Since my vehicle is 11,200 lbs and considering the weight of some of this equipment, I'm considering getting a CDL. I plan on taking a 4 day course in MO for the hands on portion and road test. Does anybody have an advice on a good a source to study for the learners permit? I haven't started YouTube research yet because the algorithm will start force feeding me trucker stuff. In 2 days it'll start showing the top 10 Lot Lizard hacks that no one wants you to know about.

I haven't seen many people talk about specific pricing. Hopefully that's something we're allowed to discuss. I got my first lead last night in the middle of the night. i feel pretty comfortable with my mulching prices, but this specific job has quite a bit of trail cutting involved. All my pricing is setup as project pricing. I don't receive my CTL for a couple more weeks. It's difficult to fill out the crew day sheet when you don't know how much it costs to run the equipment yet. It's a 12 acre property. Customer says there's a portion he wants cleared for a horse pasture and he wants trails cut throughout the rest of the property. I haven't seen the property in person yet, but he attached some photos and it appears to be a medium density job. Do you guys price by sqft or linear ft? If so, would anyone be comfortable sharing their standard rate? If you don't want to share your price publicly, we can keep it in the DMs if you prefer. I'd really appreciate any insight i can get. thanks

Hey everyone. My name is Cameron Miller. A short intro about myself.... I'm 34 yrs old with a wife and 2 kids. USAF Veteran. I'm currently in the process of starting a forestry mulching business in northeast Ohio. I'm still working my 85K/year W-2 job, but things are coming together quick. Got the truck, trailer will be here next week, and waiting a few more weeks on the equipment (CAT 275xe). I feel like I'm in a really good spot at the moment and I'm ready to cruise when the work comes in. Finances are in order and CRM is set up and ready to go. I'm taking a bit of a risk in starting with project pricing off the rip, but I believe it's ready. I've actually automated a good portion of the process. I've built a full automation (customer receives quote while i'm still standing there with him/her), but I don't trust that process without extensive data to test it. So I believe that will be in the future. I have targets for 30, and 60 days, but not necessarily 90 days. (starting when equipment arrives) 30 days - 20-25k revenue 60 days - 45k+ 90 days - sky's the limit i guess My weakness is creatives. I've never been a creative person. Figuring out how to advertise with no equipment, no before/afters, no action videos, that's where I'm struggling. I need to put the pedal down as soon as possible on the ads. I'm excited to find this group of like minded individuals, wanting to grow and help others grow similar businesses. The posts I've read have been very encouraging.

Here's what I've figured out about making good before/after photos: The best before and after photos are as identical as possible, showing only the transformation. When people have to compare other details to see if it's really the same scene it takes away from the potency of the before/after. - At the beginning of a job day, take a photo from a specific spot, make sure you figure out how you'll find that spot again at the end of the day. Keep in mind that forestry mulching work will drastically change the landscape and you might have trouble finding it again. Mark the spot with a stick or something so you can stand in the exact same spot again for the after photo at the end of the day. - Try to choose a scene that will showcase the transformation, ex. brush hiding a building that will be obvious after the work is done, the more chaotic the before photo the more dramatic the after will seem. - When you frame the before photo, take note of some large tree or something else that will remain in the after photo, use this to frame your after photo as close to the before as possible - Make sure you take the photo in landscape mode (phone turned sideways). I tend to also use the widest zoom setting available on my phone, this captures a wider scene. - Having your machine appear to one side of your after photo is a nice touch sometimes, I think it gives a "I did this" vibe. Make sure it's not stealing attention away from the transformation - Combine the before and after photos into one photo. I do this on my phone with Pixlr. It's free and easy enough to use. I choose no borders and no space between the before/after photos. I use the square image format because it has space for 2 landscape photos, before on top, after on bottom. - Do this on EVERY JOB. Post the before/after to IG/FB at the end of EVERY DAY. I also shoot some before/during/after video to post a reel of each job as well. EVERY. DAMN. JOB. My IG has tons of these, feel free to ask me questions if they come up.

Need some help choosing these, i was going to go with the F450 dually diesel and get a gooseneck i heard its easier to drive with the gooseneck. What are you guys currently driving + trailer? I am getting a kubuto 97-3 so it will be heavy, im trying to avoid the cdl route. Does that mean i have to regrade the trailer? I think ill be at about 15k lbs with the mulcher head and tractor.