Please give me advice on my business!!

[kentuckylawns]

I have 4 accounts currently, 2 residential, 2 commercial. Next Year, I am planning to go full time. MY goal by end of february to secure 30 -35 more contracts, by heavy advertising. I need your advice on the best way to get 35 new clients, and the equip i should purchase. I returned from my local exmark/stihl dealer and priced these items as follows. 2 fs90's at 300 each = 600, 1 br 600= $500. i am planning to buy these in the offseason, now my question is hoping i go into next season with 35 accounts, all yards in my area are about 3/4 acre. Do i purchase 2 used walk behinds, maybe 3000 each, or buy 1 brand new turf tracer 48 hydrofloating deck, for about $6000. Please give me advice on landing the new accounts and my equip purchases.

[PMLAWN]

What are you cutting with now--If it is a WB I say keep it and buy new. Have a good mower and save the other for break downs-- which will be rare with the new mower.

How to get accounts -- advertise

[kentuckylawns]

What are you cutting with now--If it is a WB I say keep it and buy new. Have a good mower and save the other for break downs-- which will be rare with the new mower.

How to get accounts -- advertise
I am cutting only with a 21'' troy bilt, and my crappy sear blower, and trimmer brokedown. And i plan to go full time, that is why i wanna spend the money for quality commercial equip, instad of junk.

[WJW Lawn]

The best advice I can give you...is DONT GO FULL TIME!!! If I were you, I'd give it one more season...grow it slow. But if you jump in fulltime HOPING that 35 accounts pop up, then you'll be eating government cheese pretty fast. Even if you service 20 to 30 accounts....with the right equipment you can knock that out in a weekend at least, but of course you'll need better equipment. But seriously...don't quit the steady income yet...you'll regret it.

[daveintoledo]

The best advice I can give you...is DONT GO FULL TIME!!! If I were you, I'd give it one more season...grow it slow. But if you jump in fulltime HOPING that 35 accounts pop up, then you'll be eating government cheese pretty fast. Even if you service 20 to 30 accounts....with the right equipment you can knock that out in a weekend at least, but of course you'll need better equipment. But seriously...don't quit the steady income yet...you'll regret it.

i have my flyers inserted into a local newspaper, that way i dont have to go door to door, and can hand pick the areas i want it delivered to, its a little expensive but ive gotten great results ....timeing for the ads in your area is critical too.

[firefightergw]

I don't know how much you need to bring in to live on. You only know that but I would say that going full-time with 35 accounts is going to leave the wallet skinny.

[WJW Lawn]

I don't know how much you need to bring in to live on. You only know that but I would say that going full-time with 35 accounts is going to leave the wallet skinny.

Youre EXACTLY right!!

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

The cheapest and best in your area is flyers or a big sign on your trailer know how to price work,don't work to cheap.

[FIRESCOOBY]

I also say don't quit your day job just yet.

I'm just PT and got 10 residential accounts and one school system fairly easily this year...I was lucky. Seven of my accounts came by word of mouth.

I'm a fulltime FF and don't really want a bunch more than that. I wouldn't mind 20 accounts, but that's about my max after working every third day and spending time with family.

I also say 30-35 accounts would be hard to live on. I have a $45 minimum and that would equal out to about $5200/month IF they were all weekly accounts. Sounds great until you start paying out taxes, INSURANCE (health, dental, vision, disability), some sort of retirement, etc. This is especially light if you have a family.

Good luck though in whatever decision you make.

[BBN]

I will never make this a full time thing until I retire from my regular job in 14 years. If for some reason I did lose my job I would probably take about 35-40 lawns a week. I would be doing OK since my wife makes darn good money as a nurse and she could carry me on her health ins if we needed to. ABout all I would have besides business expenses is uncle sam grabbing his portion and paying into an IRA. Not to mention the wife and I do not live extravagantly(choose not to) and we have a timetable to be debt free in three years(mortgage included)

[kentuckylawns]

for the record, i have no full time job right now, i am 19 years old, and do not have a family to feed. If that helps any, i dont have anyone relying on me for income. I would like to steadily grow my business of course, maybe add 30 accounts this year. 15 the next, and so on.

[wowmowwow]

whether or not you go full time or not buy the riding mower, instead of the walkbehinds. i started wtih 36" walkbehind then worked my way up to a used 48". thought i was rollin then. even though they both had velkies i was still standing up bopping around. i have an '06 exmark 56" zero turn now...it was a move that i put off for a long time but the plung was well worth the price. it does sound like alot of money, 6 grand=one mower or 6 grand = two mowers. the zero turn will out mow a walk behind. and given the right conditions a rider will out mow two walk behinds. just my thought...thanks

[ED'S LAWNCARE]

slower....No job now and you can live off 35 accoounts....that's great, but the question I have are you planning to finance these items or do you have the cash?

If you plan on financing and you don't have the accounts you might be out of business before you really start.

Which ever best of luck

[noseha]

for two you should have more like 75 res and 10 com accts before making the move.

[kentuckylawns]

good point, my plan is to try and secure the accounts by mid - end february, then purchase the necessary equip, then build from there throoughout the summer. It would be stupid to purchase 10gs of equipment and have no accounts.

[kentuckylawns]

Do you guys think if i put out like 5000 flyers in neighborhoods, i can secure 30 accounts in february, or do you think i should advertise more agressively, b/c i know i will not pick up everyone who calls. I am not a lowballer.

[jajwrigh]

I would rather get an Exmark Lazer HP, or something similar in size, that several walk behinds. In a heads up situation the rider will be more productive and you will experience a lot less fatigue.