Will a lot of small domestic tree firms go bust?

[devon TWiG]

3 hours ago, doobin said:

I've noticed a large uptick in kit for sale. Things like secondhand loaders, which are normally pretty rare.

It could be because they have got  nice new shiny kit !!  been a busy time recently so spending / investing profits !!

[Ty Korrigan]

4 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I had only been out here 3 years and was just getting going before it all fell off a cliff very rapidly.

 

I owned my own gear outright so it was more a case of dealing with the boredom and feeling of being adrift.

 

It did cause me to change my focus away from working mostly for Brit expats and towards the French clientele, I worked harder on the lingo and started advertising in French publications.

This paid off over the years as I now have a good mix (eggs/baskets etc.)

 

The worst thing I did was buy a Land Rover tipper because I thought I’d rationalise by selling the 4wd and the transit and run just one vehicle that would do both.

It ended up being the quintessential Witch’s curse of a truck, costing me a fortune and my self confidence regarding big purchases. Sounds like an exaggeration but it really set me back.

 

Mirroring my own experience there.

   Stuart

[alex_m]

I started in this trade during the last recession in 2008 and I’ve just started up on my own with the next one looming. Obviously I make all the best decisions 🥴 

[doobin]

17 hours ago, devon TWiG said:

It could be because they have got  nice new shiny kit !!  been a busy time recently so spending / investing profits !!

Some people are claiming that's the case, but overall I'm not so sure. It's a noticeable uptick.

[Mark Bolam]

‘Only reason for sale is we are upgrading’….

 

🤔

[Retired Climber]

3 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

‘Only reason for sale is we are upgrading’….

 

🤔

That's always struck me as a bloody stupid thing to say anyway. 

[Steve Bullman]

14 hours ago, alex_m said:

I started in this trade during the last recession in 2008 and I’ve just started up on my own with the next one looming. Obviously I make all the best decisions 🥴 

Good luck Alex. You did a few days with me a while back didn’t you?

[Chipperclown]

On 22/10/2022 at 20:28, Mark Bolam said:

Clutchy makes some very valid points, and is almost certainly right on the way forward IF you want to grow.

 

That’s not what everyone wants though, is it?

I’ve been Ltd., VAT registered, big turnover, blah blah blah.

It’s not for me any more.

 

I’m a one man and two dog band and it suits me now.

I work with a bunch of like-minded Sole Traders.

I’m having Monday off to look after my kids, most of the following week to head up to Northumberland to spend time with Mam.

No hassles about finding work for a crew of employees.

 

I’m not chasing big money.

If you are, why are you in arb?

 

There is more to life, much more.

 

I agree some ‘companies’ (however you define it) will be in for hard times.

 

Being mega busy isn’t an excuse to buy loads of shit you don’t need and employ extra crews by my way of thinking.

Just refusing shit jobs, charging decent money (which I know you do btw Clutchy), and being honest about lead times is the way forward for me.

 

My work model definitely won’t work for everyone, different strokes for different folks and all that.

 

Some companies will go under, for sure, big and small.

Knee jerk price cutting will probably be the quickest way of doing it, rather than genuine lack of work.

 

Chalara may well be the silver bullet that means arb can weather the storm better than some trades.

 

Some arb ‘companies’ need kicking into touch anyway.

We’ve done about 6 trees this week that were ‘too big’ for other companies.

 

One of them was knocking on 55’!

 

Refusing shit jobs (when in a position to be able to do so is great! I don't like to refuse jobs but when I do I am happy.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Chipperclown

[alex_m]

14 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

Good luck Alex. You did a few days with me a while back didn’t you?

Cheers. And yes, back in 2009 when I’d finished college. Not sure where that time has gone! 

[Steve Bullman]

7 minutes ago, alex_m said:

Cheers. And yes, back in 2009 when I’d finished college. Not sure where that time has gone! 

Pretty sure it was on this job actually