namesray
Platinum Member
I have been in the firewood business for about 8 years now. Through that time I have gone from doing around 70 face cord, to currently doing between 300 - 400 face cord a year. I have a repeat customer cliental that I have worked hard for and has made doing fire wood commercially easier. (People can be the most difficult aspect of a business at times.) My fire wood business is going great for the most part.
The problem on the horizon: All the wood plots I have access to currently are thinning out and getting further away. I could secure enough fire wood to continue doing 300 to 400 face cord a year, but that would mean more travel time and thus more expense.
Over the years, I have all the customers on different "tiers" so to say, as I have always given my first group of customers the best deal by stacking the wood they order for them. After all, they are who helped me get started. The second "tier" of customers, I stack the wood for them, but charge them for it. All customers after that, there is no stacking.
It is now to the point, I am doing so much, and I am so busy, stacking is getting in the way of more production. Time is money. I am at a major decision point as to start next year doing everything the same, or let ALL customers know this year there will be NO stacking next year. On one hand, I have come to know these people, and they are good people for the most part, I feel like I am letting them down. On the other hand, some of those customers have complained about the stacking, as to "it wasn't stacked high enough; it was stacked too high and fell over; you stacked it too tight and it didn't dry;" the list goes on. I always stack it how they tell me, tell them the pros and cons, but if it isn't perfect it's my fault. Not every customer is fussy like that, but the few who are drive me crazy. one thought, no more stacking might thin the customers down to a more efficient number for me as I can do 100 to 200 face cord more efficiently then 300-400.
So I ask you as people, what do you think if you were purchasing firewood? Most other fire wood sellers around here DON'T stack it, but not all.
The problem on the horizon: All the wood plots I have access to currently are thinning out and getting further away. I could secure enough fire wood to continue doing 300 to 400 face cord a year, but that would mean more travel time and thus more expense.
Over the years, I have all the customers on different "tiers" so to say, as I have always given my first group of customers the best deal by stacking the wood they order for them. After all, they are who helped me get started. The second "tier" of customers, I stack the wood for them, but charge them for it. All customers after that, there is no stacking.
It is now to the point, I am doing so much, and I am so busy, stacking is getting in the way of more production. Time is money. I am at a major decision point as to start next year doing everything the same, or let ALL customers know this year there will be NO stacking next year. On one hand, I have come to know these people, and they are good people for the most part, I feel like I am letting them down. On the other hand, some of those customers have complained about the stacking, as to "it wasn't stacked high enough; it was stacked too high and fell over; you stacked it too tight and it didn't dry;" the list goes on. I always stack it how they tell me, tell them the pros and cons, but if it isn't perfect it's my fault. Not every customer is fussy like that, but the few who are drive me crazy. one thought, no more stacking might thin the customers down to a more efficient number for me as I can do 100 to 200 face cord more efficiently then 300-400.
So I ask you as people, what do you think if you were purchasing firewood? Most other fire wood sellers around here DON'T stack it, but not all.
