My first private job

[Albedo]

i will do whatever i feel safe doing, ive harness, climbing saw, etc, im trying to start my own business so im skimping on the paper until i can afford it.... ireland is extremely expensive for courses and insurance, i will get there but for the moment im establishing myself trying to make a wage before i worry about the rest, the rest will be in place as it can be paid for

 

I will back you up 100% on this.

[hiluxstihl]

well ive no interestin having a row! im not 100% right in doing what i am doing but i think some people would like you to organise a business, do all the courses, get insurance, then think about getting business in and buying equipment..... im more practical than that, each to there own! thank you!

[Albedo]

well ive no interestin having a row! im not 100% right in doing what i am doing but i think some people would like you to organise a business, do all the courses, get insurance, then think about getting business in and buying equipment..... im more practical than that, each to there own! thank you!

 

:001_smile:I was going to start a thread on this but thought it was too dangerous to do in the open on the internet.

 

I guess I got a bit over excited that you said word for word what I have been thinking quite a bit of late.

 

It boils down to not having enough work to pay for everything that has to be paid for.

 

It came up the other day with regard to undercutting. In my view it doesn't follow that undercutting is taking place. Just a matter of affording and prioritising things.

 

I was expecting flack and jumped the gun a bit there.

[dervishcarving]

Good luck o the new job. scary starting out on your own but its worth it. As for the eucalyptus... nasty horrible slippery things I am in wales to carve one in a couple of weeks... they smell lovely but slippery as a lawyer

[Rich2484]

Learning from someone else while being supervised is obviously perfectly acceptable and probably encouraged more than taking a week course. Besides that though, when an individual states they want to take a tree down and they are not to hot on the tree work side it should naturally raise concern among all qualified Arborists who know the risks. Personally I feel asking a few simple and informative questions is more helpful to keeping the individual alive than telling them " Just don't die because the insurance won't pay out ".

 

I have felling tickets, if it means climbing then I'm not doing it and I will gladly tell the client so, or I would contract the climbing out to a climber. Or the boss, if he wants it.

 

There is a lot to consider on all this and I've thought long and hard about it for a while now.

 

It has been said about needing to get Certs before starting out, fine of mummy and daddy are nice and rich or you can get a loan to pay the few grand for tickets.....

 

I however can't, so I'm starting small and working up, so to speak. I have climbed trees before but purely in a rec basis. With a good climber teaching.

 

I will be mostly hedge cutting and removing to build up on, some people make good living from just doing the small stuff. I can plant hedges and erect fences, I can do landscaping, I can drive machines as I have cpcs and cscs.

 

I have been doing groundie work and garden work for must be on 7 years now and I feel it's time to progress. I'm ready for more, no I'm hungry for more.

[KingoftheRing]

Rich2484: I can totally understand where you are coming from and wish you the best. When I was working, the majority of the day in-day out, bread and butter work was small garden/street based stuff: trimming conifer hedges, removing small conifer hedges, grubbing out conifer hedges, removing small silver birches, cutting lawns etc etc etc. It really was basic stuff. It was certainly not rocket science. Many times, I felt like a gardener!! It was not a very common thing to do huge dismantling jobs. The big jobs can be done by the other arborists who have the relevant man-power and have the right kit (expensive kit). You are 100% right that people can and do make a living doing the everyday small to medium sized jobs. Good luck with it all buddy.

Edited June 16, 2012 by KingoftheRing

[likeitorlumpit]

i will do whatever i feel safe doing, ive harness, climbing saw, etc, im trying to start my own business so im skimping on the paper until i can afford it.... ireland is extremely expensive for courses and insurance, i will get there but for the moment im establishing myself trying to make a wage before i worry about the rest, the rest will be in place as it can be paid for

 

England is not much better I would have thought

What does basic chainsaw cost=crosscutting

Here it's around £400

[Hodge]

Rich2484: I can totally understand where you are coming from and wish you the best. When I was working, the majority of the day in-day out, bread and butter work was small garden/street based stuff: trimming conifer hedges, removing small conifer hedges, grubbing out conifer hedges, removing small silver birches, cutting lawns etc etc etc. It really was basic stuff. It was certainly not rocket science. Many times, I felt like a gardener!! It was not a very common thing to do huge dismantling jobs. The big jobs can be done by the other arborists who have the relevant man-power and have the right kit (expensive kit). You are 100% right that people can and do make a living doing the everyday small to medium sized jobs. Good luck with it all buddy.

 

I like small jobs, sometimes a few small jobs in the day pay more than 1 big job without the hassle:)

[KingoftheRing]

I believe there is room for all. Smaller businesses can do the small, medium jobs and the big businesses can do the big, expensive, technical stuff. Everyone's a winner. :thumbup1:

[GardenKit]

Rich2484. Well done for having a go at working for yourself. Get it right, and you will not look back.

 

You have been posting on here for some time now and most of us will have formed an idea about what you do, but I bet that none of us are sure.

 

One minute you are a tractor driver, then a groundie, then a grass cutter, then a mechanic and so on.

 

Please dont get me wrong, this is not a bad thing,not many people are so versatile, but in the same way that I dont know what it is you really do, then neither will prospective customers.

 

It may be better to try to specialise in one aspect so that you build up a name for that type of work. Maybe choose the best skills you have and the ones that pay the highest return.

 

For instance, mow 4 lawns a day at £25.00 each, or service 4 lawnmowers at £75.00 each.

 

Just a thought, not a critisism.