Work suddenly went quiet

[Gardenscape]

On 09/08/2022 at 11:51, treevolution said:

Has anyone found that things have picked up yet. 

 

Still not running a full week but have work to tie me over. 

 

 

Hi mate, glad to hear things are ticking over. When I last commented on this back in April it picked up a few weeks later, I've been petty busy over past few months but this week and last, the phone has been very quiet. Haven't really got much coming up apart from a few days here and there. I guess people are going away on their holidays or maybe holding back on their money for obvious reasons. To be honest I'm even considering looking for a part-time job in something completely different. I think diversifying my career a bit will be good for me.

[Ty Korrigan]

On 10/08/2022 at 20:46, Mick Dempsey said:

September is always a big month here for restarting the year, more so than the Xmas break.

The French are very seasonal in their habits, August means holidays, so non urgent work is not thought about.

 

The drop off in demand co-incided with my choice to not work July and August.

In fact I've only done a single days actual tree work since the end of June, an urgent job near Nantes for another outfit, traffic control permissions in place taking advantage of the quiet holiday period but I have been doing a few quotes in between carrying slates onto the roof and digging out 4 centuries of beaten earth floor.

Normally September itself is an intense period of quoting so I limit myself to a 4 day week leaving plenty of time for site visits during daylight.

After a day sweating like an indentured white colonial labouring on his mistresses manor, I've rushed home and whisked the family off to the coast, taking advantage of the quieter beaches.

This Summer has also been one to remember.

Not for particularly remarkable events but for all the little times I've had with family and renovation.

It has been wonderfull to step back from tree work after the intense period of Covid.

              Stuart

       

 

[Barney]

Pretty quiet now I've started answering my phone again 😄

 

Hopefully work will pick up in September!

[jfc]

I had a quiet spell may/june but since back from hols in july it's been really busy. We do a lot of hedges this time of year and tend to just get called back each year so it's good repeat business. Also had a lot of tree work come in, so got about 6wks work booked and it keeps coming. Lots of my work comes from recommendations I am lucky in not having to advertise really.

 

Hope it's getting better for other folks.

j.

[maybelateron]

Still got more coming in than we need, especially as we are now a three man team, not four. Used to have lots a repeat hedge work, as security for the wages etc. Now stopped virtually all hedge and shrub work, which suits my shoulders nicely - holding long shaft hedgecutters out over the top of a wide hedge is not my idea of fun any more.

[jfc]

Bump.

I had a really busy summer/autumn but it's quiet now, getting 1-2 enquiries a week, still got several weeks work booked in but my lead time is dropping significantly.

I've started making a list of possible jobs clients talked to me about as well as some stuff I didn't fancy at the time but needs must. I gave my mowing round away (to one of my team) a couple of years ago and contemplating asking for it back (as the he now works for SSE doing line clearance).

 

How's it going for other folks?

j.

[treevolution]

Had January booked before Xmas which was a good way to start the year but at present going week to week with just about enough work. 

 

Only getting a few calls a week but fortunately most turn into a job. 

 

I remember a time where I would be booked till Easter at this time of the year. 

 

It seems to get quieter each year. 

 

On a positive note been a beautiful day out in the sun. 

[doobin]

No staff currently, just a hand now and then. I'm preferring to earn £4-500 a day sitting on a mini digger, compact tractor or loader. I might burn £30 worth of diesel in the machine and another £20 in the truck. No stress. Cheap machines, no 13t with tilty here, a Multione is my most expensive thing.

 

Sometimes do the odd £1k quote that takes a day (often spread over two mornings and do something else in the afternoon) All local, no travelling more than ten miles for me. A diverse workload- 50% domestic and 50% farm/commercial/charity/nature reserve

 

I actually found myself enjoying setting and pointing some granite setts the other day- used to hate that kind of work, but when it combines in to a job you make £1k profit on for a day's labour plus a micro digger for 15 minutes (what's that, £1 worth of diesel?!) then it starts to appeal. Especially when the job is five minutes down the road. You can run a load of concrete back to the yard, pick up some materials and take ten for a nice brew and a hot pie. Rather than sending a lad back, wondering why it takes them an hour for such a simple task and being stressed.

 

What's the point in running round like a blue arsed fly keeping multiple jobs going and staff employed when they don't appreciate it and you make maybe £50-100 profit on their wages for the hassle? Especially when we are facing a major slowdown anyhow.

 

I'm starting to realise that being multi skilled (and I mean properly multi skilled) is a blessing if you work on your own and rely upon a wide customer base, but a curse if you try to employ. I've spend years wondering why employees are so thick. It's actually me being thick, and not realising that they are very unlikely to be as good as me on just one task, let alone a dozen skilled trades in their own right.

 

I'll never be short of work with my skillsets, and it's time I relaxed a bit and enjoyed life.

Edited February 8, 2023 by doobin

[rapalaman]

Got a few enquiries, nothing like as much as normal as would be booking for April usually. Got 8 full days confirmed and looking at a couple more quotes tomorrow. Grass cutting starting soon will add a day a month to begin with, then fortnightly soon enough. On a positive note I’m not stressed because I can’t keep up and getting a few jobs done at home 👍

[Mick Dempsey]

Stuttering, but a few jobs in lately. 
No real cause for concern atm.