Just about to give up..

[Jarrells74]

I read these threads everyday and it baffles me that so many of you are so busy. This is my first year in the business. I had an add in the paper that is gonna run out this week, and I didn't get many calls at all. It was in for a month. Maybe I didn't get calls because there are about 60 other adds in there as well. Seems that everyone and there mother is doing LawnCare this year. I have fliers out too, and business cards. I could put more fliers out, but I just keep sinking money into this biz and getting nothing in return. It is a joke. I am just about to a point now to cut my losses and sell my equipment. This just isn't working. I have 3 accounts and they are not real close to each other. I am not making nothing. I must be in a bad area or something. Anyone else close to me, and having this problem? It is a VERY depressing time around here. This is my dream, and it looks like it isn't gonna work out. :( Anyone have any suggestions? I just can't keep doing this and not making money.. My wife works and it breaks my heart that I can't contribute as much as I want too. I was hoping(or just dreaming I guess) that I would be able to get this biz off the ground and then hire my wife to do the paper work in a few years or so. She would love that.. She wants me to succeed, but she is getting depressed too. My job closed their doors last year, and I kinda got forced into this biz earlier then I wanted too. I work part time on the weekends just so I could do this business. Well, I have said enough. I just wanted to vent my feelings on here. Didn't want this to be a sob story, sorry. Well, good luck to you all. I wish SO much that I could be out there too, but it isn't looking to promising. :(

[Rhett]

Don't give up yet. You all had a bad winter and people are just starting to look out at thier yards, "Yikes" It will get better maybe not making a living the first year but I can tell you the second year gets not only a whole lot better but a whole lot more hectic. Keep plugging away!

Good Luck
Rhett

[crs]

Hang in there buddy. Be patient, sometimes it may take a little time to get established.

One thing you can do is just stop at poorly maintained properties and talk to the owner or manager. Be sure you present yourself well and deliver more than you promise. It takes a while to build a reputaion.

Get some singage for your truck and or trailer and drive them through the neighborhoods you want work in when you are out running errands or going to other clients.

Work on a saturday. That sounds strange but almost everytime we work a saturday someone comes up and wants an estimate for some work.

Really blanket the areas where you have customers now. If they see quality work at your current propeties they may use your service.

Good luck ...If I think of something else I will let you know.

[AL Inc]

Hey Jarrells, sorry to hear you are having a hard time. I think almost everybody struggles with the same thing when they are starting out. This is only your first year, you've got to give it some time. I remember starting out and being in the same boat, it was very depressing.
I got a job with a swimming pool company doing services, vaccuming, repairs, openings, and closings. I only needed one day to do my lawn accounts. I learned a lot from the owner of the company, he liked to talk and I just listened. I found out he had struggled also when he was starting out, he would say "those were dark days, man"
He was in his 18th year when I started working for him, and was making well over 100k per year, owned several rental properties, and had a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood. He is about 45 years old now and retired. We're still friends and talk often.

The bottom line is that you cannot succeed in anything if you don't stick with it. Good luck to you.

[thartz]

You'll be okay.More than I few of us have started the same way.Read a lot of LGF and get inspired!!!!!!!!

[GarPA]

The guys above gave you sound advice. My bizis only 2 years old and growing...but....this spring the phone has been very quiet...even more quiet than in the first year. I run a more expensive ad in a local weekly paper. There is only one other ad like it...and still almost no calls the past month...Nearly all of my work now comes from referral. But that wont help you will it....you must make yourself stand out from all the "JOE's MOW AND GO...WILL BEAT ANY COMPETITORS PRICE"...you must give people a reason to call you...if your ad says something like..."Bills Lawn Service...mowing, mulching, trimming..free estimates, low prices"...then your ad is just like the 25 in front of it and 25 behind it in the paper. Are you about quality? high value for dollars spent? "guaranteed results", can you do other landscaping tasks?? If not then learn a few...because I swear I see more Sears mowers on 8 ft trailers pulled by a Ford Ranger...allot of these guys are mowing $35 lawns for $15 and some are right now reading this post as you are. I would not want to start in this biz today as a mow only company. I have to be honest and say this...I'm sure some guys here will strongly disagree...you are going to starve if you dont offer more than mowing in this economic climate. Too many yahoos who yesterday drove a forklift and today are laid off and now start a lawn biz....again, what can you say and DO that will give people a reason to call you, keep you, and refer you and separates you from the masses of mower people. It will take time...maybe get a full time job...no matter how menial and do this start up on the side. Many Many successful guys here on this site know exactly how you feel...many of them almost threw in the towel on more than one occasion. If you want it bad enough, you will find a way to make it work. Dont give up if you want it

[LakeSide Lawn and Landscape]

Hang in there buddy things will get better

[FrankenScagMachines]

Like the others said, dont' give up. I did 700 fliers and got very little response for a while then they slowly started coming in alittle late I thought. I also put an ad in the paper along with at least 6 other companies. I have gotten 5 new customers and possibly another 2 as of today. It seems like I'm catching the stragglers and latecomers more than anything, alot of the yards were overgrown when I got them LOL. A quick double cut with double blades and it looks beautiful. Can you keep your equipment and do it part time and get a full time job? Name recognition plays a major role I am convinced. Try to stick it out for a while if you can, it will eventually get better. Also always answer your phone and respond to messages as quick as possible and get there to give estimates quickly also! I can't stress that enough, thats a big problem around here that LCO's never answer the phone and are slow to respond and give estimates. Be as friendly and professional as possible, that has payed off too. I would say do some more fliers if you can.
Best of luck!
Eric

[thartz]

Jarrells74;I lived in Akron so here's how I did it.Go for the high end of town.Start there(I know the Tiger men have money) and start offering services there.I used Goodyear as my starting point.You get one excutive and boom the phone will be off the hook.Do good work;be neat and carry yourself like you have some sense,they will give you a chance.Be respective of your prices and don't take everything that comes along.Good Luck and e-mail me if you need some contacts.

[crazygator]

Jarrells,

No one gets much their first year. Try and talk to as many people as you can. Talk to real estate people...they have empty houses needing to be looked after. Mention it to everyone you meet, at the bank, post office, while out eating or getting groceries. Networking this way will allow others to give you someones name that needs your service. If you dont talk about it they will never know.

Plus I dont see how you can be thinking sell, when you havent even tried this very long.

Just stick it out this year. It will work out, but you have to be willing to stay with it. Thats the only way it will work.

Remember quitters never win, but winners never quit!

[Gr grass n Hi tides]

Hang in there man, and don't forget to frequently ask the good Lord to provide for you. Pray - it works.

The personal touch goes a long, long way. Get some face time with folks. Follow up your various paper advertisements with a personal visit. Nab whatever you can. Yards that don't even look that great - do a door hanger and talk to the homeowner. I'm in my first full time year too. My 8 yo daughter and two of her friends helped me put out door hangers one evening a week ago and I have two new clients from it. One lady, she has an ugly yard. I started with a small spring clean up & she wants me back every two weeks to "knock down the weeds." Not much of a lawn to speak of, but that's okay because I'm still getting paid for a service she needs, plus I'm talking to her about lawn installation. Could end up being a very nice account.

Get a list of business fax numbers from you local chamber of commerce and send your flier/door hanger around & then follow with a personal visit. I landed a fantastic real estate contact this way.

I know a local LCO that told me "look man in the spring you look up and down this road and you'll see three dozen guys cruising looking for work.....by the time the beginning or middle of June sets in they thin out fast, and I mean real fast.......I get a lot of new accounts in the summer." He's not the only one to tell me that.

Keep plugging away & I bet you post back here in a little while letting everyone know that you have a couple more new accounts and things are looking up.

[NYRookie]

Don't toss in the towel yet. This is my 3rd year in business and I can't wait to start mowing. My 1st year I had 5 lawns and I did enough other odd jobs to pay my equipment and make alittle money. Last year I had about 25 accounts and I bought somemore equipment. This year I have about 30 accounts and some of them are big ones, and I dropped some of the little pain in the neck ones. You have to go after accounts because alot of people will just stick with their old guy. Like someone already stated, go after the poorly maintained lawns, ask commercial customers if they take bids yearly, and you do have to remember, we all had a really bad winter. I was mowing this time last year. This year I am starting my cleanups this week and some of the yards still have snow banks in them. Good luck.

[Dependable Lawncare]

Man I was exactly in your shoes about 3 weeks ago. I had an ad running in the pennysaver. I had handed out about 600 flyers offering the 5th cut FREE over the last couple of months. I had about 7k invested in equipment.

I had 4 accounts.

Then, once the grass started really growing....BOOM. Here came the business. Now I have 20 accounts when 3 weeks ago it looked pretty bleak. I'm still out there plugging though. If I see a property in need I leave a business card with a quote, and I've gotten a few jobs this way.

Treat every day as a work day. Get out and pound the pavement. I'm a firm believer that if you want something bad enough and are willing to go all out to get it, you will succeed.

[TotalCareSolutions]

1) Get a job. One that will care for your family for the time being and enable you to DEVELOP this thing.

2) Can you simplify your life for a moment, for a season or two. Try to lose some of the pressure.

3) Can your wife help with the marketing and sales?

Just a couple thoughts...a couple totalcaresolutions:rolleyes:

[Gr grass n Hi tides]

Check it out !! You've got a bunch of guys pumping you up here......get out there tomorrow and drum it up!!!!!!!!!!

[tjcezar]

This is my first year too and I'm struglling with all the cheapskates. I will not give up though and I will make this biz work. Just remember those 3 accounts you mentioned are very important to your success so take care of them the best you can. They are your "free" advertisements so make em look good! Best of Luck!:D

[Lawn Specialties]

If you give up you're going to regret it later.I know it's rough right now but remember it's rough on you're competition as well.When I left my full time job I promised myself I would bag groceries if I had to to make it. Think about the time and money you've already spent to get where you are no matter how low you think it is. You may have to get a better job to pay the bills but don't quit. As far as marketing goes it's trial and error for all of us. As far as not getting any calls I have spent twice as much this year and gotten very few calls. I have a very small operation with very little overhead and I'm loosing conservative bids to big time operations.Everybody I talk to is feeling the pinch. Remember as bad as it is now it WILL be that good later. I suggest spending some time on your knees consulting with the one who can always help.

[VLM]

OK, there's been a ton of great advice and motivational posts here but you are hurting now and simply understanding that you're gonna be hurting for a while is no consolation, so here is something you can do right now to help you immediately, maybe even tomorrow. Dress nicely but in work clothes, load up all your eqip and hit the road just before lunch after everyones had their coffee and are wide awake. Go to the very best neighborhood in your area and start knocking on doors. When someone answers simply ask them if they need their lawn done and hand them a business card. Don't worry if it looks like their grass was just cut that morning, you never know, they may be fed up with their current service. This may be the hardest thing you'll ever do...it aint easy getting doors slammed in your face, but if you do it for a full day I wouldn't be surprised if you pick up several accounts. I did this when I first got started and it helped me out alot.

PS. I think you ran your ad about 3 weeks too early, don't worry you'll get the timing on this down to a science eventually. I did see some bad advice in previous posts 1) dont mess around with realtors!! They don't pay and are shady in general. 2) never go after yards that look unkept these are the worst customers posssible. There is a reason those yards look so bad (none of them good) think it over. 3) I'll catch hell for this, but I wouldn't advise hiring your wife even if it is several yrs down the road. Mixing work with relationships is frought with peril.

[paponte]

If it is your dream, then NEVER give up on a dream. If financially you are struggling, get a part time job to make ends meet in the meantime. Build your business up and don't give up just because of hard times. Everyone has hard times sooner or later. It's these times that you have to get through in order to have a successful business. Maybe you might want to start knocking on some doors, and introduce yourself to people. Don't give up though.

I have been in the business for 12 years now, and my wife can tell you that we have been through some really tough times financially. She had faith in me, and I hustled my @ss off. There were times we struggled to get through the off season. We made it, and we run a very respectful business. That was my dream, and the minute you give up you will lose your dream. Dreams come true... you just have to work at them. ;)

[turfguy]

As you said "This is my dream" well just keep going. Get a part time job to help with the bills. Return every phone call within the hour...every time all the time. Show up for quotes clean,and looking sharp. Always take notes,look the customer in the eye and give a firm handshake. Go over to Staples and get magnetic holders for your cards so that your card will be stuck on the customers fridge not tossed in some basket. Most of all remember that not even chemlawn was built overnight!

[Runner]

Originally posted by Gr grass n Hi tides
Hang in there man, and don't forget to frequently ask the good Lord to provide for you. Pray - it works.


That's funny!
Nearly a quarter of a million posts on this forum of LS alone, - almost 2000 of them by me, and in the 3 or 4 years or however many I've been on here, I have heard aLOT of good, sound advice from people that KNOW THEIR STUFF! I do have to say though, I have NEVER heard ANY advice given as truthful and as valuable as this. What is even more so, is that it is followed up by this:

"Keep plugging away & I bet you post back here in a little while letting everyone know that you have a couple more new accounts and things are looking up."

WE are going to get you going here. I want to know what you are cutting with, what you are using for cleanups, and THEN we are going to help you market your business through the best way there is....your customers.:cool: THIS will get you going! I've got the way for you, and it works. ;) Bottom line is, you've come to the right place, my friend...

[Green Pastures]

Hang in there, it's still very early in the season. And it's your first year!!!!!!! Stick to it, things will be tight for a while but if you're dilligent you'll make it.

[colonel landscaping]

you just gotta wait..i am only 17 yrs old and my first add a month ago in the paper received 2 calls in 2 weeks... then i renewed it last week and now i am booked for cleanups well into may.. i average atleast 5-8 calls a day.. and there are about 15 other companies advertising in the same section.. just give it sometime.

[2Sam2233]

Hey buddy don't give up. If it is your dream it is worth hanging onto. A couple of years ago I was in exactly the same position. The company I worked for shut down, I had always dreamed of owning my own LCO. The first year I had to work another full time job and just do the LCO part time. Then I got enough of that. I looked around and found an existing LCO that I was able to buy out. It took some work and planning, but I was able to purchase the business. This gave me enough income to help support my family. Once out there, just do great work, and you will get MORE accounts until you either start looking for help or turning down business. As was already said, it gets easier each year, but you gotta hand in there like a hair in a biscuit.
Hope this helped, best of luck.

PS - A little prayer time can't hurt either.

[Scag48]

Don't worry dude, you'll get some more accounts. The last 3 years I've suffered through and this year I'm breaking ground I picked up 5 new lawns in the last week, which brings my total to about 21. Doing this, homework, and being on the high school golf team is keepin me busy, but don't give up on it!

[Envy Lawn Service]

Right now you are being reactive.
To change the course of things you must be proactive

[1] Expect a 2% or less return on advertising efforts.
[2] Stop sulking, buy a tank of gas and invest some days.
[3] Get out and about, talk where your feet are and ask for the work in person.
[4] Don't allow lack of income to influence your prices or accounts you will accept.
[5] Target high traffic areas.
[6] Place some bids, offer a discount for lawn signs, now you have some jobs.
[7] Keep digging and getting more until you are satisfied.
[8] Keep those ad accounts looking great and soon you'll have more work than you know what to do with.


Seriously man, get in your truck and drive until you see a commercial property that interests you but doesn't look like someone has already started on it for the season. Get out of the truck, go in and ask for the work. It's that simple.

To some people the marketing and sales side of the business is hard. But I say it's a heck of lot easier than dissolving a business, going back to work for the "man" and being told how/when/where to work, how much you are worth an hour and maybe even someday getting laid off or canned. To me that's hard.

In anything you do, you have 2 choices, to succeed or to fail. Which choice are you going to make? Success with your dream or failure?

If you want to succeed you must do whatever it takes.
To fail just dwell on the negative and do nothing.

But always remember, you can fail miserably and succeed miserably too!!! Succeeding miserably can happen a few ways. Here are examples.

Low prices=success in getting accounts=miserable profits=misery
Hating doing what it takes=misery

I hope you don't take all I have said as being rude and I hope it motivates you.

[thfireman]

Word of mouth gets you most of your work. Right now you only have 3 mouths passing the word. Before you know it you will have 6 then 12 and soon you will be hiring help. Just give it time. Take the jobs that make the money and pass on the ones that want work done for nothing. You may be hungry now but starve a little now and feast later! It will happen.

;)

[kppurn]

If this is really what you want, don't give up. I've had many times when I said this will never work. A good friend of mine from high school has been operating his own business full time since we graduated in 1995. He's been very successful, runs four crews and has plenty of work.
As for myself, after working for someone else for three years, I went out on my own last year. I ran into my friend at the gas station at the beginning of last season and one thing he repeated at least three times during our brief conversation was "It takes time". It does take time and I have to remind myself that constantly. This season has been very busy so far and I'm hoping my patience will pay off.
Don't give up on yourself and your dreams. Remember "It takes time". Best of luck to you.

[tiedeman]

stick with it...it just takes time. The word will get out if you provide quality and friendly service. That's all you have to do. It took a lot of time, sweat, blood, and tears for the current customers that I have now.

Just hang in there and they will come.

[Bluesteel]

Seriously, if you’re just starting, that’s the toughest time and it is still very early. The guys who are really busy now didn’t just start this year, LOL. Lots of others gave some great advice, especially GreenGrass&HighTides and Envy. So I won’t repeat that, but in addition:

The very best accounts are probably taken. Learn to recognize them, don’t bother pursuing those accounts until you have nothing better to do with your time. Being new, you’re probably going to have to service a lot of the accounts nobody else wants. This is not that bad. Those accounts are available, when you learn to spot them. And they’ll teach you what makes a good account. Profiling and patterns pay off.

Whatever type of accounts you’re going for, learn when you can find those people at home (or place of business). Make yourself as presentable and professional as practical, and try to assess yourself from a customer’s point of view. Dependability is probably the number one concern. Let them see you look them in the eye as you assure them that you’re in this for the long haul. You’re percentage of closures will soar. If you bid low, you WILL regret it, but that’s something you may have to learn the hard way as well.

LUCK IS IN LOVE WITH EFFORT.

[65hoss]

From me you will not get a motivational speech. That is not what you need. If its really your dream you don't need motivation this early on. You need a REALITY check. This isn't meant to be harsh, just straight to the point...


If your trying to make your dream based mostly off a newspaper ad, your screwed. If you really want this you MUST get out there. Do whatever it takes. I mean, WHATEVER it takes. Put out thousands of flyers. Walk the streets day and night. Put cards everywhere. Let everyone you know what your doing now.

You don't have time to sit and whine. NOTHING is worth a damn if you get it easy. Anything handed to you means nothing. Many of us remember the hard times. I remember not taking a paycheck for 3 years. I remember walking the streets until 2am putting out flyers and going to my job during the day. I remember barely having enough left in the account to pay my helper. Heck, I remember the helpers making more than me. I remember having to put my gas on a credit card just to work that day.

Guess what? I wouldn't change that for anything. That is the experiences that make it all worth it. I know what it took and am extremely thankful for it daily.

Its up to you. You get out what you put in. You can't compare your situation with many of us. We have customers and a network that makes our phones ring off the wall. You don't yet. You must make your phone ring. Its your call. Step up to the plate or quit.

[jeffex]

aahhh! those early days. This is what seperates the men from the boys. In looking back on my start up, cutting in the evening was probably our best sales method. People saw me and would ask me to cut thier lawn. Unless you have the balls to go door to door you will have to wait for work. Visability is the key . Think like a customer. They ask thier friends who cuts thier lawn. They see you mowing and walk over to ask you "how much would you charge for my lawn". Put a sign on your truck and people will ask you at a gas station or shopping center to give them a price. Again , unless you knock on doors all other methods take TIME. And above all take Runners advice!

[Gr grass n Hi tides]

VLM said he thought real estate agencies were a bad idea. There are a ton of posts on this type of work in the archives; however, let me say I did a $500 spring clean up last week and got paid by the realtor in full 4 days after the job was completed. I think it depends completely on who you deal with. Just be careful.

[GarPA]

Yes in general be careful with a realtor until he/she proves to be a good customer. I have one that is great...just says do the work and send me the bill. But in general their reputation is about as bad as ours.

[sheppard]

Do not throw in the towel!

Here is what worked for me. I put out flyers in several neighborhoods and got a 1% return on them. And that was when I followed up with a phone call. (I got the name and address list from the Hill Donnelly at the library).

What worked fro me was directly, in person, approaching the house, and more often the business directly and asking them if "They are happy with the current providor of lawn maintenance on their property?"

Half the time I'd get a "NO...I'm not happy." Half of those would tell me to walk the property and give them a price for my services.

Half of those would give me the deal.

I picked accounts that I was sure I could improve on. Then I persued them heavily. I also picked them based on logistical sense. The tighter the better.

I've been in this business 2 years this July and I have 42 accounts. Half of them are commercial (that's the way to go IMHO) and I have monthly revenue around 5 thousand.

I strongly agree with several above posts that encourage you to stick out in the customer's mind. I'm 47 y/o and tall and natually intimidating. So I tell them my age is a positive...this is all I do. I have 1 million in Ins. cov. yada yada ...

My one point for you to consider? Pick your accounts and agressively, but professionally persue them. Hell everybody wants to be persued!

Cordially,
S.

[Jarrells74]

WOW!!! This is AMAZING!!! I wanna say THX VERY MUCH for all the responces. This REALLY helps.. It sure lifts me up. This is like one big family that helps other family members out when they are down and out. You guys are the greatest, seriously. I feel much better today then last night. There is a few things that, after reading this I need to do. One is PRAY!! The good lord can do things that we can only dream about. I have lost site of this, and need to regain it. Two, is DON'T give up.. After all, this IS my dream. I need to do whatever I have to do to make ends meet while I am building my dream. I will NOT give up. NEVER!! And the third thing is I am just gonna have to go out and sell myself. Door to door, fliers, biz cards, whatever. This is the part that is gonna be the hardest for me. Well, atleast the door to door contact will be. Getting doors slammed in my face is something that is not the easiest thing in the world for me to deal with, but OH WELL!!! MY DREAM is well worth it. I have to sacrafise to get where I need to be. Honest hard work pays off. I am gonna have to also realise that this is gonna be a long and hard process. I need to have PATIENCE!! Everyone in here had to start out.. No one was successful right away. I have to get myself in the PROACTIVE mode, instead if the REACTIVE mode. Thx to you all, I have regained my confidence, and a DieHard attitude that I once had. I feel that you all are now my FRIENDS.. You just never can get enough of friends. Well, thx again to everyone that responded. I would like to write an email, and thank you all personally, but I didn't realise that this many people would respond. Plus, I don't have too much extra time on my hands now. I've got me a dream to build here, and that is gonna take up about ALL my free time. Thx so much again.. Jason....

[Andrew S]

I'll keep, it short and simple

everything mentioned before is relevant 99% of us have been there and survived

everything is TRIAL & ERROR find what works in your area and run with it

When you have a full schedule you can pick and choose your jobs,in the meantime put up with the good and the bad

lastly ask yourself do you want to work for yourself in a great enviroment or do you want to work for someone for wages making someone else a great living.

good luck.......I hope you make the right choice for you

[Bluesteel]

You bring up another important point, slamming doors. It happens to everyone. In this business, you will learn the world is full of freaky people. Some people will just want you to come in and visit with no intention of using your service. Others will want to know, “Who sent you?” LOL

Obviously if you’re getting the door slammed in your face most of the time, you need a bath or something. But 20% or less is typical. When it happens to me, I do a quick turn around, fart in their general direction, and think about the next one. You can’t “not think about it,” you have to replace that mental activity by concentrating on your approach on the next prospect.

There are good and bad sides of a neighborhood, just like a town. You’ll learn the one’s that are low-probability, but you may need to try them anyway. Look for patterns. There are many that work, so be flexible. Why do your current accounts use your service? Replicate those circumstances.

[Gravely_Man]

Go with all of the good advice give above. I a area saturated with other lawn care companies you will have get your name out there and do something to make yourself stand out. This will work out if you really apply yourself and there are customers to be had. There are always customers to be gotten.


Gravely_Man

[Andrew S]

hey blue steel when you say a door slams in your face you turn around in their direction and let a fart go .......

is it a blue flame lol

sorry had to ask

[Expert Lawns]

i just wanted to touch on the fact that you said it was your ''dream''. don't forget that!

this is my 3rd year, and i have made some big mistakes. i'm sure many of us have. i was very inexperienced and naive at first, i didn't pay attention to what was important, like pleasing customers, the customer comes first etc. i was just out there thinking that i was mowing lawns and making a dollar. then i fell in love with it when i started to put a lot of time and energy into it. it is addicting to go after those accounts, to bid aggresively and competitively. it's a great feeling of accomplishment when you finally land that big contract or that lawn you've been trying to get. i could go on and on, but i'll just say my 2 cents and let it be.........dress nice, be polite and professional, say hi to the wife and kids, pet the dog, treat each customer as though they are your friend, dedicate time to them and don't ever make them feel rushed either on the phone or in person. and when you're out mowing, don't forget that your name is on that lawn. be proud of it!

[lawnworker]

What others have said, Even in a tight market, you can make it. You might have to take a job and do this on the side. If this is your dream, go for it; things will work out.

On a side note, advertising has yielded less interest this year then most. I don't really no why, but this means double effort might be needed to establish a good base.

Life is funny, I wanted this business for so long myself. Now, I am thinking of becoming a school principle in about 8 years.This would involve teaching kids first . And I am not being negative on the Lawn business thing. The Lawn business can be great. Like others have said you get out what you put in.

[GarPA]

Ditto that Lawnworker....I am frankly shocked about the few new calls this spring from advertising...thank goodness I have some big accounts and referral business....as was said in another post, this lousy weather may have people turned off to services just like the drought did last year....its really strange this spring...wish I knew why...if anything just to figure out how the masses really think...or dont think...about our servivces

[mike9497]

this is my 5th season.its my second season being the full owner.your first year is going to be tuff.get a yellow pages add,truck and equipment signs,run a good size add in all the local papers for at least in april and may.i think this season is hard for everyone.i know that this season may be my last after 5 years of doing what i love.its not because biz is really bad.its just hard finding good help.me and my old partner went from a 79 GMC pickup with one exmark 48 viking a trimmer and a giant vac leaf blower.now i have more equipment than i ever thought i would ever have in my life.maybe we grew to fast,but i lived out my dream.you hang in there good things will come.when i started out people and even my best of friends said that my biz wouldn't amount to anything and i was always going to rub dimes together.well that was true for my first year and 1/2.but now i make a good living.i just bought a house and have a few toys not related to landscaping lol.just remember start off small doing lawn service.then start adding services like lawn installs.once you get good at that look into landscape design or retaining walls.the main amount of money in this trade is not in the lawn mowing department.i mean you can make 35 to 40,000 in lawn service a year if you work your butt off.just be nice to the customers you get because if you do good work they may tell 2 or 3 people.if you do a bad job or give them a hard time they may tell 2 to 300 people.just keep on plugging and good things will come.your doing something that is very hard to do.running your own biz is tuff but im sure you will do well.good luck

[Ed Ryder]

I don't think I want anymore customers but they keep coming. I spent $32 in advertising this year. It's like I'm a giant customer magnet.

Once you get established, if you're good, the customers will just flow in, IMO.

[Albemarle Lawn]

It is expensive, but it works.

I do no advertising, just wait for calls.

Good calls. As a result of spending $2500-$4000 per year over the last 5 years (total so far about $20,000) I have more calls than I can respond to. Just skim the cream off the top.

Give it a try if you are serious, the phone will ring.

Does that sound like a commercial for the Yellow Pages, or what?

KB

[Expert Lawns]

Word of mouth is the best advertisement i have found. yes, i do flyers, but no yellowpages or valu-pak. Remember that the work you do has your name on it, and people will talk, especially if your customers are good friends with their neighbors. also, customers have family and friends..........these are good referrals. go after them. good luck;.

[redbull]

Excellent advise all the way around - hang in there and you WILL find your nitch. Mine turned out to be REAL ESTATE AGENTS of all things, one hears about you and the phone starts ringing. A place for FREE advertisment (around here anyways) is at senior citizens centers - post your flyer on their bulliten board. Hang in there and your nitch will come!

[Kohls Landscaping Co]

word of mouth is the best and cheapest way of advertising...

[turfguy]

This thread is on of the prime examples of why I keep returning to lawnsite! lots of great advice to "one of our own "

[djsmokin]

Give em H E L L Jason. Get one account then two and so on. You can do it.

[mike9497]

funny thing.this year feels like my first year in the biz.phone is very quiet.just hang in there

[Frosty_03]

As someone said Pray to the Good Lord, and you will be blessed. IT IS YOUR DREAM GO FOR IT!!! Like Arnorld from Wyomie says "ONCE YO FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE YOU WILL NEVER WORK AGAIN" I think you want to succeed so stick with it. Like other are saying do some Landscaping jobs and you will be surprise on how many accounts you can pick up that way. Standing in line at the local Wal-mart pass out your business card. Leave a business card with your barbar you know he or she get into alot of peoples heads. Look for those places that you know need help and make it a point to go to the local bowling allley where the old folks hang out you will be surprise how many senoir citizen need help around there homes. Be respectful and they will get you some good referals. Just remeber Dude you are the only one that can make be successfull. GOOD LUCK AND GOD SPEED!!!!!

[grasschoppers lawn m]

Hey hang in there! This is my 3rd year in the biz, and it is now just taking off. I thought the same as you get into the biz and then have my wife do the paper work. if you want to get some more people try more fliers,not single family homes. to many of them have kids. Try townhomes a lot of people say dont do them, but i can bet those townhome owners are just now looking at the lawn. charge them about 12-18 dollars. townhomes can get you though the summer. Also try calling a real estate agent see if they have any houses going up for sale that need a make over, i get a lot of my work that way. Go to some churches, they are good money because they have a lot of land and they only want the lawn cut and the area to be clean. Trust me you will get the work just hang in their. Like i said before this is my 3rd year and this year is my first year that i have so much biz i don't know what to do.

[Eirik]

Two quick thoughts...

You're as busy as you want to be...

and ,
careful what you wish for.
In this business, if you really do enjoy doing the work...you'll have more business than you can handle.
Most (if not all) of the advertising in this business is word of mouth. That's why it takes time.
Yellow pages are nice, however it's more of an expensive reference guide.
The finished product, and word of mouth
Good luck, you are not the first one to question your dreams.