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nailer

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Everything posted by nailer

  1. Stevie, I admire your decision to make big changes in the way you work your business and it is clear you`re having a blast. I was cornered into making drastic changes myself about this time last year and it has worked out better than I thought possible. My point is, if anyone`s business isn`t working out like they imagined, don`t just trudge along, make the changes you know you need to make.
  2. Stevie, I wasn`t suggesting you didn`t know what profits were, I just wanted to be clear. Keeping profits to a minimum to pay less tax is one way to run a business but I get the impression from other posters that profit was important. This is not referring to you in any way, but for some people its a lifestyle thing. Therefore, profits are not top priority.
  3. Profit, after all costs have been paid and after vat has been paid, but before corporation and / or personal taxes.
  4. How you take profits out the business is another topic, but 50K minimum seems reasonable for the work involved. If a tree firm owner was only pitching for 30K would it not be easier just to work as a subbie climber without all the extra hassles?
  5. A one-crew tree firm can make 50K.
  6. Cheers Stu. 15K for the truck, body built exactly as I wanted, and resprayed. The chip box is bigger than what the truck can carry in weight but there`s loads of space to keep chips and logs separated. Includes tool boxes and ladder compartments. The height of it means no chips can ever fly over the top and the width is as narrow as the wheel arches so its great for backing onto just about every driveway.
  7. I think what they really want is for someone to remove their tree, roots and all, for free and then get given a wad of cash on top.
  8. Sorry for being unclear - `civil commotion` and `embedded artifacts in trees` etc were just a couple of things I noticed Gibbon has in his terms and conditions. For jobs, where if you didn`t get paid you`d be bankrupt, T&C are probably wise. But other than that, I don`t think they send out the right vibes of trust.
  9. Long contracts that talk about what happens in the event of civil unrest, and trees free of embedded artifacts is, personally, not for me. Unless I was genuinely prepared to pay lawyers to get involved in my business relationships I think contracts of that type are a waste of time.
  10. This probably ain`t no use to you but my terms and conditions are: I`ll do the very best job I can for you and then you pay what we agreed, promptly. I might confirm the price in writing occaisionally if they ask; other than that its all on trust.
  11. That Prentice loader looks sweet! Here`s my arb truck. I got it from Cromwell trucks and I love it.
  12. I use HSBC. Never have any problems. I know all banks have it now but telephone and internet banking make running a business a whole lot easier than in the past. I remember having to walk to a cash point to get a print out statement that only covered the last 4 transactions. Dave your overdraft policy is wise. As for employees being a drain on a business, it sounds a bit harsh, and I mean no disrespect to anyone I have employed in the past, but since I decided not to employ anyone, a sense of freedom and peace I forgot existed has returned.
  13. Stu, pricey no doubt, but well worth the money imo. That chipper is awesome and the back up service from vermeer uk is outstanding. The trade-in deal I got to replace my previous 1000 has made me a customer for life. I know this doesn`t help answer your question but I thought I`d mention it.
  14. tell me about it.
  15. Seriously. Forget about skips.
  16. Nothing wrong with hiring-in kit and labour, imo. I worked for a tree firm in Sydney years ago. The company would have been turning over at least £200,000 worth of Aussie dollars. The firm consisted of an ex-climber boss, a small pick-up and a mobile phone. No truck, no chipper and no saws. Subbie climbers, subcontractor firms that only chipped roadside brash and a handful of backpackers. Getting a steady stream of good paying customers is where the money will always be. I`m not sure about the skips though.
  17. Nice one. Better paying customers and less hiccups, like you say. Earning good money in one day is no good if you can`t do it consistently.
  18. arc, is that double profit? You`re right about avoiding hedges. A mix of domestic and commercial is good I think. It can be risky relying on a handful of large contracts. I find it less stressful knowing that if I lost my top 3 customers I probably wouldn`t even notice.
  19. Don`t you just love domestic tree work.
  20. This might sound a bit whacko, but instead of trying to get a small chipper in the back garden, why not drag the stuff out to the front where you could use a better chipper (from the money you save on not having it self-powered, on tracks or strapped to a quad, and still needing a trailer to get it to the job in the first place. Sorry, I`ve had a couple of pints.
  21. Ed, you might be right. If I`d known how much better this truck would be I would have got it ages ago. If the back wheels are not touching and it moves off in first gear does that mean its not overloaded?
  22. Stu, I`ve only had this truck a week and it pulls the chipper easily. Its an Iveco Eurocargo E17. My old truck was an E15 and it did struggle with a load and the chipper. You`re right about the price of the chipper. I was lucky to get that one at pre-pound/dollar exchange collapse. I recommend it though. It saves loads and loads of time.
  23. Cheers Peter. Yes, split-level toolboxes and ladder, cones and loppers box.
  24. £1 spent brought in £6.75 to date. Letters work better than postcards. Nothing works better than referrals.

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