Tree surgeon starts from scratch

[John Hancock]

This was in our local paper today (15th. Dec. 08), thought you may be interested....

 

DESPITE the economic downturn hitting small businesses hard, a Blakedown tree surgeon has spent £25,000 on a wood chipper after building his business up from scratch.

Angus Sinclair, of Blakedown, set up his business, Sinclair Tree Care, three years ago after the steel company he owned folded.

The 56-year-old, who found himself unemployed for the first time in years, started off by mowing lawns and doing garden and tree work.

His business soon started to boom and Mr Sinclair now does work for the NHS and churches.

He said: “When my business folded I decided I had to do something. I started selling insurance which I wasn’t very good at so I thought I would start mowing peoples’ lawns.

“I was earning a living by doing garden work and tree work. I just decided I was going to stick at it through thick and thin.”

Mr Sinclair, of Birmingham Road, added he had borrowed “a lot” of money to get his business off the ground and had built it up to such an extent that he could afford to spend more than £20,000 on equipment.

“I have found that you can create work yourself but it does take a lot of time to build up,” he said.

“I have been absolutely snowed under with work but It’s getting tough at the moment with Christmas coming up. People are holding back on everything.

“It’s a battle really. I have been doing really good up until now. I suppose I should expect it because a recession is coming on.

“I have to be concerned about it because the phone calls have completely stopped but I know, come spring, it will pick up again.”

Edited December 15, 2008 by John Hancock

[raafbeard]

“I have to be concerned about it because the phone calls have completely stopped but I know, come spring, it will pick up again.”

 

You can only hope things do pick up, I wouldn't want all that shiny equipment sitting around for to long...

[Tom D]

Good luck to him. You have to speculate to accumulate. Not sure about a £20k chipper but I am thinking about a new van.

[Stephen Blair]

when the phone goes now it is a genuine note of interest from someone who wants to use me. This time 2 years ago i used to hide from the phone because it never stopped ringing and all my time was speant pricing jobs for folk that had called everyone in the yellow pages, then i would pass a week later and the place looked like a teridactal had made camp. I dont want to see anyone suffer from this downturn in the country but nature has its ways of thinning out the weak. If i am one of those then time will tell, has all my lifes work so far not been enough. there are 2 young whippersnappers just started in my town. they live at home, work for beer, and wake up every day at 6am with a spring in their step. Sound familiar. remember when you started up and took all the work off the local guy, felt good. remember your first business cards and first signwriter writing your name on the van. But i cant bad mouth the lads, they are keen ticketed and insured, dont fly tip and pay tax. adapt to the situation. dont work for the sake of it. give the back a break and fire up the brain cells. If we all stick together and dont undercut and be fair, pass on jobs, give your opposition a hand if he breaks down lend him a hand. I hope the gent with his 20,000 grand chipper knuckles down and joins arbtalk. i bet someone here could lend a hand.

[Mesterh]

Bloody hell he seems to be doing well after only being in the game for 3 years. Wonder how qualified he is

[stevie]

when the phone goes now it is a genuine note of interest from someone who wants to use me. This time 2 years ago i used to hide from the phone because it never stopped ringing and all my time was speant pricing jobs for folk that had called everyone in the yellow pages, then i would pass a week later and the place looked like a teridactal had made camp. I dont want to see anyone suffer from this downturn in the country but nature has its ways of thinning out the weak. If i am one of those then time will tell, has all my lifes work so far not been enough. there are 2 young whippersnappers just started in my town. they live at home, work for beer, and wake up every day at 6am with a spring in their step. Sound familiar. remember when you started up and took all the work off the local guy, felt good. remember your first business cards and first signwriter writing your name on the van. But i cant bad mouth the lads, they are keen ticketed and insured, dont fly tip and pay tax. adapt to the situation. dont work for the sake of it. give the back a break and fire up the brain cells. If we all stick together and dont undercut and be fair, pass on jobs, give your opposition a hand if he breaks down lend him a hand. I hope the gent with his 20,000 grand chipper knuckles down and joins arbtalk. i bet someone here could lend a hand.

 

Well said mate, when I was in business and I hit hard times the people that said you can count on us were not to be seen, I hope there is a few good people left out there that live by the old school rules and help each other out, even if it is your competion you never know when you may need them.