Install a tree. Get paid three times. Once for the tree, once to deliver, once to plant.
Installations
I get repeated requests for installation. As supplied trees get larger, this becomes more critical. A fit person can install a 10-15 gallon tree without too much hassle, but for someone who isn't inclined to garden work, they are very willing to pay you to install.
I have done installs in late June. My usual charge is the price of the tree. E.g. A row of 3 apple trees will be $100 per tree for the trees, $100 per tree to install and the usual $150 delivery charge to Edmonton. These prices are deliberately high because I don't really want to do it. At my present scale I regard installs as a distraction from running the farm. If you go down this route, train an employee to do them. Pay them a few bucks extra per hour for install jobs, or pay them half of the installation fee. Set it up so that they have several to do on the same day. Try to couple it with deliveries -- eg. They spend Saturday doing two deliveries and 3 installs. If you can do this, then the 2.5 hour round trip costs can be split over several customers, and you can lower your rates and still make money.
Economics of Installs
Note that when you are selling a service, price it at several times the cost of your labour to do the actual service. You need to cover the slack time, and the transportation costs. In the apple example above, you are going to drive 200 km ($100) 2.5 hours labour for two people at $18/hour just for the drive ($90) Half an hour unloading, agreeing where they go. 20 minutes to plant each tree. That's another hour and a half labour. = $54. We're at 240 bucks outlay. So you could drop your prices to $100 for edmonton delivery and 50 bucks a tree to plant, and break even. This assumes your people don't stop and eat lunch while the meter is running, and get promptly back to work once they get back. Nor did you count loading the trees, verifying you had the right orders on board…
Lodgepole Pine in our front yard.
Got something to say? Email me: sfinfo@sherwoods-forests.com
Interesting? Share this page.
Share
Want to talk right now? Talk to me: (8 am to 8 pm only, please) 1-780-848-2548
Back to Top
Copyright © 2008 - 2018 S. G. Botsford
Sherwood's Forests is located about 75 km southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. Please refer to the map on our Contact page for directions.