AuthorsJust a Dad and his three sons passionate about getting rid of as many ugly stumps as they can. Read as Steve, Tyler, Spencer, and Trevor discuss their family business and why they do what they do. Archives
July 2023
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Write us a review!7/3/2023 Reviews are the lifeblood for industries like ours. Small businesses depend on customer reviews in order to have a good first impression on new customers. Statistics show that reviews are just as important as a recommendations from a close relative. The majority of people will look at reviews in order to determine if they should consider using a business. We strive for customer satisfaction, and in fact, we have gotten zero negative customer reviews. We’ve done work with over 1,000 customers since we began our business back in 2020, but despite this, we only have about 20 total reviews. So what prevents people from writing us reviews?
Some surveyors suggest that the main thing stopping people from writing reviews is unwanted attention. People are leery of putting themselves out there and representing an entity outside of themselves. If someone writes us a good review and we do something that contradicts what they say of us, it reflects poorly on the reviewer. It makes sense! The second thing keeping people from writing reviews is that people simply don’t know what to say. We get it, most people aren’t authors and writers. Here’s some tips on overcoming these challenges when writing reviews. First of all, go with businesses that are genuine, professional, and courteous like Mr. Stumpgrinder. You can’t write good reviews for businesses that aren’t reputable. We do our best to go above and beyond our customers’ expectations. We guarantee our work and ensure our customers are satisfied. Secondly, write your review anonymously or on a first name basis. That safeguards your name from being misrepresented by the poor practices of a business should it ever happen. Lastly, keep your reviews simple. Most people aren’t looking for a novel when they look through reviews, in fact, most people are only looking for negative reviews. So your reviews can be short, sweet, and concise. In your reviews, think of the top two to three things that stood out to you about the business; these are the reasons why you would hire them again and recommend them to others. If you can’t think of anything that stood out about them, perhaps they didn’t meet your expectations or just did an average job. We’re not looking to do just so so work. We strive to impress our customers! So if you were particularly satisfied with our work, consider leaving us a review!
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Does hiring local matter?6/26/2023 In today's globalized world, it's easy to forget about the importance of supporting local businesses. Many consumers turn to online retailers or big-box stores for their shopping needs, without realizing the impact that this can have on their local community. However, there are many reasons why hiring local businesses is important, and why we should all make an effort to support them.
One of the most significant benefits of hiring local businesses is that it helps to create jobs in the local community. When you hire a local business, you are directly supporting the employment of people who live and work in your area. This not only helps to keep money within the community, but it also helps to build a stronger, more resilient local economy. In addition to creating jobs, hiring local businesses can also help to preserve the unique character and culture of a community. Local businesses are often owned and operated by people who live in the area and have a deep understanding of its history and traditions. By supporting these businesses, we are helping to maintain the distinctive character and identity of our communities, which can be lost when large, homogenized chains move in. Another benefit of hiring local businesses is that it helps to build stronger relationships within the community. When you work with a local business, you are more likely to develop personal connections and relationships with the people who run it. This can create a sense of camaraderie and support within the community, which can be incredibly valuable in times of crisis or hardship. Finally, hiring local businesses can simply be a better customer experience. Local businesses often offer more personalized and attentive service than larger corporations, as they have a vested interest in building strong relationships with their customers. Additionally, local businesses are often able to offer more unique and specialized products or services than larger chains, which can make for a more satisfying and enjoyable shopping experience. At Mr. Stumpgrinder, we're happy to be family owned and locally operated. The money you pay us gets put right back into our local economies. Don't forget to support local!
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Don’t tree guys take care of stumps?6/19/2023  Bad review of a local tree service who never came back for the stump. The short answer is yes. The long answer is; it depends. You would think that tree service companies typically handle both the tree and the stump, but there are a few nuances to factor in before you hire a tree company to grind your stump.
Tree guys generally don’t like grinding stumps. We’ve talked to numerous tree companies who say they actually hate stump grinding. Why do they hate grinding stumps? They make way less money grinding the stump than they do cutting the tree down. They don’t want to do it, and sometimes they just won’t do it, even if they were hired for the job. It takes them more time that they could be using cutting down more trees. They won’t tell you to your face, but trust us when we say the guy cutting down your tree probably doesn’t really want to grind your stump. The cost for the tree company to cut the tree and grind the stump doesn’t always make sense for them. Often times, their customers aren’t ready to pay to have the stump ground when the tree is cut initially, meaning they aren’t guaranteed to even use their very expensive high maintenance grinder on every tree they cut. They may own their stump grinder outright, but many times, it’s a big expensive machine that they don’t use often enough to justify owning. Some tree companies will own smaller less costly machines to offset that cost. Others may simply rent stump grinders to take care of their customers stumps, but then again, these rental grinders and smaller machines make grinding the stumps take longer making it even more costly for them. Long story short, stump grinding machines are hard to maintain and break down often and if you don’t have a big one it takes a long time to grind a stump. If you do get a tree guy to grind your stump, you may be disappointed in the result. They didn’t want to do it in the first place, they may do it in haste and miss quite a lot. Good luck getting them to come back to fix it. Most tree services would rather not offer stump grinding at all than risk getting bad reviews for doing a poor job. This is why we have many tree companies who recommend grinders like us to finish the job. We’re quick and easy, and ensure our customer’s satisfaction. Now it’s important to note that not all tree companies are like this, but we’ve seen and heard enough to know better than to hire tree companies for stump grinding. Leave it to the guys who make it the focus of the business; like Mr. Stumpgrinder. All we do is grind stumps, and we love doing it. Our work is guaranteed so that you can rest assured knowing that if we missed a spot, we’ll make it right quickly with no questions asked. Trevor
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Who does your marketing?6/5/2023  Two near identical ads in the news paper for different roof and gutter companies. It won’t surprise you that I get asked a lot who does all of our branding and marketing. We’re proud of the fact that we are family owned and operated. We do as much work in house as possible. We work on the machines, we maintain our trucks, and yes, we handle 100% of our marketing in house. I (Trevor) have a particular nak for this stuff and I’ve a ton of fun doing it. It certainly helps to have such an awesome brand to work with. My Aunt Sharie (Steve’s sister) designed all of our branding; but beyond that, I’ve developed the website and facebook pages so that our online customer interactions are seamless.
I am by no means a professional at this, but I’m learning a lot and I know what looks good and what doesn’t. My bottom line has always been to simply put out material that looks good. So many companies put so little effort into their brand that they don’t look any different from their competition. We’re different; we feel our brand sets us apart and gives us an edge on our competition. I’ve come up with most of our marketing ideas and figured out how to drive more traffic to the website and facebook pages so we can reach more customers. So if you’re watching one of our video ads, or facebook posts, you’re most likely looking at my handiwork. Trevor
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How do you remove a stump yourself?5/29/2023  So maybe you’re not ready to hire a professional just yet. I get that. I do all of my own work too. I change my oil, paint our interior, and mow our lawn. There’s lots of jobs I’d rather do myself, simply because I can. Before you get excited to get rid of that stump yourself, let me tell you some of the ways I’ve seen it attempted.
Burning You can burn a stump out but it’s going to take a lot of time. You will likely have to leave the stump burning for several hours or days which poses a bit of a wild fire hazard. Not only that, but it likely won’t burn all the surface roots, which may leave you with still having to hire a stump grinder. Chemicals You can use specialized chemicals to rot a stump a little faster, but not by much. These chemicals are dangerous to you, your kids, and pets. They may also prevent grass from regrowing in the same spot. Rental Stump Grinder You can go rent a grinder in some hardware stores. I caution people against this though. Rental grinders are not typically very powerful, meaning it will take a long time to grind your stump, possibly longer than what you anticipate, making it just as expensive to hire a professional. It’s likely that if your stump is bigger than 6 inches across, they won’t even let you rent it. These little rentals are not meant for large stumps. You also won’t have the same level of expertise when it comes to grinding your stumps with precision and care. You will also be liable to any damage done to your home or property. We always recommend to avoid the hassle and hire a professional like Mr. Stumpgrinder. This may be your more expensive option, but our work is guaranteed, and we’re licensed and insured.
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Will insurance cover stump grinding?5/22/2023 It’s always possible that the tree love so much in your front yard will fall. The manner in which it falls will determine whether or not your homeowners insurance will cover it. In Most cases, fallen tree removal is covered on your policy. Stump grinding is a part of the removal process and can likely also be covered under your policy.
So what fallen trees are covered? If your tree fell on your home in all cases except earthquakes, floods, rot, or age, it’s likely covered. In some cases, even if the tree falls on your yard or property, it can be covered. In cases of fire, lighting, explosion, riot, aircraft, vehicles not owned by you, vandalism or theft, tree and stump removal is covered even if it did not fall on your house or other structures. It’s important to know what your policy covers. Talk to your agent or insurance provider today to see if you can get that ugly stump ground. We’re happy to work with you.
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Flat Tire Fiascos5/15/2023  Sometimes, life happens. There is no exception when it comes to stump grinding. But occasionally, when it does happen, it’s in unexpected ways. By now, I know to expect my machine to go down at least once during a job in one season. But I rarely expect silly things like flat tires to happen.
Two times I’ve had tire fiascos en route to and from jobs. The first time it happened on my way up to a job in Fort Wayne. I was going down the highway when one of my bent up fenders must’ve caught the trailer tire when I hit bad pot hole. Fortunately I was close enough to i69 Trailer Center who fixed me up with a new tire. I did have to leave my trailer and machine there on the side of 69 which I was not happy about. I would’ve been in trouble if anything happened to it while I was getting the new tire. Fortunately I came back, and after a bit of finagling with my awful emergency bottle jock in my truck, I was up and running again. It only cost me an hour and a new tire. The second time came after I had upgraded to my tilt deck trailer. We bought it cheap and refurbished it to be useable again. It had an older style axel that they don’t make anymore for good reason. The tire bolts are designed in such a way that if just one were to fail, the whole wheel would come right off. And that’s exactly what happened. There must’ve been a hairline crack in those old wheel bolts and two snapped right off and that wheel went flying. As I came to a stop, that tire kept right on going straight into the middle of a corn field. All this happening during a torrential down pour. I quickly retrieved the tire, unhitched my trailer leaving it all behind once again to get new parts . As quick as I could, I returned with the parts and my broken bolt removal tool. In the pouring rain, I got the bolts out and put the tire back on and I headed home at last; albeit soaking wet. So, lessoned learned: always keep a spare. Trevor
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Buying the SC60TX5/1/2023  When I decided to get into the stump grinding business several years ago now I jumped in with both feet. I had a good job that paid the bills and I could’ve, and some would probably say should’ve just ridden it out until retirement. But instead I took the plunge and went all in. I quit my job, sold my house, loaded up and moved from Roanoke, Virginia back to my old stompin’ grounds in Michigan.
I knew nothing about the stump grinding business but fortunately for me, I had a life-long friend that had gotten into stump grinding 20 years earlier and had built it into a thriving business and was having trouble keeping up with the demand. Instead of seeing me as his competition he brought me on as a partner of sorts. Instead of turning down business he was too busy to handle he referred those jobs to me. I in turn would give him a percentage of what I earned from those jobs. It was a win for us both. But I’m getting ahead of myself. My plan was to hit the ground running as soon as we got back to Michigan. To do so I would need to have a machine ready to go. The price of even used machine was mind blowing. Little 25 hp entry level machine were $20k and Bigger mid-level machines could run $75-85k new. I didn’t just need a machine, I also needed to buy a truck and trailer. In addition my friend advised me to buy the “biggest machine I could afford.” I didn’t have any savings to draw from and nobody was going to lend me money to start a business so I finally decided to take out a home equity loan. I traded in a car and bought a 2014 Ram 3500. With the $25,000, I started shopping for a stump grinding machine. After searching unsuccessfully for several months for the right machine my friend offered to sell me his 2005 Vermeer SC60TX. It was an old machine that had seen a lot of use and he only used as a back up after he bought a larger machine. He sold the machine and trailer to me for half what he could’ve gotten for it. That spring was the year of the pandemic. Two days after we moved, Michigan was locked down for six weeks. I wasn’t able to get started grinding stumps as soon as I would’ve liked, but by mid April it was full speed ahead. Turns out the lockdown proved to be beneficial for the stump grinding business. People got tired of staring at the ugly stumps in their yards while working from home. Once I got rolling that spring I had enough business to pay for my first machine in the first 2 months. It obviously would’ve taken longer if I had to pay full market value. But my advice to anyone getting into the stump grinding business is buy the biggest machine you can afford. It feels risky but if you work hard it’ll pay for itself in no time! The old SC60TX has required some big ticket maintenance, including a new motor but It’s a great machine that grinds fast and has made and continues to make money for our business. Since I’ve upgraded machines, Trevor in Indiana is now running the SC60TX. Steve
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Family Owned and Locally Operated4/27/2023  The beginning of my second season in the business, my youngest son, Trevor who is an ordained minister was called to pastor a small rural church in northern Indiana. The church board let him know upfront know up front that this was a part-time position and that he would have to have a second job to support his family. With one season under my belt I was convinced that Stump grinding would offer him the best opportunity to work a part-time job to help support his family without taking too much time away from his ministry duties.
He agreed so I invested a second machine. It was a used Vermeer SC372 37 hp diesel machine. The first season he supplemented his income by about $8000 working very part-time. His two older brothers saw this as an opportunity for them as well, So I bought a third machine for my oldest son Tyler who teaches High School in northern Michigan. This third machine was a new Bandit SG40 38 hp gas. powered track machine. My middle son Spencer and I live close enough that he uses my machine on weekends. After one season the 3 of them earned $40K working just a few hours each week. So this year we’ve made it official and formed a family business; O’Dell Odysseys LLC. Our new business has allowed us to expand into more areas. We grind stumps in Jackson, Hillsdale, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Eaton, Ingham and Mecosta counties in Michigan as well as Grant, Wells, and Allen County in Indiana. My boys and I have always been close but working together with them in business has been better than I even imagined. Our Mr. Stumpgrinder business venture has allowed them to significantly supplement their incomes without taking too much time away from their growing families. It has also helped supplement my income and the plan is for it to eventually provide a portion of my retirement. In the meantime we continue to look for ways to build the business and dream of starting other businesses together. Steve |
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Mr. Stumpgrinder is based in Calhoun County and most of south and west central Michigan as well as northern and central Indiana. If we can line up several jobs in your area outside of that and you’re willing to wait on our travel schedule, we can guarantee you a quality job at a fair price.
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Came today to give an estimate and was prepared to do it then if we wanted. Fast, efficient, affordable and a really nice guy
Posted by Patty OHaver on Thursday, June 3, 2021
I can honestly say Mr. Stumpgrinder was amazing. I messaged him over the weekend and here it is Monday evening and the hideous stump is gone. I can not be happier.
Posted by Cindy McTaggart on Monday, May 10, 2021