What is needed to survive in the north eastern part of country

[zak406]

Hi guys, bear with me here...*trucewhiteflag**trucewhiteflag*
I am 18 years old and live in pennsylvania. I mowed and landscaped for money back in middle school and high school ( i graduated in 08) since then ive worked for a landscaping company and finally ended up working construction. I am at the cross roads now where im trying to break a junior hockey team to try to persue hockey, obviously the odds are against me which is understandable. My options as i see it now are simple i eather play hockey for another year and see what comes with it, i dont make a team and go to college, or, and ive been kicking this idea around attempt to open a landscaping buisness. My question really is what are the average cost up here in pa, obviously the mowing season is around 7 months, how many lawns would you ahve to do in 7 months to make enough money to live "well", how much landscaping would have to be done to live "well". Sorry for the poor grammer school wasnt really my nitch. Also living here i notice the winters suck there is on average one good snow storm a winter here and it seems to get worse as time goes on. So what kind of money do you have to make it plowing to recover the other 5 months off? And finally how is the general landscaping buisness up here in terms of money made? ONce again guys thank you for bearing with me, mods if this is in the wrong section feel free to move it i wasnt really sure were to put it, and once again sorry for the bad grammer. :)

[topsites]

I think the first step would be for you to find out your cost of living.

[zak406]

unfortunally being 18 my truck is paid off and my goalie equipment is paid off so i realy dont know how i would begin to figure that out considering im still liveing at home.

[zak406]

any more advice??*trucewhiteflag*

[maintenanceman]

1. Advertise
2. Control your fixed expenses
3. Be careful with your prices, make sure you are making money
4. Retain 90%+ of your customers each year and add more each year
5. Do quality work and be reliable
6. Be nice to your customers
7. Answer your phone, return calls promptly
8. Do what you say
9. Don't let small problems or a few customers get you down
10. Keep track of everything, maintenance, billing, expenses, etc.
11. Learn how to maintain and repair your own trucks and equipment
12. Start with a small service area. 10 mile radius from home?
13. And don't forget to advertise!

Good luck!

[openbook]

Sounds like good advice so far. I'm sure whatever you decide to do your parents will support you.

[White Gardens]

If you can take advantage of living at home, you would be in great shape to start a company.

You've just got to figure your numbers.......

Start off small, find good used equipment, and you can start out with 8 grand. Some have started with little more than a push mower, cheap trimmer, rake and broom, But you've also got to consider you liability insurance which is reasonable. I started with just landscape maintenance and that took little initial investment.


It takes 5 years to make or break a business. Most companies don't turn an actual profit until then, so that's something to also look at. Being that you live at home, that will help you.

So you want to mow........

Think of it like this. You land 10 yards your first year (after advertising in some form). 40 dollars a yard,30 mows a year. That's roughly 12,000 in your first year. There is always add on services too, such as debris hauling, shrub pruning, sidewalk edging, fall cleanups etc.....

Don't forget with these numbers, you have fuel costs, maintenance on equipment, and general overhead. So, now you see why it takes a while to turn a profit.

I'm not trying to deter you from starting a business, just laying it out there.

[zak406]

great advice guys thank you so much.... the more advice the better.

[taprlawncare]

i was in your shoes at one time, except i was 20 and decided this. Now 23 still living at home and although I've been doing better each year, I still have many set backs that prevent me from buying my first house. I still live at home and as badly as i want to get out, I need to cover repairs and other expenses and make sure i can handle a mortgage/rent. I guess what I'm saying is if you decide to do this, be patient, there will be breakdowns, headaches, etc. But it could be the start of something great. goodluck

[zak406]

thanks for the replies but as always the more responses the better thanks again guys *trucewhiteflag**trucewhiteflag*