the consequences of those decisions
(wrong decision = you don't eat) is pretty difficult.

 

[BostonBull]

Whats harder..........owning/running a 2-3 man company, or RUNNING a municipality? Its hands down WORKING for a muni, but running a muni and keping those guys busy?
I would side with its harder being the tre warden for a city such as boston, or any other city/town than it is owning/running a small co.

 

[teamtree]

Well I probably am not as smart (tree knowledge) as OTG but I can handle the admin/muni side of his job. I have two college degrees and was the CFO of a $15 million plastics company. I hated working 80 hrs a week and being in an office so I quit and started doing something I loved when I was 32.

I am not saying anything bad about OTG or his job.

I am defending myself as a small tree service owner and it is not as easy as OTG makes it out to be. I am sure there are exceptions to the rule but I for one do not think it is the easiest gig.

I would say he has a pretty tough job in Boston but there may be different concerns from running a small business and head a municipal department. But as a municipal there are plenty forms of support and mandates as to how the job gets done. I am sure OTG does not have many worries about whether he has work for his crew tomorrow and whether he is going to cover all expenses.

 

[Mitchell]

not taking anything away from anyone

Whats harder..........owning/running a 2-3 man company, or RUNNING a municipality? Its hands down WORKING for a muni, but running a muni and keping those guys busy?
I would side with its harder being the tre warden for a city such as boston, or any other city/town than it is owning/running a small co.

In my experience, Being two years into my own tree service and having spent years with a municipality [not in tree care] I would say running a small business is way harder. I can see why maney small business owners give up and go work for some one else in their field.

Obviously, certain jobs in certain circumstances can be very difficult if one is trying to achieve demanding goals. IMHO; On average, any job that one punches a clock, gets benefits, decent pay, support staff, and most importantly, their not going to get sued when something goes wrong, is going to be a easier go then trying your hand at a start up. The trade off is more money, theoretically...

 

[pbtree]

Maybe they thought they were crepe myrtles.

ROFL!

 

[OTG BOSTON]

I believe there is no correct answer to which job is harder.


People have various aptitudes and attitudes.

.

You got it TreeCo. I was just trying to make that exact point. We're all treeguys. That alone should be enough of common ground, but for some reason the guys here look for things that are different about us and down each other.

My comment about small biz owners was made in jest.

 

[diltree]

I will not come out and say working for a municipality is harder then running a small business because its a loaded question. All municipalities are different as are small businesses, some of us clearly have it harder then others.However i run a medium sized company and I will be the first to come out and say that OTG has a stressful and complicated job. I have enjoyed the privilege of working with OTG as a contractor and have witnessed first hand the daily obstacles and challenges that you face in the big city. The city of Boston has over a half of million residents and over a million visitors and commuters each day. OTG has to deal with countless complaints and requests from, residents, politicians and bureaucrats concerning the tree's in the city. On top of that it is his job to manage these complaints, asses and address each issue or tree, manage the city's muni crews, and the multiple contractors that provide different tree services for the city. From my own experience I can say that manageing my crews in the city was an absolute nightmare at times, and I got a glimpse of what OTG has to deal with year round, he has a tough Job, and he does it well.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

Thanks Tim. what I meant to say in my original post is that running a MEDIUM sized tree company is the easiest job in the business.........:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[teamtree]

There is no doubt that OTG probably has one of the most stressful and complicated jobs of anyone in the industry. I rarely, if ever, cut on someone on this board but I thought his comment was unfair to many of us here who choose to run a small business.

He chose to take on the task of being in the spotlight as a tree warden. His worries may be more of defending the trees than whether is best climber is going to get paid this week becuase there is little or no work. I am sure he has similar issues to deal with. So it is a wash. I would not want to take calls all day long of people complaining. I rarely get those types of calls.

In addition, if my assumption is correct, he is working on public property (or basically his own property in a sense) and he calls the shots on what is to be done. Will he lose his house if the city gets sued (except for negligence)? I seriously doubt it. He may lose his job but he would be hired the next day by Boston Bull.

I admit there is more than one view to this situation.

 

[DonnyO]

Small companies are killing this industry........

 

[BostonBull]

Small companies are killing this industry........

 

[John464]

Small companies are killing this industry........

being in business is like being in war. Bring an army with you and shoot back.

 

[teamtree]

Small companies are killing this industry........

Please explain

 

[teamtree]

There are probably only a couple dozen companies in this industry that would be considered to be medium or large. Half of those companies are breeding grounds for poor work practices (safety, tree health).

It is not the size of the company that is killing the industry it is careless people who are ruining it. You can find them in any size company.

Please define small for us Donny. Is your last name Baker?

 

[teamtree]

Donny O are you one of the leaders at TCIA / ISA? With a comment like that, I wouldn't be suprised.

 

[BostonBull]

There are probably only a couple dozen companies in this industry that would be considered to be medium or large. Half of those companies are breeding grounds for poor work practices (safety, tree health).

It is not the size of the company that is killing the industry it is careless people who are ruining it. You can find them in any size company.

Please define small for us Donny. Is your last name Baker?

Couple dozen? Define medium and large!

 

[DonnyO]

Please explain

There are probably only a couple dozen companies in this industry that would be considered to be medium or large. Half of those companies are breeding grounds for poor work practices (safety, tree health).

It is not the size of the company that is killing the industry it is careless people who are ruining it. You can find them in any size company.

Please define small for us Donny. Is your last name Baker?

Donny O are you one of the leaders at TCIA / ISA? With a comment like that, I wouldn't be suprised.

o.k.


small=little in size, tiny, dimuntive, unimportant.

no, does Baker begin with an O?

no.

 

[Dadatwins]

Wild thread, OK on first topic the trees look bad but not the worst I have seen. On Bradford Pear I have done similiar, bit deeper in the middle to remove more included bark, they might look funny in the winter but they come back nicely in the spring and hold together in the wind. Would not recomend it as a standard practice for tree work. Just some folks like that type of tree and pay to get it pruned every few years.

As for Muni-tree vs private-tree company owner, I am both. Work for the city days and run my own show after work and weekends. Licensed, insured, all legal. City job pays health insurance and mortgage and private pays the schools, food, electric, ect.. Muni job is thank-less task, management has no idea about tree work and usually very little about management. As for killling yourself physically on a muni job, does the word semi-retired hold meaning? There are days when muni-workers earn their pay, storms, nightwork, etc, but it is not like production work. Muni-work is all about politics, take care of the complainers so the noise does not get upstairs. There lies a major difference between privates and muni. On a private job, citizen can be screened before doing the work and if necessary ignored. Pack up and drive away. Does not happen with muni-work. Does not matter how obnoxious the public gets, job still has to get done. Other difference with privates is the ability to walk away from hazard job and give it to some one else. Muni-job usually does not have the same option, there is no one else. Depends how you look at it but they both have ups & downs, no pun intended.

On to other sub topic about small business, this country was built on small business, the difference today is that many are not legal. Pricing work just to pay for gas, beer, smokes without overhead is what is killing this industry. As much as ISA and TCIA do to help educate the public about trees and safe work practices, they need to take some membership $$$$ and start focusing on the hack tree services that keep popping up killing the legit companies.

Rant over, nuff said

 

[(WLL)]

Small companies are killing this industry........

red rept ya for that crap :spam: :spam: :spam: