droppin the business - goin freelance

[lawnboy82]

hey everyone. as you guys know i got into an accident about 1 month ago and am without a truck now. i go back to school in another few days. i am giving away my lawn mowing accounts to a good friend of mine. there are only about 7 lawns now anyways. i may do some side work on occasion for people who dont give me troubles. i have decided though that i want to go and do freelance climbing for while i am in college to get some cash. i am tired of dealing with customers, giving estimates, and getting hounded by certain people who refuse to pay going rate and still want a beyond perfect job done. i will post a thread in the off topic forum for what i want to climb, if any of you guys from my area are interested.

[Randy Scott]

Best of luck to you lawnboy, but if you are fed up with people at your young age, you have a long road ahead of you. Whether employed, or the employer! Life is what you make of it. Good luck!:)

[Evan528]

Not trying to be an A**hole but....... How did you go from keeping 3 employees buissy to only only having 7 accounts? I know as well as any one what a pain owning a business is but..... I also know how much I hate working for someone else! Yeah.... I often think about how nice it would be to go work for someone else and not have to think about work after 5PM. I am constantly stressed out and ussualy work till about 9 at night by time i get done calling customers back, typing estimates, bills, record keeping and equipment maintnance! I have worked to dam hard building my business to just throw it all away! Even after saying all that..... I love this business! I hope you have thought about this long and hard..... hope you dont regret this desision in a few years when you think about what you could have had! By the way..... did you not have insurance on your truck? why cant you repalce it?

[Eric ELM]

What I don't understand is this thread you started this year about making $150,000 this summer before going to school. You wreck your truck and now your out of business? This doesn't make sense.

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14336&highlight=150+000

[lawnboy82]

eric- that thread was when i was figuring in a 90K job that never materialized. always somebody sayin do this job, and then nothing ever comes from it. evan- i kept 3 people busy 4 days a week plus myself. we did a good chunk of side work. i started the year with i think like 15 accounts and lost a good chunk over the past few months.- i do plan on replacing my truck very soon. the reason i am doing this is because i only have about 15 days before i go back to school, and i just fired my employees because there were problems. its too late now to hire, train and gain trust in new people. also- my parents dont want me coming home every weekend. and i would much rather spend my weekends up at school than being home with headaches. what i would like to do is just do this once a month and then do it on vacations from school- winter break and a bit in the summer. at 250 - 300 per day for just me i cant complain really. dont have to worry about paying employees, or high gas costs for running all over the place, and all that stuff. randy- i am not very happy with my life, no i am not gonna go kill myself now. but i just want to limit the troubles i have right now. i think this is a good way to do so. i find that when i do tree work for customers and i have to clean up i get myself into trouble. when all i have to do is just get it to the ground- never had a problem yet.

[John Allin]

Something doesn't 'feel' right with all this......

[John DiMartino]

Maybe you need to relax for a semester and rethink what youre doing.From your posts,I get the feeling that your a workaholic,who has no personal life.So this may be what you need.

[thelawnguy]

"also- my parents dont want me coming home every weekend. "

This I can understand, I get a dull throb behind my left eye whenever I read your posts, I can imagine the headaches your folks must endure listening to your tales of woe for 48 hours.

Good luck with your new venture. But dont bother coming up this way, there are enough guys with saddles and ropes in the back of their rusty F250's with expired Maine plates living out of the seedy weekly rate motels to saturate my market.

[Albemarle Lawn]

Be a finisher and not just a starter.

When you are in school, make sure you COMPLETE your education and don't just start it.

Be thorough, COMPLETE courses, assignments, and your diploma.

COMPLETION COMPLETION COMPLETION

Completion is the basis for integrity.

KB

[Mike (MLC)]

I wish you good luck. You do seem like a workaholic and I feel that even though you will be freelance and going to school, you will soon not have enough work to bide your time with. You will have a gap of time to relax, but then you will want to fill that with work. Before too long you are working just as hard and just as much as before. Just take a break and re-evaluate your situation, before just throwing it all to the side. You're young, I am sure things in your life will work out. ;)

[plow kid]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Eric ELM
You wreck your truck and now your out of business? This doesn't make sense.




Sounds like a person with bad planning abilites

Go rent a u haul pickup, I did for a few days while my truck was getting a trans rebuilt. best 20 bux a day

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Nothing to say

LGF:blob1:

[plow kid]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER
Nothing to say




I don't blame you :cry:

[leeslawncare]

Hmmmm....well...see ya.!

[Guido]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER
Nothing to say

LGF:blob1:
Two words for you ........ Bull S. !!!! I know you have something to say!!


I got a lot to say, but I won't. Just wanna say BYE BYE!! Bill said it all when he quoted your parents. Man thats gotta be sad.

I wonder who the next million dollar making one day wonder (then go under) will be????

Oh yeah, I'm sure lots of people want to hire someone who can just do hack work and not pick up after themselves and deal with customers or employees well.

Have Fun!

[cos]

I think the proof was in the puddin' when he tried to do a tree job for snow and quit.




Just my .02!

[wallzwallz]

i think he's exhaling a cigarette out his brown eye,his posts have been very confusing at best:D

[Island Lawn]

Putting the BURN in CRASH AND BURN!

Million Dollar makin, one day wonder, then go under!
ROFLAO!

Lawnboy82
Honesty is the best policy!

...If not silence...

[Charles]

We all have problems in life and especially running a business. I had an employee wreck my truck, tractor, trailor all at the same time as I have said before and while about causeing me a nervous break down LOL it never crossed my mind to give up and never missed a job because of it. Part of life is learning to roll with the punches and the crisis that come with it and keep on truckin because really there is no other option when you are an ADULT with reponsibilities and no cushoin to fall back on. Really when I look back at overcoming all the challenges that I have had to endure it makes me feel good to have overcome them and kick failures azz.
When the going gets tough the tough get going as they say..

[Guido]

Originally posted by Charles
Really when I look back at overcoming all the challenges that I have had to endure it makes me feel good to have overcome them and kick failures azz.
When the going gets tough the tough get going as they say..

Amen to that, and for all you other guys just starting out and thinking about quitting, read Charles' post a few times and wake the hell up!! :)

Treeclimbingboy82 - You could always work for the power company if you can make it up the poles. You don't have to clean up any limbs cause your not cutting any. Might be an option for you.

[Chuck Sinclair]

Best thing he could do for his customers (FINALY)
and us to no more sob storys.

[MJ]

I thought you were going to put a plow on that $1000 3/4 ton you were going to get. It would still make a good part time income.

[crazygator]

Matt, I think it is sad that you want to quit. Ths only positive thing I hear is that you are going to school. But just remember, if you come up against an obstacle there will you stand up to it, or just quit? You never can go forward when all you do is run backward. Just as the old saying goes, "Either put up or shut up". It is time you get on with something, stay with it and see it through. This makes you an adult. If you always run to mama you will always be a baby and be treated that way. Dont take offense at anything we post because all we have seen so far is the baby. Stand up, be a man, start acting like an adult! Good luck with your schooling!

[Fine Lines Lawn]

Matt,
I'm often reading peoples posts complaining about HAVING to read your posts.
Are you holding a gun to their heads or what?
I notice you get record numbers of viewings and replies to your threads, so keep up the good posts:)
Good luck with your upcoming decisions.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Rude Rude Rude

Ok you have a person that asks for help and you tell him to F@*% OFF. Yes he may ramble on but he has feelings and thoughts.
Something to say, yes I have something to say! This is a forum for people to get to gather for advice and help. And now you are turning down help to a person. Sounds like a rude thing to do.

Yes Matt will be better off going back to school and thinking what he wants to do in life. As far as loosing his truck and getting a U-Haul that would have been the smart thing to do but people make mistake or judge things wrong. His labor is gone for reasons only he is going to tell you. He may have botched a job for some one on this site. Are we all perfect NO. Obviously you can see that. I made a mistake on a post and sent my apologies. But do you have to be so hard on him NO.

So Matt you made a choice to go back to school and freelance the work that you will be doing. It might be a good choice. Just think things through and make good decisions. And good luck in your future ventures.

LGF :blob1:

BTW this thread has more views and posts than a LawnSite.com BBQ

[lawrence stone]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER

BTW this thread has more views and posts than a LawnSite.com BBQ

It is human nature to rubberneck at the scene of an accident.

[Charles]

Lawrence, you have had some funny schtick(however you spell it) lately. Why did you hide your sense of humor so many years here at lawnsite?

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by lawrence stone


It is human nature to rubberneck at the scene of an accident.

NOW THAT'S THE BEST FEW WORDS ON A POST I'VE HEARD IN A WHILE

LGF:blob1:

[AltaLawnCare]

If LB82 is gone what are we gonna do for entertainment. There may be only informative and productive posts here!

No good, No good, Tarbash.

[Island Lawn]

Good Luck To You LB82!

Stop by from time to time and let us know howzit goin.

[slingshot]

:alien: Those who go in circles shall be known as ( the wheel)