This is like the Catch 22 for a lot of operators. Some are very willing to give guidance while others either won't or will give bad guidance. For instance, when I first started another operator told me that I needed a Federal permit to work with bats, pigeons, starlings and house sparrows. They also told me that I needed to purchase several dozen specialty traps that would have been illegal to use. Then there was another operator who wouldn't even talk to me because they didn't want the competition.
The first operator receives absolutely nothing from me. I don't talk bad about them when I am told we're competing for the same job, but they homeowner sure questions what they were told by them when I'm done. After all, it is easy to con someone that doesn't know anything about the problem but once they are educated, it is a different issue all together.
For the second operator, it only took about 6 months before he sent me a job and since then we've sent multiple jobs back and forth along with him consulting me on how to perform several bat jobs.
My approach is that I will gladly offer advice to those starting out as I would rather have them educated and understanding of issues rather than having to deal with the consequences of their actions. But as Dave K says, you don't want to do the work for them. Any work that I have lost because of this approach isn't the fault of thenew operator. Instead, it is my fault for becoming complacent and not doing what I should have done. When you think about it, if you're company that already has at least one year’s worth of experience it is almost impossible for a new company to overtake you unless you don't put forth the effort to stay ahead of them.
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