Time to finally start earning a living

[Bassman]

Thanks a million to all you guys for info. I FINALLY have everything in place to start my lawn service. I bought a used Lazer 52&quot; 25hp 1997 mower from dealer, got 30 day warranty on engine, 60 days hydraulics. Have adds running in two papers this coming week, will start placing flyers next week and posting business cards. License, insurance,magnetic signs for truck,business plan, home office, maintenance schedule for equipment. I've been frying my brain trying to think of everything I need to know to make this venture work. As Chuck would say, now I need work and plenty of it and I better be smart about my prices. There is no substitute for experience and being out there doing it. I am a single parent raising my 14 year old son. I have revenue for 2 months living expenses and /$2000 for advertising and misc business related expenses. If I don't make a profit after 2 months, we don't eat. If that isn't a good enough motivator, I don't know what is. Wish me luck and thanks again for everyone's input. I hope to be in it long enough to realize what another poster on this board said. &quot;Remember the time after starting your business when it finally all made sense&quot;. I'm 2 months late from my planned start date by I am looking forward and not back. Any tips from you guys regarding &quot;Things I know now and wish I had known back when I started&quot;. Bassman<br>P.S. Hind sight is 20/20. Had $200k back in 94', lost it in a business venture. If I had put 50k into Dell stock, would be worth 2 Mill today. Could have gone fishin everyday and had income of 100k+ annually without touching principal. But I bet everyone wishes they could change decisions that were made in the past.<p><br>&lt;font size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Edited by: Bassman<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: Bassman

[eggy]

Hey just remember if it does start slow its a bad time of year to start.,.....Dont give up as you stay in it each year you retain customers and gain a few new ones ..But dont give up! Good luck!

[Barkleymut]

Good Luck Bassman, I started my business on June 1st, 1998 so I know what starting a little late is all about. It took a while before I really got a good cash flow and began to make a profit, but I had a wife who made good money and I bought lots of new toys. Now my wife stays at home with our little girl and I turn a very healthy profit. With a lot of hard work and a little luck you will make it. Have faith in yourself because you will be tested. Keep your expenses low and you can turn a profit. Also take seasonal type jobs, I see your in Fla. so try dethatching in the fall, maybe trimming palms, mulching whatever you see others doing. Special projects will give you some good experience on bidding and hopefully you will develop a knack for it. Go the extra mile on every lawn, especially when you only have a few and have the time to. Let your customers know you care and that YOU NEED WORK. If you have any questions let us know, regardless of how simple it may seem I remember how tough it was starting out and I wasn't even in the &quot;make money or we don't eat&quot; situation. Again, Good Luck.

[Bassman]

Thanks Eggy & Barkleymut. I'm sitting here late on a Saturday night planning for next week. I'm not sure who said this, may have been Thomas Edison, &quot;Failure is the opportunity to start over again...intelligently&quot;. <br>Please keep replies coming to my post as I appreciate any info regarding tips for start up that would help me succeed. Thanks, Bassman<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: Bassman

[richard2]

remember that if four starters walked out the door fresh and new for the season with high hopes and dreams and all that jive that 3 won't be there for fall...the one left has 50/50 odds of dying off in jan. of those half left half won't finish next year, half of those die off that winter, half of those won't see the next fall...and so on...good luck and don't chop your foot off!!!

[MOW ED]

You WILL make it because you have a great incentive - your son. Life kicks everyone in the ass at times but the will to survive pushes up. I give you lots of credit for starting in this business and you can make it work. <br>Don't look back except to learn from the past and improve the future. Good Luck.

[lawrence stone]

Sorry Ed but being a Father does not insure a biz will survive.<p>The only people that will survive in the long run will be the ones that have already demonstrated that they have been suscessful<br>when they worked for wages and made thier mistakes on someone elses time.<p>Most dogs just can't hunt and have a hard time when not getting regular feedings (salary) from a master (employer).

[Lanelle]

Bassman, Remember you are a man, not a dog.<br>The fact that you are looking for advice and not blindly stumbling into this business will help you avoid some pitfalls. Unfortunately, we can never avoid all of them and we can't control the weather. Good Luck.<p>----------<br>Lanelle<br>

[accuratelawn]

I started this time of year three years ago.<br>Work smart and hard....you will make it!<br>Keep us informed.

[bill phagan]

Hey Bassman,<p>Just wanted to pass along my best wishes to you in your new enterprise. You sound like a guy that will make it &quot;large&quot; Some ideas to make your trip easier.....<br>*Learn all the nuances of business as quickly as you can...estimating, scheduling, billing, etc building a strong foundation. A business built on a house of cards will not work.<br>*Look for sources of info on horticulture, plant id, characteristics.<br>*Get on every green industry mailing list you can to short cut your learning curve.<br>*Work smart, not hard<br>*Be a businessman not a lawndog and command your price and don't back off<p>Again, best wishes to you and call me if I can help.<p>Bill Phagan<br>Greenindconsulting.com

[Bassman]

Thanks to all for your posts and encouragement. Have a great week everyone.<br>Bassman

[little green guy]

It's still an alright time to start up. I just picked up a couple new accounts this week because this time of year the people that do there own lawns start to get sick of it or the heat gets to them so they call someone like us to do it. Also people seem to change companies this time of year if they are not happy with there current service. The scrubs also die out this time of year cause they can't handle the heat or they go broke. Anyway good luck and I hope you do realy well. Just stick to your prices and don't let people talk you down.