I need your thoughts and ideas.

[cory]

I got to talk to a tree guy in Chicago that's been doing trees for literally 50 years. He says he's got 40 crews running 5 days a week. He sells at least 2 semi-truck loads of firewood a day to the big box stores. He's got 2 secretaries that handle the office work and I think he's still on paper. I dunno how he does it, but I'd love to find out.

That's crazy. 2 secretaries for 40 crews sounds light imo. I'm surprised box stores buy wood this time of year, perhaps he's talking about more in season.

Regarding doing it all on paper- certainly businesses of all kinds were going balls to the wall 20-30 years ago without the help of computers, so no doubt he's got a system that works well for him. Sorta like highly productive climbers who still use a taut-line.

 

[forestkeepers]

We could get more manpower and split into 2 crews, but right now we're making our one crew super-cohesive like a well-oiled machine to be as productive as possible in our 4 days. We've repaid our initial capital investment for our first round of equip. and now are looking to build up, equipment-wise (adding a bucket truck, mini skid, pickup truck, and possibly a 2nd chipper). So we'll just run as is and build the business up before we grow more.

Ultimately, I don't think our growth needs to be at the level you describe from that fellow in Chicago. We are making a good wage, we would just like to do things more efficiently with better equipment so as to get more work done faster, with less physical labor required. We have some realistic, achievable goals in mind.

As for our system, it works with paper in its current form due to our estimator/foreman's great memory and attention to detail. He's a master juggler, with many things going all at once. I wouldn't expect our system to work with many others. I could swing it, since I have a near photographic memory and tend to be very organized and have good attention to detail. But other personality types, not so much.

 

[2GuysTrees]

I agree with you entirely. He's also in Chicago, not everyone has that kind of work volume in their immediate area. I could never have done 40 crews in Fort Wayne, there was only $10,000,000 a year in tree work in the whole corner of the state, and too much competition to get all the work. There are only maybe a dozen cities in the world where you could makes something like that work, and it still took him 50 years to get there.

Also, you make a great point, that it's your people that make your business work. Long as you have great people, they ARE they system. Lose them, and you gotta find someone who performs like they do. Just like a great climber; Rodney can do in 3 hours what my last climber did in 2 days. But having a bucket truck helps level the playing field, for a lot of jobs. There's still a good bit that require a good climber... or a big crane.

But that's the point of my system. It takes the workload that GREAT people can do and makes it so anyone can do it. So if your competition doesn't steal your people, they could still deliver the level of customer service you deliver with average people because they have a great system. Kinda like how the guys that work at McDonald's aren't college grads, or even particularly hard workers, but they can still get your order out in under 60 seconds....usually.

 

[2GuysTrees]

That's crazy. 2 secretaries for 40 crews sounds light imo. I'm surprised box stores buy wood this time of year, perhaps he's talking about more in season.

Regarding doing it all on paper- certainly businesses of all kinds were going balls to the wall 20-30 years ago without the help of computers, so no doubt he's got a system that works well for him. Sorta like highly productive climbers who still use a taut-line.

You said it. I know here in southwestern PA where we just moved to because of the non-compete I have from the sale, it's tough to find any good people because everyone around here can make $2500 a week on the pipeline or on a gas well pad, without the stress of climbing trees every day.

Larry, the guy in Chicago, says he sells at least 2 semi-loads of wood every day. (I'm assuming 5 days a week.) He says he always keeps in mind that there's a dozen other guys that would gladly take his spot if he doesn't get it done today. I don't know for sure if all he told me was true, but it looked like it from what I saw, and I don't think he had any reason to BS me.

Everyone gets to where they want to be and kind of levels off, and that's cool, that's everyone. Most people either have a great team or a great system, but imagine what could be done if you had both. Imagine what a great team could do with a great system.

We've had times where we had a dozen people working with us, and times when it was just 2 guys. If I have a choice, I'll take buying a great piece of software over the work that goes into finding the right people that get the job done right all the time... if it's cheap enough