Back in 2010, I had to choose between a steady office job at a local insurance company or buying a beat-up chipper and starting my own tree service. I picked the chipper.

4 comments

4 Comments

Look at how many tree guys go broke though. That office job would have given you a real check every week, health insurance, and a retirement plan. Owning a business sounds great until you're the one lying awake worried about the next storm or the next truck repair. Your cousin got lucky, but for every one of him there are ten guys who lost their shirts.

ryanprice1mo ago

You're right about the "real check every week" thing, that's what I used to believe too. But I watched my neighbor build a landscaping business from one beat up truck. Yeah he ate beans for a year, but now he's booked solid months out. That office safety net can also be a trap that keeps you from building something that's actually yours. The risk is real, but so is the reward if you can tough out the start.

joseph4481mo ago

Tell you what, watching my buddy try to start a pressure washing business cured me of any big ideas. Dude spent his last grand on a commercial unit, then it rained for three straight weekends. He's back driving for Amazon now. I guess you need the hustle and the weather to both cooperate.

nathan8512mo ago

My cousin did the same thing with a used stump grinder. He said the first two years were rough, but now he has a crew of four guys.