Lawn Profession Vs Education Battle

[PetalsandPines]

I know this topic plays into many of your lives out there, but I want to test the waters on how much of your time is spent defending your Livelihood. I have been in the business for 15 years & in my own for 10 now....And I still have to deal with the snotty remarks from people...such as ...what are you going to do when your older? Or What is going to happen when you hurt your back? Blah Blah Blah ...I hate to ask it, but what changes people's perception of your profession? The car you drive? The house you live in? I understand that in this business it is very unpredictable with the weather and sometimes very frustrating to the people close to you...But I have to admit that I love my Job! And wouldn't trade it for a suit and tie job ever! Some of the condescending comments can really get you down... It is rather depressing and is often a struggle for pride .....anyone else have problems dealing with this? Sheesh...And I thought I was doing well for myself!:(

[TGCummings]

Originally posted by PetalsandPines
Sheesh...And I thought I was doing well for myself!:(

You probably are!

This is unavoidable in a class-based society. The bankrupt rock star has it made but the grass guy in the mansion is to be pitied. :rolleyes:

I try not to even think about what people say and think. I'm pretty quick-witted and can cut back just as sharp as I get it, so that's not a bother. What does bother me is the customer who has this perception. In front of them, I will be treated as a professional and an expert in my field. I just can't tolerate it otherwise. It is that exact perception that leads to the "while you're here can't you do this and that for a couple bucks" attitude we despise.

Heck, half of us make more than most of our customers.

Still, attitudes are based on what you do more than what you make. Shake it off, rant and rave when necessary, and then laugh all the way to the bank...

[65hoss]

I completely agree with TGC. Shake it off. I usually laugh to myself and tell myself if they had any idea. They make their $17 an hour and work all year. I take a few months off to relax.

You need to be happy with yourself and enjoy what you do. I bet none of the other people can say they love their jobs. They are usually always stressed out and mad about something their boss did. ;)

[theplantdoctor]

Originally posted by 65hoss
I completely agree with TGC. Shake it off. I usually laugh to myself and tell myself if they had any idea. They make their $17 an hour and work all year. I take a few months off to relax.

You need to be happy with yourself and enjoy what you do. I bet none of the other people can say they love their jobs. They are usually always stressed out and mad about something their boss did. ;)

Well said. I couldn't agree with you more!:)

Ken

[John Allin]

It will happen to you no matter how large and successful you get in this industry.

I still get people asking me if I had trouble finding a real job, so that must be why I'm still in this business.

My son was at a college party (Penn State) and told some of his friends that his dad owns a snowplowing and landscaping business. They laughed at him. He's learned to take it in stride, for which I'm quite proud of him. Although, he's not going to come into the business and will probably find a real job upon graduation......

Keep faith in yourself and you'll do fine. We're all in the same boat.

[gunputt]

I think those remarks come from people who are just pissed that you are your own boss, and they have to kiss their bosses azz 6 days a week.
Next time someone asks what are you going to do when your older, just say your employees will be doing the work.

Today was my 4 year olds kindergarten round up.
I was there to see my daughter off. I did not see any suits there.
Now, who's better off?

John

[musselman]

Just let them think what they think...If they knew just how good it is they may end up competion..... and we already have enough of that.
I have an education and cut lawns to get me through college. A year after graduation I was cutting lawns agian Because my so called "Real Job" wasnt feeding my kids to well. Heck I made more cutting lawn part time a month than I did at my "Real Job"

[f350]

it comes down to running a service business. we provide things people do not want to do. take it with a grain of salt. no matter what joe homeowner knows more than you..

[lawnstudent]

I know that when I'm on a job I'm just the hired help. Most people are pretty good, but occasionally I get the real snob that thinks they are better than I am. Then I just have to remind myself why I'm doing this work. It's because I like doing this work, I like being outside, I get paid well for doing this work, I have flexibility in my hours, I have no boss and they don't know jack about turf. In god's eyes we are all created equal. Enjoy for livelyhood. Have fun at work. Good luck.

jim

If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence than we maintianed that yard!

[PetalsandPines]

You Guys are absolutely right.....My lawn route takes me from houses that are selling for $15,000 up to Half Million dollar homes.....And I got to tell ya....You see it all in this industry. From having the red carpet rolled out by the elderly....to the hob nob suburbanites that pop their heads out their curtains like prairie dogs ..You become a well rounded person from dealing with bad drivers all day, customers that you just can never seem to please., the rain, the heat, the breakdowns, the employees, receivables, the little old lady who gives you more than you ask for plus gives you drinks and cookies, the lawyers and doctors that don't pay their bill. Most of us may not be College Educated, but I bet most of us can teach a course in common sense. You just can't seem to explain this to people that are not in the service industry and those who have been tought to be a follower rather than a leader....I have been told many times of my callousness.....I find that it is a direct result of the "Business End S*&T I have to deal and the notion of being succesful in a way that is not the "Norm". Their is a competitive dream within a lot of us, however it is difficult for others to comprehend because they see us struggle with many uncertainties (and of course the lack of the all important piece of paper (I mean degree).....Any of the younger guys here have their significant others question your future because of the line of work your in?

[Turf Technologies]

When the customer stops me ,this was a few years ago when i was 19 or so, and ask "What are you going to do with your life?"
or "When you going to collage?" A lot of times i just play along tell them one day o whatever comes to mind. But now i can tell them by next winter ill have my own bussiness, and they ask"what?" And when i tell them its this lawn route they dont see, to mind since i try to be as kind as possible to them.

[Got Grass?]

People I meet:
"Who do you work for?"
" Who ever I want"
"What do you meen?"
"I work for myself"
"Oh really, what do you do?"
"Landscaping/Snow plowing"
"oh well thats nice"

Customers:
"So do you have another job or is this it?"
"This is it"
"Are you in school?"
"Nope, but eventually I'd like to take some classes"
"What are you intrested in?"
"Landscaping"
"So your in this for the long haul?"
"Yep, I'll be here for years to come, unlike the last guy"

Girlfriend:
"How are you going to support this baby were expecting?"
"By starting this business & working for myself"
"How much do you really think your gunna make mowing lawns?"
"Not all that much this year, but eventually a lot"

Now she's like:
"Can you take daughter to her dr. apt. today, I have to work"
"Sure no problem, I'll just work longer tomarrow"

"I have off next fri. wanna go somewhere?"
"Sure why not, I'll just work late M-T"

"Daugher is sick she cant go to daycare"
"Ok I'll stay home with her while you work listen to people yell at you on the phone all day for $9hr. just dont take your built up stress from sitting at a desk all day out on me"

Heck, we get payed for doing things most others pay for:
We get a real tan while they fake-n-bake.
We get in shape while they join a gym.
We clear our minds, think about the important things while they see a shrink.
We bid on jobs while they play the slots.
We get dirty while thay pick up thier dry cleaning.
Most importantly, they pay us to do what we love doing, what were good at and what they cant/wont/dont do themselves.

Yeah people are gunna make comments, becasue they all think were another scrub and will be begging for a job next year.

When thay realize were not. Were susesfull, happy, our own boss, thay get jealous.

It really cant get much better.

[parkwest]

I just had a guy I've known for more than 20 years tell me that he has always envied the fact that I have never had to go to work for a living.

Yeah right. Tell that to my body.

[Trauma]

It's all about the status. They think we do the menial job because we're uneducated or unable to do anything else. I'm not full time in this like most of you guys, and I applaud your ability and perseverance to do it. I'm a firefighter/paramedic by trade, that is my passion. I do this for the money and the excercise and to keep me from getting even further into the couch potato lethargy. But people like that, well, I just smile and say nothing, all the way to my 4000 sq ft house in the very same affluent neighborhood they live in (grin). Keep on cuttin!

Doug:cool:

[Bob Minney]

Why do some people want to make you feel small?
Because they are in such misery about what they have to do to get by in this life so their only pleasure comes from trying to bring someone else down. If they don't have someone they feel they can look down on they would have to face their own situation.

"We can choose to achive a high value and live comfortably or be dumped uncerimoniously on the heap of marginality." J R Saul

[TLS]

Quick story....

I mow 5 lawns real close, all on the same street. Neighbor to one of these calls me after my customer gives him my phone number. Went to quote him the next evening after mowing all day. Give the lawn a quick walk, then proceed to the door. I introduce myself, and give him my card. We chat a bit, and I give him my price. I know that this lawn has been mowed by another LCO for a while, so I ask him why he is looking to switch to me. He said " My Lawnguy just got a 'REAL' job" and "he wouldn't be able to continue the rest of the year".

I just shook my head! Here is a guy living in a $300K house, 2 BMW's, wife works, and he's acting like his "Lawnguy" just got smart enough to get a "REAL" job! Little does he know that this LAWN GUY makes more than he does! He turned down my estimate that year, and guess what....His "Lawnguy" went back in the biz the next year.

The stereotype of the "service" industry will always be this way. I'll just be laughing all the way to the bank!

[1grnlwn]

The one that gets me is in the off season. I am eating lunch out. At least 2 times a week someone will smirk and say " ya mowin yards today" I say Nope working on a marketing plan and designing some new racks to be more productive next year. They say oh. Then I will take a nap and stay up real late watching movies Ha Ha Ha.

Mark

[totallpm]

20 year reunion is coming up so we were going to have a commitee meeting. I heard through the grape vine they were worried to have it at my home because i cut lawns for a living. I grew up in a very afluent area and were worried about what they would encouter.

BOY WERE THEY WERE SURPRISED.

I live in a 4000 sq foot home worth a couple of bucks and my vette was in the driveway.

Most people have no idea what it is all about

Kevin Total

[MikeLT1Z28]

i have yet to have any comments made (1st year), i assume i will have them sometime. as far as most comments i hear though, it's usually, you guys make a killing!

[David Haggerty]

I figure that for every person I convince that this is a profession with a respectable income, there would be one more a-hole wanting to get into the business.
Their ignorance is revealed by the remarks they make.
The dumber they are the better I like it.
When someone asks me how much I make, I tell them just enough to get buy. I just have to quit grinning when I tell them! :D :D :D :D


Dave

[65hoss]

I guess the only one that really gets to me is "if your still in business next year". I have only 1 comment when that statement is made.

If I'm alive I'll be in business!


Every once in a while I use my ace in the hole to even out the playing field, especially if I'm dealing with a "Professional" of some kind. I do have a degree in Accounting with all the qualifications to become a CPA. I did quit a very good job to re-open my business. That usually raises a few eyebrows.

[Brickman]

You guys couldn't be more right. By now, (year 7) most of my customers are regulars. I have only picked up 4 or 5 new ones this year, the rest are all several year customers. This being said they know what kind of job I do, and do not hassle me about a "real job". They can tell by my equipment, and truck that I don't do too bad. Most of them comment a lot on the way their yard looks after I mow it. They comment on how regular I am, and that they can count on me being there every week, with having to call and make a new appointment every week. So I guess for the most part that I "have it made" when it comes to stupid questions like these.
I can attest to the fact that being a "lawn guy" doesn't attract a lot of chicks in this area. Just this week this gal I am trying to work up the nerve to ask out asked me where I work. When I mentioned that I was self employed her eyes lit up, but as soon as I mentioned grounds maint. I could tell that she lost a TON of interest right there. So yes this biz is not recognized as a professional biz. But the money is good, and I LOVE the look of a fresh mowed lawn. So for now I can live with the "bad" side of it.

[theplantdoctor]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 65hoss
[B]I guess the only one that really gets to me is "if your still in business next year". I have only 1 comment when that statement is made.

If I'm alive I'll be in business!


:D :D

Same here! Every fall a number of them ask if I will be cutting grass in the spring again?! Every spring they call and ask if I will be cutting their lawn again?! Around and around!!
:D :D

Ken

[Jimmy Bell]

I'm not in the business, but I'd like to be one day. I envy you guys! I know you work hard, I grew up working on a tobacco farm before everthing got done by 50K machines so I've had "fun in the sun". I've worked for the same electonics company for 19 years now and I hate it. I keep putting up with **** because I have a wife and 2 little girls to provide for. Even though my wife works (one of those overpaid school teachers LOL) I can't afford to quit and go into lawns yet. I get real discouraged reading about your problems with fly-by-night 10 dollar a cut guys that come and go. I'm planning on getting my pesticide lincense and maybe trying to work that segment of the business. Do you think there's a call for fertilizer/herbicide apps only? I wish each one of you a safe and profitable season.

[ADMowing]

Hey there!

My husband had a full military career and I worked for a Fortune 500 company as a computer guru. Not interested any more! I had enough of the corporate politics (we have to be nice here so I'll refrain from expanding on that!).

I tell our customers who seem a little aloof about our ex-careers and it shuts them up promptly. They nod their heads and realize that we have the better jobs after all!

We are living peaceful lives with plenty of time to spend with each other, our family (including new grandson). We are outside all day (not in a cubical surrounded by cement walls). We make our own business decisions instead of having to watch our corporate managers make stupid ones that effect our lives. So, like my motto says, "There's a lot to be said for being self-employed." We are a husband and wife team who get to spend all day together, get home most days around 3 pm (well before rush hour) and choose our own schedules.

How many people can really say that they love their jobs???

[Barkleymut]

I don't have many customers say much about me being merely a lawn boy. I have a College Degree in Business Administration that has come in very handy when making decisions. I believe if you speak clearly and sound intelligent most people won't look down on you. By the way I have a closing rate of 100% this year (and I always price high). Being a damn good salesman is a blessing. Being a damn good Lawn boy just takes dedication and a lot of hours.

[gravedigger5]

who cares what those people think, as long as your laughing all the way to the bank:cool: as far as this thread and and most of the responses from eveybody on LawnSite, its starting to corupt me!! I've been a journyman machinist for 13 years with a associates degree and a certificate in metalurgy. Have been a part time lco for 2 years now. Its getting really busy now, phone ringing off the hook, starting to turn some potential customers away, all the time thinking "I could do this full time":blob2: think my wife is starting to get worried I'm going to up and quit my so called "real job" . After reading this thread, got the trusty ole calculator out and figured with the hours I'm mowing and the Hours I'm at the "real job" , put those total hours towards mowing and related type jobs, on a conservative figure, I could posibly make as much or more in a year as my "real job" with 3 to 4 months off:) Next time somebody asks you why you do this, just say, "I'M HAPPY, ARE YOU???"



Are we having fun yet?

[RoyaleRcr]

This year is my second crack at this business. I first started back in 1994. I had a good couple of years working alone and had some good equipment. For some reason tho, I let what you are talking about really get to me also. The worst part was from my wife. She hates the way people treat me and says thats what I get for being a servant. Well, I tried it her way and went back on the road for a few years working on a pit crew for a racing team. (Trans-Am). Even tho it seems glamourous to the outsider, (we did alot of support races with CART) it can really suck! Waking up in a different city every night, long hours, weeks away from home, ect.....
I finally decided I am going to do what I enjoy. My wife works for the largest corporation in the world. We have a lot of friends that work for other corporations, and whenever we get together I just sit quietly and listen to them talk. Guess what the conversation always leeds to? How S_ _ _ _y their jobs are and how they had another lay off ect....
MY MIND IS MADE UP! THIS IS MY LIFE AND I AM GOING TO DO IT MY WAY!

[wattsup]

Most intelligent people will not judge a person for their profession. When someone acts as if I am inferior because of my chosen profession. I never defend myself, because there is no reason to. I went to college, had a "real" job and hated the job. Now I do lawncare for a living and have a side job as a bail-bondsman. I get an awful response when I tell people about either job. No matter what anyone says or thinks, I am happy with myself. I enjoy my job/hobby. I make plenty of money, and I do not care what people think. Go to work in your suit and tie, and I will go in shorts and t-shirt on MY OWN SCHEDULE!

[nu83]

hope you don't mean Enron (worlds largest co.) til this year.

[bobbygedd]

as for me, im still in "the corporate world". im in this part time, makin more money each year, and looking fprward to a day when i can leave my "real job" to do this full time. one thing this business does for me is create options. one night at my real job, my boss got a little nasty, well, no he got alot nasty, i told him to watch his mouth, he said excuse me? i said u heard me, dont talk to me that way, i dont care how u talk to the others, u will not talk to me that way. after a long talk in his office, he has not even raised his tone of voice towards me since. as hard as this work is, i get an enormous amount of peace of mind while im doing it. i get up every morning and go out and work my butt off, yet when its time to go to my "real job", which involves no labor, bassically my experience gets me through the night, and i still dread going there. this thread reminds me of something i read years ago concerning life in the corporate world, and id like to share it: THESE two guys go on a camping trip, out in the wilderness, just the two of them. They went fishin and caught a mess of fish, now they r walking back to camp, and man #1 sees a bear. The bear is walking towards them, they start walking faster, the bear starts walking faster, they turn and go a different way, the bear follows. Man #2 tells his friend, we have to drop the fish, the bear smells the fish, and wants to eat them. Man #1 says ok, drop the fish, so they drop them and keep walking, the bear walks up to the fish, sniffs them, and continues to walk after the men. Now they start to panic, and start walking faster and faster, the bear does the same and is now getting closer, the men start running, the bear does too. Man # stops, and takes his sneakers out of his back pack, throws off his boots, and puts the sneakers on. Man #2 says what r u doing, u cant outrun a bear, it doesnt matter if u r wearing boots or sneakers. Man #1 says, but i dont have to outrun the bear, i just have to outrun u!

[rockcreeklawnser.]

I have to agree with all of you 100% I just try to remember that when my customers are looking down their noses, they`re usually writing my check! How many of these people can make enough money 6-7 months a year to have a good life,buy a home,and put a little away for retirement! I`m an old army guy, so what can they do to me?...put me in the army,send me somwhre that I don`t want to be...and make me eat in the messhall!!! LOL!