A Lot of New Guys on the Road

[Barkleymut]

To all of you new guys, I have seen so many new guys here in the central Virginia area. It cracks me up seeing most of them. I feel sorry for the 75% of them that will fail. But I'm glad they are starting up. The past couple of years I have picked up a couple of nice residentials in June or July when JO-Bob's Mowing decides he can't hack the work or survive on the $10 he is charging per lawn. By then the homeowner is spoiled and doesn't want to mow their own lawn so they will call an established company.

[LoneStarLawn]

Hey don't knock down all newcomers. Some of us have been reading these posts and have a good feel to make it in this business. In fact we are getting alot of customers that had well established companies take care of their lawn and are not satisfied with the customer care. They say that half the time they don't even show up. The best part is that we charge more. These customers would gladly pay more if we should up when they are scheduled. So watch out from some newcomers.

[osc]

I see a few new crews on the road and sometimes I don't like it but it seems there is too much work and too few workers so I guess it's o-kay. Most of these guys that I see have a few residentials and are happy with that.<br>Personally, I am working 12 hour days and it's only March. I've actually given competitors some of my accounts, granted I didn't want them anyway.

[scottlawns]

I too am a new guy,i worked in a factory making 45,000 a year.not bad for a gravy job but i wanted outside,11 years inside sucked,and to laugh at a new guy aint cool,i got 40 yards to start with and i get alot of calls from people who are sick of the big companys,they always say my bid is high but they still call,they say the big companys send out differnt people all the time and they dont care what the job looks like,i know that aint always true,ive seen some nice work from big companys,so i just wish the best to all you new guys and i hope we all make it,I KNOW i will...i am lucky enough to have a wife with a great job so i know i will make it,as long as i can cut 2 yards a week i got enough for gas and smokes.and thanks to all of you with your great advise,i have learned sooooo much and will keep reading this everynite,<p>scott

[Eric ELM]

We were all new at one time. I've seen guys in business for several years that fails too. They forget to take care of the customer, start doing shabby work and loose all their customers. Do the best possible job you can, keep reading these posts and you will do just fine.<br><p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[Barkleymut]

Well I sure did ruffle a few feathers. I didn't mean to discourage you new guys. Some of you will do quite well I'm sure. But the fact remains that over half of you will fail. You must have a realistic outlook on your business. It is tough out there, not only the physical aspect of the work but also the lack of business knowledge of many in our industry. If you think &quot;hey I get enough money to buy smokes and gas&quot; then you fail to realize the value of your time. In my area you can make $35/hour doing just about anything (cleanups, weeding, etc.) and really good money $50-60/hour for specialty services (aeration, fertilizing, dethatching). My core business is mowing, that is where 75% of my net income is. If you know how to price work and can establish a good customer route then you will most likely be sucessful. But many guys cannot do this. That is all I way saying, it IS a fact. The only job I lost last year was mowing a storage unit. I was barely making any money on it to begin with. Then someone came in and said they would pick up trash (which i didn't do), spray roundup in the beds and mow for less than I was just mowing for. I said let them have it and now I have much more profitable accounts in there place. I'm just glad that some customers realize the quality of work that I do and are not going to take on some lowballing new guy. To everyone new, good luck, I just wanted to give you a perspective other than the one that you most often receive.

[Richard Martin]

New guys sprout up around here every spring like dandilions. We even had one guy who carried his Toro 36&quot; wb around in the back of his minivan. It doesn't bother me at all since I know that by July all of these guys will have disappeared from the roads. Most of these newbies haul thier mowers around in the trunk of their cars thinking that they will corner the market. It takes an attitude to cut grass and make money doing it. To make any business work you need the will to make a business work and organizational skills that only 1 percent of the population posesses.

[fireball]

Larry couldn't have said it better

[Starling Lawn]

barkleymut,<br>where in va. are you.i`m in richmond.<br>dave

[Charles]

You gave up a 45000$ a year job to cut grass? Bet your family appreciated that. Everyone at the end of the year needs to figure up their NET profit.

[Mark]

osc- where do you live in the states where you have 12hrs of day-light in march? I to see alot of new cutters but here in Indiana there is alot of work. I know i turn down what i don't want and usually get the jobs i bid.I have been in this business long enough to know most of my cuts are people who are very well off and don't mind at all to pay for a great cut,I try to stay in the 45 to 60 dollar range,and also get to know my clients as friends. I really can't think of a rude client, and i have been cutting now for 8 yrs.Yes it is true many of those new rigs you pass won't be in the business long.But i do know some who cut for twenty dollars tops,Thats why its called free interprize, Sitll there is as much work as you want where i live. <p>----------<br>Mark's Mowing Service<br>

[scottlawns]

my faimly dont care what i do,and it really is not hard to make that same money in the lawn business,plowing and odd jobs in the winter is a easy 20,000 and summer should be even better,so good luck to all the new guys,<br>its not really the money that is as important<br>as it is that you love your job,and im sure the money will come(if not the wife will have to work harder)<p>scott

[grasskutter]

God bless those newbies, half will be out of business in 6 months, and they will be selling all their new equipment at bargain basement prices, weed wackers(name brand) at pennies on the dollar, new mowers with hardly any use, trucks trailers, the list goes on, my hearts a flutterin just thinking what will be in my barn by the end of the year. to those that stick it out, welcome to the trade, if you work hard, you will succeed.<p>----------<br>grasskutter@cs.com<br>

[dbroome]

hey guys i am a new comer myself. since august i have picked up over 2000$ per month worth of contracts. I will take some accounts that you guys have because i actually know what i am doing. there is more to a healthy landscape than fertilizer. (4 years at the university of Ga) It cracks me up to read some of the replies in this forum. Some people here don't have a clue. so go ahead knock and the new guys, but some of us you should keep an eye on. Happy mow, blow, and go boys.

[Toroguy]

Didnt the owner of a National Football team start out hauling trash to the dump in a crappy old truck. Is there a publicly help Lawn Service out here? Watch out for that little guy, he might not just want smokes and movie money, he might want your smokes and movie money. I have respect for all those/you little guys. Reinvent the rules - but dont cheapen the currency by making it to available.

[Charles]

$2000 per month is not much money in this business. But i am sure you will increase It later on. But that income is nothing to brag about. Especially when you deduct your equipment cost and expenses. Good luck!

[dbroome]

hey charles that is with all deductions, expenditures and taxes. that is the ammount of money that I put in my pocket every month. I have only been in business for 6 months. (all of this business i picked up over the winter when most of you were slow. how much did you guys net at the end of your first 6 months. Oh by the way I do all of this working 2 and a half days a week.

[Charles]

Well with 4 years of college then you should know that that is more than 2000$ worth of contracts. If you had a net of 2000$. OH I forgot you said u went to a georgia college:)

[tjg]

Only picking up $2000 a month i've be doing that about everyday for about 2 weeks now. in 2 1/2 months I've brought in just over $15,000 and mowing is just starting a few weeks ago.<p>----------<br>T.J. Greenfield<br>

[TPC]

Excuse me if im wrong but i thought that this was the forum that were suposed to be helping one another not making fun or cutting down,,have a GREAT year and make lots of $$$$$<p>Tim<br>CCLC

[tjg]

I was just replying to dbroome question no harm just facts<p>----------<br>T.J. Greenfield<br>

[cjcland]

tjg<br> please!!!!!tell me how you are getting so much work i need more work fast<br>

[richard]

on the side of the road today i saw a burning scotts lawnmower with a railroad spike through it!i pulled over and grabbed their route list....newbies beware...some trucks compete real hard...

[Bassman]

Barkleymut- I'm going to be one of those newbies starting out this year. I've been around the barn a few times in business and know what organization and customer attention it takes to turn a profit. Competition is heavy in south Florida but there are tons of people wanting their lawn maintained every day. A common complaint I hear from people in my area is they can't find reliable lawn service companies. They promise great work to begin with and then start missing days they were supposed to cut and flying through and not edging properly and trimming area's they said they would. Apparently, there is so much work, a lot of lawn maint co's around here don't care if the customer drops them. If they don't like the job they are doing, there's always someone else to fill that slot. I plan on being reliable, showing up when I promise, not underpricing my work, doing superior quality work and giving the customer more than what they expected. I hope this pays off in the long term by creating a loyal account base that will help me grow by word of mouth refferals. Good luck to everyone this season. <br>

[tjg]

cjcland I just seen your post,I have been I business for five or so years now the last two have really been good, it mainly boils down to doing a top quality good and on time and it is really starting to show by word of mouth mainly,of course I haven't gotten 2000 everyday but the phone just keeps ring w/ new people want something done. Hard work will and is paying off.And I'am not going to slow down yet.<p>----------<br>T.J. Greenfield<br>

[dbroome]

wow charles, nothing gets by you does it? You are correct in your observation. one thing though, maintenance is only one facet of my business. installation (no contract) herb. and pest spray application (sometimes no contract) and I also do a lot of consulting work that isn't figured into my &quot;contracted&quot; monthly income. you see, when you graduate from a horticulture school that is ranked in the top 5 in the nation, they teach you how to do a little more than cut grass.

[Charles]

Just kiddin around with ya anyway dbroome.

[adonovan]

It's just that kind of arrogant attitude that makes enemies in the business world, be it Microsoft or Bo-Joe's Lawn Care. Often he who laughs LAST, laughs best. With an attitude like yours, you better hope you don't come across hard times when the economy finally slows down.

[MowerUp]

Scottslawn<br> It bothers me that you have the attitude that your wife is suppose to keep you up. You are the man of the family. You should be helping her.<br>