A repeat customer for tomorrow said the white oak and hickory delivery last time was hard to start. I told him softer wood would light easier, but not burn as long. So he agreed to Ash vice the white oak and hickory from last time. I added an extra wheelbarrow load of very dry black walnut to his load to help out in starting his fires. If he thought my firewood sucked, he certainly wouldn't have asked me for another delivery. Have found there are those customers that are never happy, but they keep calling me back. WTF. I would like to fire them since I sell every stick of firewood I produce.
Making the bank. Averaging 3 face cords a day since Christmas. No orders today when I arrived home about 3. Within 15 minutes, I had three for tomorrow. So another evening with my headlight on loading deliveries. Was so looking forward to a day off. Have a love and hate thing about firewood lately.
Selling firewood full time requires a lot of flexibility. No orders for days, and then the hoards want firewood today.
Don't mind getting personal in the firewood business since that is what this site is all about. Have averaged over 10K a month since August. The first five days of January are on fire and should yield a record month. Have about 150 seasoned face cords of oak and hickory stacked in the woodyard, so whatever the demand is, it will be met. Tips have been on the weak side the last few months, but only takes one face cord to make that up during a month. Have noticed a lot of firewood trucks parked along side of roads on my deliveries the past few weeks. Is this just a thing in my region or happening in other parts of the country? What a waste of time in my opinion. If I am not delivering, I am cutting, splitting and stacking. I'll see the same truck parked for hours as I make my deliveries.
Have had a lot of customers lately wanting me to cut down or cut up their fallen trees. Have done this in the past, but have determined it is not cost effective. Isn’t always premium wood, they want to chat forever when I arrive, and the time distance fuel math doesn’t work for me. I can cut until I am a 110 on my property without engaging in any weirdness.
Sold my thirteen and fourteenth face cords today only six days in to the month. And colder weather is on the way. One of my repeat customers today is an investment banker and does Venture Capital stuff on the side. Pay me by check and I know your address and full name; amazing what I can learn about you on LinkIn, Zillow and etc. Anyway, as his family was heading out to a Monster Truck thing, he said "the Nanny could help me out with any thing while they were gone." I know some customers might think I am a poor White Trash dude down on my luck having to sell firewood to pay the bills, but nothing close. Only one thing the Nanny could help me out with; stacking the firewood.
I have enjoyed reading your posts, thank you. I would explain "parked trucks" as a different business model than yours. Your business model is to be a top tier or premium sole proprietor in my opinion. Other business models based on ads I have seen and some could have "parked trucks": - Hobby -Part-time -Opportunist, sells when time, wood, and/or buyers appear -Processor, crew configuration, 200-300+ full cords, usually advertises and/or has a web page, some are premium service while others "bulk" delivery (2 full cords per load) -Waste disposal, i.e. saw mill, tree service... "Parked trucks" could be just part of their "business plan".
Pretty certain the "Parked Trucks" along the roadsides are older retired guys since I actually seem them chatting and smoking together during the middle of the work week. Twelve of my fourteen sales this month have been to repeat customers which works great towards the bottom line. Repeats allow me to be more efficient in maximizing face cords sold per trip and reduce mileage/fuel consumption. Newbies want their wood today or first thing tomorrow. Selling the best firewood possible with great customer service is what I strive for. A lot of customers are shocked when I answer their calls and texts immediately and deliver the same or next day. Easy in the Nashville area to be better than all the others. Think my military career molded me well for the firewood business.
First day since Christmas I didn't sell a stick of firewood. So I bought three loads and got two of them split and stacked. Knowing Nashvillians, my phone will be exploding for firewood the day before the big Chill moves in. And I'll get a lot of calls wanting firewood when the roads are covered with snow and ice. Sorry, but my truck is not worth risking for your warmth.
I have mentioned this before. Single women (elderly or divorced) are a large part of my repeat customer base. Even the wives are the primary people who contact me. They prefer hot fires over cold men (dead or alive), and are very loyal when treated well. I treat them very well. This group of customers receives my small to medium sized splits and an extra 1 cuft bundle of kindling. Just one of these customers has referred me to four other friends. Have my truck loaded with a 50/50 rick of white oak and hickory for one of these ladies for a Wednesday delivery. Busted my Ash after getting home from deliveries today to get my truck loaded and parked inside the garage for her delivery before the rain arrived. Cold and nasty weather headed for Middle Tn and everywhere else.
Another repeat single female added on to tomorrow's deliveries. Maybe I should advertise "Firewood for single women" and see what happens. And the majority of these women help me stack. Most of the fat lazy men pay me when I arrive and go back inside. And yes, glad they go back inside; nothing worse than a worthless guy talking non-stop while unloading and stacking.
Extremely lucrative firewood day. Nine Benjamins, a Grant, and a couple other dead Presidents. Three separate face cord deliveries all to repeat customers. Started heading back home around 3pm and didn't have a single order. Within :45 had four scheduled. Thought I would have a relaxing evening grilling some steaks and a few cold ones. Nope. Over three hours of loading and making kindling bundles for tomorrow's deliveries. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Another three face cords of deliveries today. Zero tips and a doctor gave me a bad check. The doctor called me and said he had written me a check on a closed account. Called my Credit Union and had it canceled. He is leaving me another check at his wood pile tomorrow. Fortunately, have another deliver close by so not a big deal. Crazy, but have doubled by gross in eleven days over all of last January. Averaging three face cords a day in deliveries. Will it keep up? Only getting colder the next ten days.
The doctor just had me dump the wood on a cement pad next to the garage. I don't take pictures of my ugly deliveries. Multi million dollar house and no firewood rack. WTF. Typical though for a lot of my customers.
Shaping up to be a decent month. Twenty-two face cords out the door in 12 days. 15-20k in the cards. Wind was blowing 30 mph this evening and gusting over forty, but was out splitting and stacking hickory. Trying to get ahead of my restaurant demand for this coming Spring and Summer. White oak has been my most demanded firewood in the past, but the last six months it has been hickory.
My woodyard covering has been pretty much destroyed with all the high winds. Staples, cement blocks, etc. just don't hold up under serve winds. Metal roofing just flys away.
