Salelite offices?

[CutHighnLetFly]

Anyone ever open an office in a seperate location, say an island? An opportunity has arisen to potentially have routine work on a island with a great market and I would hate to look opportunity in the eye and pass because of lack of experience or confidence

 

[CutHighnLetFly]

I guess I'm just looking to hear experiences, good and bad. What people ran into, what was difficult. Nantucket is the island, in the event someone works on the island and is in the group I'd love to chat. Thinking 1 week a month. Starting with tree management on while properties as opposed to "tree work as needed or requested" type thing.

 

[CutHighnLetFly]

Not me but why not?

Intimidated by the planning needs

 

[Stumpsprouts]

Intimidated by the planning needs

See if you can find a contractor in a similar field who works seasonally on the island. I’m sure they’d share a lot of great specific knowledge and since you wouldn’t be competing with them, they’d make a great fishing buddy.

 

[27RMT0N]

As someone who lives on an island an hour from mainland with a vaguely similar demographic on the exact opposite side of the country, logistics will be harder, some customers may be more needy, but the money will be good and steady, IF you build the right reputation. In small communities, word spreads fast and reputation is the MOST important thing there is, the rest you will figure out. Besides that, just the usual problems of finding someone you trust to run a branch of the business you are not directly overseeing, and finding crew in that small expensive community as well where housing costs are insane.

 

[flushcut]

My truck is my satellite office. IMO many locations = more headaches if you don’t have the man power to back it up.

 

[treegongfu]

As I understand the proposition: you are going to be doing the work there yourself for 1 week every month.

If that is the case and you are able to fill that week then why not?

What is the "office"?

Can't you get a VOIP phone number local to Nantuket that rings where you are?

 

[cory]

Nantucket is adrift in mega money. I would think it would be a good place to try a new biz venture

 

[Treetopflyer]

The only thing you need is hustle and desire dr. Dre

 

[Treetopflyer]

I work for a man in Barnegat Light Nj. who summers in Nantucket. He has rows of privet hedge that surround his lot. He said all it takes to work in nanatucket is straight lines, flat tops and crisp corners. Can an arborist do that to trees ? Now that is the real question ?!

 

[Sfoppema]

I have an electrician buddy who married a girl from Martha's vineyard and moved there/started his own company which does well. He was building a house and needed a bunch of tree work. He bugged me for awhile to do it, and eventually I agreed. Most of the work there occurs in the off season for the reasons you would expect. He insisted we plan for a week and he would get us a bunch of work because of how much local companies charge.
We encountered something bordering hostility from most of the "leads" he had us look at which were his electric clients. People definitely like to keep it local/keep contractors from "off island" from coming over for a piece of the pie. Even the stuff I priced at the same rate I would at home were refused. Had to go home after 2 days which I was glad to do. Had to wait in line for 8 hours to get my truck and chipper on the freight ferry out because we didn't have a Reservation.

I told myself I am only ever taking a bicycle on a ferry to an island... the tribalism of the locals is significant. My buddy has a bed and breakfast in Eastham. Has been there a decade and people still judge him as an outsider

 

[Sfoppema]

My buddy has a bed and breakfast in Eastham. Has been there a decade and people still judge him as an outsider

Meaning people get in the way of his business for permits etc because they don't want outsiders moving in and making money that they feel should or would go to people who were born there

 

[27RMT0N]

There is certainly a strong 'locals only' attitude in my islands as well, which I think shows up in any small community to be honest. That said, I found the attitudes to be way worse in the 'monied northeast' than I've ever have here in the northwest, it's part of why I hated going to college out there and moved back home.

 

[Sfoppema]

There is certainly a strong 'locals only' attitude in my islands as well, which I think shows up in any small community to be honest. That said, I found the attitudes to be way worse in the 'monied northeast' than I've ever have here in the northwest, it's part of why I hated going to college out there and moved back home.

Where'd you go to college

 

[27RMT0N]

I went to St Lawrence University for two years, and got tired of hearing about what prep school they went to, Greenwich Ct and what their daddy did for work in Manhattan.

 

[UrbanAddict]

Anyone ever open an office in a seperate location, say an island? An opportunity has arisen to potentially have routine work on a island with a great market and I would hate to look opportunity in the eye and pass because of lack of experience or confidence

I would look at it as a new experience. Plan an itinerary based on job details, lodging, and everything else will fall into play. There's tool rentals on the nearest mainland where you go i'm sure of it.

 

[Crimsonking]

Having seen and been a part of a satellite office, the most important part of that location’s success was the person it was built around. The owner said he refused to launch if the person he wanted wasn’t interested. That said, the branch has grown into an amazing group of arbs doing steady work. They are the A-team of the entire company.