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How to start a stump grinding business
Stump removal can be a lucrative business, so here are some tips for making money from your stump grinder
If you own a stump grinder, then offering stump grinding services for your friends and neighbors makes sense.
It can be a great way to recoup the investment you made on your machine, or even start making a profit. If you already run your own tree service business, you can add stump grinding to your toolbox too and really maximize your revenue by taking advantage of every step in the tree removal process.
Matt, a member of the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group, says he "just bought a stump grinder. I do a lot of clearing/tree work. I plan on supplementing those jobs with grinding, but also offering grinding as a stand alone service."
But what do you need to do (other than owning a stump grinder) to get into offering stump grinding services? Many startup entrepreneurs don't know how to start a stump grinding business, but thankfully many people in the Woodland Mills community have shared their wisdom and how they make money through stump grinding.
Charging for stump grinding
How much are you suppose to charge customers as a stump removal business?
That's something that depends on many factors, namely your area, the job and how much profit you want to make on a job.
Daniel, a Woodland Mills stump grinder owner, says he'll have customers send pictures of the job first to give them a quote, but he's also comfortable adjusting the price on the fly.
"Based on the picture he sent, I quoted $30 per stump, 10 stump minimum. These are all cottonwood or something like that, clearly not oak. Thirty minutes into the job, maybe 45 minutes, I’ve completed over 15 stumps. I’m not one to take advantage of folks. So I told the customer $30 is too much. We agreed on the balance of the job would be a total of $700 set price."
Meanwhile Jonathan says "in my area it's about $6/inch. Seems like most people are willing to pay $10 an inch."
So see what other stump grinders in your area are charging and use that as a baseline to set your price, whether that's per stump, per hour or per inch of grinding. The good news about charging per stump is that, for more stumps ground, you make more money. But sometimes a particularly challenging stump takes up more of your time.
But if you charge per inch, that may be a more accurate assessment of your work, but you have to put in the effort of measuring each stump you plan on grinding.
To summarize, you could charge:
-
- Per stump
- Per inch
- Per hour
These are the types of decisions you have to make when offering a stump grinding service.
Having all the equipment you need
Before you tear up that tree stump and leave a nice, satisfying hole in the ground, you need the right equipment to do the job.
It's possible someone has a tree stump in their yard, and they've requested you to come in and get rid of it. But not every job is like that, and sometimes it won't be a nice clean stump in the middle of a yard that you'll be removing.
You could offer a full tree removal service, offering to cut down dying or dead trees and then get rid of the stump too. While there are a lot of arborists and service providers out there that will cut down trees, there aren't as many stump removal companies, and surprisingly most tree companies will put the responsibility on their customers to get rid of the stumps.
Offering stump grinding, stump removal and then tree removal on top of that is a great way to offer an all-in-one experience for your customers. However, if you choose to do this, make sure you have the skills and equipment to safely take down trees, and that you're following all the proper permitting processes in your area.
But that means you not only need to have the tools to fell a tree, but maybe also a wood chipper to remove any wood debris, or you could also have a portable sawmill to turn that fallen timber into useable lumber afterwards. You could even keep the wood chips to sell or use them around your own property if the customer doesn't want them.
Spreading word of mouth for stump removal
Another challenge you may face is how to market your stump grinding business to the world, or at least to your local area. Grinding stumps can be easy compared to trying and spread word about your new business venture. Having a smart business plan that takes this into account is key.
Many sawyers, woodworkers and small tree care companies will use Facebook Marketplace to advertise their services, which is a great low cost platform to get the word out.
Getting a few jobs under your belt is also key, as a client may become a repeat customer, and share their experience with others to recruit even more potential customers.
It may be helpful to form connections with tree care providers in your area, especially ones who don't offer to grind stumps, as you may become their go-to recommendation for their clients. Tree services can be a helpful resource for your business long term, so forming a friendly connection is important.
You could even reach out to construction companies or associations in your area. While many large scale operations will likely have a more expensive stump removal solution on hand, they may have smaller jobs they are able to recommend.
Get out there and get stump grinding
Hopefully you now have a stronger idea of how to start a stump grinding business. There are plenty of other stump grinding experts out there who may be able to help share ideas too.
Check out the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group and see what others have to say about their experience offering stump removal services in their areas.
Lots of people have made money offering their stump grinding, and you can join them and make a bit of cash on the side, or expand your business idea and turn it into a full time venture!