whadja do today?

[tree MDS]

I agree with you, Mike, and I run the same here. It’s just that if I’m there already completing the work, you bet I’m gonna go for a check (plus sales tax). Better yet if I can get it without having to do any paperwork. That’s a win win in the MDS book. All I’m saying. But I’m on the job to get the check. I can see how it would be a totally different situation with you if you were off swapping tongues with the cows or doing brake jobs lol. (Sorry, couldn’t resist)

 

[treevet]

They get a written quote/contract with insurance certs. from me with sales tax 7.8% all figured emailed to them. No bill need be issued, that becomes their bill. It says so on the statement. I will be glad to mark and sign it paid when I get the check as stated on the statement "Paid on Completion unless otherwise discussed".

If they don't bring up payment...I bring it up. I do flawless work as quoted....they pay when done or over the weekend by Monday. I have plenty of $ coming, plenty of work on the books...just don't want anyone thinking they can go on vacay with my money and pay me when they can on return (and tell their friends they did that). I don't want ANY gaps in my cash flow. If they start playing games life will get very uncomfortable for them. They are in the wrong. When they pay on completion we are the best friends in the world and life is good.

The job we are on now our client saw my employee working on a mansion next door last month. She said where's Dave. Bryan said he is running quotes. She said she "just could not take it if Dave quit. Just don't know what I would do". You just don't get that kind of devotion to a company that all they do is td's.

 

[treevet]

PS...the job we are on now is maybe around $40k...no bid. Every couple of days she asks can I leave you off a check. Yes that would be grrrreeeaaattt!!

 

[mike515]

It's just different for all of us. I have commercial guys who are under contract all year long. I bill about once a month for them....sometimes earlier. Sometimes I'm owed for 8 weeks or more so I'm paying to keep them working until we get paid. Been like that for a lot of years. I'm used to it. So then I have residential guys knocking out how many jobs a week that I'm usually not even there for half the time or more? For me, it's just easier to plan on invoicing people rather than figure out who paid this guy while I wasn't there or told this other guy I could swing by later for a check, etc. The software is my friend who keeps track of a lot of things for me. Not bragging but we don't usually have cash flow problems and we have a substantial credit line to back us up anytime I want to use it so I'm comfortable doing things the way I do. It's just my own way of running things. Some of you guys probably have better ways than I do.

But I'm going to pull a seized brake caliper tomorrow and probably take care of some cows.

 

[tree MDS]

PS...the job we are on now is maybe around $40k...no bid. Every couple of days she asks can I leave you off a check. Yes that would be grrrreeeaaattt!!

I hope I can do 40 thousand dollar trim jobs when I’m your age. That sounds like an awful lot of twig sawing and wiring. Good for you!!

 

[bck]

A lot of people do online bill paying and probably don’t even have a check book. They’ll pay the bill online through their bank but the check doesn’t come in until a week later. For me, the money always comes in though (knock on wood) sometime it’s just a pain to get paid

 

[bck]

What does suck is that everybody has cameras at their homes so you’re limited at collection methods

 

[treevet]

Who you work for is a big help in eliminating worries. Plus it helps a lot to be able to read people. I think some of these rich people have a class at Harvard in ripping off contractors...or at least annoying the schit out of them. They feel as long as they hold your money it collects interest for them. Well it is not their money collecting interest...it is your money collecting interest for them.

It doesn't hurt to have a rep as being a little crazy. The crazy artist. Gotta have him lol.

 

[tree MDS]

Another sapling takedown with the bucket today. Not bad for a Monday and not starting cutting till 10:30. A little warm out too.

 

[treevet]

took a day off the ash trees

 

[treevet]

I hope I can do 40 thousand dollar trim jobs when I’m your age. That sounds like an awful lot of twig sawing and wiring. Good for you!!

you will be amazed how quickly you will be my age. The older you get the faster it goes. You are probably about the same age difference to me as I am to Clint Eastwood. Don't let the old man in...

 

[treevet]

Coolest dude ever ^

 

[mikewhite85]

Took out the Christmas tree (dying white spruce) on our town's "Green" yesterday. They used to have a big tree lighting event every Christmas. Started with a massive Norway Spruce but there have been several replacements since it died, assumably from rhizospheria. Nothing has worked. In the fall we are going to plant something else in a different location on the green. We're not sure on species yet. Do you guys have any recommendations for something hardy? So far there have been white spruce, blue spruce, Norway spruce, and I think one other- all in the same spot. I like the way frazier fir and concolor look but apparently they're pretty temperamental.

 

[mike515]

Took out the Christmas tree (dying white spruce) on our town's "Green" yesterday. They used to have a big tree lighting event every Christmas. Started with a massive Norway Spruce but there have been several replacements since it died, assumably from rhizospheria. Nothing has worked. In the fall we are going to plant something else in a different location on the green. We're not sure on species yet. Do you guys have any recommendations for something hardy? So far there have been white spruce, blue spruce, Norway spruce, and I think one other- all in the same spot. I like the way frazier fir and concolor look but apparently they're pretty temperamental.

Please send your guys our sincerest condolences at such an emotional time.

But really....I hope you guys get that spot figured out. It would be pretty cool to get something in there that works.

 

[Oldmaple]

If they're dying at that age I'm guessing it's a soil issue. Too wet usually, especially with irrigation. Also with daily irrigation hitting the foliage it does give the advantage to the fungus. Needlecast shouldn't be a significant health issue in a tree that young without other issues.

 

[tree MDS]

So we we used pretty much every piece of equipment on that last job. Needed the tractor and winch to drag the logs from that Silver up to the loading zone, then the extra reach and maneuverability of the lift to get these three pita hemlocks, and finally the Giant to reach over the piece of crap fence to grab the logs and stuff into the chipper. Now I know why I put this one off since last winter, lol. Oh, and all on the worst hill you could imagine. Nice to have that one in the books.

 

[treevet]

Seeing some poison ivy in the second pict? Leaves of three..beware of thee.

 

[mike515]

I am starting to get a little tired of GTC around here. There are so many of those guys around here and most of them have almost no clue what they are doing. I'm surprised nobody has died yet. There was one guy who got "life flighted" after he somehow took a log to the face. I'm shocked. Now they are starting to come in from other areas and hanging door hangers to pick up work.

So I'm thinking about playing a little game. Maybe I will start bidding every single job that is even remotely easy for insanely cheap.....like....I know I am going to get every single one of those jobs because we will do a $1500 job for $400. Maybe we even lose money on some of them but we consume almost all of that oxygen in the local market for those kinds of jobs. If you want to compete with us, you will not get very many easy jobs. I will give you all of the harder jobs if you still think you want to underbid me. Let's see who can last longer in that kind of a scenario. You either end up with a bunch of tougher work (with not much experience) or you go away and I eventually get many of those tougher jobs later. I think I can last a long time playing this game because I have commercial guys who can prop this company up all by themselves with almost no residential profit....plus our tree sales and installation which nobody around here is doing and it's blowing up.

I'm just getting a little tired of playing nice with these guys who are mostly jokes. I'm not really threatened by them since we're the oldest company around but I feel like it's time we use what we have to our advantage and punch back.

Edit to say....I might not actually do that but I'm just kicking the idea around in my head.

 

[mikewhite85]

I am starting to get a little tired of GTC around here. There are so many of those guys around here and most of them have almost no clue what they are doing. I'm surprised nobody has died yet. There was one guy who got "life flighted" after he somehow took a log to the face. I'm shocked. Now they are starting to come in from other areas and hanging door hangers to pick up work.

So I'm thinking about playing a little game. Maybe I will start bidding every single job that is even remotely easy for insanely cheap.....like....I know I am going to get every single one of those jobs because we will do a $1500 job for $400. Maybe we even lose money on some of them but we consume almost all of that oxygen in the local market for those kinds of jobs. If you want to compete with us, you will not get very many easy jobs. I will give you all of the harder jobs if you still think you want to underbid me. Let's see who can last longer in that kind of a scenario. You either end up with a bunch of tougher work (with not much experience) or you go away and I eventually get many of those tougher jobs later. I think I can last a long time playing this game because I have commercial guys who can prop this company up all by themselves with almost no residential profit....plus our tree sales and installation which nobody around here is doing and it's blowing up.

I'm just getting a little tired of playing nice with these guys who are mostly jokes. I'm not really threatened by them since we're the oldest company around but I feel like it's time we use what we have to our advantage and punch back.

Edit to say....I might not actually do that but I'm just kicking the idea around in my head.

Oh, Mike. I feel ya.

Those guys are super frustrating but you wont be able to beat them at their own game. Just keep doing what you're doing while they run themselves out of business. Don't worry about them.

There's always a market where people are looking for quality over price.

 

[mikewhite85]

Going to look at this little beast tomorrow.

https://www.hackenbergequipment.com...s?dlr=1&dscompanyid=45454&settingscrmid=45454
I think 15,900 is a decent deal for a 48hp machine. Will put a root grapple on the front and farmi winch on back.

I sub a guy with a similarly set up John deere a couple says a week for 65 per hour but it would be nice to have something of my own besides the 25hp mini skid.