Mike Clough's Japanese Knotweed blog

Sale Now On – free stuff….

September 7th, 2011 by Mike Clough

Always on the lookout for new ways to increase profits, I have been wondering whether we should try some hard hitting sales techniques?

I sat down with the team and asked whether we should try offering discounts or free stuff with our current services. The faces looked back at me in a rather bemused way as if they didn’t understand what I was saying – then the comments started to flow.

‘We already offer the best service in the market place’

‘How can we offer discounts when we are achieving our targets and margins?’

‘We are already working at capacity – if we bring in more work at the wrong cost base what would be the point’

‘Nothing is ever ‘free’ there has to be a cost implication at some point…’

It was at this point that I remembered and old adage about ‘fools chasing turnover’ – when it is profit and margins that is critical to the success of a company.

Talk is rife about one of our major competitors suffering from poor cash flow and potential liquidation – perhaps they have misjudged what is important and offered one too many ‘free insurance backed warranties’.

So that’s a NO to any Sale.

It’s a sorry NO to any free stuff.

BUT, YES we will be around for a long to come.

Mike C

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It was MY idea – dammit

August 31st, 2011 by Mike Clough

Don’t you just hate it when you get a good idea and other people jump on the band wagon and try any claim your thoughts for themselves?

It seems to happen to me quite a lot these days.

I first came across Japanese Knotweed some twenty years ago and simply wondered what it was. I have a bit of a problem with being a bit visually impaired.

This is not to say I can’t see – but rather that I see things differently to other people. Most people would look at a river and think ‘what an attractive view’ – I look at the same position and think … ‘hmmm Himalayan balsam, Japanese Knotweed, Sycamore – they shouldn’t be there – I wonder what the original plants would have been …?’

This rather odd view of life resulted in me setting up Japanese Knotweed Solutions when I noticed that in my eyes – the country was being overrun by invasive non-native species.

Japanese Knotweed Solutions was a unique company. There were no other companies in this niche market and nobody offered the one stop solutions that we were providing.

Well it may appear that this situation has changed.

If you go onto the wonderful World Wide Web – you will see a proliferation of new companies offering what they call ‘bespoke solutions’ to your invasive weed problems.

These are not ‘bespoke solutions’ they are COPIED solutions.

If you want original ideas and viable solutions to your weed problems…go to www.jksl.com don’t go to www.copiedsolutions.com

Mike C

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Why Does Nobody Care….?

August 24th, 2011 by Mike Clough

What a pathetic, sad title for a blog… What I’m talking about are all the little parcels of land that nobody looks after.

Having visited Italy recently I noticed that every little bit of land is valued, or at least not completely neglected. Here in the UK you can drive along a well-maintained road then suddenly there is a small plot that is completely overgrown – (you can check this on your way home) – you will notice long grass with clumps of Ragwort, nettle, bramble, Himalayan balsam …and Japanese Knotweed…then…next to the unkempt land there will suddenly be a close cut lawn and high maintenance bedding and shrubbery.

Why is this??…surely land should be our greatest asset? Why do these little parcels escape our attention?

I can assure you that if tried to build on them or adopt them as part of your garden – someone would quickly claim ownership.

I guess it’s down to laziness or lack of funds to keep these areas tidy and managed…

Unfortunately this lack of care allows the invasive non-native plants an opportunity to thrive…which I guess is what keeps me busy…!

Mike C

Posted in Invasive Weeds Info, Japanese Knotweed Info
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Just when you thought it was safe….!

August 17th, 2011 by Mike Clough

I’m not sure whether I should write horror stories…but there is a message in this one.

We were contacted a couple of years ago by a developer well versed in the vagaries of the economic climate. He was preparing land for development when the ‘upturn’ takes place (not sure when this will be…) He knew the site had Japanese Knotweed and that short term plans for developing would be expensive and prohibitive….

The best and cheapest option for eradicating Japanese Knotweed is always to leave in situ and chemically treat. This was the chosen option by the developer – he was in no rush to build due to the ‘recession’ and he felt that long term spray treatment over a period of years would be cost efficient and allow prices to recover for house building in three to five years.

So far so good.

Japanese Knotweed Solutions were appointed and have successfully eradicated the infestation in a three year window of opportunity…

Here’s the bad part…

The Developer also decided not to fence or secure the site as he did not wish to invest and further money in a site which didn’t have a revenue stream in the short term….this was where he cocked up.

We have just revisited site to find it wall to wall with fly tipped – Japanese Knotweed.

Oh shit.

Mike C

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Look into my eyes, look into my eyes…

August 10th, 2011 by Mike Clough

One of our surveyors has just returned from a trip to Las Vegas where during a night out at a show – he was hypnotised (look into my eyes, look into my eyes….)

The hypnotist had him dancing like Michael Flatley and having sex with an inflatable doll – neither of which he remembers anything about…

So I’m thinking (look into my eyes, look into my eyes….) – maybe this is the way to get people to take action about invasive plants?

Every morning on Breakfast TV a hypnotist could take control of the entire nation and have them take action…

· All the Himalayan balsam gets pulled out of the ground – in a day

· All areas of Japanese Knotweed are fenced and identified – by Friday

· Giant Hogweed is fenced and sprayed – in a day

…and Zach continues dancing to River Dance…

Dream on.

Mike C

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Why Bother?

August 3rd, 2011 by Mike Clough

Why be bothered about Invasive plants? It’s a question I often get asked….

Well I suppose it’s a question of whether you are bothered about the quality of the environment?

Are you bothered about where you live? Do you care about your children and the world they will inherit after you have moved on….

I remember walks with my parents along rivers watching wild trout, spotting the occasional kingfisher or dipper. I gained an enthusiasm for nature and wildlife which still stays with me even in my current aged, cynical state. In fact I saw a kingfisher at the weekend and it still filled me with the same thrill as the first ever time I saw one as a child on the banks of the River Etherow in Glossop ….

What I’m prattling on about here is the chemical spills that decimated the trout on my local river 30 years ago. The river has never recovered.

The same lack of care that allowed the chemical spill has allowed the unchecked spread of Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan balsam which now adorn the river banks.

The chances of seeing a kingfisher on the river are zero – with the abundant prams, Tesco shopping trolleys and bicycle spare parts being a far more likely thing to see….

So going back to the question of Why?

It’s about putting a peg in the ground and saying ….NO….

If you want to see a return to British Native Species – then you just have to do something!

Mike C.

Posted in Invasive Weeds Info, JKSL
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Huanglongbing

July 27th, 2011 by Mike Clough

Sometimes a word just grabs you and you have to write about it…the Asian Citrus Psyllid carries a devastating plant disease called …huanglongbing…which is causing wide spread panic amongst citrus growers.

Why is this relevant?

Well – last year saw the release of the Psyllid aphid in the UK following a public consultation the government decided to take the unusual step of releasing a bio control agent to try and stem the spread of Japanese Knotweed. Japanese Knotweed Solutions fully support the measures taken by CABI (a non-profit organisation) and are in contact with the team of researchers who are monitoring the spread of the insect.

We do have some concerns about possible vectoring of disease by the Psyllid but are assured by the detailed analysis carried out by CABI that this should not be an issue.

However…HUANGLONGBING…

I see people running down the street screaming.

Mike C

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Total Eradication of Knotweed – Guaranteed Bollocks

July 20th, 2011 by Mike Clough

Every once in a while I have a scan through the web sites of our various ‘competitors’ to see what nonsense they are writing. All of them seem to offer guarantees in various disguises – some state insurance backed - when they mean Professional Indemnity, some say £5 million cover – one even says 25 year warranties (…can’t be done)

Here is a classic:

‘We provide guarantees in 5 year increments for up to ten years. We offer two types of guarantee, Standard and Platinum blah blah blah’

Then at the end its states:

‘Please note this does not mean that soils are knotweed free’

Ha….so basically its bollocks then.

Mike C

Posted in JKSL, Warranty
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Arrivederci Japanese Knotweed

July 13th, 2011 by Mike Clough

I’m sure everyone has been dying to know the answer to the question – does Tuscany have any Japanese Knotweed?

So I decided to do some first-hand research…

Landing at Pisa I noticed a decidedly dodgy building which looked an obvious case of ‘leaning’ caused by Japanese Knotweed in the foundations……but no…nothing obvious.

Travelling through the countryside I stared at the fields and fields of sun flowers – no knotweed.

Driving past rows and rows of grape vines …surely there must be knotweed somewhere….nope…nothing…

None in the pool.

None in the Jacuzzi.

…and to be quite honest after the third bottle of Chianti I couldn’t have cared less.

So in Summary of Tuscany - great region, great people – NO KNOTWEED…

Ah well – back to Manchester Airport – spotted some within twenty metres of the runway!

Mike C

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Systems Rule over Individuals….

July 6th, 2011 by Mike Clough

For many years I have been tied to my desk, tied to my phone and more recently addicted to my Blackberry….well here is some good news – I’M CURED.

I AM NO LONGER THE ‘LINCH PIN’ at Japanese Knotweed Solutions.

I find that I have been able to have two weeks off ….and….NOBODY NOTICED! The ground did not open up and swallow my company, nobody died and the office is exactly where I left it.

This is mainly due to the systems that have been implemented by the team here at Japanese Knotweed Solutions, which mean that no individual person is missed when they are away from their desk.

People often ask me … ‘what is the secret to successful Japanese Knotweed eradication’ – well in one word I would say ‘systems’

….keeping track of what needs to be done and when it needs to happen – this is all done in a cloud somewhere over China – and then spews out of a computer in Radcliffe! OK…OK… IT’S A BIT MORE COMPLICATED …and requires a lot of input from our teams…but you get the gist of it.

The only problem is that I now feel slightly out of date ?? Maybe I need to go live on a little cloud somewhere with a silver harp.

Unlikely – I sold my soul several years ago for the deposit on a Porsche.

Mike C

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