Landed a nice job yesterday, doing a good job pays off!

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indiansprings

Firewood Purveyor
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
4,009
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1,121
Location
SW Missouri
I've been trying to focus more on commercial large wood customers more and more, still keeping the residential wood customers we've had, but really not taking any new ones as we're really pushing the limits of our capacity. I'm also at the point age wise and with both sons getting older, one going to college but still living at home I don't want to put more money in the business.
We've been doing a few tree removals, away from bldgs, where there is no chance of property damage as we're not insured for tree service type work. We recently did a removal of a huge oak prolly in the 38-40" dbh right on highway frontage, we did it like any other job, worked it up into firewood and the landowner just wanted all the limbs stacked so he could burn them, the guys did a great job of cleaning up and it really looked amazing comparing before and after.

Got a call this past week from a guy wanting 25 cord, he provides the wood, we just cut and split and stack on his property. He had seen the work we had done on the tree removal and stopped in and ask the owner who had done it and as a result give us a call. The best thing it's not two miles from the house. He's allowing us to push all the small limbs up with a tractor in a pile and burn them.
He didn't even try to negotiate us down on price. I love these jobs. We should be able to knock it out in three days with all four guys on the same site with both splitters.

I'm going to try to focus more on these bigger customers if we continue to stay in the business, it's just so much easier, and it's more profitable than running a cord here, and a cord there, I'll always keep our good customers that have been with us, but these bigger deals are so much easier. So far this year our biggest customer has committed for 110 cord, I know he's taking it on to Kansas City and reselling it, but as long as I'm making my money on it I could care less. Another individual committed for 55 cord to heat his two businesses, he uses the Hardy OWB's, love cutting for the OWB customers as most don't want small splits. Less labor and time in producing their product.

It just goes to show that doing a good job and taking pride in putting out a quality job pays off. We've been able to work out a deal with a local feed store to sell wood for us and it has been a struggle to keep them in stock. It's been a real struggle for me lately to fight the desire to buy a inertia splitter. I'd prolly have to hire another guy to keep up with the splitting.

I see these guys around locally, we're in a farm area with limited jobs, sit around and beech and complain about not being able to make it, if they would go invest in decent saw and were willing to work and saw a cord or two on the weekends and sell it, it would prolly help them over the hump, it's just hard to find people in this day and age that will work. I just have no sympathy for these type guys, if your willing to work you can make it, won't get rich by any means, but it will keep the bills paid.
 
Very true. You don't get rich selling wood but if you can buy it right, have minimal equipment, and cheap labor, there are a few bucks to be made.

Mostly though, you are just keeping busy with minimal profits. That said, any day you come above even is better then a day spent whining and going backwards.

Somewhere along the way you hit a gravy job too, like you did, and that takes the edge off a bit.

Keep up the good work!
 
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Its hard to find guys who take pride in their work, that shows some good ole American pride.:msp_thumbup:
 
Good for you man, that's how to do it, firewood or any job.

I've been thinking about getting setup for next year. My work truck should be ready then, boss gave me an army trailer. I'll be dropping a ton of big ones over the winter for eventual retrieval and splitting.

Ain't made up my mind on sticking with splitting by hand or trying to see if I can scrounge up a used hydraulic or a cheap electric one. have to see how it goes first with the getting the rounds up to where they can be worked and staged, and what sort of quantities. Not trying to do hundreds of cords, just "some", just some extra loot that I need to live on, my salary ain't cutting it no more with everything getting more expensive. I *might* just try to do bundles, prices I see around here are ridiculous if you ask me and I know I could beat them, even at my low tech level.
 
I think most of us here on AS that cut their own firewood or cut it to sell aren't afraid of work, regardless if you do 4 or 5 cords or a thousand, it's still hard work and I've got immediate respect for those that cut their own wood regardless of how big the quanity is. Seems to me at times it's good for the soul to just get out and cut and split a little by myself. Gives you time to put all life's challenges in perspective.
 
Indiansprings you make a good point on work ethics, along with a decent saw a guy really needs a decent reliable pick up to sell wood. Having owned a pick up since age 19, now age 54, i too take it for granted everyone owns one.
 
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