nailer
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Everything posted by nailer
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Profit, after all costs have been paid and after vat has been paid, but before corporation and / or personal taxes.
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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?
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A one-crew tree firm can make 50K.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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That Prentice loader looks sweet! Here`s my arb truck. I got it from Cromwell trucks and I love it.
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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.
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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.
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tell me about it.
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Seriously. Forget about skips.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Don`t you just love domestic tree work.
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self propelled chipper (Shreks wee chipper)
nailer replied to Stephen Blair's topic in Large equipment
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. -
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?
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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.
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Cheers Peter. Yes, split-level toolboxes and ladder, cones and loppers box.
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£1 spent brought in £6.75 to date. Letters work better than postcards. Nothing works better than referrals.
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The last batch I got earlier this year worked out at 20p each because I bought twice as many (2000) and the bulk of the design had already been done. It doesn`t take long to off-load 1000. I give one out with every quote, then every invoice. If the customer is in during a job and we`re chatting at the end about how ecstatic they are with the work another 5 get handed out for all their friends and neighbours. If you`re ever looking for more referrals make sure you earn it and be certain to ask. `So glad you like it...tell all your friends...helps keep us busy.` The other thousand went on a three letter direct mail campaign to selected households in the most affluent suburbs of Manchester and north Cheshire - for those hard to reach clients earning more than 50K that you dream about. Their houses also make nice back-drops for more before and afters, which in turn help attract more of those customers.
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You might be right - I don`t have any cards, just a A5 size booklet made up of 8 pages. Full of testimonials, before and after pictures and a few action shots. Basically my website in a little book. Beautifully printed on silk finish. Cost 40p each. It does wind me up when some people fold it in half to put in their pocket but it saves a lot of time trying to sell while doing quotes and gives the customer a good idea if we are what they`re looking for.
