Firewood Business

[Mitch3473]

Dont text, call. It's difficult to say no to someone talking to you........................

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Ash? Beech? Birch? Sap and water content?

Two pieces of wood can look and feel exactly the same (to someone who does not know about such things!) and one can produce five times as much heat as the other. Just having a few points more of sap and water can have that effect. Compare the heat given out by three year old seasoned beech, to a lump of this year's birch!

Apologies for being flippant! I think it's always been Ash i've had, they tell me it's seasoned and I take their word for it as a business selling a shedload of the stuff. Or like I say i've had friends say they got theirs from xyz and it's fine.

What I mean more is there's no emotional attachment to using one supplier. Every supplier I've used has dropped wood off that has burned equally as well as the last lot, dropped it off when I asked, and charged round about the same for it. So there's nothing one can offer that would make me actively go back to them....that's more the point I'm making! However like I mention, if they were to prompt me by giving me a call it would probably spur me into action.

Hope that makes more sense

 

[Little Butch]

That makes perfect sense to me. Something I definitely plan on doing.

 

[waveneygnome]

There’s firewood......and firewood.......from my experience and talking to friends, most will try a certain supplier, but if they feel the wood was poor quality, will not use you again. Conversely, if you keep them happy....they’ll keep coming back. We moved into a house with 2 logburners, and tried 4 different suppliers until, I found my current one......and have happily been using them for the past 8 yrs.

I have a friend who does this (too far away from me), and his advice is:

Get cheap business cards made & handout
Actually ask your ‘new’ customers if they could hand out the cards to other people/friends
Offer tarpaulins/sheets to lay on the ground before you tip the wood (keeps your customers driveways nice and clean) and ask them to drop them back to you...saves you a trip
IF you have the time, some elderly customers really need help stacking/moving the wood......you could charge a bit more for this service/or offer it for free......but be careful you don’t make a rod for your own back....once you start this - they will always expect this service
IF you have the time, some pubs/inns/hotels will want the stacking service also.....see above/charge extra?
BEFORE you reverse your heavy loaded trailer with logs onto a driveway....check for weak/damaged manhole covers
BEFORE you tip....just double check you have got the right address!
Write receipts.......makes you look more professional/proper co
Deliver on the day you say / if not phone....some people lay on extra help/even higher education hands for big loads to help with the stacking.....and don’t take kindly to being let down.

Good luck.