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Great idea! Very good advertisement if you're simply just helping people in your community with your business resources. Thinking long term (3 to 6 months). People will appreciate and remember your help, especially if you're not out to make a quick buck out of other people's current misery…
Cheers BGF - but there's the moral point! I am not suggesting this to be a volunteer opportunity since costs have to be covered and bills paid.
Nonetheless I also thought it could be a door opener for the future when handled professionally, courteously and without the intent to charge inflated prices because the demand is there.
Cheers, Eugene
(Back to finding the going rate for sandbags and comparing it to my own (emerging) price structure).
Not sure about now as demand for our skills will be limited - only lending a valuable extra pair of hands where needed etc. if you have the time ....
However later there will be many extra opportunities in getting gardens back up to scratch in the Spring . . Restoring borders . lawns , replacing plants , sorting out ponds , cleaning patios , fence, shed , garden furniture repairs etc. etc. Going to be a busy start to the season me thinks!
If my area was hit by the flooding i would be thinking the same as you Eugene..
To be honest I think you'd be told to **** off if you mentioned charging for it, even if it was just to recover costs and not to make profit.
I agree Seth. Just give help if you can, there is much more value in that, than trying to make money from people's misfortune.
The 'opportunities' will come later, with the clear up and reinstatement.
Seth Burgess said:
As long as the potential client as insurance, it will be the insurance company paying, there will be all the large flood restoration company's like Rainbow international who started out as carpet cleaners down like vultures making a packet so if you can get a piece of the cake go for it.
I understand if its out of ones own pocket however this is why householders have insurance.
Remember people get charges silly amounts so you are allowed to charge insurance company's large amounts providing all the paper work is in order you will do good out of the floods
I have to agree with some points regarding moral reasons. I don't like the idea of charging people in serious need. Its not like they are having party this weekend and need their grass mowed. Charging a flat rate or equivalent just doesn't feel/ seem right at this moment.
However I also understand that we all need to make money and have business's to run but this IMO is not the way to go about it and would be frowned upon.
if you can get there in the first place either road conditions or police stopping you i don't think you will get any sales as the sand/bags are provided by the E/A or government at there expense.
as for insurance companies they usually have company's that they use a lot so they get big discounts off the job. if you do manage to get a job there will be at least three different quotes for it and then expect them to phone you to knock the price down, and don't expect gardening jobs soon as the first priority will be the house
I think it's an excellent goodwill opportunity but I wouldn't dream of charging.
There are undoubtedly going to be opportunities for carrying out garden reparations/new build after the floods have subsided so donating sand and sandbags might just turn out to be a wise marketing spend.
However I think the emphasis should be on genuinely helping the communities that have been hit by floods and any work at a later date would just be a bonus.