RedSox4Life
04-17-2009, 09:45 PM
From your local, legal, landscaper
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Reply to: pers-5gvdp-1127348490@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-04-17, 5:13PM EDT
I feel it's appropriate now more than ever with the "economy" to let you, prospective customer, know exactley what unforseen factors come into play when you call me asking for a qoute to mow your lawn. After reading this hopefully you'll be better prepared, and it will not be too much of a shock to hear that, yes, it is going to cost $40 to have your small, in town lawn mowed once a week.
First, I need a truck to drive to do the estimate, and also to transport my equipment assuming you hire me. Now my truck needs to road legal, so I need commercial insurance and inspection, and I need to renew my plates with the dmv EVERY year, for about $160 per renewal. Assuming that's all in order, I need to keep gas in my truck,and my truck doesn't get as good mileage as your corolla. I aslo need to keep the truck maintained to be in good working order, oil changes, tires, brakes etc. (all of which cost about twice as much as it does for your corolla). I have to be identifiable, so my truck needs to be lettered and I have to be wearing a company shirt as well.
So let's assume you accept my price and we sign a contract for the season (hello, attorney fee's). The first sceduled day I show up to mow your lawn I bring with me:
-a commercial riding mower (about $10,000, add another $2,000 if it has a bagger on it)
-a commercial walk behind mower ($3-6,000)
-a few string trimmers ($300 each)
-a few backpack blowers ($500 each)
all of which needs to be gassed, maintained, and insured against theft
I have to have a trailer to carry all of this equipment, which has to be insured, registered and inspected.
In order to be able to afford all this equipment, I have to have an employee so that I can get more lawns done per day. So with my employee, there's of course his hourly wage, but the there's the workers compensation insurance, payroll taxes and unemployment taxes.
We do a gorgeous job mowing your lawn, then load up and head back to the shop because it's quitting time. The shop isn't much, just a little garage and parking lot, but it carries with it it's own mortgageand property taxes. Plus heat, electricity, phone, and running water (if I'm lucky) bills. I park the truck and send my employee home with his paycheck wondering if he's the smart one. I stay at the shop for a couple more hours, recording the days work, returning the days phone calls and checking the days mail. Arrived in the mail today is the bill for that yellow page ad I took out this year. Tax quarterlies are also due. So is the liability insurance, I can't let that lapse.
So I add up the days income and expenses, and realize I'm just not bringing in enough money.
So what are my options? Should I trade in my truck for the old, rusted out beater with the rejection sticker? Stop paying taxes and cancel all my insurance policies and become an illegal operator? I don't think so, I have too much pride in the work that I do for that.
My other option is to advertise more, take on more work, buy more equipment and hire more employees. But then two things happen:
1) You will never again see ME, the guy you hired to cut your grass, cutting your grass. Only my employees from now on.
and...
2) I will be forced to spend more time managing employees, giving estimates and doing paperwork than I actually do landscapeing, and my service will lose that personal touch.
SO, please, next time you thing it's outrageous that your landscaper wants xxx dollars to clean up your leaves or xxx dollars to pull the weeds in your flower beds, keep in mind that after he pays all of his operating costs he still has to go home, pay his mortgage, buy groceries, and maybe once in a while take his wife out to dinner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: pers-5gvdp-1127348490@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-04-17, 5:13PM EDT
I feel it's appropriate now more than ever with the "economy" to let you, prospective customer, know exactley what unforseen factors come into play when you call me asking for a qoute to mow your lawn. After reading this hopefully you'll be better prepared, and it will not be too much of a shock to hear that, yes, it is going to cost $40 to have your small, in town lawn mowed once a week.
First, I need a truck to drive to do the estimate, and also to transport my equipment assuming you hire me. Now my truck needs to road legal, so I need commercial insurance and inspection, and I need to renew my plates with the dmv EVERY year, for about $160 per renewal. Assuming that's all in order, I need to keep gas in my truck,and my truck doesn't get as good mileage as your corolla. I aslo need to keep the truck maintained to be in good working order, oil changes, tires, brakes etc. (all of which cost about twice as much as it does for your corolla). I have to be identifiable, so my truck needs to be lettered and I have to be wearing a company shirt as well.
So let's assume you accept my price and we sign a contract for the season (hello, attorney fee's). The first sceduled day I show up to mow your lawn I bring with me:
-a commercial riding mower (about $10,000, add another $2,000 if it has a bagger on it)
-a commercial walk behind mower ($3-6,000)
-a few string trimmers ($300 each)
-a few backpack blowers ($500 each)
all of which needs to be gassed, maintained, and insured against theft
I have to have a trailer to carry all of this equipment, which has to be insured, registered and inspected.
In order to be able to afford all this equipment, I have to have an employee so that I can get more lawns done per day. So with my employee, there's of course his hourly wage, but the there's the workers compensation insurance, payroll taxes and unemployment taxes.
We do a gorgeous job mowing your lawn, then load up and head back to the shop because it's quitting time. The shop isn't much, just a little garage and parking lot, but it carries with it it's own mortgageand property taxes. Plus heat, electricity, phone, and running water (if I'm lucky) bills. I park the truck and send my employee home with his paycheck wondering if he's the smart one. I stay at the shop for a couple more hours, recording the days work, returning the days phone calls and checking the days mail. Arrived in the mail today is the bill for that yellow page ad I took out this year. Tax quarterlies are also due. So is the liability insurance, I can't let that lapse.
So I add up the days income and expenses, and realize I'm just not bringing in enough money.
So what are my options? Should I trade in my truck for the old, rusted out beater with the rejection sticker? Stop paying taxes and cancel all my insurance policies and become an illegal operator? I don't think so, I have too much pride in the work that I do for that.
My other option is to advertise more, take on more work, buy more equipment and hire more employees. But then two things happen:
1) You will never again see ME, the guy you hired to cut your grass, cutting your grass. Only my employees from now on.
and...
2) I will be forced to spend more time managing employees, giving estimates and doing paperwork than I actually do landscapeing, and my service will lose that personal touch.
SO, please, next time you thing it's outrageous that your landscaper wants xxx dollars to clean up your leaves or xxx dollars to pull the weeds in your flower beds, keep in mind that after he pays all of his operating costs he still has to go home, pay his mortgage, buy groceries, and maybe once in a while take his wife out to dinner.