The Plunge.....

[Greenkeepers]

Hey All-

Well folks, it's finally over. I gave my 2 week notice and my last day is this Friday. Thanks to all of you for sharing information and helping me make this decision.:blob3:

[JLC]

I'm so jealous. I wish I was in your shoes. I'm hoping for the spring of next year to go FT.

[jeffyr]

Congrats and best of luck.

jeffyr:D

[Scraper]

Best of luck Mike! :blob3:

[syzer]

Best of luck to you. I am giving my two weeks notice tomorrow =).

[TONY PENNICK]

Good luck, thinking about doing it next season.

[lawrence stone]

You should do better than most with your business and accounting background.

Since you can actually understand the term "gross profit margin" you are heads above the rest.

Get yourself a copy of INFO USA and do an intense hi end residential direct mail campaign. Target your areas and keep to tight specific areas. You don't make any money sitting at traffic lights.

[trimmer]

Welcome to hell!!! LOL Best of luck to you.

[SLS]

Good luck to you, Greenkeepers! :D

I did it last spring and have not looked back since...love it!

If I understand Lawrence correctly you have a business background. This will help you BIG TIME! Doing your monthly P&L will guide you to making the most profit per manhour invested as much as showing you "the bottom line".

The best advice I can give you is to follow Lawrence's advice on targeting your area and keeping it tight. This is my second year and I already have several "clusters" of clients that are right next door to (or across the street from) each other. Unload once-cut 2 or 3, then move on...big time saving (and fuel saving) method. I have a friend who cuts lawns also and he drives all over the county and his fuel bill is astronomical compared to mine...plus I can cut more acres on a typical day. Being close to home is also a real boon on rainy days...why wait around in someones driveway (needing to take a leak,no doubt!) and wondering if the shower will pass soon when you can be home in a couple of minutes, kicked back with your fav cold beverage scoping the WeatherChannel. :D

The only other advice I can give you is to check out prospective clients lawns very carefully for how long it will take you to do it and what equipment it will require before you quote them. I learned the hard way last year....some of my very first lawns take me TWICE as long to complete as my newer ones (and kill my back too)...and they are all one acre lots. And they pay the same...yikes! Being a businessman I know you can appreciate this aspect of the game. I still consider myself very new to the business and still get fooled by a lawn or two. But it improves all the time.

Do good work, be friendly and honest with your clients, and be dependable and you will soon have all the clients you can handle. A small ad in your neighborhood newspaper works well too. Run it for several consecutive weeks so the know your not "fly by night". I brought in some good accounts this way and they in turn have refered me t their neighbors. In my case A $14 a week ad has generated $160 a week in new business so far...and several phone calls a week for bids.

Again, BEST OF LUCK to you in your new venture! :)

Peace!

[Toroguy]

Congratulations Greenkeepers and Syzer! It is an awkward feeling the first few days, a feeling I will never forget. Its similar to asking a pretty woman to dance.

Stone,
I reread your "Shark Attack" thread, good info and entertaining dialogue.

[David Gretzmier]

good luck and advice: make it a point, using an appointment calender or whatever, to keep track of how much time it takes you to mow each lawn each week, and drive time. It is the most valuable information that alot of us don't know. pricing and pricing increases are and should be driven by it. Dave g

[Greenkeepers]

Thanks for all of the support fellas. I havn't had the time to do all of the analysis that I have in mind , but now that I'm full time I won't have to worry about another 40 hr a week job.

Stone: Thanks, I can never loose my accounting degree and it will always help me in business :) It goes to show that you remember things in the post, who else knew that I was an accountant.. Thanks Stoner.......

[tgrebis]

Just curious and if you don't mind, what kind of salaries and benefit packages are you giving up? I work as a carpenter 6:30 to 2:30,then cut lawns with a partner till about 7:30. We also do sidework on the weekends. I wouldn't mind running just the landscape business but its hard to give up the benefits package. The lawn business is also proving to be a great way to get carpentry sidework.

[Bassman]

Greenkeepers,

Best of luck to you. Ditto SLS reply. Don't sweat it. Sounds like you have more than a little common business sense. Add hard work and a dash of charisma for the prospects and you're out of the gate strong.

P.S. You will probably grab every single opportunity to make $$ for a while, even if the job pays less than you estimate is fair. That's par for the course when starting out.(You want to make sure you can eat 3 squares a day). After a while, you will start to differentiate between solid, reliable, profitable and fast paying account's versus ALL THE OTHER TYPE BIZ. Then slowly build up the primo customers to the point that you can comfortably pass on all the less desirable, (and less reliable), business.

Again, Congratulations and best of luck!

[SLS]

Do your maintenance regularly...don't be tempted to fudge it.

The cost savings and longevity of your equipment will be increased greatly. I read in another post where Eric has put over 3000 hours on one of his DC's....that is a clear indication of what proper maintenance will do for you. :)

Taking the time to keep sharp blades under your deck will cut your tme down, make a good looking cut, and relieve a lot of strain on your belts, spindles, and engine. You probably already know this though.......

Good luck and happy chopping! :D

[sheppard]

Here is some unsolicited advice- prospect every day for new acconts. Make it a goal to find at least one person who interested in your services. On aderage you could look for one or two new accounts a week.

Cordially,
Sheppard