I started this business in 2002. I have grown into a business with a reputation of good quality, safe work practices, and fair rates. For a smaller company, I/we have a lot of technical skill under our belts. Our production rate is worthy to keep up with larger companies with larger crew sizes and aerial lifts. I’m in a state of constant learning and I teach anyone around me the same. I don’t hold back knowledge to gain something for myself in the end. I think anyone who works for me leaves with more than they came with. My full-time groundsman/climber has worked with me for 2.5 years full-time. Prior to me hiring him full-time, he worked for me every Saturday for 4 years. I don’t know why he chooses to stay with me, but I think I’m doing something right. (Knock on wood).
My back log just went from 2 weeks to 3 weeks in one day. The high volume of phone calls is what concerns me. I need to be able to respond to the calls timely to help the “urgent” customers. I simply can’t do this if, I’m out in the field 12 hours-14 hours per day.
A solid 60% of our business comes from repeat customers & referrals. I have plans to get more business from my existing customers that will require me away from the job site. I also have marketing strategies that I need to implement to get new customers. But, once again, my hands are tied…
We have done well with long hours Mon-Thurs. to provide a 3 day week end. However, if I need to take care of some “urgent” customer requests, I am not shy to pay overtime to get my customers taken care of. Therefore, working Fridays would be helpful. If the crew would like to work a half day on a Saturday, I’m okay with that too.
I have seen a pattern that I’ll have great work from March to the second week of December. I have had a decent winter work schedule until the winter of 2008-2009. That was a crappy time for the economy and I did poorly. My golf course contract had to back down because of a huge decline with memberships… The commercial jobs weren’t doing much… And neither were the HOA’s. So, if I had a 3 man crew independent of my supervision, I would be actively searching out and scheduling winter work. Like I mentioned above, I can’t do that well, if I’m out in the field every day.
I sold a lot of machinery the past two winters. I have a 19 yard, extended cab Isuzu FRR chip truck. I have a 2007 Model 90 with about 270 hours on it. I have a “chipped” 2000 F350 that pulls the 14’ dump trailer. I sub-contract crane work (but I’m getting very close to purchasing my own stick boom or K-boom). I do enough crane work that I can comfortably buy a crane.
The majority of the work is removals, maybe 60-40, when compared with tree pruning. We are doing a lot of Hybrid Cottonwoods, Plains Cottonwoods, Willow, & Siberian Elm removals. Since the deciduous trees are going through spring grown flush, I’m not doing any real aggressive pruning at the moment. We have seemed to have created a forte with ornamental pruning in the winter time. Most of our tree pruning jobs are trees that haven’t been trimmed at all or in many years. So, there are a lot of proper reduction cuts that need to be made. Many tree companies over here don’t take the time or don’t have climbers good enough to get out to the tips to make good reduction cuts. This is were I believe a more skilled climber is needed for me.
Benefits would be:
Paid national holidays
Uniforms provided. I’d be purchasing 5 pair of pants, 5 each. long & short sleeved t-shirts, outer shell, non-insulated bibs, and insulated bibs (for the cold days). 5 pair of Merino wool socks & La Sportiva Glacier work boot provided.
C.E.U. funding. (I’ll pay for classes/seminars, work books, DVD’s etc…) I won’t pay for the time off, however.
Higher pay than other companies in my area.
Lunches and dinners provided often (not every day, but often). I feel that if my employees bust their butts for me and I work them for long hours, then I should feed them.
I can’t do medical benefits at the moment. ( But, I’m sure this will be changing.)
I can’t offer retirement packages at the moment either.
I hope this helps anyone out there...
