Should I start a business????

[swyman]

Very creative name... That's catchy!!!

Best of luck!

Thanks for the added sarcasim! I was going to do Flying Squirrels and have a picture of a squirrel flying through the air with a chainsaw but decided to keep it simple.

 

[the Aerialist]

Good luck ~ and keep us posted ..

"J&S Tree Service" is the name. Have tons of work to do, business cards, advertising, looking for equipment....... Thanks to all for your valuable input even though I got a little pissed. Sitting in the shop now having a cold one in front of the fire wondering what the future will bring. This has really turned out to be a very entertaining thread! Keep going and I'll let you guys know how I'm doing from time to time!

Actually swyman it was the abuse being heaped on you that set my trigger point on hair pull and got me to jump all over Jeff's comment.

I see now that it is mostly great advice. The dangers of this work make discouragement the first and best advice one can get when starting out. You have to be determined and willing to learn to survive in this occupation, both in a business and personal sense.

The best thing you can do is start looking for is an expert climber. Watch and learn from him. That is what I did after a very scary start in this business. Now I'm looking for another one as my climbing days are numbered.

 

[the Aerialist]

Merry christmas all !!!

Well now.....isn't that special!

Good post AA.

I'm sitting in the Airport (PIT) waiting for a box of "eyeballs" to take across town so I thought I'd take the time to say happy Xmas. you must be working too this day. Gotta go my box just depose ...

 

[tree md]

Last time I was in Pittsburgh was Christmas of 2000. I was layed over for about 4 hours... Got a voucher to eat supper in the airport... Had one of the best fish sandwiches I ever ate and a few frosty Bud draughts...

Merry Christmas all!

 

[Cletis Oaks]

I am a millwright by trade and have cut and split firewood all my life. I have not however, done any tree climbing but am tossing around the idea of getting a climbing kit. I assume the one with spikes would be the one to get although I like the rope climbing gear and have done some but I don't think I could cut down a tree with that method. I have a coach from a guy that was in the business and he says I would get plenty of work as long as I'm in the YP. Also he told me to go around and give quotes to people that have dead trees to be removed or leave in mailbox if not home. I still am clueless on finding help?

Wo! Be carefull with that one the trees core is probabley knot their atall. If your using a boom truck ok, for your own saftey well? Gett a cordless drill and check for depth of live trunk with spikes @ ten foot intervals. If your new @ this kind of work people wil respect your care of aproaching the situation of a dead tree (odds are they have aproached a profesional service and have gotten a bid they did not care to pay for) if you think your hot #### do it. Your best odds Mr. is to go to city hall and gett a permit to gett rid of fellin trees on public propety youl have your heatn wood and youl develop a relationship with the powers that be in your local gov.

 

[sgreanbeans]

opcorn:

 

[swyman]

Well fellas I bit the bullet back in April, found a real nice 97 International forestry unit and a 02 Bandit 250 Xp. I was laid off from MDOT in mid april and started cutting through may and was running out of jobs and was picked up for a maintenance position at a local Chrysler engine plant. I like doing trees more than I ever thought I wood! (pun intended) I just have not had enough work to have as a sole means of income at this point. Now I have a worry free business since I have a check coming every friday. I work afternoons tues-sat so I get a full day in on monday and 4-5 hours everyday of the week. Advertising in the local papers have not paid off since 98% of my work has been from word of mouth and people stopping while I'm doing jobs. The bobcat and trailer thing is working so-so for hauling logs, I think a prentice loader is a must, I make to many trips through yards to get loaded. Also stump grinding has been a nightmare. I thought I could charge the extra and pay a local guy that it's all he does but has been a real burden for me. Customers keep calling me to ask when their stumps are going to get ground and the guy I have doing it just goes when he feels like it. So now I just hand out his card instead of trying to make it happen myself. I will either buy a grinder or prentice next and am leaning more on the prentice just for speed but need to pay the chipper off first. I also need to decide on a big saw. So far I am operating with only a 200T and a 460 with 20" & 32" bars and is a pain in the ass. Want a 48" bar but everyone says the 880 is a POS and that a 660 will run better and a local tree guy that I have become great friends with uses a 3120XP with a 48 and says it's a great saw. I searched on here for comparison and you get back to the chevy vs ford thing. I just want something to perform, use Stihl because I have a local dealer but I really don't care. I have been able to make money and really enjoy the adventure and challenge that each job poses. THe exercise is great and I really feel good after a 13hr day with no breaks. I have had steady work and bidding is comparative to everyone else in my area. My new friend has been at it 3 years and is 30 jobs in the hole and actually started sending people my way and all with no advetising. He just does local stuff but I would like to hit the bigger markets, mainly Toledo, OH since I am 10 miles away. Not sure best approach, advertise in paper there or yellowpages. The fellow I bought my truck from said he really took off when he started a AT&T yellowpage ad. Everyone else I talked to said don't waste your money. I have not started a paper ad there because I thought I would wait till I get caught up but so far I always have 2-8 jobs to do. Any extra advice would be great, I want to get more educated in the business and work towards becoming a certified arborist, none of my area competitors are plus if I going to do something I want to know everything I can. Just thought I would give an update and things could not be better. If there is anyone in the area, would like to share stories over a couple Miller Lites!