Need to Make some money with my Tractor.

[Dougster]

Dougster, As you are building your new business consider your efforts in social networking. Somewhaere there is a whole group of probably guys, that know the answers to your quesitons. I might suggest that you try to go in person (while you are new to the business and jsut developing) rather than phoning. in other words go to DPW, not call. Go to the roll of fcompanies etc. When you are face to face people tend to be more helpful. If oyu fid the dump truck oeprators, make an appointment to swingby thier place of business a time convenient for them. {snip} Even thoug it takes more effort initially, face to face visits instead of phone calls, the returns are worth the investment of your time. Try to figure out a way to develope some social business networking with people who are involved in your trade.

Understood. But sad to say, my relationship with the local DPW is not very good right now and ever since they created the "Grand Canyon" at the bottom of my driveway and later tried to have me arrested for complaining about it. Still, I have visited the DPW office numerous times and even need to go back for a new transfer station sticker this month. I just need to wear a good disguise!

As far as businesses go... yes, an in-person visit is certainly nicer and often more productive when practical.

Dougster

 

[workinallthetime]

here is an idea for you doug.
follow a dump truck full of the stuff to see where its going or call the guys who are supose to haul off the stuff at the end of your street and see where they are taking it.
im sure come monday am all your questions will be answered, we are just doing something up a rope here, lol

 

[rox]

Understood. But sad to say, my relationship with the local DPW is not very good right now and ever since they created the "Grand Canyon" at the bottom of my driveway and later tried to have me arrested for complaining about it. Still, I have visited the DPW office numerous times and even need to go back for a new transfer station sticker this month. I just need to wear a good disguise!

As far as businesses go... yes, an in-person visit is certainly nicer and often more productive when practical.

Dougster

Okeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy,
So you are not very welcome at DPW. Hmmmm I'm jsut sitting over here in Provence wondering waht that story is about. Okay so I am jsut going to say what is on my mind and go away and not post in here any more. You seem awfully picky about what you are willing to do and how you do it. Although you are hungry for work you don't seem very flexible, everything seems to need to be on your terms.

You have burned your bridges at City Hall and I am just wondering if you have what it takes to be a small business owner. When you are a small business owner it is always the customer first. Without customers you are nothing, which you are finding out. I can make the best olive oil in the world but f I am a SOB, I ain't gonna sell any. I may get one sale but I am never going to get the second, third and fourth sale from the customer. Even initially if i can keep it together and present a good front, eventually I would burn all my sources of suppliers, shippers, and others in my industry. When my German distributor contacts me that they want our back able in multi languages as theya re expanding into toher countries, Immediatly I say, yes no problem we will have new back lables on your next shipment. I dont' sit and calcuate how many of the old labels i have in inventlry, what the difference in price is from what i paid for the old lables to what i will pay for the new ones. The Customer wants diffrent lables, I do it immediatly at no charge. I want to be easy to do business with. I don't want the cusotmers looking around for other French olive Oil with people that are easier to do business with. I want them to always know that all they have to do is call Mas des Bories and it is a done deal. I wnat to own this cusotmer and do everything they want. It is not about me it is about the customer.

To me, and this is only my opinion you seem to focused on yourself and not on the customer. "Oh my gosh how many hours will I have to drive hauling the crap away" etc. Well what is better than hauling the crap away, sitting at home and positng on TBN that you can't seem to close the sales? You got to pay your dues ad build up your business, which means initially perhaps geting off the tractor and doing other stuff. So on this job, you coudn't find anybody to haul away the stuff, well I guess that means if you want the job you will have to do it. Or else you walk away. It seems to me, again only my opinion, you only want the cherry jobs. You want to sit in your tractor and not do anything that takes a lot of effort, and you want to be paid well enough to make a decent living off of the "sit in the tracotr seat efforts".

I am totally NOT trying to be confrontational. I hope you dont' take it as a personal assualt because it is not meant that way. So many people have taken their time to offer you really most excellent advice. Look at FarmingwithJunk, he has more business than he can hadle. I would bet when he started he was not all that picky. if you really truly wnat to have your own small business you will bid the job, figuring in how many loads you personally will have to make with less than ideal equipment to get rid of the stuff. In the meantime if you come up with a better "haul it away solution" the better. But in the meantime you have the job. Which I think is the point of starting your own business and brings me full circle to the point of how important the customer is to your business. If you walk away from a lot of jobs becasue it isn't perfect, it isn't the cherry, you will starve to death.

Again NO pesonal attact meant, or intended in the post. I am sorry to say but again only my opinion, i doubt if you will be successful. Good Luck to you, honstly I wish you good luck.

 

[Dougster]

here is an idea for you doug. follow a dump truck full of the stuff to see where its going or call the guys who are supose to haul off the stuff at the end of your street and see where they are taking it. im sure come monday am all your questions will be answered, we are just doing something up a rope here, lol

Funny thing is that folks were demolishing some old buildings downtown not so long ago. I wonder where they brought all that nasty debris. Must have been much worse than my little job! Too late to ask them now. The wrecking crews are long gone and the new buildings are already half-way up! Still, it wouldn't hurt to snoop around.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Again NO pesonal attact meant, or intended in the post. I am sorry to say but again only my opinion, i doubt if you will be successful. Good Luck to you, honstly I wish you good luck.

Thanks Rox - Your points and all been read and your opinions noted. Thank you for taking the time to write. I don't think you have a good understanding of where I am coming from and what I am trying to accomplish, but that's okay. That's partly my fault... especially in regard to the business issues I choose to write about here on TBN. I'm not out to give folks a complete "open book" view of my businesses and... contrary to common wisdom... I am not looking for an endless stream of general advice and personal criticisms. I do post on particular business issues mainly to see how others in similar businesses have approached or solved problems similar to my own... no more or less. There is a wealth of great knowledge here and I intend to draw on it whenever appropriate to do so.

By definition, my business will always offer surprises and new challenges. No two jobs will ever be the same if I remain lucky enough. I don't do lawns and I don't have endless zillion acre fields to mow. The engineer in me would never stand for that. The money would be great and the work steady and predictable, but I would be miserable. It may not make sense to you, but that's me.

Dougster

 

[workinallthetime]

Tractor work / mowing - $32

Reply to: craigslist.org
Date: 2007-06-28, 1:49PM CDT


I will mow your pasture, meadow, yard, etc., also brushhogging, bladework, loading. Reasonable rates. Contact @AOL.COM. Travel within 15 miles included in labor rate.

this is the competion i have to deal with
horrible add, cheep as dirt rate, and not a good description of his services but i bet with the 32 bones an hour he gets lots of calls.
hope he has insurence

 

[billfires]

Doug, check out G.Lopes / NE Recycling. They also own NER (New England Recycling) and specialize in difficult recyclable materials. They are located in Taunton, MA on Rte. 44. I am willing to bet they have dealt with the kind of debris you are trying to quote. A couple of questions I had. Do you have the capabilities to load tri-axles or 18 wheel dumps with your tractor? Is it possible to build a ramp to enable you to load? I also sent you a PM. Bill C

 

[Dougster]

this is the competion i have to deal with
horrible add, cheep as dirt rate, and not a good description of his services but i bet with the 32 bones an hour he gets lots of calls.
hope he has insurence

Well, different machine and somewhat different work, but that's the same thing I am up against with dozens of different Bobcat services around here... all using crappy old equipment, no insurance, no state license, all under the table paying no taxes and many (if not most these days) using illegal alien labor. Very hard to compete against that benchmark. It's why I tend to need something unique about the job so that the Red Beast and I can compete. Often that means the dual capability of FEL+BH or FEL+3-point in one machine/one visit. Sometimes folks just like someone with a real construction industry background that speaks proper English. Thank God that most of the ultra-cheap Bobcat services are still basically bare-bones bucket work.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Doug, check out G.Lopes / NE Recycling. They also own NER (New England Recycling) and specialize in difficult recyclable materials. They are located in Taunton, MA on Rte. 44. I am willing to bet they have dealt with the kind of debris you are trying to quote. A couple of questions I had. Do you have the capabilities to load tri-axles or 18 wheel dumps with your tractor? Is it possible to build a ramp to enable you to load? I also sent you a PM. Bill C

Thanks very much for the tip Bill! I will call them this morning!

No loading of tri-axles or 18-wheelers I'm afraid... and this jobsite is way to small to build a ramp or even host such a big truck. I will be lucky if I can get a roll-off into the narrow driveway.

Got your PM. I'll contact you later this morning.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Thanks very much for the tip Bill! I will call them this morning!

Well Bill, your folks came through for me! Thank you!

The price is staggering for a "witched brew" mix, but at least they will take it. You do not want to know the price!!!

If I can separate it out, there is a lot of money to be saved... more than half.

Number crunching time!!! This is not going to be a cheap job!!!

Dougster