A few questions about a new business!!

[Mike09]

I am 24 years old and have been landscaping for 9 years. I have worked for my uncle who started a business with a good friend from nothing. That business is now one of the largest in the state of wisconsin but my uncle has since, split up and gone on his own. Anyways, I am now to the point in my life where I know I have enough experience running crews, bidding jobs, and want to venture on my own. I have a large shop that I can utilize...owned by my family...for free and have great contacts for equipment. What I am wondering is, I have an opportunity to do a lot of business for many people, as I have run my uncles company basically without him for years. He just tells me the jobs and what to do..and knows he can rely on me to do a fantastic job. I was thinking of buying two exmark 48in-60in..slightly used with an exmark walk behind. My uncle owns a lot of other things that I can rent or borrow. I am just wondering what a reasonable amount of money is to spend on a work truck, trailer and three mowers is. I would probably want slightly used things from demo to 2 years old. I have basically gotten a 7 building with 16 units in each building...condo complex contract not to mention about 25 residential and about 5 reasonably large commercial buildings. Any type of help on what I am doing would be awesome....any information about anyone who started out like this would be awesome. I just dont want to get really into debt and lose my @$$!!! I have all the support from my family who is more than willing to finance this and let me pay them...I just dont want to flop.

[lifetree]

... I was thinking of buying two exmark 48in-60in..slightly used with an exmark walk behind. My uncle owns a lot of other things that I can rent or borrow. I am just wondering what a reasonable amount of money is to spend on a work truck, trailer and three mowers is. ...

For a truck, trailer and 3 Exmark commercial mowers ... assuming they're all in decent shape and the mowers probably have no more than 400 hours each on them, I'd say about $ 25,000 should do !! Keep in mind that you said you wanted to get equipment that is all told "about 2 years old or less".

[ryry278]

Dont forget all the other little stuff cause that stuff eats up the money fast tooo.. Trimmers, blowers, edgers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers.... Alot of stuff

[Mike09]

I have factored in the blower and weedeaters. I will probably get redmax blowers and string trimmers, but my uncle has two edgers and a lesco leaf blower along with a lesco thatcher and aerator. He also has two dual axle enclosed wells cargo trailers. I was thinking of an open trailer because of the fact that I can park all of my equipment inside at night. The plus side of an enclosed is that I can just lock it up at the end of the night. What I am wondering is....does it make more sense to start out cheaper and work my way up to better trailers and trucks or just get what I want right from the get go? I figure that I will either run two, two man crews or just one three person crew. I am just looking for advice...also, what programs are you using to do your blueprints and landscape design work?? Thanks for everyones help, Mike.

[DLAWNS]

I don't know if this helps, but just buy the most quality equipment and truck that you can that you can get the best deal on. Try to not get yourself into too much debt. However, it takes money to make money. Best of luck to you. Keep asking questions and let us know how things go for you.

[kisner87]

Last year I started up a buisness around the area. I don't know if you have got the accounts and you are able to get the money back payed off pretty quickly I guess that you are better off to get newer equiptment. I have been getting some of my equiptment off of this site on the parts marketplace. I have not had a problem with that Alot of the guys on here that are going to close up shop for whatever reason alot of times post them on here I have had to drive down to IL a couple times but in the end it is worth it you still save money I have got a shop down this way that services most all commercial grade equiptment that works out well for me cause that way I don't have to worrie about going to a shop that I don't even know that well. I have got 2 exmark mowers a 48" and a 60" and a smaller 42WB mower that works well on the smaller accounts along with redimax and echo 2cycle equiptment which I picked all that up new the mowers were slightly used. less that 300 hours on them. my truck is now the newest but it is a dependable 2500HD 2004 which works wonderful for the jobs that I do and the area that I need to cover. I Had a 18 foot enclosed trailer prior but you are able to get those around WI pretty cheap concidering, if you need a place to pick one up for a decent price PM me There is a place down on this end of the state that you can find one with a pretty good deal. But all said and done I paid around 23,000 for all of my equiptment and like I said if you have the acess to the money and the accounts to back it it is not bad.

[kisner87]

what part of WI are you in?