I'm trying to start a family firewood business. any good advice is welcome

[Bill W]

I lost my job last year. Been struggling for awhile. So I have taken some money and bought a com.Mower and started moving.  But in the winter months I need work. So I'm trying the wood business. Packaging and by the rick. So I'm no stranger the work so i'm ready. 

[luvmexfood]

Best of luck to you. I am sort of in the same boat. Lost my job couple of years ago. Worked at a commercial airport and would have to do a major relocation to get back into that. Plus being 53 years old doesn't help. Was in law enforcement and firefighting at the airport and just too old to compete against younger people.

Don't know what I would have done if I didn't have timber here on the family farm to harvest. Just surviving.

Best of luck to you.

[thecfarm]

Bill W,welcome to the forum. Do a good job and you will do fine. If you say you will be there Friday with a load,be there!!

[goose63]

What thecfarm says and add little extra wood on a cord of wood make the customer happy and he will come back oh and welcome to the Forum

[lynde37avery]

Welcome.

[firemedic589]

Bill W...welcome.

Some advice:

(1) Buy a good splitter, even if it is a single blade to start with. You can upgrade down the road as the business picks up.

(2) Work with a tree service to get the wood. I use to hunt and gather the wood which would take one solid day, now it about 2-3 hours to make the round trip pickup.

(3) I already had one trailer which was difficult if I had to pickup wood and deliver in the same day. I bought a 2nd one and it makes the turn around time much faster, but that is now 5 yrs in to the business, so it takes time.

(4) Split often and split a lot, try and stay ahead of the game for future customers AND dont cheat them, that's how I've gotten a lot of my customers, turn over from other dealers...

my 2 cents. John

[Thewoodman]

Quality, quality and even better quality.

Don't screw over any one and be better than the other guy.

[North River Energy]

It's not so much about the splitter and saw; more so about effective material handling.
Research your intended market, and find a niche you can exploit.
Try to avoid being leveraged.  The market and supply chain can change from one year to the next.
Good luck with your venture.

[Southside]

I know a guy who only sells to small volume customers - 1/8 to 1/4 cord at at time.  He sells to folks in development type of neighborhoods where the HOA rules prohibit having a big pile of wood in the yard.  His price is probably 2 to 3 times what the normal cord delivery guy gets, but he provides service.  The wood is clean, his delivery truck is clean - not new, but clean, he shows up clean, he stacks the wood in a mini shed area and they pay.  Not saying it is the only way to go but don't be afraid to go the extra mile to get into places like that.  Doing the mowing side of the business I am sure you know what I mean about how important service is.  One other thing is be careful about setting your price too low, some people are very leery about the cheapest price as they equate it with cutting corners -think Chinese imported junk. 

[mcourtney]

There is a guy in Pleasanton, Ks that buys and bundles for sale to Quik-Trips up in the K.C. area. If you PM me I will give you his name.

[clww]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
Things are going to get better for you soon!
When I started selling a little bit of firewood eight years ago, I advertised on CL. I sell out ever year before the end of the winter.

[CRThomas]

I lost my job last year. Been struggling for awhile. So I have taken some money and bought a com.Mower and started moving.  But in the winter months I need work. So I'm trying the wood business. Packaging and by the rick. So I'm no stranger the work so i'm ready. 

My wife and I have a firewood business and we live very comfortable on it. We only sell bundled Ash and we sell as much in the summer as the winter. I say we don't sell bulk wood we do a very little we get wood free and it don't split straight so its trash wood to us. We sell it to some lady's across the river. We tried bulk wood but it didn't work for us so by accident we got in to the bundled firewood business. If you get Ash it sell very good when your fly by night sellers run out of dry wood you can bring Ash down to 15 per cent in 24 hours with a small kiln my kiln will hold a cord but I only do a rank at a time or face cord. I can buy a pickup load of Ash for $50.00 resplit to my needed size put in my kiln over night. I can get a 100 bundles out of that truck load whole sell $2.50 retail I get $5.00 a bundle Whole sale $250.00 retail $500.00 I sell 3 to 4 pu loads a week. Our business has grown in to about $300.000.00 worth of equipment. I turn business down because I'm at my max now. The bundled wood business has paid for all the equipment. This might not be for you but food for thought.