nailer

Maybe just have matching colour tops and matching colour lids? That way you all look like a professional team, but no-one feels like they've been stripped of all their dignity and personal identity.

I must be lucky over and over. The guys I have helping me are all top drawer. Some very different characters for sure, but all equally awesome in their own way. I have read the 1 Minute Manager, but I wouldn't exactly say I have much in the way of people skills. I'm pretty confident I pay more than anyone else in my area and I'm pretty confident I have all the best workers available. I think the two are connected, up to a point.

sycamore crane job today. Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Cool vid... well smart! And a very nifty crew working that job.

Ok, my grant application has been approved.. £2k less than I asked for but I'm not gonna kick off. Just need to sign the form and my prepaid MasterCard is in the post. Once I've cleared it all with MasterCard's fraud dept I can add my £8k and start shopping. If after that I get cleaned out I'll probably have to leave the group to save me from all the abuse heading my way! Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Scots pine removal in Altrincham, Cheshire

Hi Kevin, no, I'm not a part of it. I'm saying I've applied but would not recommend it to anyone else as I don't know for sure either way if it's genuine or not at this stage.

yep, sorry...we're talking about different things.

I'm not saying this is definitely sound, just that so far I haven't spotted anything to suggest otherwise. I don't suppose any of you fellas saying it's a scam have anything in the way of evidence you could share? Just so we're talking about the same scheme here's what I'm looking at: Business Grants - Government and private grants for all purposes, your grant, your way. Quick & Smart.

I've spoke to them on the phone and I'm still thinking it's legit. The holiday to Greece is off limits but everything else is ok. They put £21k on a MasterCard in my name and I have to add £9k (30%). I can check with MasterCard first, using my PIN, that their £21k (70%) is there before I need to add my bit. Only genuine business expenses allowed, which they check.

Looks legit just going off the website and form.. all the links work correctly, lots of content with no spelling or grammatical errors. I applied online, took about 5 mins, just waiting to hear back. Keep you posted. I'm after two 7.5 tonnes and a chipper upgrade. Got a holiday in Greece I'm looking at too.

I've applied for £30k.

If you pay more than everyone else, the best people will find you. Word gets round. That seems like a waste of money to many business owners, which is great... that's why it works!

Not read through the whole thread but some great ones on here. I was surprised by some of the bad stuff being tolerated by you bosses. If it's bugging you that much how come you keep working with the culprits? If employees are abusing your kit, not helping out properly and not acting in ways conducive to building a loyal fan base of customers they gotta go right now! Replace with subcontractors. And pay more than everyone else to get the very best. Subbies need to be invited back every day if they like working for you so the whole attitude is different to someone who thinks they are unlikely to ever get sacked.

It looks like tree firms on Flat Rate will have no change, but most freelance climbers on the Flat Rate would need to increase their pay-back to 16.5%. This BBC article explains it: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/38084493?client=safari

yes mark, not what we recommended but it was a job for us on Monday morning and it'll be another job in a few years to pollard and then to fell a few years after that!

We often have 2 up a tree. We work as a team of 8, and 4 of them are climbers... makes it super-flexible when we split up into 2 teams and on big jobs we can hammer anything out in no time. That job was 2 poplars to reduce 30% and 2 easy enough conifers to fell at £1,700 inc vat.

Reducing a Lombardy poplar:

I don't notice any difference in balance to any other stihl climbing saw. The differences in battery weight options would alter that slightly I guess.

Just got myself a battery saw and loving it. No pull starts, less noise, no idling between cuts, no fumes, and the battery lasts a good time, way more than 3 tank fills on a 150. Performance-wise I'd say it's about the same as a 150, but no lighter with the 300 battery.

I'm not talking millions.. I'm talking £50k+. If we need kit I buy it, but once you have climbing kit, saws, truck and chipper what else do you need? Timber milling, stump grinding or log processing etc. are different lines of work that only distract from the most profitable part of the business, and that's pruning and felling trees for private customers in the £250 - £1,200 price range. That's only the way we work and it's clearly not for everyone... if you want loads of different kit and variety of work then that's not for you. But if you love climbing and want more income, less business complications to deal with, and without having to finance all manner of different kit, then specialising in one skill will help.

cheers. not turnover, but profit. Call it wages, salary or dividends, it all comes down to income for the owner.

yep, a decent firm... as in a crew that know what they're doing and work well as a team.. like loads on this forum. Nothing exceptional needed. I'm just saying the marketing is what makes the difference in making better money and £50k+ should be a target for any tree company owner. Takes a lot of time and hard work but definitely do-able. A good climber on 180 a day doing 5 days a week, 2 weeks off in the summer and 2 weeks off at Christmas would make £43k and that's with no hassles of running a firm.

The owner of a decent tree firm should be making well over £50k. Most likely a skilled climber who's set the whole thing up and invested a lot of time and money into the business. If you're struggling to find enough customers willing to pay good prices the answer lies in great marketing. Unfortunately you won't learn how to do that from any trade association, government body or college. Trying to compete for work on price is never gonna work out well in tree work. The only way is to win work whilst being more expensive than others. I haven't cracked how to do that for commercial contracts and I wouldn't want them anyway, but for private work it is certainly possible. You need some expense and work doing first to attract the right customers but the ongoing benefits are awesome. Obviously a better income, but more than that you get to work for people who appreciate good tree work, you get to hire and work with all the best staff, and you can work at a brisk but not stupid pace. And hardly ever leave site after 4pm. The right marketing is the only way to get that.

Positive thinking alone obviously won't bring any success but a positive attitude tends to get you taking the action needed.. because you're thinking it'll work out. If you're feeling negative and that any hard work you do won't really pay off it's unlikely any action will happen. Action brings success eventually and positive vibes can spur you into action. When things go wrong positivity can keep you striving onwards, past any setbacks. And alot of gratitude for what you have in your life helps keep you happy. I nicked all this from my Tony Robbins CDs.