A scrub with a broom

[Tx Firefighter]

This is my first post, but I've been lurking here a good while.

I read on here some people complaining about scrubs and making fun of their Craftsman mowers.

Here's my story:
Last year I started mowing on my off days using a CRAFTSMAN push mower, non self propelled. I also used a Weedeater brand trimmer, and a broom to sweep the driveways. All of the other guys in town were laughing at me, as I'd sweep driveways and sidewalks off with my little broom.

The point is, I made enough money last year, with that humble equipment to launch this year off right. Using the money I made, I built myself a real nice 6x12 trailer over the winter. Then, I bought a Snapper self-propelled walk behind (21 inch), Echo commercial grade trimmer, edger, and blower. Last month I bought a new Scag 36 inch walk behind. I filed DBA papers, opened a business account, and got liability insurance. I paid cash for all of these things. That little Craftsman mower and Weedeater trimmer made it all possible. I owe no one anything, and every penny that the equipment makes is mine to re-invest in bigger equipment and to pay myself. Financially, this year has been incredible, my accountant is astonished.

I have a lot of customers (for 1 guy at least). I kiss all of my customers tails too. I don't complain about having to move patio furniture, or kids toys. I do light tree trimming for them for free, as long as it takes under about 15 minutes. I don't complain if they ask me to "do them a little favor" like fixing a gate or something. I know that there are plenty of guys out there with Craftsman mowers who would love to have my customers.

This is business! How do you think Wal-Mart got so big? Well, I remember when Wal-Mart was only in Arkansas, years ago. They would give you a refund no questions asked if you weren't happy. They kissed the customers behinds, and they are wildly succesful because of it. They run clean stores and all the employees smile at all of the customers all the time. I see plenty of parallels here that could apply to any LCO. Do a good job, don't complain, go the extra mile, and treat your customers properly and you won't have to worry about those scrubs trolling the neighborhoods.

Sorry to vent on my first post, but it seems like some people here think that the customers aren't king and that they're doing their customers a favor by showing up and cutting the grass.

Kevin

[Joel B.]

Well said. Sometimes I get the feeling that if you don't have all the best equipment and a trailer full of Lazers you are nothing. We all started somewhere.

Joel B.

[GroundKprs]

And did that broom last the full year, Kevin? I wore out two in my first year, LOL.

Welcome to LawnSite. It's great to see a refreshing post in all the recent drivel. Many here just don't understand the idea of service. If you do, there's no limit on where you can go.

[a1 lawncare]

welcome, and if the truth be known i'd bet 90% of us started the same way, when i was 13 i'd go door to door asking little old ladies if they'd like there yards mowed, and of course they'll throw in a few extra's. i don't know why little old ladies have to be like that:rolleyes: oh well, be careful on both career choices.

[Gravely_Man]

Glad to hear that everything has worked out so well for you. Welcome to the site and let us know how this season turns out for you.


Gravely_Man

[John from OH]

With your attitude towards customer service, you will go far and be able to name your price as you go. A little extra goes along way.

I also started with a broom and hand held clippers. Of course, back then, weedeaters and backpack blowers didn't exist. ;)

[Lakeview]

I used to move stuff for this one little old lady all the time. I later found out she was capable of moving it herself. One of the neighbors said after i left she would often move it right back. The neighbor said she would stand and wait for me on my days to mow. If i was a few hours late she would still stand and wait. She was lonely and when i moved stuff she would follow me around and that gave her a chance to talk to me. I made it a point to spend ten or fifteen minutes to talk to her and after that she never asked me to move anything else again unless it was something way to big for her to move.

[crazygator]

I think its great you did what you had to, and saved enough to buy with cash instead of credit. Thats awesome. Now go pat yourself on the back! :D

But, let me ask this,
When do you stop giving away that 15 minutes?

If you do that for 4 customers, that equals 1 hour. Many here average $60 per hour. If you lost 1 hour (to freebies) everyday of the week, that could be $300 a week. Multiply by (and I do not know how long your season is) say 30 weeks and you lose $9000.

I am in no way trying to put you down, just trying to show what your losing by doing that. Plus remember, you will get busy. When that happens will you really have the time to just give it away?

Plus if you do start charging your customers for all of it, how many will you lose because of "You use to do that for free" syndrome?

Please do not take this the wrong way, just something to think about.

[Plowzer]

:cool: You guys are my kind of poeple. Keep'em happy and they'll have no reason to look anywhere else, for anything. God speed

[Moguy]

Very good post. I'm in my first year as well and doing those "little" things as you said in your post is how I'm doing them to. The funnier side, from my point of veiw is that I'm in a wheelchair and many people have that questionable look on their faces when I meet them. But with hard work and taking my time with the help of one other I've not had any complaints on my work. Best of luck

[gogetter]

Welcome to LS. Glad things are going well for you!

Customer service is important, but you have to be careful that people don't take advantage of you (and many will, or at least will try!).
I know your solo, but imagine how Crazygators numbers would add up if you had a couple of employees?

Just stuff to think about. Good luck to you!

[ULTIMATE LAWN]

I would never pay employees to do free work for customers nor would I ever do free work myself.

Do the work you are contracted for-no more-no less.

Your Wal-Mart analogy is bumpkis as they are a retail outlet.

[Scotlawncare]

Tx,

I started out the same way over three years ago and did the exact same thing. Besides customers moving out of state I have had 95% customer retention. I have dropped several for their wanting stupid stuff or things that I refuse to do due to my strict policies. You started the way Each of us should have in the begining. It's time now for you to move up a notch like CrazyGator said. Kissing a customer's rear is good, but also remember this is a business too. Keep the customer service high but also remember your time is worth more now that you have commercial equipment to start paying yourself back for. Paying cash for a piece of equipment is they way it should be done. But remember that it still has to pay for itself after you get paid an hourly wage too.

I'm not knocking you at all because it sounds like you have a great mindset for starting your business. As Emerl say's "Kick it up a notch!"

Scot

[a1 lawncare]

i assure you i have more than made up for the free second pass i did, took less than 15 minutes, and like i said one of my best residential customers, if i eat a little thing like this it usually pays off 100 fold. however i'm won't fix things, i have friends that do that kind of work, always carry others business cards and give referrals.


i also dont:

1. walk dogs
2. wash windows
3. change the oil in a customers car
4. paint
5. put up mail boxes
6. do any carpenter work
7. clean garages
8. stain decks
9. repair missing shingles, i will inform a homeowner of such
10. seal driveways

and other things i know i have been asked to do

[Flex-Deck]

tx- - way to go, now just get efficient with the WB's

seems rather appropriate that everyone dodges efficiency and low overhead. you had low overhead and as much efficiency as possible and are now headed upward and onward.

[roscioli]

TX- You have no idea how much I needed to read that post.... I was becoming very quickly discouraged in the past couple of hot days, but couple that with the little old lady that brought me out a bottle of ice cold water today, and I remember why I am in this business. The numbers won't add up as quickly as shown, becuase you aren't working for free 4 times per day, 4 times per year per customer I bet would be a lot. It keeps them happy, and keeps them YOUR customer.
Service has all but died, and this site in the recent past has not helped it at all. The attitude is often "if it doesnt make you immediate profit, it doesnt make you profit at all" which is not at all true, and you have just shown them that.
Welcome to the posting side, and keep them coming!

[SpudsM15]

Wow brooms.... I'm spoiled I started with a crapsman handheld blower and a echo gt-2000

[eslawns]

Tx Firefighter,

Don't let the negaholics get to you. Just do what you've been doing. If your clients are happy with you and you are happy with the $$, who cares what somebody here thinks?


welcome, and if the truth be known i'd bet 90% of us started the same way

I know I did. Only I didn't have enough money for a blower, so I took my wife's kitchen broom. I still haven't lived that down.

IMO, if you want to categorize somebody as a scrub, do it because their work sucks. Not everybody can afford to make payments on gear, even if they can get a loan.

[HarryD]

Many here exaggerate on how much they make an hour. Who gives a rats azz what the next guy is doing or what he says hes making an hour. just do what your doing and you will be successful.

[NCSULandscaper]

Originally posted by crazygator
But, let me ask this,
When do you stop giving away that 15 minutes?

If you do that for 4 customers, that equals 1 hour. Many here average $60 per hour. If you lost 1 hour (to freebies) everyday of the week, that could be $300 a week. Multiply by (and I do not know how long your season is) say 30 weeks and you lose $9000.



However, that $9,000 you might lose one year could make you $10,000 , $15,000 , or even $20,000 in the years to come. I see it as an investment to the future.

[AztlanLC]

I'm pretty sure most of us started like that, but as time goes by you realize that to be successful in this business you don't do free little things, do the best possible job you were hire for and charge for all the extras.

I've had people telling me, the guy that use to do it did it for xxx$ and also used to weed my front bed for free, and why you want to switch? well I tough I was been overprice and he raised his rate this year
If you do free stuff for a customer they'll think you are charging'em a lot , maybe some will appreciate it.

Anything besides mowing the lawn I charge for, cause that is where you make your profit most of the time.

Lawn Maintenance is a whole different thing than Walmart, look at the Internet for example, where are all those stores that used to give free things to customers? what works in one market might not work in other.

You can learn a lot in this forum, all you have to do is open up your ears, and find the right people, I know I have and thanks to this site now my company is better than 4 years ago when I started.

[Flex-Deck]

tx firefighter - I personlly think you have it figured out - keep doing what you are doing

[PaulJ]

Saw a guy using a broom here the other day. at first i shook my head and thought what a sc---, but then i stopped and though at least he was cleaning up after himself instead of leaving a big mess. A couple of the biggest companies here do the messiest jobs.

I would rather see mowers use a broom to clean up than leave a mess,

[Turf Dancer]

I started out about two grand in the hole ! I did'nt profit at all the first year! I never really made any money until the second year! Keep up with what ever works for you! I have found that most of the guys on this site could not make a living here! For several reasons! the main one is that most say they won't use a 21" machine ! I have two and use them everyday ! I don't yet own even a 32" or 36" yet ! I will real soon! Good luck

[SunSwept]

Tx:

I like the way you think. I have mowed as much as 2 acres with a 10-year old Murrey 21 inch push mower. It ain't easy but it makes me appreciate the mower that I have now!

As for those who are adding up all of those 15 minute blocks of time and pointing to the thousands of $$$ being lost, I am not to sure that I agree. The math looks correct but the practical application is missed.

If the 15 minutes spent keeps the customer from being tempted to leave you ... what is that worth? I have always found that I just can't take, take, take ... I have to put something into it ... give a little extra.

100% efficiency is almost impossible to attain and costs more in time, effort and money the closer you get to 100%. It is a basic principle of physics and even applies to the theory of relativity.

If you are so interested in being so efficient then purchase those lights that I see on highway construction sites and mow at night. My gosh, you are loosing anywhere from 8-10 hours of good mowing time per day ( oops, make that NIGHT )!!! Who needs sleep? There's money to be made. 8-10 hours per night at $60 per hour ... THATS $3000 per week. You could pay for a couple of Exmarks per month with that!!!

What I am getting at it that there is more than math here. There is customer relationships, pride of workmanship, and a job well-done. It is not only building the business but keeping the business. I know that I have bitten a hole in my lip more than once. "The customer is always right" is hard to live by but it is a good goal to keep in mind.

BUT, for those of you who don't think that way then I say GOOD! I need to grow and I don't mind talking to the people who have parted ways with you.

[Tvov]

There are different ways to define "scrub". You don't sound like one.

A friend of mine who helped me my first year still reminds me of the day I said, while borrowing a customer's tools, "Imagine how much money I could make if I had a shovel!".

Most people start out small. Keep going!

[crazygator]

Originally posted by SunSwept
What I am getting at it that there is more than math here. There is customer relationships, pride of workmanship, and a job well-done. It is not only building the business but keeping the business. I know that I have bitten a hole in my lip more than once. "The customer is always right" is hard to live by but it is a good goal to keep in mind.

My point is not JUST the lost revenue, but what happens when you get so busy you CANNOT give that time away?

How do you make the switch to charging for that time and NOT loosing the customers?

Again (for those who cannot remember please re-read my post) I am not bashing this guy and his work ethics and good will toward his customers. But isnt he helping to bring down the market price in his area? And this hurts not only the whole market but himself as well.

What if you show up and bid in the extra 15 minutes of work, verses him? Guess who will win? The one putting in 15 minutes of free time. But what happens then? It starts a whirl wind of "maybe these others are charge more than its worth", and there goes the pricing.

If you dont believe me then get some prices of work you do from another LCO and compare.

I like to think we all price our services with value to our customers, but look through the threads on this site. It just wont happen. Too many that price wrong, or cheap do bring the prices down.

Just trying to offer some words of wisdom.

[SunSwept]

Bidding for a job is science in itself and I have lost out on too many to talk about. But I read on this board and others a lot of "hate and discontent" concerning low-bidders and scrubs.

If I might bring up a point that concerns TX and a few others who use 21 inch mowers (yes, I still use mine quite a bit) versus the $6k plus machines and for those of us who pay cash as we go versus those who finance. Your expenses are far more than ours PLUS you have the added expense of INTEREST! I can auto-magically bid anywhere from 6% to 21% lower than you because I don't have the added expense of a finance charge. Am I a scrub? I don't think so. Personally, I think that I am working smarter because I don't have that extra expense.

There are other things that I can do also ... maintain my equipment so that it lasts longer, make do with something a little less expensive, or even make do without. When it gets right now to it, we are talking about cutting a blades of grass. My old Murrey will do that even today.

As far a giving away my time ... who said that I or anyone else is doing that? How do you know that I DIDN'T bid 15 minutes of dead time or side-job time? Just because I underbid you doesn't mean that I am not earning money.

[cos]

The person that cut my girlfriend's house used a broom. He did a marvelous job. They can laugh all they want. You can have all the best equipment and still do lousy work. I passed a LCO that was on a lazer and he was weaving in and out of trees and tearing up the turf on a small commercial lawn. He had a small walk behind on the trailer, but I suppose he was too lazy to do the job right.


When I started out, I had all the craftsmen equipment and an old beat up chevy with a small trailer. I used to get the laughs coming from the other LCO's. I only shake my head at lousy work, and not the equipment they use.

[btbej]

I use my paid off 93 ranger and hull my 21" sears bought mower, ryobi blower, and weedeater brand weed eater.....all paid off and putting money made back.

I am a little embarassed to load and unload out of the bed of my ranger, but then I look back at the job I am doing and the customers raving about how the guys with the big equipment did not trim and clean up their mess evertime.

I would say the title "Scrub" should be issued to anyone and everyone in this business that does not call a customer to take them off their route and keeps the customer wondering what happen. I like this type of scrub because I am getting a lot of business (in my first year) from these types of companies that think they are to good to do certain lawns and to good to give the customer the time to find a new service (2weeks or 30 days).

Just a minor overview from a newbie.....to all you "to goods" keep handing over the business!

[Tx Firefighter]

I guess I should have said, I used a broom because I felt like I should. I always had an electric blower, but I figured the customer paid me to use my stuff, and plugging a cord into their electricity was not too professional. :rolleyes:

[a1 lawncare]

people tell me all the time i'm the only service that returned there call, i'm pretty booked but it could be the job i need to weed some of my less desirable properties out, yes i still weed them out, there are just some properties you don't want. when your properties/accounts grow your equipment needs to be able to handle the task. i've gotten 3 commercial accounts this year because the lco that had the jobs could not keep up because of equipment problems or time. my price was considerably higher, but the person handling each of these properties told me they were dissatisfied with the former provider.

again, welcome btbej

if you have a business license and insured and do quality work i would not call you a scrub, regardless of your equipment.

keith

[mike9497]

i started out like that kind of.a service star 21 S/P true value mower back from 84 lol.my buddy had a no name mulching mower 21 incher.it was orange and beat to hell. craftsman hand held blower and a craftsman trimmer.didn't have a truck or car.used a jd tractor with a home made 5x10 trailer.it also had a front blade on it to do snow plowing lol lol.yes it had a farm plate on it so i could go down the road lol lol.

if you have a license and are insured i don't see how you can be a scrub.

welcome to lawnsite

[Lazer_Z]

After reading this post and seeing some of you say that some of you see really big LCO's doing s**tty work it reminded me of some thing that i have been seeing for a while the place where my mom works at has a company do the lawn the crew is Brickman and it's a rather large corporate account i think they have 3 maybe 4 in the same area but when ever i see the work they do it kind makes me sick missed trimming half a** clean up clumps on the lawn and then i think to my self i could do a better job that these jack a**es well i hope some day soon i can bid on big accounts like that and like some of you guys have

Sorry for ranting i just had to

[Gr grass n Hi tides]

Originally posted by ULTIMATE LAWN
I would never pay employees to do free work for customers nor would I ever do free work myself.

Do the work you are contracted for-no more-no less.

Your Wal-Mart analogy is bumpkis as they are a retail outlet.

The only negative post in the thread.

Attitude like this (the customer part especially), regardless of who it's pointed at will come full circle one day.

Tx - Great attitude. I do the extras too. I rolled up a garden hose & brought a trash can up from the curb for a client yesterday. No motive. No line.

[crazygator]

Ok then, let me ask the thread starter this, TX firefighter - Is your job in our green industry your only means of living?

I assume you are a firefighter. Do you do that fulltime? If so, this means you do not have to make much doing lawncare part time. This makes it easier for you or others like you to give time away.

My point to all of you is this, please make sure your prices are in line with your market, and stop giving anything away. It will bring the prices we all want to make way down.

I do this fulltime. And by the way ALL my equipment is paid for by cash. It is my ONLY means of living. I have to pay all my bills, plus take care of my family, provide medical insurance for us, and all the other things it takes to survive.

If the prices continue to go down due to someone giving wrong prices or prices low because they have another means of living it will not only hurt you but those of us who do this everyday!

If you do not think I am right, then ask the site owner Sean Adams. I am sure he will help you see my points clearly.

[SunSwept]

Please make sure that prices are in line with the market?

Come now. Don't you think that that is a bit harsh? If I were to invent a robotic lawn mower that all I had to do was throw one out of the truck, drive to the next place and do the same and then come back that night and pick it up AND if these, being mostly electronic, continued to drop in price just like computers have AND I was the inventor of them ....

I would price you and everyone else out of business and own all of the lawn service.

That is free enterprise, that is economics, that is innovation, that is what America is all about. Men (and women) from Henry Ford to Bill Gates have been doing it and it has been good for consumers and workers. I don't recall anything in my history books about other auto makers whining about pricing cars in line with the market. I don't hear IBM doing it either. I do see IBM trying to find ways to reduce costs and increase productivity as well as how to improve the product.

Pizza Hut advertises a special and I don't read or hear in ANY public forum where Dominoes or other pizza chains are whining about pricing or calling the competition 'scrubs'.

I will price what I believe is right for me and it will be based upon expenses and profit margins. MAYBE I am trying to put someone like you out of business so that I can take over your customers too. Maybe I have invented a new way or a new machine that makes me much more efficient than you. Maybe I am doing "loss-leaders" just to break into the business. It is all legitimate and all fair and all part of doing business. It is 'inventing the better mousetrap'. If you can't stand the heat ...

For those of you who earn 100% of your living doing this, my advice to you is: don't get comfortable. Always find ways of doing it better, cheaper, faster. The road is littered with the empty buildings of those who went belly-up because someone else found a better way to do the same thing. K-mart versus Wal-Mart for example. I hope that you are not one of the businesses that don't make it. Anyone remember "Minnie Pearl's Chicken"? What about Pan American Airlines? Compaq Computers? There are thousands of examples.

One member has a slogan "if you are stupid then you deserve to suffer." I am not sure that I would use those exact words but it is dead-on-the-mark. If you are fat, dumb and lazy then you deserve it when someone else runs you out of business. Go ahead and cry about pricing. No sympathy here.

TX Firefighter ... the sky is the limit bro ... Put fear into the competition and carve your own path. I like the way that you think.

[gogetter]

Easy words to say when your a "part timer".

[Toroguy]

Tex says give something away to your customers, a great referral is almost certain...or you could rush home and hit the couch, crack a beer, go online, buy stuff that you never use, etc.

Thinking like a Wal Mart is not going to guarantee Wal Mart like results, but it is better than thinking like a Montgomery Ward!

It is true how when starting out you think more along the route of customer service, then as you get "older" you shift the focus to productivity. To remain successful long term a balance of the two needs to be examined daily. It is all a matter of having green blood.

Im dealing with two days of rain this week, so no coiling up hoses this week, its all productivity!

[SunSwept]

"Easy words when your a part timer"

Part-timer"?

See, my point is made! You resort to 'name calling' rather than to express an idea.

Ok, I'll bite ...

I do not earn my entire living from lawns. TRUE.

I am licensed. True.

I am incorporated. True.

I am insured. True.

I have an EIN. True.

I have a job to fall back on. F A L S E .

I earn 100% of my living via business ventures that I am involved in that required research, marketing, hard work, competition, planning, and innovation and RISK. TRUE

I have been in business more than 10 years. TRUE.

I started with my own money and risked loosing it. TRUE.

I have a family to feed. TRUE.

I have earned, net, more than 6 figures each year of those 10 years I have been in business. TRUE.

While I will readily admit to being a part-timer in the Lawn Maintenance Business, it is because it is but one of my ventures. Can live on what it produces? Yes. But why should I take a cut in pay? The other ventures pay quite well ALSO.

So, I am a part timer in lawns. That does nothing to change what I said. I will price based upon expenses and profit margins. If you can meet or beat it ... just continue to whine.

[Sean Adams]

I admire tx firefighter's willingness and eagerness to provide quality and focus on customer satisfaction.

I also agree with crazygator here too.

Let's face it.... taking care of your customers here and there is one thing. But time is money and in this industry that is what we are selling - our time.

There are other ways to guarantee customer satisfaction.

But more importantly, we are discussing something that has a lot of variables here....location, equipment, expenses, overhead, etc...

[Gr grass n Hi tides]

I think there's a difference between a kind gesture or two every now and then for a client and giving away 15 min. of time on each every job - that would add up to way too much time.

I timed myself on the job where I moved the trash can and rolled up the garden hose, which I mentioned earlier. $35 for a 33 minute job (mow, trim & blow). That's an account that anyone on this site mowing a property this size would be happy to have.

Now, imagine you are the homeowner looking out the window at your lawn guy taking care of your property:

Scenario #1 you see lawn guy roll your trash can up and roll your garden hose (probably 4 min. total), then mow/trim where these items were sitting.

Scenario #2 you see lawn guy mow/trim around the trash can and garden hose where they sit, then you walk into the front yard a half hour later to take care of these things realizing it would have been a good idea to do so before lawn guy arrived. What's left are some unfinished areas on your lawn.

Scenario #3 you see lawn guy mow past your trash can and hose, then stop his mower and move these items a few feet away into a section he just cut, then turn around and mow where the items were previously sitting.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I see only scenario #1 as the right thing to do. There's "something wrong with this picture" in scenario Nos. 2 and 3, because #2 is flat out unprofessional and #3 shows that your lawn guy has a problem if he would rather invest the 4 minutes shifting stuff around instead of simply taking care of his client.

[crazygator]

Originally posted by SunSwept
MAYBE I am trying to put someone like you out of business so that I can take over your customers too.

For those of you who earn 100% of your living doing this, my advice to you is: don't get comfortable. Always find ways of doing it better, cheaper, faster.

First part: You could never do that, I promise!

Second part: Thats the worst advice I have ever heard. Its easy to see how you get so worked up, your scared of losing what you cannot hold on to due to being too cheap, YOUR customers! :D

[kris]

It's not hard to see both sides here ... both have valid points and i would bet everyone who posted here has done some type of freebee .... I have instructed crews to take in trashcans etc ... just today at a commercial account I had them fix a rut in a rocked island that a truck had run over ... no extra charge. We use site reports and this was documented and handed in to the owner ... he called me today and thanked me. ... This account is worth is around 1k monthly ...bet he won't shop around for best price.
Ok ...IM babbling ...point I wanted to make was that if you do the odd favor they are more likely to let those little things you may miss occasionally go unnoticed. It's all about relationships.

[Rather Be Fishing]

I've done plenty of 15 minute "tree jobs" for free!;) Usually after a good rain, any branches I can't walk under come off!:D

Simply makes my job easier, most folks don't concern themselves with such things after hiring a lawn service. How quickly they forget...

[Live4Mowin']

Amen to that TX Firefighter!

My equipment is craftsman, thank you for the hope!

[tiedeman]

I remember those days of the push broom. What fun that was :D

[Frosty_03]

Welcome to the site Kevin and as Gravely_man put I hope you have a good season this year and more to come, we all have to start somewhere, we should never, ever forget where you came from.:cool:

[windmill]

Welcome to L.S. TX. I like what you have to say and do, I do the same in my spraying bus. When I treat for Cherry Fruit Flies (OK so you might not have those) using dimethoate I like to give the roses a shot as well because it works so well as a systemic. Most customers recognize the extra service and comment positively on it. Extra time? Pretty much none as I'm on my way to or from the tree to be sprayed. Extra cost? Maybe an extra $5.00 for treating the roses on 250 customer's properties. I bought the company last year, it has increased by over 20% this year my advertising consists of "yellow pages", the trucks, and my customers. I think 95% of my calls start, "You do work for . . . could you put me on the same program?" Seldom does it start, "How much . . ."
That extra time with the customer (sometimes lonely) will be a blessed.
I'm not a millionaire, don't expect to become one, and wouldn't know what to do with the money. My riches are stored elsewhere.