Thinking about Next Season

[Greatdane612001]

I know for the most of us this season isn't over with, But have you givin it any thought about how your going to run differently next season?

[rodfather]

I have...it's called

DELEGATE

DELEGATE

DELEGATE

I just turned 48 last week and can still keep up to my 21 year old guys (some even better). But next year, I'm gonna take myself off the mowers a whole bunch and personally slow down and manage more.

Guess I got that from jimlewis and his posts.

[LLMSERVICE]

I'm reviewing what/how/why I did things this past year and am putting my operating plan together for next year, including asking my clients what they want to see.

I'm looking at what equipment I need to improve operations and how I'm going to make better use of time. Yes, delegation is a big part of that.

Doing an annual review and planning for the next year now is a good thing.

[dhicks]

Yes. I have given considerable thought to how I'm going to operate next year. First of all, I'm going to start dropping accounts and do only accounts that I enjoy doing. I'm going to vacation and travel more and not work weekends. That about sums it up for this dude.

[Shannon Phillips]

I am trying to figure out how to become more time efficient, get everything into my PDA and grow, grow, grow. As long as I can still enjoy cutting I will be here.

[cantoo]

My back is telling me a dump truck is in the future,, immediate future. Darn leaves. Going to look closer at our customer base and try to get more $$ doing other jobs from each account when we are there already. We have people asking for extra work but we are usually too busy to do it, might cut out some small accounts to make the time.

[Mack]

I have tried to figure out if it is time to get some help to build the business. I have maxed out for next year, but it i get one person I can grow more. The question is, is it worth it if i have to pay help and insurance and all that, but the money is there. I also think it time to pay my wife for what she has done for this business and kid while i have been out all day. Just putting in my 2 cents.

[Scag48]

Next year I'm going to look back at things that I messed up on this year and fix them. I've got all my equipment ready to go, after going through buying about $6,000 of equipment the end of the summer (WB, trailer, racks, etc.). I will also be taking on about another 15 lawns or so. A fellow LCO is downsizing and has a bunch of accounts on the lake in front of my house (about 10 or more of them) and they're quite nice accounts so he will just give me those and another guy is quitting all together so I will end up with a few of his. Add that to the 12 accounts that I have already and I'm going to be seriously busy next year. Next summer I plan to do more landscaping. I love that kind of stuff. I'm more into moving dirt (hehehe) than anything, so I might advertise a little for light grading and such, nothing too difficult. Those are my plans.

[yergus]

i am going to look at how we did things this year, then implement changes next season. we want to strive for 100% customer satisfaction and that means making changes where we have become weakened through the years. the changes will be in a company manual and it will be the law with my company.

[Bill Davis]

this winter I plan on having a web site designed so that my customers can log in and see when I am coming next and any work that is planned to be done. This will hopefully eliminate some phone calls that I recieve. I will also offer online payment which will hopefully make billing easier. If any of you know any LCO's websites that have this I would appreciate the address so that I can have some examples.

[bilbo7021]

Of all the things that keep going through my head since starting out this past June, and reading this site, the following comes to mind.

1. better use of advertising
2. better orgainization (a biggie)
3. try to get some uniformity in my work clothes
(ie...at least the same color shirts and not tees)
4. continue to think about what new, and professional, equipment I should acquire first, second, and third.
5. setting a goal of up to between 25-30 customers for next year.
6. getting my customer base onto an automated payment system.
7. reading, reading, and more reading on lawn care and related ideas.

Among other things :)

[rkbrown]

This was my 1st year back in the business and I got a late start in the year. My 1st priority will be getting together my advertising campaign to start in February. We have 2 small town weekly newspapers where business card sized ads cost $50 per month. We also have homeowner's associations in for our subdivisions that have monthly newsletters. A business card sized ad for these is $50 per month. I will target 3 subdivisions.

I am currently running commercial 21" mowers, so I will be adding a 32" walk behind to use as my main mower (gates here are about 35" wide in the newer subdivisions), then hopefully add a 48" or 52" the following year.

[Four Star]

Number one for me is more advertising. I'm going to start advertising earlier than I did last year, and do way more of it. I might up my prices a little bit as well.

I also want to buy some new equipment. Maybe a new blower, the one I have now is weakening a little bit. My 20" push mower is on its last leg, so I may have to invest in another one of those, since I have two back yards that I can't fit my 36" through.

[wojo23323]

Since I will be full time starting in June when I retire from the Navy I have a few things that I need to get done this winter.

1. Read Estimating for Irrigation and Landscape contractors again and incorporate those ideas into my business.
2. Finish my website.
3. Purchase Hustler Gatemaster. (Most of my properties are under 10K and 90% are gated).
4. Keep up better with preventive maintenance.
5. Take weekends off and spend more time with my family.
6. Advertise more. (Signs on truck and trailer, community news papers etc.)

I am sure there is more but thats all I can think of for now.