Slow economy, Slow business?

[pistol pete]

I spent the weekend watching Bloomberg and heard several experts say that Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler may face bankruptcy or a possible government bale out. Worldwide, high oil prices are driving the cost of food and fuel into the stratosphere. Locally I see restaurants and recreational lakes with fewer and fewer patrons. Recent events have me wondering, is the tree industry feeling the squeeze or do you see a squeeze coming?

Last year I moved out of state to complete my degree and had to tell my customers that I was temporarily out of business. In June I moved back home and I am having a hard time deciding how this recession and possible depression will effect the service industries. Are there any companies who were in business during the 70's oil embargo, who can tell me how they were affected? I can not decide whether to wade into the shallow end and continue to pick my business back up part time or go ahead and dive deep.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

The 70's were tough

I saw some tough times in the 70's, although the economy and oil crisis were a major influence as a whole, I found it hard to get on my feet for some time, At times I found I had some major communication differcultys with suppliers of some of my most basic needs. I found that through inexperience and lack of skills I made myself some big messes that I had to have some major help to get out of.
It was frustrating times for all.
I learned alot and worked hard at adapting to so many new measures and found that as long as I understood my limits and tried not to cause to much trouble, things were going to be okay.
Time progressed and things got easier but there was alot more responsibilty and expectations placed on me. When the 70's were over I was stronger than before and ready to grow and go to school, as most five year olds are at that time.

 

[joesawer]

From what I have seen Oklahoma's economy is quit different from the rest of the country. In the late seventies and early eighties they where booming and the rest of the country was stalling. Since then as the rest of the seemed to really take off, OK seemed to get really stagnant and even poverty stricken for the most part.
From what I understand OK is on the front side of a boom again.

 

[Pete M]

@TimberMcPherson...I went through exactly the same during the seventies. One of the hardest parts during that time was my shortsightedness and the realisation that rose-tinted specs were no good. A severe lack of capital meant that I ended up with a pair of nice black framed National Health Service ones (instead of those fashionable metal frame jobbies) and all my peers in the education industry took the mick out of me. I found it really hard to get over those tough times, but I also came out a stronger person for it and have worn contact lenses ever since.

 

[Pete M]

But seriously Pistol Pete....I'm too young to have been doing business back in the seventies, but as for a recession now...I really don't know. We're busy as hell, but I think flexibility really helps. It's helpful to be competent at more than one thing, so when a customer if we know of anyone who can do something or other (like we've just done a load of garden stuff and then they want someone who can paint or who can build a wall or put up a load of fencing) well, we can.

 

[MuniciPAL]

have you inquired about dead trees and such in adjacent yards when your working? ask the homeowners if they want work done. its like women, you may strike out a few times, but you will end up with jobs at the end of the week.

 

[tree md]

The extent of my business in the 70's was mowing lawns around my neighborhood. Gas was still less than a buck and as I was only trying to make money to go to the movies and the arcade, I was doing pretty well .

Things are slowing down in OK right now. Still a lot of out of towner's here from the ice storm working dirt cheap. Most people with money have already had their trees taken care of after the ice storm we had. Still lots of work to be done but since gas and groceries have skyrocketed a lot of people are holding on to their money right now. We are still making it but we are by no means making the money we did last Summer. Gas is eating us alive on our dump and chipper. Work is trickling in now. Thank God we have some good relationships with some realtors and contractors as well as repeat customers. With gas the way it is, people just don't have the disposable income they did this time last year. Things are tough all over.

 

[treeman82]

I do a bunch of work in a gated, high end lakeside community. Based off of just that area... the weekend and summer homes are spending. The year rounders are not, they're cutting back.

 

[Scots Climber]

Agreed, I mow more lawns, lay more drives and erect more fences than trim trees now than I ever have before.

My "new" truck is a 1994 F250 >.<

 

[arbor pro]

You guys just don't have enough dutch elm disease or emerald ash borer in your area. Send me a pm with your address and I'll send some infested wood your way - business will be booming in no time!

Seriously, just be happy if you don't have any major infestations in your area because that means you still have trees to work on. The mature trees in my city are coming out a lot faster than new ones are going in. The city forestry department is trying to step up planting efforts on boulevards but, with the slowing economy, those budgets are strapped along with the budgets of private homeowners who have a hard enough time paying to get a tree removed let alone pay to get a new one installed in its place.

 

[pistol pete]

Doing what I can

Last week I had a customer ask if I did landscaping, I replied "no but what have you got". Well today we finished our first landscaping job. Yesterday I bid a job to put in a wooden wheelchair ramp. Right now things are going but I am weaving them together with non-tree related work. I hope things will get better, but short term I just can't see it happening.