How busy are you at the moment

[Stere]

I don't get why more isn't used for fence posts as treated are so rubbish.

 

I'd get them if the local   places stocked any.

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, doobin said:

For fencing products it’s all hand cut. You can’t get acceptable quality with a harvester, despite what people unable to find cutters might tell you until they realise people don’t buy from them twice!
 

to be fair, a lot just goes for biomass now which is a shame. 

Yes the skill in cutting chestnut for fencing is having an eye to the final product and making the right length selections out of the tree.

 

I'd quite like to do it again without the pressure of making enough output and sales to earn a living.

[5thelement]

11 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Yes the skill in cutting chestnut for fencing is having an eye to the final product and making the right length selections out of the tree.

 

I'd quite like to do it again without the pressure of making enough output and sales to earn a living.

I found the best way to get a cutter to produce the best quality fencing material was to put them on the peeler for a couple of days. First day with good stuff that I had cut, second day, stuff they had produced with knuckles and double bends in, they don’t cut much crap after that.

I cut some chestnut in Kent just before I moved over here, best I had ever cut, gun barrel straight, 4 rail blanks per stem before branches, all went to biomass.

[Steve Bullman]

Influx of work coming in, obviously in a slightly different field. It can be a general indication that people are a bit quiet when they are wanting to improve their web presence.

[Clutchy]

If it wasn't for a new contract that we started last month we would of gone under I think. Or would of burnt through cash reserves for 3 months I should say. And with running costs of 24k a month, that would be such a waste of money.

 

We are doing well, but if that hadn't of landed at the right time, things would be very difficult. Domestic enquiries down by 80% compared to last year.  

 

Larger clients have deprioritised tree work, so having a job of constantly reminding them of their legal responsibilities. 

 

People need to take a hard look at their business now, before they put themselves into personal debt and decide if they should fold up now. Especially if you're only taking home 30-40k as a business owner, might aswell go and work for someone, finish at 5pm each day and leave the stress at work. 

 

New businesses set up during covid will be the first to go I suspect. 

[Mick Dempsey]

18 minutes ago, Clutchy said:

If it wasn't for a new contract that we started last month we would of gone under I think. Or would of burnt through cash reserves for 3 months I should say. And with running costs of 24k a month, that would be such a waste of money.

 

We are doing well, but if that hadn't of landed at the right time, things would be very difficult. Domestic enquiries down by 80% compared to last year.  

 

Larger clients have deprioritised tree work, so having a job of constantly reminding them of their legal responsibilities. 

 

People need to take a hard look at their business now, before they put themselves into personal debt and decide if they should fold up now. Especially if you're only taking home 30-40k as a business owner, might aswell go and work for someone, finish at 5pm each day and leave the stress at work. 

 

New businesses set up during covid will be the first to go I suspect. 

Do you not think down sizing yours might be a good solution in the short term?

iirc you run multiple gangs. 

 

[Clutchy]

1 minute ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Do you not think down sizing yours might be a good solution in the short term?

iirc you run multiple gangs. 

 

 

 

The problem I found with only running 1 gang, is it doesn't produce enough of a profit for me to be off the tools. 1.5/2 gangs oddly enough if less stressful as it means I can do the office work during office hours rather than working all day on the tools to return home to work for 3 hours. I'm religiously following a mentors advice of spending 80% of my time ON the business and 20% in/for the business. Since doing that, new clients and contracts are coming in. 

 

I just got too complacent 4 months ago, assuming the work would keep coming in and completely took my foot off the accelerator. So now I know, even when we are busy, I need to push like mad as the next quiet spell could be round the corner. 

 

My other problem is my own ego, I think if I were to scale down, it would totally shift my mindset into a depressive state and would spiral into bankruptcy/giving up. Couldn't imagine getting rid of someone because I couldn't keep the work coming, although I would if it saved the business.  

 

The last 3-4 months of the business has really been a mix of the highest highs and lowest lows, I really don't know how those of you with kids do it 

[Mick Dempsey]

Ok, thanks, interesting. 

[Ty Korrigan]

In the last 2 months, I've had 7 clients ask or get back to me to ask that I just get the trees down and leave them to clear up as they percieve an economy.

Some want it stacked for them to deal with (Bosch in the shed) so didn't believe me that it would cost more to stack where they wanted it than to chip given the proximity of the chipper and that I needed a clear site to work in for rigging.

Clients also wanting to help out to make an economy so I politely tell them I don't operate that way and can't base my price on the unknown and untrained, clueless of what is involved, wandering around the site as though they own it (which they do of course)

I'm sure they will find a local lone worker climber to smash it down but I'm not that guy especially after the loss of Ken Hogan last year.

Even one of my local authority clients asked if we could cut and drop, leaving the arisings for their own teams to clear. 25% acceptance rate over the last 20 quotes.

80% of clients keeping the wood chip for gardening use and in 2 months I've only removed wood from 3 jobs. 

 

 

[swinny]

5 hours ago, Clutchy said:

If it wasn't for a new contract that we started last month we would of gone under I think. Or would of burnt through cash reserves for 3 months I should say. And with running costs of 24k a month, that would be such a waste of money.

 

We are doing well, but if that hadn't of landed at the right time, things would be very difficult. Domestic enquiries down by 80% compared to last year.  

 

Larger clients have deprioritised tree work, so having a job of constantly reminding them of their legal responsibilities. 

 

People need to take a hard look at their business now, before they put themselves into personal debt and decide if they should fold up now. Especially if you're only taking home 30-40k as a business owner, might aswell go and work for someone, finish at 5pm each day and leave the stress at work. 

 

New businesses set up during covid will be the first to go I suspect. 

It's good of you to be forwards and honest with this info. 

 

The way I see it though is that's a hell of a wage bill..... and running costs. Can you not cut back somewhere with out compromise part of the business. 

 

If I stood back and looked at the figures though.... 24k running costs, you must technically be turning over a hell of a lot of brass and I would hope be earning a good lot of brass for yourself. 

 

If so I'd like to think your taking 60k a year easily

 

Because in all fairness the chap in your example at 40k will have a hell of a lot less wages and running costs. Most likely finish early and goes to the pub more 😀 

 

I know which model.of business I would prefer. 

 

Also to note a lot of tree folk seem only to look in one direction and that's just tree work, never think of other forms of income to compliment tree work brass. Eg, stocks and shares, property etc

 

Hope you can keep it going. I know around near me it's gone quiet, but not overly worried. Also that the council work, people are just going in to cover wages so I leave them to that