Yes or No

[Southern Lawns]

Was playing golf Saturday (been real lucky with the weather, all the work is caught up) with a friend who is also in the business. He is more into irrigation with maintenance filling maybe a day and a half a week. I'm mostly maintenance with maybe a half a day of irrigation repair a week. Anyway..............We were talking about how much $ should one be making in order to justify bringing in a hand. The question is: Would the majority of you bring in a helper to help you make say $1200.00 a week and out of that pay him say $220.00. Or would the majority feel that you should be making much more in order to justify him.
I know there are a lot of variables but don't read into the question too much! Yes or No.
Thank you

:jester:

[wallzwallz]

no,$1200 should be made by yourself in a week if you bring in a helper he should double what your grossing a week:cool:

[bubble boy]

i say no too for 1200, but a helper will not likely ever double your gross. inefficiencies exist when you add a man to a crew, and he likely wont be as fast or hard working as you.

having said that, only you know how much you want to go home with at the end of the week. use that number and go from there.

[smburgess]

NO WAY!!! $220.00 per week???
$220.00 per week (assuming 40 hours) is only $5.50 PER HOUR. I start people pushing a mower at $8.50.
Around here if you plan on hiring an irrigation tech you need to be thinking more like $600.00 per week.

[Southern Lawns]

NO WAY!!! $220.00 per week???
I knew someone would miss the question all together.
Who said anything about 40 hours a week and $5.50 an hour:confused:

[smburgess]

Let me understand, you're going to hire a "part-time" irrigation tech???????? lol
(I can only answer the question with the info given... I didn't miss anything)

[Southern Lawns]

OK let me try this again for the reading impaired. TRY NOT TO READ TOO MUCH INTO THE QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Forget about the work and JUST FOCUS ON THE NUMBERS...............Relax and FOCUS ON THE NUMBERS...................................

[captdevo]

i'm not sure if this is your answer..... but, to add $1200 per week to my existing accounts required me to have additional help, $220 sounds ok.

it's hard to judge with sooo many factors involved.........extra hours, labor hours, operating expenses, etc.

your question is very vague....

you shouldn't be so defensive when members give their 2 cents!!!!

take it as it is...

Dave

[Premo Services]

I would consider a helper if I could make 2000.00+ a week, and would have to pay him or her about 350.00 to start. I know you can not make double, but you should be able to do more than by yourself, and not be as tired as I am now.

[Southern Lawns]

My thinking was, wait till you peak and then bring in help. His theory was that if you are at $1000. to $1200. a week. Bring in help and not go home so tired. That was our difference in opinion. We realize it's all up to what we need/wish to put in our pocket at the end of the week but we where just having a discussion about help and the lawn care business. His theory does have a nice twang to it but it won't pay the bills.
Raymond

[Southern Lawns]

Oh! Steve,
Forgive me for being snippy.
Regards,
Raymond

[smburgess]

O.K., based on the wealth of info given, and not reading past it...

NO, NO and NO.

[David Gretzmier]

Ok- my brother and I both do this for a living. He has concentrated on making the most he can with just himself and maybe his daughter helping in the summer. I hired and delegated. I still worked alot, but mostly bid, fixed, checked and explained to customers about mistakes, invoiced, marketed, puchased and sold equipment, all the "business manager" stuff. what has been thenet result? my brother concentrated on abolute efficiency, revenue and profit, and now he can generate $2500 week by himself, on a week to week basis in 40 hours or so, for about 30 weeks a year, and about half that on leaves and winter times, with a 4 week vacation in the winter somewhere. I've found that 1200 is about the Maximum revenue you can expect from an employee in a given week by himself, or averaged with helpers. to generate 1200 we have to pay upwards of 10 per hour, plus all your equipment, truck, blah blah, SO READ THIS PART- to generate the same "take home profit" with employees for YOU as opposed to the best of JUST you, It literally has to be in the 4-6 employee range. it takes about 6 employees worth of profit to generate the 2500 my brother makes in his week. Sure HE has his truck and equipment expenses. Thats it. bigger revenues take more eqipment and expenses, Not just wages. Want a shorter answer? don't hire until you hit 2500 per week by yourself. raise prices and efficiency til then. then enjoy the time savings of having a helper. And please don't gripe about this being a long post. I have been where you are at. I probably made a wrong turn. learn from me and others. Dave g

[Dochere]

Our business plan didn't even budget for a helper until we hit $2700 per week. This is for a full timer mind you. There would have been no way to afford 1 before that point. Our second helper was at $3800 per week. Both at a base of $10 an hour.

[Lawn DOG]

Yes, I wanna play golf.
How's that for not reading into it? LOL

[awm]

how bout just finding a friend who works the night shift an paying him well to help you on stuff you cant handle yourself.
later tm

[SCAPEASAURUSREX]

From other people I have talked to .. they said when starting out and growing... Work to do as much as you can by yourself and then when you can't handle anymore, hire someone part time and then when you can't handle that, hire someone full time and so on and so on....

[John Allin]

Industry averages say "no".

So do I.

[Southern Lawns]

Thanks for the good feedback. This was just a conversation we had about the way to grow. Fortunatley we are both past this hurdle and just had a difference in opinion on how each of us did it. With things growing so rapidly in our area we where both able to do it our own way and come out on top. It is definatley clear how ya'll feel it should be handled.
Thanks,
Raymond
P.S. He's paying for golf this weekend :p