Solo operators vacations

[Trucklover]

Well this year my company is growing and alot of things have changed, how do you solo operators take vacations without stopping work? I am very particular with my work and like things done right so not sure who to get to take over for a couple days.

[kyles landscape]

unfortunatly before the season or the end of it....

[jrs.landscaping]

Originally Posted by kyles landscape

unfortunatly before the season or the end of it....

What he said........

[djagusch]

Funny concept, vacation being solo, very funny.

The best you will have is sat/sun/mon and maybe Tuesday off for a vacation. Then hustle wed-fri. Don't forget the calls you can never stop either.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Monroe74]

Really? Even when you have employees it's not really vacation.
Best bet is small get aways around the hottest part of the season when the turf goes dormant but even then you can't plan for it.

[kyles landscape]

ya if you have employee and go away to relax usually thats when something goes wrong hahah i havent had a real vacation since i started but i will be taking a cruise at the end of winter before spring starts atleast i hope so.

i know some people who have smalller operations and only landscape and vacation during the winter because they dont do snow

[Crimson Lawn]

If I do take one, it is around the 1st or 3rd week of October. There is alot of work still going on with leaves/landscaping. It has cooled off enough, not as much sunlight so growth is not as much. I will plan this about 3 months out and inform all our customers. We go to everyother week in october so the last regular cut comes at the last week of September. Any later or into November, we risk geting a surprise snow and not being here to do our responsibility. That would not work out very well.

[jrs.landscaping]

Originally Posted by Monroe74

Really? Even when you have employees it's not really vacation.
Best bet is small get aways around the hottest part of the season when the turf goes dormant but even then you can't plan for it.

This is what I do, mid August everything is slow enough the other guys can keep up. Even then I only take off Sat. Sun. and Mon.

[Chilehead]

My "off time" is scheduled as follows:
*The Tuesday before Thanksgiving through the Sunday after Thanksgiving
*Christmas Eve (YAAAY!) through the seventh day of January
*A week in February (varies)
*A week in March (varies and usually does not happen)

Being in Atlanta, we usually don't have snow. My winters are scheduled with hardscapes which affords me the opportunity to fit in vacations. Originally from Cleveland, OH, I empathize with LCOs who mow spring through fall AND plow snow all winter with no break in sight. The money may be good, but the toll it takes on you is brutal.

[Roger]

The words "solo" and "vacation" don't go well in the same sentence.

After the season starts in late March (this year, mid-March), the next day off will be Thanksgiving. This year, I did take July 4 off, the first in a long time. The grass wasn't growing well, and I only had a couple of entries on the list.

Other than that, six days, full days, every week. All else is taken off the schedule. I never work on Sunday.

When somebody who is working 40 hours per week for an employer says, "I want my own business, so that I can set my own working hours," I have to chuckle. In the present setting, you have an obligation to manage 40 hours per week. When you are solo with your own business, you manage all 168 hours per week. Thinking "setting my own working hours," is going to be easier than the 40 hours, is being delusional.