Im new to the business, but never climbed before. Any advice?

[rico]

Question abound. Either this is bs or you are a fool?
Major in Business and jump into a bus/vocation you have no geniune interest in other than it makes bank? Pruning trees isn't even a hobby for you? Where are you and who is your competition? is it that easy to break ground over there?
me, sounds bloody crazy.
9 out of ten people we hire don't make the cut. Romantic idea being an arborist truth is
hardest work there is and owner or worker you will always be somebodies grunt monkey bitch are you prepared to sweat, toil and grind when employees leave you?
just goes to show how messed up this industry really is.
Best of luck, stay safe,

Grunt monkey bitches, and a fuck me? Did Rope get a head start on the rest of us with the evening brew?
Your best post ever, by the way!

 

[Jorgon1022]

Question abound. Either this is bs or you are a fool?
Major in Business and jump into a bus/vocation you have no geniune interest in other than it makes bank? Pruning trees isn't even a hobby for you? Where are you and who is your competition? is it that easy to break ground over there?
me, sounds bloody crazy.
9 out of ten people we hire don't make the cut. Romantic idea being an arborist truth is
hardest work there is and owner or worker you will always be somebodies grunt monkey bitch are you prepared to sweat, toil and grind when employees leave you?
just goes to show how messed up this industry really is.
Best of luck, stay safe,

OK no offense but half of what you said is simply not true. I like pruning trees and have before. But to say that I need to love the work is bs.

My joy is building processes and building businesses. Helped my dad build his.

Now to say that you will always be a monkey is also not true. I personally know 2 owners that don't do any of the climbing and are in charge of simply building the business.

This business suffers from unreliable employees. This is great and it's exciting to me. How can I get past this problem? How can this problem be solved?

These are the type of things that excite me

 

[Leroy]

Why would this be a trolling post? I came here to ask for help not troll.

Anyways I agree with everything else you are saying. Sounds like I need to find a climber

I believe you are genuine. It also is a post/question that seems like a good way to mess with some people but I'm just paranoid, I believe you lol.

 

[RopeShield]

Troll
you have a Business dickdree and you need help with employees?
you know 2 tree biz owners and are here?

 

[rico]

I

OK no offense but half of what you said is simply not true. I like pruning trees and have before. But to say that I need to love the work is bs.

My joy is building processes and building businesses. Helped my dad build his.

Now to say that you will always be a monkey is also not true. I personally know 2 owners that don't do any of the climbing and are in charge of simply building the business.

This business suffers from unreliable employees. This is great and it's exciting to me. How can I get past this problem? How can this problem be solved?

These are the type of things that excite me

I suggest you hire Evo and try to fix him. He's easy but he aint cheap. I would watch your ass though or you might just find yourself super blazed on shitty malt liquor and Psilocybin, cranking some loud angry music, all while your throwing a fucking newspaper dispenser through a department store window display!! Good times and anarchy!

 

[Ent]

That's the thing. I can't get a job because my circumstances are different. If I could work for a company that pays me 60k plus to cover my current lifestyle then yes I would do it. But unfortunately that's not possible.

In regards to climbing, I don't want to climb. I want to work on my business instead of working in it. But for that I have to find climbers which has been my biggest hurdle which is why I'm paying hundreds of dollars to get myself trained m

Have you checked with your municipality on what it takes to be a licensed tree contractor? Here in CO most require you to be ISA certified at least. I dont think you have enough experience to even take the test. Could be different up there, you should check on that. How's your pruning and tree ID. How about pest and disease ID. You should probably be proficient on these items to sell work. Otherwise you're doing your customers a diservice. Or, do you plan on getting someone to sell the work too?

 

[Jorgon1022]

Troll
you have a Business dickdree and you need help with employees?
you know 2 tree biz owners and are here?

Uhmm yeah dude I don't know what to tell you. Ultimately you will believe what you want.

To everyone else that has genuinely tried to help I really appreciate it.

 

[Jorgon1022]

Have you checked with your municipality on what it takes to be a licensed tree contractor? Here in CO most require you to be ISA certified at least. I dont think you have enough experience to even take the test. Could be different up there, you should check on that. How's your pruning and tree ID. How about pest and disease ID. You should probably be proficient on these items to sell work. Otherwise you're doing your customers a diservice. Or, do you plan on getting someone to sell the work too?

Yes.
Here in my area you don't need to be ISA certified. I wish there were a way I could show my knowledge.

I have read up on tree biology, anatomy, etc.

I don't do pest control because I don't know much about that. But that's OK since I can work with someone on that.

I feel many here are just putting alot of buts.

I have always found that where there's a will there's a way. The only viable way I'm seeing after talking to everyone here is to hire climbers so I can focus on the business.

 

[Ent]

Yes.
Here in my area you don't need to be ISA certified. I wish there were a way I could show my knowledge.

I have read up on tree biology, anatomy, etc.

I don't do pest control because I don't know much about that. But that's OK since I can work with someone on that.

I feel many here are just putting alot of buts.

I have always found that where there's a will there's a way. The only viable way I'm seeing after talking to everyone here is to hire climbers so I can focus on the business.

And your pruning and tree ID?

 

[Ent]

Yes.
Here in my area you don't need to be ISA certified. I wish there were a way I could show my knowledge.

I have read up on tree biology, anatomy, etc.

I don't do pest control because I don't know much about that. But that's OK since I can work with someone on that.

I feel many here are just putting alot of buts.

I have always found that where there's a will there's a way. The only viable way I'm seeing after talking to everyone here is to hire climbers so I can focus on the business.

I think you probably know more about climbing than the "business" of tree care. Good luck. I feel bad for the poor suckers that hire you.

 

[Jorgon1022]

I think you probably know more about climbing than the "business" of tree care. Good luck. I feel bad for the poor suckers that hire you.

Your passive aggressive comments aren't appreciated. Wishing me luck and feeling bad for the 'suckers' that hire me is disingenuous.

Suggesting that I know more about climbing than tree service is ignorant.

But I imagine that if this is the way you treat strangers on the internet, you probably aren't that great in real life either.

 

[rico]

Yes.
Here in my area you don't need to be ISA certified. I wish there were a way I could show my knowledge.

I have read up on tree biology, anatomy, etc.

I don't do pest control because I don't know much about that. But that's OK since I can work with someone on that.

I feel many here are just putting alot of buts.

I have always found that where there's a will there's a way. The only viable way I'm seeing after talking to everyone here is to hire climbers so I can focus on the business.

Don't take the peanut gallery around here too seriously. we get a little giddy in the evenings. You are gonna do what you want, and I commend you for chasing your dream. Just make sure that you learn everything you can about this industry and please, please, please hire some good experienced hands, and pay them well. If not you will be dead in the water very quickly. Best of luck Jorgon! I also highly recommend that you stick around here and continue asking question and learning. An awful lot of very talented knowledgable tree-men lurking around here..

 

[rico]

Troll
you have a Business dickdree and you need help with employees?
you know 2 tree biz owners and are here?

Jeez Rope, you are on a roll tonight. Yes please, I'll have some of what your drinking!

 

[Ent]

Your passive aggressive comments aren't appreciated. Wishing me luck and feeling bad for the 'suckers' that hire me is disingenuous.

Suggesting that I know more about climbing than tree service is ignorant.

But I imagine that if this is the way you treat strangers on the internet, you probably aren't that great in real life either.

Feel free to come check on that boss. It won't be so passive.

 

[Jorgon1022]

Feel free to come check on that boss. It won't be so passive.

How will it be?

 

[Jorgon1022]

Don't take the peanut gallery around here too seriously. we get a little giddy in the evenings. You are gonna do what you want, and I commend you for chasing your dream. Just make sure that you learn everything you can about this industry and please, please, please hire some goods experienced hands, and pay them well. If not you will be dead in the water very quickly. Best of luck Jorgon! I also highly recommend that you stick around here and continue asking question and learning. An awful lot of very talented knowledgable tree-men lurking around here..

Thanks man. I will actually follow the advice given today and next step is to look for a good climber. Not gonna be doing the work myself. Last thing I want to do is endanger myself and others.

 

[Talon Tree Service]

I don’t mean to be an ass, but If you’re truly a business man you would already know the next step. You would realize, 40 hours a week means shitty part time help, or an outside hire, (subcontractor). Good Subcontracted climbers will not climb for $30 an hour. I wouldn’t and none of the guys I know that are good, drug free, liability insurance, workman’s comp, full gear, and knowledge to educate you, would either. In my area, good contract climbers make 3-500 for an 8-10 hour day depending on difficulty. $250 is my minimum and I expect it to be a 30 minute drive and be back home for lunch.
First Get your appropriate licenses, insurance, and business registered.
Next, you hire the contract climber who puts it on the ground. Now how are you going to clean up jobs? Chipper? Mini skid? Dump trailer? Pick up truck? Are you doing the clean up work yourself, or hiring a guy to do it? How is your clean up guy going to clean it up? Do you trust him? Your businesses reputation depends on others. That’s something I myself would not be ok with, I take pride in my work and my reputation far too much to trust others, let alone people I do not know.
How will you give competitive estimates without the knowledge of how long it’s going to take to put a tree on the ground?
What about Is that tree safe to climb? Does this brown fungi on the trunk effect the tree’s integrity? Rot? What size diameter limb will hold under a climber? What about rigging? Will that tree hold up under rigging? Species? Each species is different. I’m all for you getting training and knowledge, but I went to school for 4 semesters for this gig while working full time in the industry and the book knowledge is mostly useless without the hands on knowledge that years in the business taught me.
Lastly, Good companies bid the Complex jobs. A lot of the simple and easy jobs you will not get because any crackhead with a buddy and a pickup will underbid you for money to buy whatever they’re tripping off of and post bail for their next time they’re busted.
Sounds like you need to buy an already working tree company and keep the previous owner as a manager.
Or. Possibly hire a contract climber, or small business owner who has a lot of knowledge to come and help you bid. Chances are, they will be vague, if they help at all. Around my area, I get along great with a few other companies, but we do not discuss bidding, save one that I use him and his crane. For most It’s an unspoken rule not to discuss pricing even tho we bid against each other weekly.
The tree biz Is a tough cookie. If you think in a year you’re going to draw a salary, you’re probably wrong. Every other tree service owner I’ve talked to, did not draw a salary to speak of for 2 years. I have been at this for a year, I made ok money, but it wasn’t enough in and of itself. I subcontracted too.
The people of the buzz are blunt, and to a point. If you’re driven and passionate about the industry you’ll succeed, but if you’re in this just to make money, their are more lucrative markets to sit back and make bank.

 

[RopeShield]

How do you intend to sell tree work?
You need a knowledgeable arborist salesperson.
No plan for diddly squat. haven't answered most questions posed. Business degree? Yeah we are suppose to believe that.
By the way Wespur wants to sell you gear, alot of it, some you will probabley never use and the training you will get is inadequate to perform the work you already said you do not want to do personally.
Your going to die, in a lie pretending to be a tree guy.
There is no way you are on the level.
From where I sit, and being completely honest this stinks or you are someone with alot of time and money to throw away.
This is what happens every yr here where I live, some yrs several guys.new tree/guys start up, set some ropes, cut some, smash shit up, crash or get hurt or die or have employees hurt and go bankrupt or go out of biz and leave for a "real job"

 

[Ent]

How will it be?

How will it be?

You're right. You should just get a Sherrill catalog. That should be enough to get you started.

 

[RopeShield]

Really no different than me. I invented something, market, advertised, manufactured etc.
Early on I went looking for help just like you, advice was given, some was taken, in the end, it was the best, I did my best and had some good luck and some bad luck. Some things you just can't forsee we are just trying to be real.
Its a roller coaster of a ride and can be a money eating dragon.
Be true to yourself and best of luck I wish to you and any one else looking for a future in the trees. It really is the best of trades imho