a few questions..

[born2farm]

hello guys,

well i have been posting alot of questions lately so please excuse me. im gonna try and get all of my questions out there in one post so here it goes.

heres my situation (alot of you prolly know but it puts it in perspective)

Im 15 years old and have been mowing for the past 2 years. Im just starting to get into it as a full time job. This year I wont have my license but have quite a bit of equipment that should get me by. Here is my linup..JOHN DEERE LX176 38" DECK, TROY BUILT 21" PUSH MOWER, WEED EATER STRING TRIMMER, WEED EATER BLOWER, LAWN AND COUNTRY WAGON, AGRI FAB LEAF VAC WITH MANY HAND TOOLS TO GO WITH THEM.

questions

1. IS THERE ANY GOOD WAY FOR ME TO GET MORE CUSTOMERS THIS YEAR? last year I had 6 accounts that i mowed all year and hope all of them will stick with me this year. I hope to get around 10 lanwns for this year and then look for more next year when I have a trailer and truck and WB.

2. right now all my customers just know me as GOODMAN LAWNCARE..i got thinking maybe a catchier name would help, somethng like NEIGHBER BOY LAWN CARE or somethng.

thnk thats it for now,

thanks in advance

[MOTES]

Not sure if you're joking with the business name, but I'll keep it as Goodman Lawncare. It's sound more professical. As far for getting customers, you should keep working your way up in your neighborhood without a truck. Sound like you're doing pretty good if you got 6 yards with all you got, but you should able to get more if there's more property around you. Good luck.

[born2farm]

ya i thnk im sticking with goodman too..neighbor boy sounded catchier but is childish. right now im plannin on sending letters to all of my old customers to make sure there interested in me then i thnk im gonna mail out 15-20 filers to other houses on my street. that sound good?

thanks for you help

[WHITESLAWNCARE]

try to do a referral system, put it on the flyer u are going to send, say if they tell some one in the neighborhood and you get work because of it u will give them a good price or a deal what ever is good for u .....etc so on and so forth.
As far as walking around the neighbor hood that is great i started like that, but u want people to know u are serious and not going any where. I see kids all the time doing that but most of the time never come back on a regular basis
word of mouth is the best advertisment

PS insurance is a must*** keep up the great work

[PlatinumLandCon]

Goodman sounds great even if it wasn't your last name. IMO, thats a great last name for business. My last name is Brown so that doesn't really seem attractive for lawns lol.

[Grits]

Goodman sounds great even if it wasn't your last name. IMO, thats a great last name for business. My last name is Brown so that doesn't really seem attractive for lawns lol.

LOL.:laugh::laugh:

That would be funny as heck.......Brown Lawn Service.

[WHITESLAWNCARE]

ya some people think that my name is a race oriented name but it is not at all, last name happens to be white. and if i see another truck that says professional lawn care or green whatever I'm gonna lose it. i would assume u are professional if u are in business, no need to say so and as for green i know we are in the green industry but it is played out bad.

[born2farm]

thanks for the ideas. as far as insurance how do i go about getting insurence if im only 15?

[WHITESLAWNCARE]

well u got me their call and obtain some info from the insurance company if anything. As long as u know u cant go for ever with out it. there are still people that have been doing this for years with out insurance. not recommend, don't think that u will necessarily need it right now but if a rock goes through some ones window u will pay out of pocket. when u start driving its a must have. some places will insure your truck and company all at once, shop around see what your options are for the future. when it comes time you will be well educated

[born2farm]

well u got me their call and obtain some info from the insurance company if anything. As long as u know u cant go for ever with out it. there are still people that have been doing this for years with out insurance. not recommend, don't think that u will necessarily need it right now but if a rock goes through some ones window u will pay out of pocket. when u start driving its a must have. some places will insure your truck and company all at once, shop around see what your options are for the future. when it comes time you will be well educated



ya right now i know i cant get insurance. i have a good enough relationship with my customers that they know i dont have insurance but that i will cover what ever damage i do. im deffinitly not goin on forever without it.

[barefeetny]

Quote:
Originally Posted by musclecarboy
Goodman sounds great even if it wasn't your last name. IMO, thats a great last name for business. My last name is Brown so that doesn't really seem attractive for lawns lol.

LOL.

That would be funny as heck.......Brown Lawn Service.

This is the funniest thing I read in a while

[moose203]

ya right now i know i cant get insurance. i have a good enough relationship with my customers that they know i dont have insurance but that i will cover what ever damage i do. im deffinitly not goin on forever without it.

I am not trying to bust your balls but what happens when you throw a rock through a window and into a 52" plasma TV or worse yet a person or even a child? Can your parents afford a new window and a plasma or multi-million dollar lawsuit because that is who is ultimately responsible. Maybe your dad could put the business licence in his name and get the insurance and you pay for it. I know you said your costumers said thy are ok with you not having insurance but people change when something actually happens. Just trying to help you out no ill intent is meant. I wish there were more young people making an effort to work like you instead of relying on mommy and daddy for every thing. Congrats to you for that. Just food for thought

Jason

[born2farm]

thanks for the advice. i have talked about getting the license in my dads name so we will see what i can do. like you said im trying to do this somewhat on my own but there are some thngs i will need help with like the insurance.

[Wilson Edge]

Dont worry man your doing a great job so far. I am only 17 and am mowing 30 lawns so dont worry you can go far at your age. Just dont take no for an answer. get some seriouse equipment that will make you look and mow proffesionaly. Keep the name it swings...mine is wilson edge and people seem to like it. One of the best things is to get some business cards...there is a guy at provographics.com who will print you 5000 double sided full color cards for only $149.00 they make you look allot more proffesional than just fliers. Make sure that your parents are behind you 100 %. they will be your best motivation. Just make sure to find all your recorses and save the money in the first 3 years. stuff is cool to have but the best thing is to build your business and then take your cut latter. Just have faith in yourself and you will go far. if you have any questions or would just like to chat here is my e-mail ethan@wilsonedge.com

[lonestarlandscaping]

Dude, you spelled neighbor wrong, that would be a stupid ass name. stick with goodman, My best advice to you is invest in good COMMERCIAL lawn equipment start with a good blower and trimmer i would suggest ECHO. Good luck. Don't try to get too big too fast. its a good way to go out of buisiness.

[born2farm]

ya...im stickin with goodman. this year is my build up year. im lookin into a 48in exmark WB and a 5x12 trailer at the end of this year