Hi and help!

[percy verance]

Hi all. Been a serial arb stalker for a while now but thought I'd take the trouble to sign in and say hello and get some advice from you.

 

I've been running my own arb business for about four years now, transit and chipper jobby. I've built up a good reputation and the work is coming in, steadily at the moment but in the summer it can be really quite busy.

 

I've recently had the opportunity to become a subby doing powerline clearance. The pay is good and there is at least 4yrs work there, but I'd have to put myself and my employee through our ua tickets first.

 

Now what does this kind of work involve? Will I still need my chipper to do it? Am I mad to throw away 4 years worth of building my business up and getting a good reputation in the domestic world?

 

It would be nice to not have to go quoting on my 'days off',not worry if the work will dry up, not worry if the customer will actually stump up with the cash and not have to work in a garden full of dog turds!

 

Any advice/knowledge in this area would be much appreciated.

 

Cheers for now!

[stihlmadasever]

Is there scope to take on UA trained staff to fulfill the contractual obligation mean while keep your present staff too do the domestic work..?

[openspaceman]

 

I've recently had the opportunity to become a subby doing powerline clearance. The pay is good and there is at least 4yrs work there, but I'd have to put myself and my employee through our ua tickets first.

 

 

My experience has been that the promise of 4 years work can dry up to give no further work for more than a year with no notice

[Richard 1234]

The old saying "never put all your eggs in one basket " rings true on this one IMO

[Starscream]

From what I can gather you are saying you have been offered 4 years work 5 days a week. You have built your business up to a point where you have a good reputation, good word of mouth business and a solid summer... And you wanna throw that away on the promise of 4 years work? What happens in 2020? Your business will be defunkt in 4 years... So, you just gonna start again? Nah. You continue to build on your business for another 4 years and with the right direction you could be smashing it. It's a no brainer to be honest mate. Get your tickets by all means, but bin all your hard work building up a reputation, only to still get phone calls and have to tell them that you can't come and quote their job? Your business will never recover

[treemonkey4]

After working hard to build up your business I think it would be daft to give it all up to go power line clearance.

With power line clearance people don't really want you to cut their trees a little thankless, the occasional land owner pulling a fast one wanting compensation for anything they can claim for.

I done years on the power lines and started my own company about four years ago, I would never go back now.

You have to keep land owner happy also the company you will sub for and electricity company, this can be hard work in itself.

The grass isn't always greener!!

[percy verance]

Cheers guys, think I'll stick with what I'm good at (well not terrible at anyway!)

[Steve Bullman]

Some good advice above, I think you've made the right choice