Burning out

10 years ago I sold half my business to a friend who was good with people. He does all of the front facing customer stuff - calls and emails, quotes, scheduling, follow-up, etc. and I do all the tree work. I'm convinced that tree work is the easy part, people are the hard part. I wouldn't be in business today if I had to do both sides of it. I do 98% of all our jobs site unseen. I just show up with all my gear, loaded for bear like a subcontractor, and me and the boys knock 'em out. There are still major challenges, it's not all upside, but it works for us. Works until it doesn't, eh. We have 4 employees.
 
Hang in there Levi. You got this, just think on it some more. Bounce it off TB here.

Muggs, great post! And actually it sounds like you could be on the path described in the Emyth book above- your partner lets you do your thing with barest oversight and you do same for him. You have a system that works and it doesn't all revolve around you as it would a sole proprietor.
 
@levi r thank you for sharing. Business ownership is a rough ride. This week has been a lot. Totally vent here. It helped me immensely. It's the most thankless job to start a business. I'm reminded once in a while that I'm doing the right thing. Just interviewed a climber from Massachusetts who is looking for exactly what we offer. Went to a workshop earlier this week that rekindled some flame of excitement for things, as tree work is just a small part of the job. Had a couple nice estimates today. Called my apprentice on some bullshit that was hurting our company and me, and hoping to see some change. Hired a new Groundman too. One week left until we get to go see family for the first time in years. Banging out a ton of oak wilt treatments for some solo cash flows before I leave.

If you do shutter up the biz, I'm hiring
 
Citing actual inflation rates might help people.


When I was a boy (40 years ago), the old man across the street burned his lawn annually and the old lady sat as sentry to keep kids off of said lawn. Candy bars were $0.35 or 3/$1.00. You felt like you were getting a good savings with that nickel!

Now the same candy bar is close to $2, and minimum wage is 4x's what it used to be.
 
Hell of a week. Had to let my apprentice go. Not going in to details for her sake, but we're starting at ground zero with a fresh greenie when we get back from vacation.

We're restructuring the company a bit too. I'm interviewing an out of state guy from Massachusetts for a climber position. Hoping these things can reduce stress and provide some stability.

Taking the rest of this week to dig into our financials and figure out where we can cut costs, and how much we really need to make now that the chaos is gone. Our payroll is significantly lighter now, which helps a bit. Also looking to refinance debt with a relationship lender to reduce burden.

I'm trying to retailor things to be less removal intensive. I'm also courting another company (friend in the area) to see if my equipment and business structure is attractive enough for a merger. He would get training and less management headache, I would get a removal guy.

It's been a lot. But the biggest thing is we need to take a step back and focus on our family and health. I've pushed so hard to make something for everyone else and it did no good. We're refocusing to make sure we are okay, so that this can be a light instead of a pit.

@levi r hope things are improving.
 
It's cool to see your willingness and ability to adapt, I think that you will be very successful and satisfied once you settle into what you want/need.

25 has been so wacky thus far. Year of the snake. I tried to embrace it, shed the skin. Transform. It's way more intense than I expected! :ROFLMAO:
 
levi r said:
It's cool to see your willingness and ability to adapt, I think that you will be very successful and satisfied once you settle into what you want/need.

25 has been so wacky thus far. Year of the snake. I tried to embrace it, shed the skin. Transform. It's way more intense than I expected! :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
It's so intense. It's like everyone is off their rocker this year, lol.
 
As mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, we hired someone else to do most of our sales and business development stuff for us and it has been helpful. The stress never goes away and I think we all just have to learn to manage it and the situations that cause it better. Overcommitting to clients, employees, or banks is usually what does us in.

After having 2 friends pass in the last year I’m trying to focus more on spending more time on the homestead and not making myself do the maximum with my business all the time. I have confidence that my business will be successful. I could squeeze every dollar out that I can or I can focus more on quality of life for myself and employees. Life is too short to make everything a battle.
 
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RyanCafferky said:
As mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, we hired someone else to do most of our sales and business development stuff for us and it has been helpful. The stress never goes away and I think we all just have to learn to manage it and the situations that cause it better. Overcommitting to clients, employees, or banks is usually what does us in.

After having 2 friends pass in the last year I’m trying to focus more on spending more time on the homestead and not making myself do the maximum with my business all the time. I have confidence that my business will be successful and I could squeeze every dollar out that I can or I can focus more on quality of life for myself and employees. Life is too short to make everything a battle.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I'm learning from y'all. Haha.
 
Just when we thought we were hitting a groove.

My new apprentice is leaving. I literally just bought a 19xpc, picking it up right now. I had no inkling that he would be quitting, just pulled the rug out from under me. Says the work is too strenuous, but just we just talked this week about how excited he was to be here and how he was stoked for his apprenticeship schooling to start.

I'm at a loss again. Too much work for me to do alone. I hate hiring... I know it'll work out, I'm just at a loss again.

I just need one good employee. Just one. In this labor market that seems to be too much to ask.

I'm terrified right now. Baby due in two months, a shit load of work, body is taking a licking, and not sure how to actually find a decent worker.

Our benefits have improved. I've tried throwing money at people. We have a registered apprenticeship starting this month. Top tier equipment. We try really hard for our people. It's not enough.

What to do.
 
Oh man what a drag. Are there any colleges in your area that you can reach out to?
Finding the right folks are tough, apprentices are tough, and trying to train greenies are too. They don’t know what they are getting into and the nature of apprentices is a stepping stone to move on.

One issue with starting at a high wage is that it limits advancement opportunities. (Random numbers here) Maybe offer $45 and hour after three years, start at $25 and give raises every 6 months as incentives to stay on. Of course still offer raises after the three year mark but at a more normal rate?
 
Can you cut back on any cleanup?

Is it a location that will forever be difficult with staffing?


What does this needed person do for you that a machine can't?
 
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