New Business

[TreemanAB]

Hi all, I'm looking for some information in regards to starting a new business and getting clients. I currently work as a foreman at a tree care company, have completed a certificate for arboriculture and urban forestry and I'm really just looking to start working for myself. Though I'm young and haven't started a business before and I'm not sure about a bunch of things, though I'm learning from my currently position with said company. I've got almost all the tools one would require to carry out most work - Ground saws, climbing saws, all climbing equipment, rigging equipment, lots of extras, knowledge, books and references for when I don't know things, hedge trimmers, blowers, etc. I'm currently trying to find side work closer to home and make a name for myself though, side jobs are few and far between. I'm also trying to operate out of a sedan at the moment so i don't really have mean of transporting an abundance of material.
I'm curious how many others have bee n in a similar situation and what they've done that's helped them surpassed this, road block, so to speak. I don't have means or purchasing a truck, for at least a couple/few months and then it will cost quite a bit to commute from where I'm living to where I work with a truck. It doesn't make sense to me to buy a truck until I've got some clients to work for to pay for that truck, that being said it's very difficult to do side work when you can't haul away material. Feels very much like a catch 22.
In any case, im curious to know what others have done and what type of things i may be over looking. Thanks for any response and advice, also apologies if somethings similar has been posted, though i haven't seen anything.

 

[old CB]

Without a truck, you are unable to do any work. No one wants their tree(s) or limbs cut and left in place. A truck and probably even a trailer to increase hauling capacity are essential for tree work. Just working without a chipper is tough enough.

If you're unable to buy a truck, perhaps you could rent one by the hour or day. If you are experienced enough to estimate the time you'll need it, you can factor its cost into your jobs. Home Depot (here in the states) rents trucks, and I expect others do also.

 

[MariHer75]

Added to what Old CB has said, you will also need a good business management tool to help with tasks that can be austomated, paperwork, estimation, invoicing, tree mapping, and so on. There are some good ones out there such as ArboStar, Jobber, Arbogold, etc. Our company uses ArboStar because of its has all the necessary modules for a tree care business and it is easy to use.

 

[TreeDoctorsoftheWorld]

Yes, you have most of what is needed to start. However, you need a heavy truck to tow trees once they are felt. Also, for you to grow the business, you will need advertisments. I mean lots of it. It could be by word of mouth, flyers, good work, paid adverts, infact anything to give your company a good reputation. Also, like every other tree care business, you need a business management platform. It justs makes managing your business so much easier. To me arbostar is the best because it is tailored for tree care companies and in your specific case, the have a great equipment management module to help manage your tools. To choose a business management software, you need to do lots of research, so it is up to you.

 

[pdqdl]

At that level of business "startup", he needs almost everything.

Having a collection of hand-held equipment is just a weak starting point. A real business also has employees, insurance, licenses, trucks, and a facility to house them all. You can grow into that position, but it will go rather slowly unless you are better than most at running a startup.

My suggestions?
1. Sell your services to other small tree companies. I presume you are a climber of sorts? That is generally what companies need the most. You can make better money working as a contract climber than as a regular hourly foreman, but you need to be at the top of the talent pool before you make big bucks. Also, you will be getting the ugliest jobs and work with some not-so-good ground crews.
2. Once you develop enough regular income, buy a decent heavy pickup to tote your tools in. Said truck can tow a dumping trailer when you get to that point. Add signage and business cards, then let it all grow from there.
3. For the jobs that you might do now, work out an arrangement with other tree services for roadside cleanup of your work. Other struggling tree companies can fill in here, particularly if they are willing to exchange value for your climbing skills. Get a price per grapple truckload disposed, or some other stable price that you can use to calculate your disposal costs for a bid. Then, do the work, get the materials to the roadside, and keep the disposal expense on a bigger company.

4. If you have no climbing skills, I suggest you keep working where you are until you know more about the business. A tree service with no customers, equipment, growth capitol, and no climber is just a fantasy.

 

[Parkerpusher]

I would agree that you need a truck and at least a good dump trailer first before even setting out. If you show up in a car, it’s obvious that you are just hunting side work and people want side work done at 1/4 of the going rate…or even less. You put yourself in a box right away that’s hard to get out of. Show up to bid a job looking good, with a clean newer truck and Know what you are talking about and gain their confidence. Couple jobs rolling and the truck payment will just be a cost of business to include in your bids. Get used to that, it’s going to be that way the rest of your life!

The above mention of contract climbing to support the truck purchase first is a good idea.

Social media is a great way to get business when you are ready. Next Door app is a good place to start small.

It’s hard work without a chipper and equipment, but it can be done, and some prefer it that way (simple).

 

[pdqdl]

I disagree with the conclusion that "car" = sidejob contractor. I drive a car, and I have no problem making sales, nor do my customers seem to expect anything but regular service. I don't recal that my transportation has ever come up in conversation, except for a rather large grounds maintenance contract that I wasn't eligible for due to my company trucks not being shiny enough.

One of the largest tree removal companies in our area is run by an old guy that rumbles around town in a 30 year old Buick. He likes it, and has several of them for spare parts. Quite a few other tree services call him for their removals, 'cause he doesn't trim and he's good at taking out the big trees and has the big equipment for it.

 

[j_d]

I am listening to a book called "your first year in the landscaping business" by Keith Kelfas. You really need to read or listen to it. I think it would be helpful and inspiring. He basically started with less than nothing.

 

[John Hackwood]

Hi all, I'm looking for some information in regards to starting a new business and getting clients. I currently work as a foreman at a tree care company, have completed a certificate for arboriculture.....

Hi TreemanAB, how's your business developing?

We ran a good-sized poll of successful tree service business owners late 2019 and asked them to rank around 15 start-up success factors that were critical to their thriving business. There is a detailed guide article but I've been chastised by admin here for putting links up in threads. So I'll just summarize the top 10 tree service start-up success factors ranked in reverse order of importance (feel free to DM me for a link to the fuller research article):

10. Start with No Debt

9. Create and Use Proper Bid sheets and Terms of Service/Payment

8. Plan your Business Carefully with a Written Business Plan

7. Bid for Profitable Work

6. Anticipate & Plan for Unexpected Events

5. Be Fully Insured

4. Look professional, Be Professional

3. Hire & Retain Great Crew

2. Get Proper Tree Climbing & Tree Cuttings Skills!

1. Build Your Reputation for Excellent Service

Bootstrapping a new business is hard but not impossible. Let us know how you're getting on.

 

[arborexperts]

Hi all, I'm looking for some information in regards to starting a new business and getting clients. I currently work as a foreman at a tree care company, have completed a certificate for arboriculture and urban forestry and I'm really just looking to start working for myself. Though I'm young and haven't started a business before and I'm not sure about a bunch of things, though I'm learning from my currently position with said company. I've got almost all the tools one would require to carry out most work - Ground saws, climbing saws, all climbing equipment, rigging equipment, lots of extras, knowledge, books and references for when I don't know things, hedge trimmers, blowers, etc. I'm currently trying to find side work closer to home and make a name for myself though, side jobs are few and far between. I'm also trying to operate out of a sedan at the moment so i don't really have mean of transporting an abundance of material.
I'm curious how many others have bee n in a similar situation and what they've done that's helped them surpassed this, road block, so to speak. I don't have means or purchasing a truck, for at least a couple/few months and then it will cost quite a bit to commute from where I'm living to where I work with a truck. It doesn't make sense to me to buy a truck until I've got some clients to work for to pay for that truck, that being said it's very difficult to do side work when you can't haul away material. Feels very much like a catch 22.
In any case, im curious to know what others have done and what type of things i may be over looking. Thanks for any response and advice, also apologies if somethings similar has been posted, though i haven't seen anything.

Hi, I have been in that situation. My Bucket truck broke down and I was broke for a while. what I did was that I went to my nearest U Haul and got a hitch for my Rav 4. got a small 4 by 5 or so, trailer, in which I could haul limbs that I chopped into a thin pile; and come back for the logs if I had to. this allowed me to start doing trim jobs; Since customers didn't really want to give me the job if they had to worry about the debris. When I had to do large removals, I would use the small trailer to transport my tree dolly and so I could haul the logs to an area where I would have a Grapple truck pick up the tree limbs. I would add about 400 for the grapple truck to the amount I wanted for the tree and the other expenses, like a helper, etc. I made friends with the Grapple truck guy and that worked for a while. Saved up about ten grand in a couple of months that way. Ten I used the money to repair a GMC 3500 Van I got from a customer for a tree job that took me one day...or 13 hours to be exact. I got the van in mint shape and good hitch, once again. I was then able to haul my 10,000 pound trailer; that was stored since my big truck was down. I am able to work faster the bigger I go and managing my resources correctly, I took my bucket truck to the shop to get repaired. So, if you have a tree dolly, and all your ropes and saws, a porto wrap and rigging gear for bigger limbs, and a good helper or two, along with a way to haul things around, you can do it. I also would go cut a couple of jobs and come back the next day to pick up with a U Haul. The main thing is that you work with the intention to improve. Work with what you have if needed, then move up as you reinvest in better tools. Look for equipment that needs a little TLC and that can be rescued. I have had my Van for awhile and I love it. You decide how big you can get by doing it right. As long as you are kind and profesional you will be alright. Best wishes.