A lot of people don’t appreciate the costs of running and maintaining equipment like that. We always found it cost effective to buy top end new 2 stroke tools, which went against my usual way of thinking to be honest. The majority of our 2 stroke equipment are Stihl, and we have 1 disc cutter and chain saw that are husqvarna. It was all a very big outlay, but compared to paying for repairs and hiring when they didn’t work like when we did when we first started trading, it was definitely worth it.
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I got hit hard with COVID, no work and I had to get cheap to get started, first-year trading. but when I have a few pennies saved up then I am looking at going and getting Stihl. I hear good things about them, and the guy down at our local mower place raves about them, so come highly recommended by a lot of people.
I also found I was underquoting people, to try and get business, and this was costing me more money jus to find work. now I seem to have found that even mark, and a little bit of money is starting to flow in.
There is quite a bit of competition here as well but I think it is worth it :D
I had good advice many years ago, and it was “never undervalue yourself”. Of course the climate is a bit different lately. We suffered, but will get through it. Had a lot of unpaid time off in lockdown, along with jobs getting cancelled when we come out. But all will fall into place in the end.
I'm a big believer in that too.
At the begging of the year, I was so pumped and ready to make £££££, and after careful planning and marketing, I had some big jobs in place, somewhere over £7000 for the biggest one. and they got canceled. I had been out in February marketing and quoting and people showed love and support.
I was that hard up when lockdown easied I went to a job, and underquoted just to get money in. I took £70 for two days work and on that second day, I had to get help in otherwise I would have been there for 3 days.
I couldn't see that light at the end of the tunnel, until my mum said to me, "never underestimate your worth".
This then got me thinking about things in a different light.
I then decided that I needed to make £20 an hour, around £600 a week, I then decided that I wouldn't budge on this as everyone tries to make it cheaper than what it needs to be.
I have had people try their luck and I have stuck to my guns and weeded out the cheap jobs that no one wants to do.
I have been that busy over the past month I have also taken on 2 guys to help with the workload, and people now pay double for my services, which then makes it £50 an hour.
And I am still busy. which should mean that I am doing something right. :D
I had good advice many years ago, and it was “never undervalue yourself”. Of course the climate is a bit different lately. We suffered, but will get through it. Had a lot of unpaid time off in lockdown, along with jobs getting cancelled when we come out. But all will fall into place in the end.