Ins and Outs of Multiple Roadside Stands. Our End of Season Results!

[@jessejones9830]

Thanks guys,,i wish I could get my customers down here to understand the value in pine ,I love it ,especially for campfire, it burns fine.lol

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Around here pine is half the $ as hardwood and the pine has a lot of flames so that’s what most people use . Plus ya get that snap crackle pop with the pine .

[@Mainelywork]

🤘Love that you guys are always thinking and trying new ideas to see what works and what doesn’t. Great to see ideas pay off and sometimes Hard to admit defeat. It also saves some of us a lot of time and effort as well!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I’m always up for a good challenge but my my success rate is not very good lol I’m just too stubborn to quit .

[@NeighborlyHomestead]

Holy smokes! That's a lot of bundles! Congratulations on a great season Phil and Karen!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Tim just starting to gear up production for next yr .

[@davidshadwick4886]

That's a massive amount of bundles. You both are some hard workers.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks David we try an stay busy we’re shooting for 10,000 next yr

[@toddsoutsideagain]

Wow!! I just realized that I must be a horrible firewood seller😂 I thought my roadside stand was busy! You are absolutely right. There’s no way that what you’re doing is a weekend or after work gig. Just my little roadside stand at my house keeps me busy enough. That is awesome. Good for you guys! Take care Phil and Karen👊🏻

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I tend to be a slow learner so adding more stands might not be the best idea for us but I’m gona push for more lol. I think with enuf stands and the numbers to back it up this bundle thing could be a saleable business to someone once we’re done . The trick is finding someone crazy enuf to take it on lol .

[@CherylGagnon-c3o]

Nothing wrong with those roadside stands except the low life that steal. Thats a lot of $ and hard work to lose because of theft. It will be good to see next year's profit and loss comparison. Excellent video!❤💜

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Sadly it’s a fact of life. Should be an interesting season next year! Thanks Mom

[@JerrySpindler]

How many of your viewers are running the total of bagged sales times the average dollar per sale and have come up with a rough total of what they think is the profit you made at your business! I will guess that at least 75% of those individuals have no idea what it takes to do what you do to run yours, or any type, of business. I think what makes your videos so great is you both are very hard working, down to earth, fun loving people who run your own life and business the way you want, thank you for the great entertainment!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I’m sure lots of folks ran the numbers and realized we work our tails off an we ain’t getting rich but we’re having lots of fun . There is quite a bit to keeping everything going bulk hardwood bulk pine stump grinding and sawing lumber keeps us strait out 7 days a week . Really the only reason we make videos is we like the interaction we get from hearing from everyone in the comments and seeing them at the shows it honestly is what drives us to to keep going an pushing harder .

[@jasonracette6143]

To paraphrase Chris from In the Woodyard, "How many road stands are enough?" Phil's response, "You can never have enough road side stands." Karen's reaction...slow eye roll...but always with a smile. You folks are salt of the Earth. You are a great example for anyone running a business...it takes hard work, long hours, a huge team effort. Great job! Can't wait to see the inventory build over the winter. Bye!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Never enuf is the corect answer lol . I just gota get Karen on board with it . Definitely a lot of work for us but we sure do have fun getting it done .

[@TwinCityFirewood]

Not boring at all! Great info! Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that with us. That’s an impressive amount of bundles y’all made! Merry Christmas to y’all!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Merry Christmas to you an the family as well Jacob . We’re going to try for 10,000 bundles next yr . Just have to add a few more stands and be better prepared.

[@cherylshannon-vp7uc]

You two people are an inspiration to those people that are considering doing what you do. You tell them the truth. Great idea about selling hard wood as that is about all we sell down here in North Florida. We sell very little pine. Too much creosote. A lot of people are just putting it on a trailer and selling 15 pieces of wood for $5 or some other figure. They all come out of the woodwork when it gets cool or cold or the holidays. Merry Christmas to both of you.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks, we’re trying to produce what’s selling even if it’s outside our normal. We just keep pushing forward and are looking at adjusting our prices, the stores are selling bundles for crazy money! Merry Christmas to you also!

[@DanielAtkinsFirewood]

Just like when the phones ring and emails coming in all at the same time, we think it's a problem, but looking back, it's a good problem to have. Glad you had a good season. 😉👍

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

True it seems like a problem but there are worse problems to have. Thanks Daniel!

[@outdoorsinthe608]

Wow! That’s an amazing amount of bundles!!👍👍

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Jeremiah, looking like we’ll need more for next season!

[@susanscherer143]

Congratulations on your successful first season!!!!🎉

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Sue

[@susanscherer143]

@ ❤️

[@hillbillyfranks]

Good video. Enjoy it. I think about myself doing that. But I don't know i'm a little on the old side We'll stay safe my friends and have a good day.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

My advice just start with one stand an see how it goes . Won’t know if ya can do it unless ya try . Nothing better than opening that cash box an seeing it full of $$$ .

[@adirondackwoodsman]

Those are great numbers. I just had 2 stands and had a hard time keeping up selling 350 bundles. Although I was only able to make the wood on the weekends. Nice job guys!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

It will definitely keep ya busy an sometimes to busy lol Karen says I need to learn to say no but there’s just something about a cash box that’s full that I just can’t get enuf of .

[@oldguyfirewood]

Great year guys! It's a lot of work, but rewarding.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Definitely a learning experience but we had fun . Hopefully Karen will let me add a few more stands next yr .

[@BW35bucket]

Great video. Super interesting. I know you put a high emphasis towards bundle wood. My hat is off to you both. What a staggering number for sales. Congratulations

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We’re shooting to break the 10,000 bundle mark for next yr but we’re still learning as we go . I think next yr at this time we will do another one of these videos an see how it all worked out . Hammer down between now an then .

[@BW35bucket]

You two are definitely a prime example of inspiration to not stop. Go !! Go !!! Go !!!!!!

[@outdoorswithlarryrobin]

Hello guys, nice chat. Reinforces why we only have one stand.😂👍🇺🇸

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Ha ha that makes you smarter than us . Definitely a lot of work but I love the challenge. I need to find a dump insert or make my bed dump like your truck so Karen can go do bulk deliveries. Her an that 14 ft trailer don’t mix lol . How’s ya head doing that was quite the gash you had .

[@davidedwards3734]

Thats a lot of bundkes Ms. Karen made!! Y'all do a phenomenal job!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I’m not sure how many more she is going to wana make next yr so I’m gona have to pick up the slack if I wana add another 4500 bundles to next yrs total . Thanks David

[@ClellWise]

Interesting numbers. "Less than honest people". That's a good one Karen. Shameful that people take advantage like that. Hopefully next year will be more successful than this year with less problems. I know I speak for a lot of subscribers when I say how much we look forward to Tuesdays and Fridays. Stay dry and warm.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

That was about the nicest way she could say it lol . I think every yr we get under our belt it will be easier to see the problems before they show up . We definitely appreciate you taking the time each week to watch and leave a comment . It really is what drives us to keep making the videos .

[@jonahbauman-t8q]

Hi Mrs. Karen O and you to Phil, Great job and thank for the info. Keep it going and I hope you do better next year. BYEEEEEEE O Phil work a little harder LOL

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We’re already gearing up for next yr but it’s going to be a few months before I get Karen back in the Woodyard full time as LL bean is keeping her busy . 7 days a week an 10 hr days there’s not much more I can do lol .

[@lifeonmttammanyridge2565]

Hey, you guys it’s good to see you. The only problem I have found with making a whole ton of bags ahead of time is the fact that when you put the wood in it’s one cubic foot or whichever size you choose to use, and after it sits for an extended period of time that wood shrinks, and you lose your volume due to shrinkage.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Hay John . We did a few hundred bundles green last fall an ya right this spring the stack of bags was a lil shorter . We put em out on the stands a they sold fine but I can see that being a problem if ya advertising the bags as a certain size like they do at the stores . How’s things down your way it’s been months since I’ve had time to just spend a day checking out everyone’s channels but now winter is here I’m hoping to have more time to see what everyone has been up to .

[@lifeonmttammanyridge2565]

@ things are OK around here skid steer had a major breakdown or almost over the hill on that one though it’s been a little tough keeping decent content at the ready. I’ve had a lot of things going on. Still pretty busy with work. I’m just now getting back to processing some firewoodsince the splitter failed a few months ago.

[@MillersStumpsandFirewood712]

Great video guys. We use Downey Unstoppable the fresh scent. In a black and teal color container. It works for us and you don't have the moth ball smell.😊

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Great, thanks for the tip!

[@BigelowWoodcraft]

You'alls work is really paying off. I am switching my bundles to hardwood next year. You guys are some of the busiest people I see on KZbin. Keep up the great work.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I think it’s unlimited on how many stands someone could have out . Just gota have the time to do it . I should just focus on one thing but I get board and it’s fun to jump over to the saw mill or go stump grinding for the day . I like staying busy sitting around is bad news for me lol . Thanks Jerry

[@yorkfirewood]

WOW! What a GREAT video! Awesome information. Thanks for sharing your numbers. This information is HYUGE!!! I've always said it takes more than one location to make any money for a bundle business. You proved my point! I'm still trying to figure out how to get other locations. What to say to potential location owners and how to structure the deals. And what works.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I might just do a video on how we get locations and bring everyone along when we go to talk with a potential home owner or business. That way you can see how we cut a deal but to be honest we’re just winging it when we stop a talk to some one and every person a location is different. . Definitely a lot of questions you want to ask before agreeing to a spot. I tend to look for busy rds . Stay away from fancy well kept homes and look for the run down places that have things for sale in there yard , that usually tells me there trying to make an extra buck . It’s a lot to explain but I think you just convinced me I should do a video on it . Thanks Ken

[@jonking8831]

Congratulations on what sounds like a successful year for you guys. Hopefully, next year you'll have the inventory to meet demand now that your well established with the stands. I think your right Phil when you said you'd probably sell more kindling if you sold bundled hardwood. I've sold 614 bags of kindling so far but I sell hardwood firewood instead of pine. Great video as always guys.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Wow that’s alot if kindling but I think having the hardwood bundles is key to moving the kindling . If all goes as planed I should have better than 50 cord of bundle grade all cut an split by spring but the weather could change that if we get 2-3 ft of snow .

[@adamsumner6379]

Hello from Colorado I was Busey this year with bundles to. I work a full time job and have three days off a week in the sumer and did nothing but bundles every three days off with 1 customer I'm thanking of trying 2 next year. I've learned alot this year also. Great job Guys and always love your videos

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

If you build it they will come . Looks like you got ya hands full as well it’s definitely a lot of work . Bundles is just part of what we do but it sure keeps us busy . Thanks Adam

[@OpenAirAdventureFirewood]

Bobs was amazing. Ya the hardwood for less sparks is important to us campers. 600 bucks for pine is great profit. You guys did great this year. I'm in the stands cheering for yas. Great folks right here people. Pay attention.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Kenny . We never gave it much thought about the sparks flying up from the pine but your right . We are now focusing more attention to having dry bulk hardwood for our campers in the spring instead of people in the fall that use it for heating . I think in a few places we are going to add a hardwood stand along side our pine stand for bagged wood and see how that goes . From what I’ve seen hardwood in a bag sells for about $2 more pr bag and all the wood we get cost the same just my time an gas to go get it so hardwood would be more profitable for us .

[@toddpacheco4748]

Karen and Phil,may this year be just as good 👍 if not better always nice to hear you guys laughter keep the videos coming 😮😊❤

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Hopefully we can get upwards of 10,000 bundles next yr . The more time spent on bundles though means less time spent on other things but eventually we will have all the pallets made and I can focus on just cutting an splitting .

[@westwindcharters9146]

Thank you both for sharing.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks for watching and commenting Larry!

[@noelstractors-firewood57]

Great video. Will be nice to see the same type of video this time next year to compare the two years. Great info for anyone doing stands. The Irving convince store a few minutes away from me has bundle wood and camp fire wood there for sale. I don’t see any change in the piles for the last bit. This guy has this at a number of convenience stores. He doesn’t live too far from my daughter. Have a great weekend. 👍🏻👍🏻👋👋

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We was taking and I think we are going to do another recap next yr at the same time to compare and hopefully have numbers as we go through the season . I like seeing the numbers as we go . The sales seem to come to a screatching halt once the campers head back home for the summer . I also keep an eye on all the local stores and other stands to see how there doing .

[@kennethcarlson8713]

You guys are doing well glad. To meet you this are at bunyan

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Hay Ken good to hear from ya . This is yr 2 I haven’t gone trapping I don’t think I can take it much longer lol. This KZbin stuff keeps me so busy I can’t get away for a month like I always have . Hope you an Chris had a good beaver season . I was just watching you guys trapping Chanel yesterday . I need a class from Chris on how to make time to go trapping lol . Tight chains my friend .

[@hardworkingmanoutdoors]

Man you guys definitely ran a lot of stands! Keep stacking it up for next year! I would say I need a Bobs stand but I can’t even keep up now. It’s a constant learning game! Theft is very frustrating!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Just started back cutting an splitting today but I gota get all the hardwood done before I jump over to making bundle grade pine . Karen’s gona kill me if I add to many more stands lol . Ain’t nothing worse than a theif one of these days I’m gona catch one a them bundle theifs an make an example out of em .

[@josephgilbert6437]

Thanks for sharing. You guys did one hell of a season

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We could have done better but there’s always next yr . Gota learn as ya go is what I’ve always been told .

[@georgesalamon8128]

Thanks for sharing you guys! Thats better then a SS check! I don't know if I would want to commit to all that work. Great video guys!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We do make a few bucks with the bundles but the stump grinding and saw mill are our best paying . We like to stay busy and have fun doing it all . We appreciate ya taking the time to comment an watch us . That’s what drives us to keep doing the videos each week .

[@dendendabumrocks]

Congratulations on a great season, and thank you for sharing. ❤️

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Well thanks we appreciate you taking the time to watch an leave comments . That’s really what drives us to keep making the videos each week .

[@arnejahr3531]

Your hard work paid off congrats

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Definitely a fair amount of work to get it this far . I’m already shooting to break 10,000 bundles next yr . Should be an interesting summer if Karen don’t kill me lol.

[@markgoulding-vm8bj]

That is a crazy amount of bundles at Bobs nice job guys

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

That’s what we kept saying every day when Bob would call an say your out again lol . Now we know we should be able keep up next summer unless we add a bunch more stands lol

[@johnwinslow4503]

There was just on Craigslist a beverage delivery truck, be perfect for delivery and once loaded they will keep dry.

[@WilleysFirewood]

That's the way I'm looking to go. I think it is the best way to go myself

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We was thinking a one ton u haul box truck would work good . Maybe next summer once the $ starts coming in we can pick up a decent used one . What we really need is a place under cover to store 5-6 thousand bundles . Then we could really ramp up and just spend the summer keeping the stands stocked up .

[@arnejahr3531]

Another great video

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Arne . We try an keep it interesting .

[@WilleysFirewood]

I picked up a bait shop and trading post for the winter up here by us. We will see how it goes. I think if you guys picked up a couple more bob stores you guys would be sitting pretty good! Guess you need to be splitting ahead for spring! Weather is getting just right for cutting and processing. Better be nice to princess if you want extra bundling help lol😂

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Nice score on the bait shop an trading post that should be a good spot . I love this cold I was out today an cut up 3-4 cord of oak . Figured it was time to shut the saw mill down an get back to cutting an splitting . Karen would beat me if I picked up another bobs store lol . I’m kinda on my own for the next few months ll bean is keeping her very busy . Hopefully the videos don’t suffer to much with me at the helm lol.

[@nmancini]

What about getting a heigh adjustable stand to put the pallet on allowing you both to work standing up bundling with your pallets? Or on the wrapping side, can you try one of the nylon straps like you get on heavy package shipments?

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

There was a guy in our area that tryed the straps for bundles and after moving the bundles just a few times they started coming apart . We have thought about one of them rotating pallet stands that also goes up and down . There made for 4 by 4 pallets but we use a 3 ft by 6 ft pallet and there expensive. Maybe when we hit 20,000 bundles we will have one custom built .

[@williamkleinsLost40Lodge]

Nice video. There’s always next year

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Exactly William, thanks! The plan is to be way more prepared for next year. Would rather be sitting on bundles than not have enough

[@camperjack2620]

How about premade bundles stacked on a conventional pallet? I know for potato sacks there were different stacking patterns to lock the pile together, depending on the size and shape of each bag. Bounce dryer sheets also deter mice, you could put a sheet under each bundle as you put it on the pallet. I discovered the wrapper for Roxul insulation will stand up to the weather, turned inside out it is white. and its just the right size and shape tp cover a pallet and come over the side about 4 to 6 inches. I use masons polyester twine and gather the corner together a little, and tie a clove hitch on the corner , I just twist up about 6 to 8 inches of the corner about two twists, and tie on the clove hitch, then about a foot down I tie on a piece of firewood for a weight, It takes me less than 5 minutes to cover a pallet this way and its very simple. You might try this with some of the bundles you had to bring back home,

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I have 6 special made pallets that hold 100 bundles each but the pallets have 3 rows and it don’t leave much for airspace . I was thinking about 8 ft pallets with 2 rows and a 6 in airspace between the rows so we can bag it up green . With green wood especially pine it needs air to dry . We do put plastic over the top and bring it down over the sides about a foot and use shrink wrap to hold it in place . I’m hoping by putting bagged wood out in the new wood yard that’s all sand we won’t have many critters getting into them now that we have snow and things are froze up . We might try some of them dryer sheets down near the bottom and see how this test goes .

[@cliffjenkins6419]

Hi guys,over here in NZ road side stalls get hammered by theives. Friend of mine selling $2.00 bags of oranges got so tired of the theiving he installed two closed circuit cameras. They got stolen first night!! Hope you have have a great xmas. Really enjoy your videos. Cheers from HB NZ

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I think if we was getting hit by theifs every day I’d camp out for a day and deal with the theifs . I have zero use for theifs god help em if I ever catch one . We appreciate ya watching over there in NZ

[@Eddie-f6t]

In my business, l like to be busy and real busy but I do like to be manageable ? Success can be an unmanageable thing at times . Working though the challenges is all you can do

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I love a good challenge so I typically put more on my plate than I can do . That’s why we’re always looking to improve our process. That green hopper feeder was a huge help in upping our production this yr .

[@DaveDunehew-e1f]

Karen & Phil, great video. I think you’re going to need a delivery driver if you keep growing your bundle business. Have you ever thought about purchasing some of the firewood bags. I think they make them in face cord & larger quantity size bags. I can see why you were running out of dry wood to bundle. Again, great video & as Joe @ OWB would say, Have a great day.👍 Dave from Maine.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Aj shaver gave us a few of them 1/3 cord bags when we were at the boonvile show but we haven’t done a video with them yet . We really should test em out . We’ve been thinking about buying an old u haul truck to do the bag delivery’s in but your right in another yr or 2 we might need someone to just go fill stands for us .

[@craigpeterson1736]

Fascinating debrief! Is this your first year doing bundles? I only have two stands but they are on their third year. I found a pretty substantial increase year to year as the stands gain popularity and people talk. Location, location, location! The stand at my house is up to about 1500 bundles a year only 8 bundles stolen. I’ve had an interest in kindling, but my ‘kindling’ is 16” slivers that is a byproduct of the box wedge. I’m thinking about going from $5 to $6. Cheers!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

You nailed it Craig location is key . This is basically our 2nd yr but we keep adding stands . 3 yrs ago we put 2 small stands out and it’s just snowballed ever since . Bundles are just part of what we do . I do a fair amount of stump grinding and we have a sawmill . We also do about 100 full cord of hardwood each yr along with our pine bag wood . Ow and about 40 more cord of bulk pine we sell to the campers that we deliver . Always a lot going on in our wood yard and it’s just the 2 of us for the most part .

[@carllewis8203]

👍

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Carl

[@leonardberryhill]

Phil Could you get a shipping container to store bundles in during winter months . And keep rodents out of them . Thanks

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We did look into that but having the room is the tough part . There also around 5 grand to have one droped into place . I forgot the math but I think they only held around 2500 bundles . I’d still love to have one but I’d probably turn it into a kiln .

[@gregneves8000]

Your stands did well it made you hustle im not sure about your kindling i know in the last 3 weeks i could of sold every stick you had i can keep up thats just 1 stand id never be able to do 2

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I think if our bundles were hardwood the kindling would do a lot better . We just get so much pine it only makes sense to use it for bag wood . Won’t be long a the saw a splitter will be back in full swing trying to hustle a get enuf put up to keep the stands full for next yr . Thanks Greg

[@KNLFirewood]

If you said it I missed it, how much did you end up paying the stand operators? I know some were a set price and some worked on percentages, but how many dollars total did you pay them?

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I didn’t put that out there because there all different some are free some have a set price and the rest have different % but over all it’s about 8% of what we take in from the bag sales we also have to pay sales tax on every bag sold and that’s 5% I belive .

[@Kevin-z7d4x]

And your job is never ending so I would not complain.so the work I do ends this month till may or June . no, where my dad and I live we just had arbors come in and he Musta ate up 20 cords of hardwood chipped it up probably 10 cords of pine

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

When I have a free second I tend to just keep adding more to my plate so we do tend to stay plenty busy . That’s a lot of wood to just chip up . A lot of the tree company’s do the same cause it’s free to get rid of Chips but it cost to dump wood at most places .

[@Kevin-z7d4x]

It makes our property look really good now he’s gonna finish dressing it up tomorrow. I was sad to see the Pine go also said see the hard we go, but we can’t do anything with it

[@davidlibby7230]

Di you have a roadside stand at your wood yard? I do not recall seeing you filling one.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Ironically we don’t David lol. We’ve talked about doing it but just haven’t. Maybe next season we’ll finally get that done!

[@davidlibby7230]

@@AllenFamilyFirewood Just wondering. By the way I bought a mini table top fire pit, You could turn some of that kindling into mini fire wood I would think. I have not tried out the mini yet due to the snow, but I will let you know. Back 40 seems to be doing a lot with it.

[@KevinHarvey-qw5mj]

Hope you did well even though you had thefts i was working for my friend who owns a tree company gets paid for tree removal takes to lot and has people split it up sells wood year round even to the campgrounds have like five campgrounds we haul to have a processor and also four splitters mounted on truck frames and got a vertical double splitter straight and four way wedge been doing it for fifty years but have customer pickup in. There picked trucks eight foot and six foot beds so much stacking extra people bring trailers in measure them and give a price we sell a lot of wood year round they split year round also they hired me for a great job sit on my butt and collect money from customers meet a lot of good people then heath reasons had to quit but miss it once in blood always there hope you did well and figure out how to increase your output and don't work to hard winter would be great to get ready for it but you know what you need to do for that enjoyed watching have a good weekend thanks for posting im not doing it anymore but keeping up with the fire wood people Chris in the woodyard check him out every day

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

That sounds like quite the operation wow . We’re definitely not there yet but we keep plugging away an having fun . Adding new equipment to speed things up is something that we are always looking at .

[@KevinHarvey-qw5mj]

@AllenFamilyFirewood thanks for getting back to me my friends dad started the tree business he took it over they don't act like it but money is no object to them so what they want he cr afford if it makes it worth it to make job easier and make. More money you getting there just takes time I enjoy watching people cause I'm out of it due to health reasons but like watching you and your wife make a honest dollar hard work does pay off for you maybe you talk to right person and maybe you can get a stand at campgrounds hope so one place they have a u cut out of wood and fill it up for so much money thanks again I'll be looking for next post

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Kevin, appreciate that

[@KevinHarvey-qw5mj]

@AllenFamilyFirewood welcome get your inventory built up during winter so you can go full speed ahead come spring thanks for the reply

[@dono9879]

Hello Phil and Karen. Glad to see the bundles brought in the cash. Maybe you can just prepare 50 to 100 bundles of green wood and use the moth balls this year just to see if that really works. Would it be more cost effective to pay the stand locations a monthly rent instead of a percent of the bundle price? Why don’t you try putting fake cameras up around the highest theft stands. Sometimes little things like that can help. It probably wont stop it completely but it may make a difference, if they don’t steal the cameras. Phil, I’m not sure how many more stands you want to do, but if you get another 1 or 2 that does half the amount of your Bobs stand Karen will have to take 2 or 3 Hawaiian vacations to recover from bag fatigue. Thanks for another good video.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Dono! We are going to try a couple sample pallets of bundles and use moth balls to see if that stops the rodents. Hopefully by storing them in the new woodyard area that is sand, we won’t have as bad a rodent problem. We have smile you’re on camera signs but have thought about putting fake cameras and motion lights at the stands. We need to get a good plan underway. And you’re right, Karen may move to Hawaii permanently if we add too many more! lol

[@shotlifffamilyfirewood]

That's a lot of bundles! Too bad about the kindling. I didn't have good luck with kindling either. Better get splitting for next summer

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I think I finally shut the saw mill down for the winter and I got to fire the saw up today to get cutting on a few cord of oak . Gota get through all the hardwood first then hopefully right after Christmas I can get started on the pine . That should keep me busy till spring . Thanks Brian

[@Texrc]

Good morning! Going to try your pallets you guys build. What’s the side pockets Or board holders called? where do you buy them? Thanks ! RC

[@Texrc]

I found the episode explaining about them 👍

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

They work great for us, let us know what you think when you get using them!

[@leehillsgrove7986]

Awesome awesome video very educational but I need to ask one question does it sound like you’re gonna have to hire some summer help to do the bundles so you can be free to put time into your other businesses that you do when you’re not bundling I asked that because I’m diversified also between firewood and trucking and tree service work and the other stuff I do in my spare time and when I have a moment, ha ha that’s what I’ve been thinking of doing some summertime help. Give me your thoughts on that idea thank you Again keep the videos coming love watching them have a good weekend and be safe Lee Hillsgrove Trucking signing off 👍

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We really want to just keep it just between us for the most part . We might have to get Karen some extra help to really crank out the bundles this spring so I can keep producing the wood and be able to keep the stump grinding customers happy . Stump grinding pays about $2000 a day ware wood pays $300 a day . The saw mill pays just over double what the wood pays so whenever the high paying stuff comes along I have to jump and get it done . We started doing all of this so I wouldn’t have to deal with hired help so we’re really trying hard to not have a full time person helping . The bundle business is just so easy to keep building it’s truly unlimited . I should start working on a business model that will alow me to hire help and really expand to 50 or 100 rd side stands . Just not sure we want to take all that on yet .

[@leehillsgrove7986]

@ I really don’t want to take on help but I’m thinking just for the summer to help with the cordwood so it’ll free me up for the higher paying jobs like you’re talking about but even taking somebody on for the summer makes me wanna think twice thanks for getting back to me😀

[@ArthurBowers-l9y]

Hi guys love the video on the bundles stands. How long do you cut your bags? And do you make 3/4 or 1 cubic feet bags? I bundle wood thinking to switch to bags what is the size of the container you use

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Thanks Arthur we cut the bag material 42 in long . We use the wolf ridge bagging station and have the 1 cu ft bucket . We went with this bag material from quadel industries because it seems to hold up better than them red bags we see everyone using and there cheeper by almost half .

[@ArthurBowers-l9y]

@ thank you for the information, love the videos

[@buckinfirewood]

Kindling probably sell good to your bulk customers.. if you included 1 bundle with each delivery they'd probably buy more ..

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We already do that we give em 2 bundles with every cord . So far no return calls wanting kindling but we will keep trying .

[@jameschandler2776]

But you have to figure how much extra labor, time, and bags that goes into bagged bundle grade

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

There is a lot more time doing bagged wood . Getting the stands out takes quite a bit of time along with finding locations . Together we can bag up about 400 bundles a day if we stay at it . I really need to find a box truck so we can go fill all the stands in one day . We spend a lot of time going back and forth with just 175 bundles on the truck . . The bags cost us . 42 cents so it’s mostly our time and gas to do it all .

[@Dorchwoods]

Are you guys going to be doing kindling bags again? Id really like to sell some of those at my stand, and maybe we can talk about selling regular bundles as well, i may stick to just racks next summer Edit: nevermind, just saw the end of the video and kindling is getting chopped lol

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We still have a half cord of kindling and a few 1000 bags so we’re not compleatly out of kindling yet . We can get ya set up with kindling and I’d love to work out something on the bagged wood . I would think your spot would sell over a 1000 bags .

[@MicahHughes-y9t]

Must have taken some doing to have Karen sit there- we all have a crime-scene table like that!😁 Ribeyes sell for a lot more than bottom round- you two sell the choice cuts, your customers need to know the difference. Signage with catchy wording such as “ Maine’s finest campfire wood” “ Got money to burn?- your at the right place” “ Smokey approved- 5 flame rating!” Compare our premium cuts to that gas station crap”- you get the picture. 3 bags for 20.00, 2 for 15.00, singles 8.00( you won’t sell any at this- all about the discount numbers and bill denominations) Good idea to hit-up Big Boss Bob with a load of that premium Allen Family hardwood too. Have a nice weekend

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

This video was her idea lol that’s the only table we had an as you can see it gets used for everything from greasing wheel berrings to making the bundle bags . Might have been a few deer cut up on it as well . I like ya sign ideas . Got money to burn is my top pick . A lot of returning customers coming into bob’s store told them they really liked the barkless splits as no one else in the area does that . Definitely less mess when the put them bundles in there fancy cars . Karen’s still working her job tonight so she’s gona be bummed she didn’t get to answer ya comment .

[@karenallen8581]

Lol, all I could think of was ‘where’s the tablecloth’??? Notice I didn’t lay my arms upon it like Phil did 😂 Great slogans and price info. We are going to change the signs for next year to bring in easier denominations. But…can’t get too crazy because those darn signs took some time to paint up. I was trying to change as little as possible, but you’re right. We’ll see where we end up 🤷‍♀️ There’s a better way, I know. Just have to come up with the time to invest and figure out re-doing the signs in the best efficient way. Thanks Mike!

[@mrscuba1693]

Everyone's firewood business is somewhat different and you have to find what works for you or your area. I started out stacking and aging or drying the wood and could not keep up and could not get what it was worth as my area 60 bucks was tops for a face cord of wood. I ended up buying a processor and sold all green wood off the processor into the dump trailer and off to the customer and sold 45 to 50 tri-axle loads of firewood per year that way. I had a paper that explaned the dangers of burning green wood and the phone number of a chimney sweep on the paper I would have them sign 1 for me to keep and that they had read this paper before signing so I would not get sued. In 13 years with the processor never had anything happen to my customers. I did baged firewood 1 summer did ok but then sold my firewood business so I am out was time to retire. But this summer I may sell baged wood for something to do. Sorry the so many bags of your wood walked off it is hard work I will continue to watch your videos you are a cool couple and find you 2 entertaining

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We always sold out so I just kept raising the price till we didn’t . On bulk hardwood we are about $50 more pr cord than everyone else but it’s also bone dry and most of the time I deliver the same day they call and I bring a full cord not the state minimum. I like how you had them sign a paper that’s a good idea . We don’t do green wood because that’s what all the big guys in the area do and we would need a processor to even come close to compeating with them . We more or less try a focus on the service side of the wood business and found there’s a good amount of folks that will pay for quality dry wood and our same day service . I think you will find having just the one stand you will have a lot more fun doing it . Hope to hear ya get it up a going .

[@johnwinslow4503]

You're missing a Lions decal on your door!

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I know I need to catch up with ya . I’ve got probably a dozen more that need to go up on there as well

[@MarkWakeland]

Have u checked using Dollar General parking lots?

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We haven’t do you have any experience with them . That would be a great place to have stands set up .

[@MarkWakeland]

@@AllenFamilyFirewood no, but they don’t sell bundles, and I thought with as many of those around it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Certainly worth checking out, thanks Mark

[@deshxbm]

it would be great if someone would invent buddle wood vending maschine that would reduce theft drastically

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I’ve seen a video of one and even made the call but there around $15 grand each . Be quite a few yrs selling bundles to pay for one of them . My budy Dana has even looked into building one but ya still looking at 5-6 grand not counting his time .

[@jasonpeterson9276]

now ya just need to make sure ya got about 200 cords ready to go next year. if ya get another Bob's.. youll need it. in 2020 i hauled bundles 60 miles to minneapolis and we went thru a little over 400,000 bundles.. had only 6 guys doing it all. covid payed off that way for us. lol

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Holy smokes that’s a crazy amount of bundles . I’m gona just shoot for hitting 10,000 bundles this yr . The firewood is our least profitable thing . Stump grinding pays 7 times better a running the sawmill is about 3 times better than firewood . I should focus on what pays the best but I enjoy doing the firewood . I really don’t want a huge business again with hired help so I need to keep everything we do in line with what the 2 of us can get done .

[@jasonpeterson9276]

@AllenFamilyFirewood yeah .. I know how that is.. Im giving my northern firewood business to my oldest son.. he has taken it in 2 years far past what i could. he got into retail pizza oven wood and i think he said they just went over 2 million boxes of wood in the past 2 years now. so i think imma build another firewood business here in texas.. already found over 4,000 acres i can cut on from 2 ranchers.. half their oak tress uprooted this summer from the hurricane.. so I got wood to start with again at 52 years old.. lol

[@InMyBusyLittleShop]

That’s a bunch of bundles

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

It sure was! lol

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Definitely keeps us busy and in shape .

[@bobfitch607]

Holy cow that’s alot of bundle sales. Sad that hard work by honest good people get taken by less honest low life’s. Think camera signs even if no cam. Make them think 🤔 good video folks

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We have some signs but that didn’t stop em . I wana stake out our busy stand on a Fri night and set up a camera maybe do a live an ck the cash box after every sale an if they didn’t pay go chase em down and take care of business. I think that would be fun . The police won’t deal with someone stealing a few bundles but I bet they show up when I have em hog tied to a tree in the middle of a camp ground lol I gota learn how to go live with the camera by next summer .

[@Protected_Lady]

Seems like you need to hire a extra hand to bundle.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Well so far we have been able to keep it going with just the 2 of us but maybe in a yr or 2 if we want to keep growing we will have to hire someone .

[@Stihlalive044]

You two shouldn't be sitting around, if you want to sell more pine bundles next year. Will two hundred cord be enough if you start on it now? Time to hire more help to bag and stack.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

lol I here ya . LL bean is gona be keeping Karen busy for the next 2 months so I’m kinda on my own in the woodyard . I was out today and cut up 3-4 cord of oak prob be next Fri video but I gota get all the hardwood cut an split that we have on hand then I can jump over to the pine for making bundle wood . Hoping to have 50-60 cord of bundle grade all cut split an stacked by April . I’m still about 100 pallets short so that’s my after dark project getting them built .

[@Stihlalive044]

@AllenFamilyFirewood You need a full time dependable stacker / bagger.

[@jameschandler2776]

You guys need some help if you would get another Bob's. That is a whole bunch of bundles. It is good to keep good records so you have some idea of how much wood to put up. There is nothing easy about a wood business. How much wood do you need?? "MORE" The people that steal don't care how much work you did. They have no moral compass.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Karen might disagree but I think we could use 2 more of them bobs stands . The numbers are very helpful on planing for next yr . Without them we’d be just guessing on what we needed . The plan is to do hardwood for the rest of this month then swap over to pine for the rest of the winter . As long as I can get enuf pallets built we should be good on bundle wood unless I go adding a bunch more stands lol .

[@WoodchuckCanuck]

6,000 bags sold. 600 bags stolen. $4/bag earnings. You're losing $2,400 to theft on $24,000 revenue. Through my eyes, that's not a sustainable business model. Your saving grace is you are not currently paying for your inventory. Do you have a plan in place in case that were to change?

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

Around here it’s a never ending supply of free pine but it’s tree service wood so we only get about 50% bundle grade and 50% camp wood . I did just buy in 2 loads of barkless pine saw logs that all have iron in them but I only had to pay trucking . Saves a lot of time because there barkless . We’re thinking about going up on our price next yr to make up for the theft . We found that the closer the stand is to a house the less theft we have so were taking that into consideration next yr on the placement of our stands . We expected about 10% theft when we started and that’s about what it’s averaged .

[@ironmayhew]

What i took away from this video is that you 2 need to raise your price on bulk campfire wood. I know it's a by-product, yeah, yeah, yeah. It should be at least $300. $250 is way too cheap. And if people dont like the price, then they can feel free to buy the wood, by the bundle at your stand. You have also said in the past that you pretty much had all selling rights at that campground, so they are going to come to you anyway. Call me crazy but i also think you should be cutting your slabwood the by product of your sawmill to 16 inches and offering it to campgrounds in bulk for $250 a cord. $250 cord for slabwood to $300 for pine . rather than hauling it away for free.(Remember, i was 1 of many bugging you to save the uglys and make money on those). I think i am right again on this. Make some money on the slabwood. Why haul stuff away for free. Also, the totes of smalls and uglys. Offer 3 totoes worth or aprox a cord. To the bulk campgrounds customers. I know if i was in a campground ordering wood, i would 100% take a load of ugly short hardwood pieces over a load of pine any day of the week and twice on Tuesdays. But that it me, lol. Keep up the great work you two. Love your videos as always

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

I think you’re going to like Fridays video Josh . I’d say 95% of the people selling bulk pine camp wood in my area are charging $ 150 and I’ve seen it as low as $100 for a full cord so we’re already a $ 100 more pr cord than everyone else . We have tryed the slab wood and they prefer split pine 100% . With the slabs they get 20 % of the load in bark because a lot of the slabs are an inch of bark and an inch of wood and it leaves quite the mess after they stack it . Probably for $100 a cord slabs would sell but for that kind of $ we can’t afford to process it and deliver it . It’s just easier to give the green slabs away or to haul em to the mulch place on my way home . I think you’re going to like what we’re doing with the chunks in Fridays video .

[@ironmayhew]

@AllenFamilyFirewood that is just crazy. It is still the exact same amount of work. To cut split and pile into cords. Why are people selling themselves short. $100 for a bush cord of pine in insane. I thought $250 was way too cheap. I guess it all depends on your area. I know you said it is a buy product for bundle wood. But you have to remember you are buying those loads of logs now as well. You have money invested in those new mill logs. Before you even start the saw.

[@ironmayhew]

@AllenFamilyFirewood if they are selling it for $100 cord, you should buy it off them and deliver it to the campground and sell it for $250 easier money. If other people want to work for free, you should take advantage of it.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

@@ironmayhew It mostly weekend hobbiest that do 2-10 cord every yr and sell it for cheep . Lots of folks here In Maine do that but there splits are big I mean 10 times bigger than ours and it’s not clean wood . But people see an add on face book for $150 a cord and our add for $250 they don’t know the difference. Once someone orders from us in a camp ground word spreads fast and the other campers call us so we have found word of mouth is our best advertising. I just can’t compeat with the 100s of folks selling cheep wood on face book .

[@antiochman8222]

6,328 bundles at $4 a bundle is $25,313 Obviously you need to take operating costs out of that. If hardwood logs don’t cost you anymore and deliver a better margin then it must be worth considering. A couple of other things. Firstly do you take electronic payment? Secondly if you do hardwood then perhaps add some kindling in and sell a complete package for some added value/ increased margin.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We get way more pine than hardwood from the tree guys I’d say it’s about 70% pine an 30% hardwood so that’s why we do the pine for bagged wood . We do take Venmo but the homeowners keep an eye on our stands and when they look out an see someone loading bundles and don’t see them put $ in the box they rush out to confront them . We found it easyer to not advertise we do Venmo at our stands .

[@antiochman8222]

Also… If demand exceeds supply, the price is too low….

[@jamessanders4310]

Too much info out there to the public is a questionable practice..just saying, I would not...

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We pay sales tax and claim all of the income from our wood business so nothing to hide . We surely ain’t getting rich doing this but we figured some if the info might be helpful to some one else wanting to add more stands .

[@jamessanders4310]

@ : I'm not questioning your bookkeeping. I'm more concerned with your competition....

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

We don’t think our competition is going to take the time to make the bundles we make. We’ve checked out the competitions bundles pretty closely lol

[@inthebackyardwithdel438]

Hey Phil and Mrs Karen , congratulations on having a super season. I’m trying to find a place to put a second stand . 👍🏻🇺🇸🪵

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

It’s double the work but it’s double the income . Just remember if ya have 2 you might as well have 4 lol . Add a sign on the second stand letting them know you deliver bulk as well . It’s the snowball effect one just adds more to the other .

[@Protected_Lady]

Seems like you need to hire a extra hand to bundle.