New guy from MN!

[Hansen Lawns]

Hey everybody, I have been reading almost everything in this forum for about 2 weeks now, haven't seen many people from Minnesota, whats up with that?!

Anyway, I guess I don't really have any questions since everything is pretty much answered already, but if I think of something i'll be sure to ask it.

I don't have much history in the Lawn Care market, but I've always done all the work on our lawns, and they seem to turn out really well. My buddy does the grounds-keeping for a bigger school with his dad during the spring/summer months so if there is anything I need to learn he will be there to help me out!

Well just wanted to introduce myself to everybody and see if there is anyone from the land of 11,842 lakes. :usflag:

Edit: I do have one question actually.. Do customers get annoyed when you do door-to-door? I was thinking this would be the most efficiant way of advertising, and wouldn't "cost" anything extra except my time.

[IMAGE]

Hey! I am in MN also, well ND too. I am looking at starting up in the Fergus Falls/Fargo area for next summer. Looks like we will be learning together, as I dont have much lawn mowing experience either, just a love for the outdoors, and my personal yard(2 acres with a million oaks-i hate this time of yr, lol)

Cheers to you, and hopefully we both are successful!http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e281/livelifedaily/emoticons/cheers.gif

-Steve

[Hansen Lawns]

Hey! I am in MN also, well ND too. I am looking at starting up in the Fergus Falls/Fargo area for next summer. Looks like we will be learning together, as I dont have much lawn mowing experience either, just a love for the outdoors, and my personal yard(2 acres with a million oaks-i hate this time of yr, lol)

Cheers to you, and hopefully we both are successful!http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e281/livelifedaily/emoticons/cheers.gif

-Steve

Wow that's crazy! We're in the EXACT same boat... Except I would never dream of selling my bikes! HA.
Wait a minute... Is this the same steve thats in the National guard??

[IMAGE]

Wow that's crazy! We're in the EXACT same boat... Except I would never dream of selling my bikes! HA.
Wait a minute... Is this the same steve thats in the National guard??


Yes it is :usflag:

Who are you? How do you know me?

edit :: I know.... your initials are CH ?? right?

I still have a deal for you on that bike!

[Hansen Lawns]

Well this is a weird coincidence..
This is Caleb Hansen, the guy that REALLY wants your X4! haha..
So you're selling all your bikes? You were doing so well in the championships this year though...

[IMAGE]

Well this is a weird coincidence..
This is Caleb Hansen, the guy that REALLY wants your X4! haha..
So you're selling all your bikes? You were doing so well in the championships this year though...

Yeah I actually WON the Open C and 250C in NDMA this yr. I even won a D23 +25b race in Staples on labor day. I am giving up more then just selling the bikes to do this. I had an offer to go live at a MX track in TX for the winter... I was supposed to leave last monday. :cry:

But I figure if I can make a successful business out of this, then in the future I can ride more. Its all about the big picture, and whats important. Racing at my age wont get me anywhere. But investing in myself, could take me along ways.

... but dont listen to my ramble... instead buy that x4 and I will come deliever it.

[verant]

MN is da sh*t . I'm a Alexandria, MN guy. In the middle of all the 11,842 lakes. I'm in my 3rd year/4 of owning my own business. i may be able to help u out if you have any questions. I'm 19 and in college

[Hansen Lawns]

Ouch, thats tough.. but good decision definitely! (I'll still take your spot!)
We got a little off topic, but if somebody could answer my question about door-to-door that would be greatly appreciated. I would like to get out in the neighborhood sooner than later because I plan to do some fall clean-up stuff.

[verant]

i wouldn't go door to door, people get annoyed by that. what kind of equipment do ya got?

[Hansen Lawns]

MN is da sh*t . I'm a Alexandria, MN guy. In the middle of all the 11,842 lakes. I'm in my 3rd year/4 of owning my own business. i may be able to help u out if you have any questions. I'm 19 and in college

Hey, are you going to ATC? I was planning to go there for Law Enforcement (to have a more stable income before building up my business) but i got F&$*'d out of it... they have really slow processing there so now I'm doing schooling online (which will be great, I will have plenty of time to work on advertising and getting my yards done!)

How did you go about doing your first advertising? Also, I'm kind of worried about going around trying to get business before owning all of my equipment, but I would like some security to help decide on equipment to buy, so I don't want to buy all my stuff to find out I have 10 teenie lawns to do..

[verant]

no, i go to UND in Grand Forks. I'm going back on weekends and working my ass off, leaving tomorrow after class in fact. I work all summer though and spring. ATC is a good school though. If u wanna know anything about Alexandria, just let me know, lived there all my life. My first advertising was done by local classifieds, flyers on bulletin boards, word of mouth, logo on my truck window. I actually spent 10k on equipment my first year, i was able to pull it off. Kubota had a three year zero financing payment plan. i got a trailer for
1k, and blower, and trimmer too. You have to know your market and be committed. How big is clear lake, i'm not sure i know where that is

[IMAGE]

Hanson- There may be a marketing agency in or near your town, that can give you an address sheet for all the people in your town, or a neighborhood you want to reach. Pay $50 or $100 for the list, and send out 500 postcards at .21$ each. Total investment of about $200. Also a $30 add in the midweek or local paper. People read those. Back in 97 in all the snow, a buddy and I got a crap ton of work cleaning roofs off, from one $30 add.

I would keep the add simple:

FALL YARD CLEANUP
Fair Prices
free estimates
Call Caleb @ xxx-xxxx

[verant]

i know where clear lake is now

[Hansen Lawns]

no, i go to UND in Grand Forks. I'm going back on weekends and working my ass off, leaving tomorrow after class in fact. I work all summer though and spring. ATC is a good school though. If u wanna know anything about Alexandria, just let me know, lived there all my life. My first advertising was done by local classifieds, flyers on bulletin boards, word of mouth, logo on my truck window. I actually spent 10k on equipment my first year, i was able to pull it off. Kubota had a three year zero financing payment plan. i got a trailer for
1k, and blower, and trimmer too. You have to know your market and be committed. How big is clear lake, i'm not sure i know where that is

Clear Lake is just a little "suburb" of St. Cloud, mainly its just an area of country that somebody went ahead and named.
As far as where I will be working though, It'll be the St. Cloud / Big Lake area. There are plenty of people with money to spend around here. I think I should be able to do well, I am a pretty motivated person (thanks mainly to the Army) and have had plenty of hard work experience, worked for a christmas tree farm for 6 years, march-december... 8-14 hour days ;)

[verant]

that's a good winter job. i would've liked to do something like that in the winter during high school, but i played varsity hockey, so extra time doesn't exist. How old are you? u still in the army

[Hansen Lawns]

I'm 19, summer birthday, and I'm in the nat'l guard till 2012.. I love it though, they pay for everything that has to do with schooling (except like housing of coarse). One weekend a month isn't bad at all, it gives me a chance to do some pretty badass stuff too! I'm a Military Po-Po so that is why I wanted to do law enforcement. I think this will be a great career though, really looking forward to it.

[verant]

wow, we're like the same age. Aug 12. 1988 ATC is a well recognized law enforcement school

[Hansen Lawns]

wow, we're like the same age. Aug 12. 1988 ATC is a well recognized law enforcement school

Yes ATC is a very well recognized LE school... A very very high up gentleman in the Nat'l guard that I know used to be the Head master or whatever its called for ATC... I guarentee he would've pulled some strings for me and gotten me in this fall but now I'm glad I didn't!

Thank you Steve for the advertising ideas! I especially like the newspaper one!

Do you guys know anything about business credit? I don't really have much credit since i'm 19 and my parents also both have really crappy credit. I was talking to one of the guys from a car dealership and they said since I will have a business license I will have some credit through that... any truth to this? or is it just used car salesman talk??

[verant]

i don't know, guess i was able to get my loan b/c my paerents have good credit and they cosigned. they had to b/c i was under 18. i'm sure the car salesman isn't pulling tour leg. i don't have a business license and nobody has ever asked for one around here, especially res. propreties. the only commercial ones i do are people that i know through family friends

[IMAGE]

I dont know about business credit. I got a million CC apps when I got my federal tax id # though. I never filled one out.

One thing is to check with the SBA and SCORE. SCORE can help you put a business plan together, and SBA can help you with backing the loan.

Call this guy: Skip Carpenter, 218-739-4541.
His title is Consultant, Small Business Development Center.
His job is to help you get started. And his work is free to you. (he is paid by SBA).

He may not be the right guy for your area, but he can put you in contact with who you need to talk to in the St. Cloud area.

[Hansen Lawns]

I dont know about business credit. I got a million CC apps when I got my federal tax id # though. I never filled one out.

One thing is to check with the SBA and SCORE. SCORE can help you put a business plan together, and SBA can help you with backing the loan.

Call this guy: Skip Carpenter, 218-739-4541.
His title is Consultant, Small Business Development Center.
His job is to help you get started. And his work is free to you. (he is paid by SBA).

He may not be the right guy for your area, but he can put you in contact with who you need to talk to in the St. Cloud area.

Awesome thanks bro! I'll give him a call after work tomorrow.
The guys at the tree farm called me back tuesday night, offered me $11/hr as crew leader... so i'm pretty excited about that... it's only for about 2 months and it'll be some nice money, hopefully to go along with some "fall clean-up" work also.

You guys have been a huge help so far, Thanks a ton!

[DA Quality Lawn & YS]

Good conversation you MN guys are having! I do business down here in the Rochester, MN area. I mowed just two large accounts this season which doesn't sound like much, but has enabled me to plow the profits toward a potential walk behind mower. I continue to advertise in my area newspapers, every week now for the past 2-3 months. Not many calls so far - however word of mouth is the best way to get business and it takes time for that to develop.

By the way, you can add a few more lakes to your MN lake count in your previous posts, with all of this stinkin wet weather we have been having.

[verant]

lol, yeah the rain needs to stop until the spring

[IMAGE]

15,291 sticks in my head from 5th grade knowledge bowl. Of course we may of added a few in the last 15 yrs!

[IMAGE]

Caleb,
The x4 and a crf70 are goin tomarrow. I am bringing my 290 to show a guy in Rochester tomarrow afternoon also, so that may be gone too:cry:.

I'm secretly hoping the 450 doesnt sell...


I went and looked at Grasshopper mowers today, found out we have a great dealer in Fargo and Fergus too. Looked at a 721d(11xxx?) and a 9??(16000) too. They look to be built very very nice! Rear discharge, industrial look and feel, tilting deck. Whats really nice is you can take the deck off and put a snow blower on the front in the winter (snowblower is $1600). They are a little out of my price range, but something to look forward to in 2009!! You should check one out if you get a chance.