What was your first year like?

climbingmonkey24

climbingmonkey24

Carpal tunnel level member
Location
United States
Ever find yourself burnt out from all the responsibility? What did you start with for equipment? How many employees? Ever take on jobs you really weren't equipped to handle but didn't want to say no to? Ever lose money with certain jobs?
 
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Always hoping for the phone to ring.
Pricing too low to try to gain exposure.

Two dumb kids for employees, 19 y.o. draggers, basically. Buy a grapple, rent a mini.

Lose money, hard to say. Everyone gets kicked in the shins by their early bids. Track your time on jobs, as well as more ordinary expenses.
 
Not a big contender to give you too much useful info but this is just my experience.
I went off on my own back in March and there are a few things I do to not feel too burnt out. I contract climb a few days a month which brings a little less stress to my day knowing I won't have as much paperwork for that job. I also take a long weekend off every few weeks to get my head off of work. I started with no employees and would like to keep it that way. Just me, my ford ranger, and a 4 yard trailer. On bigger jobs I would sub out my chipping in exchange for contract climb time. I have learned to say no to bigger jobs and I focus on pruning. Ill bring in a contract climber when needed.
I recently bought a 6" chipper that I tote around with my ranger (please don't judge me). It saves me a lot of trips to the dump! I own everything I have and and I dont have to worry about employees screwing up or having to keep them busy which helps reduce stress levels. With all this I dont ever lose money, but sometimes I don reach my profit goal.
 
Owning your business is a game of chess. Its all about positioning yourself. I spent my first year doing just that....getting my business off the ground and able to work on its own. I worked all the jobs, did all the office stuff, all the payroll and taxes, sold every job and then went and did it. Yes it will burn you out if you continue this on. But, as the business grows you start to hire positions to take on what you don't want to do. Office assistant, employees, foreman, salesmen.....thats the job of it...you can do whatever you want. It took me 4 years but I am finally at that point. I have 5 employees, lots of equipment and I am making more money now than when I started....and keeping more of it!!
Their are going to be stressful days no matter what level your at. But you have to delegate. The first year is what will set up your business for success!
 
My first big learning experience was a sub contract job and I was the sub, first big mistake. 65 Bradford pear trees remove and grind out. Let's just say I lost my ass. This learning experience ended costing me about $2,200, and I was broke going into it. I pretty much paid to work . It broke me financially and emotionally. Now, I no longer sub and I'd rather walk away than even taking a chance at not making a profit.
 
This is my first year and needless to say in the last two weeks I've learned the hard way by saying yes to jobs I am not equipped to be doing, and end up only costing me more money than I'm making.

Still, it's a learning experience. And the way I look at it is I was able to learn a lesson without anything bad happening such as an accident or anyone getting hurt.

I guess when you start seeing success it's hard to say no to jobs because you see the money coming in and you don't want that to stop. But in reality for a small guy starting out some jobs are not worth it.
 
climbingmonkey24 said:
I guess when you start seeing success it's hard to say no to jobs because you see the money coming in and you don't want that to stop. But in reality for a small guy starting out some jobs are not worth it.
Click to expand...
Either estimate sky high and call everyone you know to come play and pay them really well or walk away.
I have yet to find a job that I've walked away from and regretted it.
 
Ever find yourself burnt out from all the responsibility?
I've reached point of burn out twice. Once when I was a student working for another company as well as our family business and the other was after I graduated and decided to make the part time family business my full-time job with one other guy at the time.

What did you start with for equipment?
We had a one ton dodge 3500 with a dump and an old Wayne chuck and duck chipper.

How many employees?
I now have a team of 9 including myself. We are on a two acre lot with 8,000 square foot building. My last hire was for the last thing I didn't care doing anymore. Bills and invoicing and quickbooks tracking. I like numbers but didn't have the time to put into it like I wanted too.

Ever take on jobs you really weren't equipped to handle but didn't want to say no to?
Yes but not because I didn't want to say no. I bit off more that I can chew. (3) large cottonwood. Ended up breaking the contact by offering to remove one for free and that's it. Some other guy removed the other two for the original price I bid it for. Everyone botches that one big removal. Never again. Now that I think about it I don't think we could do that job today with what we have now. It was just one of those jobs.

Ever lose money with certain jobs?
Still do every now and then. It's almost always on removals. You always overlook something sometimes.




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Ever find yourself burnt out from all the responsibility?

Not the first year. I was back-to-wall ambitious.

What did you start with for equipment?

MS 192tc, big shot, portawrap, steel block pulley, 1978 Schwinn LeTour II, Bikes At Work 96" flatbed trailer.

How many employees?

Just me, and whatever random person/friend I could get out on short notice.

Ever take on jobs you really weren't equipped to handle but didn't want to say no to?

My first big water oak removal - 28" dbh, front yard next to house, slight lean towards house, $1000 to climb, rig down, cut stump flush, and remove debris off site... dinged a shingle for $75. Launched an experienced groundie off a roof. Tried to drop the spar across a sidewalk "protected" by logs, which remains the worst damage of my career - 10' of concrete, $500. Rolled rounds across the yard and lifted them 18" onto a flatbed trailer to take 30 minutes to a pile - 3 trips, $325 dump fee.

The client remains a regular every year or so, and had me back last week to evaluate their trees. We also watch world cup soccer together. The sidewalk repair has blended in nicely.

I referred someone to the concrete company this week.


Ever lose money with certain jobs?

See above.

Also, my first climbing job - removal of a 18" diameter oak limb from low over a house, bid at $425. 3 days (I had zero experience), plus a 1" dead branch that spiked butt-first through a porch roof for $150, plus a climbing line stuck in the tree while removing it at day's end.

Losing money is a massive fun sucker. Now I avoid it.
 
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