worked slowed

[sharkfin12us]

From morris county new jersey.As soon as august hit phone just died down alot.I did maybe 7 or 8 estimates and now its august 12th.Last year i was busier just hope this is people on vaca or because labor day is coming or they are getting ready for back to school.Wondering how every one else is doing thanks Shark

 

[Brush Hog]

Yup, things have been slow for a couple of weeks. Both in tree work and landscape. Like you have bids out but no signed proposals.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Where is the business, now?

BAM! That was the sound of my business hitting the :censored: wall. After being up 30% for the half, we have not worked a gig in the past ten days. Zip! Nada! I was going to start a new post on this but since you already did---

I honestly think the economy is finally catching up to everyone, everywhere. Austin, Texas, was in the national news, a few months ago, as being one of the few cities that keeps rolling along, in spite of the US economic downturn. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that is not the story, now, apparently.

Dan and I are hitting the street with my new door hangers that let us leave a mini-bid form on jobs we think should be done in neighborhoods we are driving around. We're trying to hang ten a day, and we are doing some underbids because we want to work instead of sitting around on our :censored: . To date, the spiders have started spinning their webs on my phone.

I can go about another month, or so, before I will need to start rehearsing lines for my new job, "Welcome to WalMart. We're so glad you're here!"

This could get very bad.

 

[tomtrees58]

yep dead here on long island tom trees

 

[Xtra]

Same thing here in Ocean County, NJ.
We normally get a bump from the new Verizon phone books being shipped in August, but not this year.

And the only calls I've been getting are for dead, bark falling off oak removals.

 

[Toddppm]

It did slow down more than normal all at once about 3 weeks ago. I was actually happy for the break at first because July was slamming. 2-3 weeks into it though was getting a little worried..... picked up some work from regular customers and some others. Have a bunch of jobs that people are waiting until early fall.

 

[Blakesmaster]

I guess I feel better knowing it's going on everywhere. I thought paying out the wazoo for my first yellow page ad would make that phone really ring but I haven't received any calls from it yet. Still running my newspaper one and am getting a few here and there from it.

 

[Brush Hog]

I can go about another month, or so, before I will need to start rehearsing lines for my new job, "Welcome to WalMart. We're so glad you're here!"

I'm practicing mine " Paper or plastic". Calls for estimates are trickling in and three jobs waiting to hear back on. Until then catching up on projects around the house.

 

[Wortown Mick]

We had several microbursts & storms that gave the tree industry a real shot in the arm.. now weve got longhorned beetles so work hasnt been so bad here. We've had dual income harvard med grads telling us they were in the wrong buisness and should be doin tree work :monkey:

 

[Dadatwins]

Slowest here in the 10 years since I moved to this town. Everyone in a holding pattern. Thought the stimulus checks would give a burst but it never happened, guess everyone filled the oil tanks or paid the gas credit cards with it. Hate to say the storm word, but a small one might help.

 

[cjnspecial]

Everyone is cash strapped from gas prices, kids going back to school or both. I was going to help a friend cut a 30in ash tree that was leaning on the back side of his house. The day before we were going to take it down, he called and said a guy came by and offered to remove it (with a crane) for $800:jawdrop:

 

[Mikecutstrees]

Slow here too....

Fewer calls and less call backs after giving estimates. Hope it picks up some in the fall. I've been booked a month ahead all summer but now I'm dwindling to 2 weeks ahead. Hope it picks up a little..... Mike

 

[ropensaddle]

I guess I feel better knowing it's going on everywhere. I thought paying out the wazoo for my first yellow page ad would make that phone really ring but I haven't received any calls from it yet. Still running my newspaper one and am getting a few here and there from it.

You are in for a surprise on the calls you do get, price shopper inc.

 

[ropensaddle]

We had several microbursts & storms that gave the tree industry a real shot in the arm.. now weve got longhorned beetles so work hasnt been so bad here. We've had dual income harvard med grads telling us they were in the wrong buisness and should be doin tree work :monkey:

Thats because they don't look at expense!

 

[Treeinnovator]

i noticed that signtificantly more illegals at the my local gas station are walking home without jobs. landscape, treework, painting, irrigation, odd jobs. ....everthing is declining. 2 months ago you had to offer them a little extra to work for you. now there's an over abundance of them because people aren't hiring them. and these guys work in all small service businesses. the economy is starting to grind to a hault, not just in trees.

 

[Dillweed]

There's nothing more stressful then negative cashflows and debt.....and it's going to get much worse. I had to downsize from five guys to one, me. A lot of tree services will get weeded out, and I'll probably be one.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

There's nothing more stressful then negative cashflows and debt.....and it's going to get much worse. I had to downsize from five guys to one, me. A lot of tree services will get weeded out, and I'll probably be one.

Try to hang in there, man. I keep telling myself that it's always darkest before the dawn, and the next big rush of jobs is just around the corner. On a positive note, at least I'm not putting in any 6-8 hour days in 102 degrees.

Today I will pay my bills, go online and pay off any new charges on my credit card, lock that card away, and redo my budget. By tonight, I should have a good idea about how long I can hold out before I'll need to start working for others.

The bids I'm hanging on doors, over the past three days, are getting insanely low, yet my phone hasn't rung once. I bid $1500 for a dead Live Oak (oak wilt) removal that will take 3-4 days. The oak is massive. In the good days, this removal would have gone for $3-4 G's. Still, no call-back.

Money seems to be getting tight for just about everybody, now.

 

[mckeetree]

Try to hang in there, man. I keep telling myself that it's always darkest before the dawn, and the next big rush of jobs is just around the corner. On a positive note, at least I'm not putting in any 6-8 hour days in 102 degrees.

Today I will pay my bills, go online and pay off any new charges on my credit card, lock that card away, and redo my budget. By tonight, I should have a good idea about how long I can hold out before I'll need to start working for others.

The bids I'm hanging on doors, over the past three days, are getting insanely low, yet my phone hasn't rung once. I bid $1500 for a dead Live Oak (oak wilt) removal that will take 3-4 days. The oak is massive. In the good days, this removal would have gone for $3-4 G's. Still, no call-back.

Money seems to be getting tight for just about everybody, now.

Nobody wants to hear it but there are too many dogs after the same bone in this business. And giving out crazy cheap bids is not the answer. When things are going good everybody and his brother in law gets in the tree business. I have seen it over and again. Then when it tightens up the bad precedents start getting set. The neediness, the door knocking, the unsolicited bids, etc. It's a classic. Then when things do pick up a lot of the public has the attitude "Hey, these f#ckers are desperate and a dime a dozen." That's why I don't monkey around with my pricing. I leave it alone good times or bad.

 

[Pete M]

I do mainly landscaping, garden maintenance, planting, hedging and non-dangerous tree work. Been busy. Taken this week off to spend with the kids. Back to work on my own next week as workmate away and I'm in for a really hectic week. Thankfully we have heaps of regulars whose gardens keep on growing and growing. And a lot of them are retired, non-drivers, who have been well cared for financially and fully understand the value of days of hard labour.

 

[skyhightree1]

I am a small business owner/operator in Richmond, Va and have had a fulltime job while running my business I was going to buy new equiptment but I don't think its a good idea right now. I know im going to hell for this but id like to get a nice storm to take on some work. I don't want anyone hurt but just a few trees down here and there. I haven't touched a tree in about 2 months I mostly do excavation work and demo work here and there enough to pay the business bills. I have started taking money out of my business checking paying equiptment off. It isn't looking too good for business now and I would rather use all money i made to keep my :censored: so when and if economy and business gets better i have it and its already paid for. But it truly is getting sad of how we all have to underbid and struggle this is DEFINATELY not the AMERICAN DREAM they talk about... We need a change..... Fuel prices is pretty much :censored: everyone.