Normal Expenses?

[TimberlandGrounds]

Currently, I am cutting some lawns as a side business. For the 2004 season, I am going to put together a respectable, professional company. I am planning the details now for next year, and I am already beginning to perform some marketing. I want to do this right, so I am putting together the most realistic business plan that I can. My question is, what are all the expenses I should include/expect to have in a business plan?

Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Truck
Trailer
Equipment
General Liability Insurance
Workers Comp. Insurance
Vehicle / Equipment Insurance
Payroll
Marketing Costs (flyers, yellow pages, etc)
Telephone
Fuel & Oil
Maintenance (any details???)

Thanks for the help, any other suggestions would be helpful.

[BSDeality]

overhead! small stuff like spark plugs, zip ties, paint cans. all the stuff that falls into the cracks of the other larger expenses.

[battags]

Walk before you decide to run......

It's easier to start small and build a solid base as opposed to planning to run a huge opperation and find yourself in over your head.

Use the search function on this site to help you along and good luck!

B

[tiedeman]

I would have to agree to start small first. But here are some expenses you might have to worry about.


Expenses:
Bank Charges
Advertising
Office Supplies
Equipment Repair
Equipment
Trucks
Trailers
Postage
Web Site
Cell Phones
Phone
Health Insurance
Workers Comp
Liability & Property Insurance
Federal Tax
State Tax
Professional Fees
Accounting Fees
Automobile Repairs
Dues/Subcriptions
Gas/Oil
Licenses
Unemployment
Business Rent
Misc Supplies.

[battags]

tiedeman, you forgot to add a healthy supply of asprin! :D Maybe that falls under health insurance......

B

[Lawnalternatives]

Start as a one man show until you decide that this is for sure what you want to do. This stuff is hard work! Everyone and their brother thinks, "I will buy a mower and make $1000 a week mowing, no problem." Well it doesn't work that way. You need to let the customers come to you instead of pushing sales so hard that you get accounts you don't want and can't make money on. $1000 is probably 50 plus accounts. It takes a lot of time to gather 50 people that not only feel good about you, but that will pay you $25-$30 a pop to cut there grass every week. Having insurance and a business licsence is a must, but employees and such needs to wait a while.
Sorry to be such a downer, but this is the reality of it.

[MacLawnCo]

Originally posted by Lawnalternatives
$1000 is probably 50 plus accounts.

BS. $1000/ wk is 40 accts at min price. I could do $1000/wk off just 29 of my accounts

[JimLewis]

TimberlandGrounds,

Looking at my totals for my 2002 receipts (which is all organized in a MS Excel File), I count 42 distinct categories for expenses that we had. The easiest way for me to get these to you is to send you the MS Excel file. Do you have Excel? If so, email me.

[Team Gopher]

Hi Timberland,

Here are two threads to review.

Business Plan (http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47663)

Business Plan 2 (http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5847)

[Lawnalternatives]

50 accounts may be pushing it but he understands the concept. When I first started mowing, my first 29 accounts didn't add up to $1000. Mainly because I didn't know how to estimate yet. Once you get the right customers the sky is the limit.