One man show or employees?

[Green Acres]

I was just wondering who works by themselves and who has employees? If you have employees how many do you have? What do you think are the advantages and divadvantages of both? I would like to work by myself and just have someone on speed dial if I need help. To find someone like that might be kinda hard to do though!

[Ocutter]

I go thrugh 2 people in the spring. By the time summer rolls around I got 1 left if not just myself. I gain 1 back in the fall. I try to do it mostly.

[Pauls Mowing]

Two person show here, my wife and I. Too many things against hiring employees, OSHA considerations, more insurance, and insurance cost; training someone who knows it's a seasonal gig, the list goes on. Sure, employees could help my operation get bigger. Right now, for us, it works well for the two of us. And we both enjoy it.

Paul

[moonarrow]

Just me I and myself, I don't enjoy the hassels of having employee's, I tried it last summer, and it was a pain, it is hard to hire quality help here, I do have a few people I can get in a dire need for a day or so if needed, and that is about all they are good for. Not trying to get rich just make a darn good living.

[bababooie]

dont get any employees until your service goes down then youll need to hire someone.i just have one other guy,so as long as im there i dont have to worry about the quality of the job.plus the more employees the more overhead,more machines,etc,then youll have to make alot more to cover the expenses,it all depends on how money you need or want to make.

[VLM]

I agree with most of the responses. I have a saying about our business, "you either work by yourself or get REALLY big. If you're any place in between you starve." By the time you get someone trained and feel you can trust him, he quits on you. I once had a kid cut the wrong yard! Man that was an unpleasant phone call trying to get the person to pay. To me, one of the greatest advantages to this lifestyle is being able to work alone and not have to worry about anyone else. I know guys who have several crews working and they are allways stressed out and I seriously don't think they make much more money (if any) than I do.

[TJLC]

I'll bet it's tough to take the plunge and hire help. I have heard and seen the problems that hiring can bring. I choose for now to stay solo. Maybe I'll change my mind down the road, don't know.

[1MajorTom]

Just my husband and me for now. We like not having to worry about employees and all the other problems that goes along when you have someone working for you.
The only way to have employees is to have NUMEROUS crews working for you. Either stay small or go BIG. Inbeetween doesn't cut it.

[jrblawncare]

I'am ready to start my second year in a new location,I offer many sevices and ALMOST to the point of needing help.I have just passed my Pesticide examination and will be offering that this year as well.....if it takes off I'am not sure what I will do.I also offer design and installation and have had family members help with that when needed.I like being small, but I do not want my growth to be held back because of lack of help,time will tell.JRB

[awm]

I never solved the employee problem.
Thats one reason I remained limited.
Some is better than others at getting
dependable help w common sense.
I just couldnt get acceptable work, that took
care of my equipment.
I have had a couple but they are too
smart to make money for me when they
could make it for themselves. I didnt
blame them for that.
I have come to veiw this as one of my
weak points.Some can work others
well.Probably just as well. Ive had a good time.
Dont have to have no body to count my money or
nothin.

[Island Lawn]

SOLO Landscape Services
I concentrate on the small upscale beach lots.
Maximum 1hr compltion time w/21" (inc.,trim, edge, blow)
(A little more time for the extras)
I've tried a couple of helpers, but they were gone real fast.

I agree with there is no middle ground to be won on this.
Labor is such a liability, that it takes a lot of resources invested to make it profitable.

When I first started and had NO idea what to charge, I bid a big yard for REAL cheap and gave them a contract for a year.
By the next week, I realized that the yard takes me 2 HOURS of pushing my 21" around this yard full of obsticles!
I get around 17.50/hr for this yard.
It is my largest, most "technical, and most exhausting.
If I were called to give a yard like this an estimate today, I wouldn't take it. It is more than I can do.
But I had given them a contract/my word. It didn't break me.

I send the bill to a couple in texas. It's her mother's house. I'm under the impression that her mother is dying of alzhiemers.
They always send a thank you note with prompt payment. They are usually the first to pay, and usually enclose a thank you note. This month's said that relatives and neighbors tell them that "the yard looks better than it has in years!"
I'll put that in my brochure.

I have been struggling with how to drastically raise their price to my standard.
No more struggle. I'll ask for a little bit more and I'll even offer to customize my service to make it more affordable
(less # of visits)
(turn off/back the watering system to slow the grass down?)
But there is something to be said for a customer that appreciates you
I could go on

[nlminc]

Myself and one employee that works full time for the season. It's a pain in the butt trying to find the right person, but I think I hit the nail on the head with this one. He is in his 40's responsible, very hard working, and intelligent. He works harder than any of the 20 something year olders I have used in the past. I love working alone, but if you can find an employee that takes care of you and you take care of them, then go for it. Takes the load off your back in when you need it. I also hired a part time employee to help with bed maintenace and flower gardens. She has turned out to be a blessing because she too can be trusted to do her job without any babysitting on my part.

As for getting bigger? This is perfect for me. I will not expand beyond the size I'm at now. Having more employees and equipment just brings on the headaches.

Chris

[visions landscape]

Green Acres,
Its my wife and I along with three guys who
work March thur Nov.
Bigger has been better for us. Yes we have help problem, But I have never been shut down because of it.
If they werent making the company a profit I would down size. What part of Ks. are you located

[smithf36]

Our company includes: the owners which are myself, my wife, and one other guy, as well as three to five seasonal employees. If my wife and I want to go on vacation, the business can run without us. If some of our employees want days off, it usually isn't a huge issue since we have plenty of help. Sometimes it is hard to find a good replacement when someone quits, but overall the benifits to having employees have outweighed the headaches.

When we started, my wife and I used to do all of the work. We soon could not keep up. We wore way to many hats. If we wanted the business to grow and be somewhat free from it, we had to have help.

The best advice I have is to decide where you want your business to go and how large you want it to get. No matter what size you want, write a business plan and stick with it - it is your road map to where you want to go. Also, get systems in place. If you want your business to run well without you, your employees have to know what you expect, and how you expect it to be done.

I know this is long, but I hope it helps.

Joe

[jrblawncare]

I have read that if you are a "one man show"you are limited to a max.gross of about 75K.Not that that is bad but I'am not get'en any younger either.

[kutnkru]

jrb

I know a guy who is 35 yrs old and has been a one man show for over 10 years. He cuts 125+ lawns per week with a 60"z and a 48"wb. His gross for mow/trim/blow is around $85K. he is also certified and gets another $18-19K there. Some oif his contracts include pruning&shearing wich he grosses close to $7k for his efforts. Plus he subs out mulching and landscaping. I guess if you are a go getter the potential for survival on a 6 day rotation is there.

Guys works to hard for my taste.
Kris

[kutnkru]

My brother primarily does the landscaping with a laborer. We have three great guy's who help with our maintenance routes. I rotate grounds crews every second to third week.

Kris

[Mowman]

I work by myself. There are some hedge jobs where a helper would come in handy. By working alone I know what QUALITY of service my customers will recieve. They know WHO will be at their home. Not wondering if Larry,Curly,or Moe is going to cut today and what will my lawn look like this time. I figure alone I can cut 40-50 lawns per week. I believe with that many accounts I can make a decent living. Thus no one to WORRY about doing the job RIGHT. Just the way I see it.
Mowman

[jrblawncare]

Kutnkru,Don't get me wrong, I don't mind hard work and pride myself with Quality.I have been doing this stuff since 1987 part time....Full time since last year.The sad part is I wasted 19 years with Eastman Kodak before I was downsized..I just wish I had started full time when I was younger..think where I could be today.John

[kutnkru]

jrb

I appologize for the previous wording of my post. I was just trying to add to your comment about the potential of a 1-man-outfit. You had mentioned $75k and I just wanted to let those out there who may be struggleing know not to give up - because if you can weather the storm the rewards are well worth it.

I can also empathize with you about the years lost not working in the green industry. Every winter I try a different employment opportunity to make sure that I am not missing out on something or the "BIG picture".

I have complete respect for those individuals who make the world go round from their business' or employment ventures. But I just cant turn in the best office in the world for four walls or a cubicle no matter how wealthy the salary. No matter how much I may ache or hurt and I know its going to get worse - Im content.

Thanks for listening
Kris

[kutnkru]

Originally posted by kutnkru
jrb

I know a guy who is 35 yrs old and has been a one man show for over 10 years. He cuts 125+ lawns per week with a 60"z and a 48"wb. His gross for mow/trim/blow is around $85K. he is also certified and gets another $18-19K there. Some oif his contracts include pruning&shearing wich he grosses close to $7k for his efforts. Plus he subs out mulching and landscaping.

That guy works to hard for my taste.
Kris

[bobbygedd]

i have had no luck with employees. ive tried to take on lots of extra work, and hire employees to keep, result= they dont show, u lose the work, and your reputation suffers. ive had it. its too risky , example: i have a six day work week, first two days would cover the cost of their pay, plus overhead for the week, next four days, is for good old me. guess what, they work 2 or three days, and cant show up for the next two, i lose my a**. so i tried this: ok, "joe", if u want the job, here are the conditions, if u tell me u r available 4 days a week, then u MUST WORK THOSE FOUR DAYS, if u only work 1, 2, or 3, and screw me by not showing up the whole 4 days, since u did not fulfill your obligation, u wont be paid for ANY of these days, can u agree to these terms? no? then u r telling me u r not reliable! of course legitimate reasons for not showing up would be acceptible, but being hungover is not a good reason to me. lesson leaned: the only one i can trust is yoy, and me, and im not so sure about you! bob

[zimm4]

Im starting out alone. However when I get enuf work I have 2 guys that can help me.

[Strawbridge Lawn]

SOlo here and not looking to get rich just pay the bills and provide a good standard of living for my wife and kids.
Strawbridge Lawn & Landscape

[CCLC]

We started out with myself and my brother. I don't mow anymore but in 1999 we had 5-6 guys mowing all the time and it was too much for me to handle. Last year we dropped 45 lawns and went with 2-3 guys mowing all the time. We made more money, had less headaches, and worked less. You can do a lot by yourself but when you add employees it adds so much to what you can do.

[smburgess]

Spring, summer and fall it's me and six to ten people (my wife has never and would never do this kind of work, she does have a job though)in the winter I weed people down to four, which I can keep busy (I guarantee them 30 hours as long as they work when I want them to). People are always coming and going except for three or four that seem to stick around. As I build up over eight I start completing special projects customers have on their lists for the summer, or catch hedgetrimming up, there is always something to do! I think the money is worth it, I work eight hours a day, five days a week, and if I want to take a day or aftenoon off during the week it's not a big deal because there are people to get the job done.

[Fantasy Lawns]

employees are a pain .....BUT if you take the plunge for the long run ....you have to face the fact that you can't do it all .....you now own a day care as well (they need to go to court, wife is sick, car broke etc) once you find someone that will work ......treat e'm right & keep e'm ...as you grow (if that's your goal) then you are able to land larger & more jobs ......plus for your own family time off can happen .....

[CCLC]

Employees are your BEST asset. They must be good employees. You must teach them how you want things done and pay them good. Payroll and payroll taxes are expensive but an evil necessity.

[kutnkru]

I agree with cclc.

Our employees ARE our most valauable assest. It is up to us as employers to teach, to learn from, and to grow with them as a company.

Death and taxes are a given. :-(

Kris

[bababooie]

that guy making 75k,is probably bringing home more of a profit than the guy making 200g's with all that overhead etc.

[GLM]

I work by my self and the customers love it. They only need to tell me once what they want and it gets done the way they want it. The quality never changes with differant people doing the job. I am also lucky to have two friends that work solo in their businesses also. With a couple phone calls the three of us can get any job done and it means three times the equiptment also. A huge condo complex is easily done with three guys and then we go about our own, also there is plenty of work to go around with three people looking. Its nice to know that they have my back and I have the help with out having employee's. My goal is to make some good money with the least amount of headaches possible, the customers usually provide enough. I agree with the posts above, it seem with most contractors there seems to be no middle ground, either go it alone or go big! Keep on mowing Jon G. GLM

[mike]

I'm in that " in between catigory". I have problems keeping "gooooood". help. I'm cutting back so I can run a smaller crew, & keep an eye on the quality of our work. My best worker is a highschool junior, he doesn't drive. I like to be onsite incase someone gets hurt. I'm fully insured & hope I never have to use it. At one time I was pushing getting more work, then worried & worked my "butt" off when they didn't show up for work. Sometimes bigger is not better!!!!

[dmk395]

The size of your profits can always be increased by having employees, as sometimes they can give you extra security also. Nevertheless I can definately see how a solo operator could net close to 50k, and with smart investing he could be a very wealthy man. However, to each his own.