There are a lot of folks who would like to enter the field of ADC. I have noticed a lot of redundant questions that are asked over and over and the archives generally have tons of info on these topics or questions unless they have been purged. So... let's take a different direction. The field does require a bit of business sense, investment, customer service and the skill-set necessary to do the job. For those that currently possess these essentials and are ready to start but are still a bit apprehensive then what hurdles are you facing that you have not been able to overcome? For example, is it the equipment expense, insurance, service agreements and other misc forms, pricing and bidding, etc.,? Perhaps if we can put together a list of the top 10 most common hurdles that many of you face then maybe the knowledgeable and experienced ADC folks on this board could provide some insight on how to overcome them and help expedite your entry into the ADC field.

Mike,

I think that is a great idea, especially if they could be made into sticky notes should they become solid threads.
The archives are great and rich, but I think most want some interaction, so having some sticky "top 10 questions"
up front would allow them to stay put and increase in value as things are added.

Nice thought and one needed as you say, these same questions come up weekly again and again, streamlining
would be great!

Justin

Thanks Justin and the sticky notes would be great if we get some good, solid and helpful info they can refer to.

Mike, you make entirely too much sense. You realize of course, that you will never be able to run for public office.

Well if he does run for office I expect him to produce a US birth certificate. And in 24 hours not 6 months.

It would be nice to have productive conversations.

That's what you and Justin are for. If Salys and I wanted to be intelligent, we would have gone to college too.

They do not teach intelligence in college. Perhaps, they just teach persistance to get a piece of paper. Great skills to have when you encounter a challenging coon.

Paul & Dave, sorry but no public office for me as I think you two would make better candidates - Laurel & Hardy comes to mind.

Here is a question to get things rolling....

As a small business owner, what do you do if you do mot have all the skills necessary to get the biz off the ground?

Great - Question #1. Let's compile some more, choose the 10 most asked questions that are relevant to this post and then address them one at time to keep some order. Then if they are archived they will be easy to find.

I think if folks can agree on 10 topics, they can then each be started in their own thread that can be made into a sticky by admin folks.

That would be great, definitely see these most;

1) How to price your services

2) What insurance do you carry

3) What did you buy to startup

4) Best forms of advertising

5) Tax related questions (business structure llc, c corp, s corp, sole proprietor)

6) State license and permit questions

7) Website questions (including social media and other forms of online presence)

8) Available training for nwco's

9) When to go from part time to full time

10) How to know if your area or market is big enough to support your company

Just off the top of my head, those are commonly asked, oh one more though that is always a point of interest

11) Per animal or per job (though this ties back to pricing structure

Justin

p.s. Paul, the nuts and bolts are taught in college, without the decade plus in the field including during college
internships, I wouldn't be half the wildlife biologist that I am now and much of that time was spent in the field
pursuing wildlife species for projects and interacting with the public about the same.

12) Fall protection, what are the requirements?
13) How to decide if additional labor is an employee or contractor?
14) what is the best structure for a company?
15) Tips to handle difficult customers.
16) How do I learn the wildlife control business?
17) Does anyone have a sample business plan?
18) What equipment do I need to buy?
19) How does an ADC operator approach a job? How is it different than fur trapping? Techniques....

Maybe it should be bumped to the top 20 questions instead of 10. These are all good questions that start ups may encounter. However, there has to be 10 common "somethings" either real or perceived that hinders someone from being a hobbyist or part-timer to making the leap to a full time business.

Good point, Mike. These are the types of discussions that should pepper this board to get constructive dialogue going. If the industry is to get better...people need training and there ought to be an industry organization. Unfortunately, everyone can not afford training, and well...there appears to be various opinions regarding org's.

That all said...just start topics on an ongoing basis.

As a start-up myself, I know the "how many traps do I need?" question is probably a never answered one. Seems like I'm actually working for some of our cagemakers on here. And the gas company, and the tire company.

DaveK has a good question in #13 above, What is the determining factor for hiring an employee. Does hiring someone "part time" even have a place in this industry? How do you keep an employee busy enough to work him full time during the slow periods? How would you keep from burning someone out during the busy times? If you hire someone as a contractor, and supposing they pick up animals for you, they would have to be licensed, what stops them from freelancing and competing with you? I guess you'd have to have a pretty daughter or make really good coffee.

Has anyone gotten to the point that they just ride around in a hummer, smoke cigars and only get out of the vehicle for the cameras, or to look for snakes for hot chicks? (just want to know if that is a realistic goal?)

#13 was discussed two issues back....wct magazine.

My thoughts in this business....most people need to classify their help as employees. The determing factor is that we provide tools and direction to the help. If you supply a truck....traps....ladders....then you have an employee.

If you hire someone as a contractor, then it is in your best interest to have them compete or have their own work. This helps qualify them as a contractor...rather than an employee.

You can have both...

Priceless info!!! This is a great help for the start up guy/gal

The employee thing in our industry seems very much like the landscaping model for many that don't do year round pest control as well.

I was a landscaper, irrigation and hardscape foreman before I went back to school and headed down the wildlife road. In the winter every
year everyone was laid off and they collected unemployment till Spring. Some like myself went to school which qualifies as "training" while
others just kicked back and hunted and waited till warmer weather.

I think the need for employees as you get busy spikes or as your business grows is likely one of the most logical things but also the most
stressful.

Two aspects play in for me personally

1) Having enough work to keep this person employed and happy and growing.

2) Trusting that person with my reputation

I know Paul W and others have employees, how did you all decide when, and how to hire?

By the way, this seems like one of the top 10 questions, so should it be started fresh and that way all discussion on the topic can eventually become
a sticky note?

Not sure everyone will ever agree on what the top 10 are, but top 10 or 20, still seems we could start these off and put a parentheses next to the thread topic and then they can be identified as (top 10 startup questions)?

Just a thought,

Justin

It is a good point, that it is difficult to staff properly with such a cyclical business. You will either be over staffed or understaffed. The trick is to find the level that works. There is no need to layoff, but you need to figure a strategy that works for you. As long as the pay is over the minimum level to qualify for unemployment, you need not fear employes applying on their own. Besides, you want to keep them working anyway.

With an employee, you can direct how they do a job....so you can control your reputation to some degree. With a contractor, you can not direct how or when a job is done. You have virtually no control.