The New Guys

[Skippy]

I'm new in the biz and have been working on my business plan for a few months as well as researching for different types of services offered and so on. Well I found LS. what a great place for free info right? wrong! It's got some great info but very few freebies. I like that though.I'm not looking for freebies and that's why I've been doing my research. I can imagine though those scrubs you guys always talk about coming in and taking some of the prices you guys have posted and heading out and not coming back. I just hope you all don't think just because we're new we're scrubs because we're not. I plan on competing but not lowballing with the competition. Thanx to those who do understand what it's like to start a dream and a career and try to help us youngins' out

[skyphoto]

Welcome to lawnsite and enjoy the wealth of info and great ppl!

Peace!

[Eric ELM]

You can't base the feelings of all the members here on a few posts. It's the same thing as basing a bad person of a race, they aren't all bad just because one is.

Welcome to lawnsite and enjoy the information. We all started at the bottom unless it was a business handed over to someone. I feel that the biggest percentage of us started out just like you, only a lot of us didn't have a great forum like this to guide us in the right direction. I know I was lost when I started, but I learned. :)

[Skippy]

Hi ERIC I wasn't trying to point fingers at anyone's posts I just wanted some of the people to step back to the day they were starting out and remember what it was like. I understand that it is going to be tough and look forward to it.I do appreciate the helpful info and look forward to learning much more which I know I will! So once again thank you for providing us new guys with a sense of direction and hopefully soon have accounts that look like the ones on your page.

[joshua]

good luck new guy, you will need it, i started out 5 years ago, haven't looked back since.1 peice of advice for ya, DON'T LOWBALL. good luck to ya i hope you make it.

[greens1]

Hi Skippy,
I think a lot of the negative you are hearing is just venting. We have all lost jobs to lowballing and hacks, welcome to life. I don't budge or lowball my prices but I have, unintentionally, bid too low and chances are you will too. Maybe I forgot to carry the one or someone broke my measuring wheel that day, who knows. I doubt there is anyone out there who hasn't pulled an "oops" or "damn I shouldn't have done that". If you stick to your prices, provide good service and enjoy what you do, then welcome to a great industry to be in.
Good Luck,
Jim L

[Charles]

I did not start out as a scrub, lowballer or with junk equipment. I researched the market I was going into(rates people were charging) I tried to make each yard look perfect and striking with whatever equipment I had. I paid taxes too. Just because you are new to a business doesnt mean you cant do it right to begin with. I and many others on here didnt even have the benefit of Lawnsite. Your reputation begins with your first customer. We got scrub around here who obviously never have done any research on what it takes to be a top notch lawncare provider and run a profitable business. It doesnt take a college degree but it does take a little research and hard work and a person who is quality first oriented. What you are seeing on this forum is alot of people venting their frustration of many lowballing, jack leg scrubs in their area who bring the whole industry down.

[cos]

Well I found LS. what a great place for free info right? wrong! It's got some great info but very few freebies.



This is one "BIG" Freebie, so appreciate what you found. We only don't appreciate new guys getting into the business and low balling, while working 65-70 hrs a week, making 300-500 and thinking it is the greatest.

[Evan528]

Charles, I definitly agree with your last post. But alot of new guys in the business ("scrubs") just start because they got laid off from there job or want some extra side money. Most only cut grass. They dont see it as a profession, they see it as a fast easy way to make pretty good money. As soon as they start getting requests for full services and begin to put effort into there business they relize that it really is a skilled profession after all and must be run as a legit business. some of the scrubs around here do a great job though, they arent doing it on the side so there not in a rush.

[Skippy]

Hey guys Jeez maybe I'm getting started on the wrong foot in here. I can understand where you are coming from when you are upset about these "scrubs". I see them everywhere up here, Maine isn't a very rich state. I am getting into it for the fact that I enjoy doing it, not to make a million or because I don't have a job. It's been a dream. You know it's that good feeling you get when you leave a property and you can say "wow, that's a good looking lawn" and the feeling when it puts a smile on someone's face. I do understand the feeling when someone's cut throating prices or a customer says they got someone to do it cheaper. It's also maybe I misunderstood someone's defination of a "scrub".and felt it was directed towards the new guys but that's been cleared up. Sorry if I offended anyone.

[GrassMaster]

Hello Everybody:

Quote>>Well I found LS. what a great place for free info right? wrong! It's got some great info but very few freebies.<<

I must have missed something due to my Geographic Location & my limited education.:-)

Where else can you go on the Internet & get the wealth of Information that you can get here? Let me reword this, sorry I can't back space & I don't have a monitor anymore? LOL! :-)

Do this name 3 places on the Internet combined that will even come close to all the "Free Information" that you can get here on this Forum? I don't think it can be done? Can it?

The Free Information that is here on this Great Forum is Priceless & Information is still one of the Biggest & Most Money making things on the Internet. So what other Freebie would even come close to this Forum? Well?

Maybe the forum could just giveaway a new Truck every month? Maybe that would make it Better. Well it does help at least 12, no that's not enough this Forum helps a lot of folks get those New Trucks a lot quicker, doesn't it?

Too much is free now & that's the problem. There would be a lot more respect for this forum if people did have to pay, but that is a no No here? We wouldn't need all the moderators here working around the clock deleting post because folks do not follow the Posting Guidelines?

But who would join, not many if $10 a year, butt it would work if we got enough post about Dog Crap & etc..., because anything good or positive on this Forum doesn't get page views or replys. I've proved that Time & Time again? That's why I've slowed down posting & I'm trying to come up with somethimg either real negative or just plain out & Out filth so it will get plenty of Replys & Page Views. No not I, just kidding!

Butt until then I will just enjoy all the Free Information & do everything I can to Help this Forum, because it has sure helped me & I thank all that have Helped, the moderators, Chuck & the 14 1/2 + members that have accidently followed the Posting Guide Lines. I'll continue to follow the posting guidelines & help in any way I can.

LOL, lets start a Pay Dog Crap Forum. Then the money would flow like water around here, then there would be plenty of Freebies? LOL, it's a Crying Shame that Crap Post (LOL) gets noticed more than Positive Post, Butt to each his own. I's don't want to be associated with the Crap, I just want to be associated with the Good, Positive & try with all I got to keep my part going in a forward positive direction.

This as most other Turned around or Positive Post will die out quick. They always do? It's Just Another Fact Jack!

So lets just do what we want, also post with what we best associated ourselves with & if you want to post about more Crap just do a few things to keep the Crap Going, in the Best Stinking Direction you can s-can it to be? LOL, :-)

Visit the Sponsors, by clicking on the Banners, Drop by the Used Equipment Market Place & if your mouse finger starts to Burning & Itching real bad just put some Graphite Grease on it & yo Keyboard T00, if you have one or contact me personaly & I'll sell you a formula that will stop the burning & itching on Contact. This Valuable no Burning & No Itching Formula Info kit is one of the Biggest Money Makers on the Internet & I have Capitalized on it. So lets keep it going weather it's Crap or Positive it's yo life!

BTW in the mean time, think I'll read a bunch more because I as the other 14 1/2 + members that follow the Posting Guide Lines have already figured out that the more we read the closer we get to that New Truck & that's what I want?

Thanks a Million Chuck, Forum Moderators, The Few and The chosen Members that follow the Posting Guide Lines, Oh you too Eric for helping make this the Biggest & Best Green Industry Meeting Place for the Professionals in the Green Industry Business on the Internet!

BTW, BTW: I changed my mind, longer post it shall be, just my thoughts?

[John Allin]

Does this mean that I get to send Lonestarlawn a bill for all the work I put into helping him with his unemployment questions over on "Elements of Business" forum ????

[John Allin]

(just kidding Lonestarlawn......)

Skippy,
I think you'll find that you'll get alot of information here and from people that don't expect anything in return past a simple "thank you".

[Skippy]

I must have written something I did not mean. I was not putting this site down at all.This is an awesome site with a great deal of info. I know there isn't a site out there with nearly enough info as this one. I can see I pi$$ed off some people when I posted this originally. I had no intentions of doing that at all. I just did not want to be looked at as a scrub because I'm new in the biz. That has been cleared up, My fault for thinking that was how we were looked at after reading some of the threads and misunderstanding them. I want to thank the ones that help out with q's that we have and not have or become a problem at this site. and once again thank you guys.

[MJ]

Some people try very hard to be offended - don't worry about it.

Mick

[cos]

You brought up a good point that everyone has missed. We should not only be thankful to lawnsite and it's owner, but to the moderators that put in a lot of time reading our posts to make sure they don't get out of hand, and keep this a profession to be proud of.

Thanks Eric, Ray, Chuck, and the rest of the gang.