likeitorlumpit

well sounded to me like he was running 2 teams by spending 1 day doing all the business side of things which I think is unachievable Thats all I know to run two teams you need to quote at least 10 jobs a week plus the other stuff If I got this wrong please accept apologies

So you needed just one day to do quotes to get in all the work plus do wages/H&S/rotas/sorting out tools/organising equipment maintenance. You are a god:001_tt2:

This is the problem in a recession Customers are more price concious because they feel they HAVE to be. Drive down prices mentality. We know the reasons why quotes vary - firms 'buying in' work - novices working for below cost wages - super efficient firms naturally winning more work - novices pricing wrong - cowboys working for cash Theres no point getting wound up over it I think £500 + VAT for a 2 man team with chipper and waste away is very competitive. No point in going in under this price unless as I said you are buying in work- ie. need the work to pay overheads because work is scarce.

Have to ask How do you get 4 customers to agree on a date that suits all of them!!?

you no what he missed a you out not a who:laugh1:

Interesting thread as we have recently imposed a voluntary speed restriction on vehicles to up the mpg- and it works- my vivaro mpg gone up from 33 to 38mpg. I'm also feeling more relaxed when I get on site. My concern though is how much time is wasted getting everywhere slow. 2 men in a cab arn't cheap!!! Has anyone done the maths:confused1: I suppose the other thing to shove into the equation is how much wear and tear goes down as a result of less strain on the engine at the lower speeds. Look at it this way A company running sales reps Each rep doing 200 miles a day at 60mph = 3hours 20 mins on the road say rep costs company £20 per hour= £67 in wages wasted on the road at 80mph= 2hrs 30 on the road= £50 in wages So travelling at lower speeds costs £17 in wages Would you save £17 in fuel at the lower speeds- 2 reps in a car and the cost at the lower speed is doubled -£34 I know This is a bit anal but you get my point From the point of wages the best speed to travel is faster faster faster

If he's gonna catch those fish he's gonna need a moturbut

Thanks I'm in detective mode coupled with various comments made by my consultant. Symptoms- lethargy when not stimulated (when not having to do something) Stomach pains- lower stomach Funny pains in the neck- can't explain the feeling though A general feeling that there is something inside you- if that makes sense Then we move onto enlarged lymph nodes- these are all over your body but will probably be first noticed in your neck/armpit/groin Causes- well they say theres no reason to blame anything I've done or not done I sometimes wonder how safe petrol fumes are as we all get a fair few lungfulls every day and sometimes drive in a van with the windows closed on hot days. There is talk about pesticides but I feel the ones we use are pretty safe (based on MSDS). So- it's solvents and maybe this includes alcohol to some extent Good idea- they say eat loads of broccolli/ cabbage/mediterranean type vegetables. avoid tobacco smoke. That's about it so far. The benzene link is by far the strongest/ likeliest for me as 30 years in the trade must have notched up a fair exposure.- No one medical is telling me this though so please make your own minds up. After all it could just be one of those things. I'll keep you posted as things are revealled. And thanks for all the positive messages- just what the doctor ordered. I've gone from a very anxious individual to a calm fella in the space of 10 days. You wouldn't believe how scary it is when you wake up at 2am unable to swallow imagining the enlarged lymph nodes in my neck are restricting my wind pipe- Now when it happens I just put on the ipod and zone out.

Thanks for all your replies Basically just 'coming out' as we have kept this quiet from family and most friends for some time now hoping there would be an alternative diagnosis. Obviously not wishing to scare people unnecessarily and also I suppose hoping it was a misdiagnosis or that my normally healthy body would give it the heave ho pretty damn quick. Oh well! There's a lot to talk about really and this is a bit late for all that but I will try and explain everything as best I can when the time is right. Hope you don't get bored:biggrin: In my head PMA all the way

Well- I have known this site for some time now and clicking on Arbtalk.co.uk has become part of my daily routine. I've enjoyed arb talk and noticed that subjects discussed on here now vary widely- still good stuff This thread is all about whats happening to me and I have decided to start it up because I've recently (5months ago) been diagnosed with non hodgkins lymphoma which is past the watch and wait phase. Chemo starts in 2 weeks Frightening Emotionally I've been all over the place but have taken great comfort from our local lymphoma support group ( first visit last week)and I'm more settled now. It's going to be an interesting year:001_rolleyes: If theres anyone reading this who has experience of chemo or lymphoma- preferably positive- I would welcome your input

Why wouldn't you charge In my experience the homeowner/ management company just don't want to fill in the forms (don't want to look stupid morelike) I think a £50 charge is reasonable and don't refund if they get us to do the job It's work we've done and should be paid for

Just using wiki to pad out my knowledge not sole source I agree fence posts seem a bit mad if brittle Matchsticks were used as a tourist revenue stream. As in go see the sequoias and buy a box of matches made from them- Ironic really Shingles or cladding it is then or LOGS:biggrin:

Wikipedia Uses- shingles/fence posts/match sticks I think it was public outcry when they saw so many smashed on the ground that led to stopping felling the giants. Seems you may not have such a problem as your tree is unlikely to be that old I bet you end up logging it:001_smile:

Rehabilitation is a period of acceptance that you can't actually do what you normally would. Learn to get enjoyment out of other simple things Walks in the woods/ by the sea Days out with old friends I know it sounds a bit 'slippers by the fire' but it helped me when I was cripped. The other thing is learning to let others take the reigns- you'll be surprised how people step up into the void left by your injury. I don't mean you should take advantage of them but I was surprised how others, when they had to would pull out the stops and take responsibility for work that I had previously done. Nuff said

STOP doing physical work Get physio/osteopath/acupuncture- even at £35 a shot it's got to be worth giving a few a go. Use time to build up work for when you recovered- office type stuff/quotes Reduce your overheads- if possible Enjoy the enforced break as much as you can:thumbup:

I was told in America that the reason the old sequoias survived so well was that when felled they were very brittle and of little saleability. Are you sure there is a market for this wood?

I suspect getting indemnity for opinions given over the internet may be difficult I also suspect sueing someone for voicing an opinion on something they have been discussing on the internet would not be successful. None of us are selling our opinions and I think that is the crucial thing.

we're busy with contracts but new work is a bit thin- good job too considering the weather is slowing us down:thumbdown:

funny how we seem to have a misunderstanding here with some as to what the question is.

I dunno but he better get his skates on

I'm always honest about the situation though I usually say something along the lines of- If you want it felled then we can do it but it doesn't 'need' felling. If you lie then you will get caught out. Hopefully you have caught out some other less scrupulous firm. Be guided by what the customer wants- no point saying a tree doesn't need felling if the customer wants it out and recognises that you don't want to. They just go to someone else. It's called salesmanship- nothing wrong with that.

working most days but as they say theres work and....theres work innit

Can't help but think it would be better if people put pictures up to give us a fighting chance.

Yes plus that will help keep moisture in

Best time 0.100 seconds dead but I took a few 3 second penalties on earlier runs between 0.100 and 0.233 on the good run better cut down on the caffeine