Are you an Eco lawn care business?

[ecoguy]

Hey everyone. I live on beautiful Vancouver Island and am just starting up my own Eco Friendly Lawn Care business. My target market is households with kids and pets and my services will be confined to the turf. No pruning in my future, I tried once and the customer has been on vacation ever since.

Anyways, I thought I'd sign up on this thing so I could learn from everyone and get support. Gerber (E myth) says most small business owners are 70% technician, 20% manager and 10% entrepreneur. Well, I think I'm 90% entrepreneur so I've been working HARD at trying to improve my knowledge of lawn care and learn the paper side of things before my launch next month. The reality is, there's a huge market for Eco Lawns out here and its that reality which drew me to the Lawn Care industry, not my LOVE of grass -even if I do live on Vancouver Island. ahem.

Anyways, the Apostle Paul (Tukey) has been my guru these past several months but I'd love to hear from all of you too.

So.. with Eco Lawn Care in mind..

What's working for you? What's not? What are the Eco Lawn Care sins to avoid? What resources have transformed your business? Also, do you currently offer gas free mowing? How's that working? What mowers do you use?

Thanks everyone. Looking forward to hearing from you. If you're not Eco friendly, I'd love to hear from you too, as I said I am very green on the technical side of things....and not the good kind of green.

John

[nc-jrock]

Good luck brother I think you will find a lot of good info on here.
The closest that I have been to Vancouver was Seattle. We plan on visiting
there some time.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

how long is your growing season?

[ecoguy]

Typically 9 months

[DUSTYCEDAR]

wow soil temp is a big deal with how well things will turn out
paul has some good points and a lot of crap
he has made a living out of selling book and tv shows kinda like billy mayes

[ecoguy]

Where do you think Paul is full of crap?

[ICT Bill]

I love Paul, good friend, not close friend but we hang out 4 or 5 times a year. He is doing good work.
Paul is on a mission, deliver the word. some like it and some don't.

You do have to remember, he is paid for his performance, paid for his book sales and is also part of another company that is selling franchises

Those things do not bother me one little bit, I like the overall message, some see a conflict

My message is, go get 'em Paul

ECOGUY, in what state or providence is Duncan please

[ecoguy]

British Columbia, Canada. Best place on earth.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

I DONT THINK SO :usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usf lag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag: :usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag:

[ICT Bill]

I DONT THINK SO :usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usf lag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag: :usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag:

Too funny, you guys crack me up

[DUSTYCEDAR]

MY PROBLEM IS HE IS always trying to sell you something
i have read his books there is some good stuff and he is on the right path for all of us but i have never liked the hard sell

[ecoguy]

haha, oh yeah right, you guys had Bush. My mistake.

[HayBay]

Here is his newest endeavor.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Hudson+historic+victory/1937277/story.html

More than a decade ago, Paul Tukey, a landscaper from Maine, developed blurred vision, rashes, nausea and headaches. Doctors eventually told him his condition was being caused by exposure to lawn chemicals such as 2,4-D that he used daily.

The diagnosis changed his life. He closed his business and began working to promote safer lawns. While researching a book about organic lawn care, Tukey came across the story of a tiny Quebec town that took on the multi-billion dollar lawn-chemical industry - and won.

[stimpy]

You must be talking about anheuser bush ecoguy.....

[phasthound]

haha, oh yeah right, you guys had Bush. My mistake.

That problem has been corrected.

[growingdeeprootsorganicly]

MY PROBLEM IS HE IS always trying to sell you something
but i have never liked the hard sell


i hear ya P....maybe ya just need to lighten up a bit?:rolleyes:

[DUSTYCEDAR]

lighten up i have you should have seen me when i was a closed minded Neanderthal

[growingdeeprootsorganicly]

lol, hope the summers going well? thank god it's getting cooler out..sort of

[DUSTYCEDAR]

yes the heat was kicking my but i like it cool to cold
and i dint turn on the air this season either "hows that for going green"

[growingdeeprootsorganicly]

no AC? are you nutz? f..that. love my freezing nights sleep