Divorced, starting buisness for extra money.

[GOOSEIDI]

Hello everyone. I am recently divorced. I am a union electrician and child support and alimony just about kill my primary paycheck. I funded a landscape buisness with a brother in law a few years back and want to restart it on my own. I have most of the equipment necessary, 1987 C70 Chevy dump, 17' enclosed box trailer, 48" hydro mower, string trimmers, 1991 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel, 6 ton tag trailer, most of the basics.

My plan is to get all of the equipment up to snuff as I advirtize during Jan, Feb, and Mar. I plan on using flyers, buisness cards and some radio if I can swing the expense. If I get a few spring mulch jobs and cleanups I will go solo or with a helper after my 7-3:30 job. I'm guessing up to a dozen lawns I may be able to handle after work and on Saturday. If things explode and a hundred lawns come up, a crew , more trucks will come along and I will go into paperwork and equipment maintenence mode. I have a plow for both trucks and have work lined up for those. My brother owns a nursery and sells all the annuals and perinneals I could need. He also sells mulch and screened top soil, and has a laydown area available and I can get rid of my debris there.

I really would like to afford a Kubota M59 and persue the type of work that the tractor would allow me to do. An enclosed cab for winter snow removal will be a must.

I am plenty able to weld, repair and maintain anything I own. Don't let me being union electrician fool you, I don't stand around drinking coffee all day, I promise I am 38 years old and have been working since I was 9, grew up working at a christmas tree farm, clamming and cutting firewood. I owned a cable tv buisness at the age of 18 and have been an electrician since I was 20.

Now that you know a bit about me, please tell me your comments, anything I am missing? Thanks in advance,

John

[MrOPEguy]

I feel your pain. I am paying $1300/month to that beast I call the ex. Hang in there it gets better eventually.

[GOOSEIDI]

Originally Posted by MrOPEguy

I feel your pain. I am paying $1300/month to that beast I call the ex. Hang in there it gets better eventually.

Thanks, mine gets $772 a week It seems like landscaping just might take everything I like to do and tie it together, for some strange reason most of my hobbies revolve around work. Diesel trucks, welding, firewood and chainsaws, this is all stuff I do on a hobby level. Why not put it to work? I am excited about this for sure.

[MrOPEguy]

Originally Posted by GOOSEIDI

Thanks, mine gets $772 a week It seems like landscaping just might take everything I like to do and tie it together, for some strange reason most of my hobbies revolve around work. Diesel trucks, welding, firewood and chainsaws, this is all stuff I do on a hobby level. Why not put it to work? I am excited about this for sure.

Man, oh man. She must have had a really good lawyer. I wish the best of luck to you.

[gusbuster]

I am very lucky then I guess. When I have my kids, i just pay for them, food, clothes ect.... I could of having to give her half interest in my business of (30 years been in the trade since 8 years) n my half interest in my house.

I hate her guts and try to shove it to her anytime i can....

The work you do, is it going to be under the table. How are you going to keep it away from her. What if she finds out?

[GOOSEIDI]

Originally Posted by gusbuster

I am very lucky then I guess. When I have my kids, i just pay for them, food, clothes ect.... I could of having to give her half interest in my business of (30 years been in the trade since 8 years) n my half interest in my house.

I hate her guts and try to shove it to her anytime i can....

The work you do, is it going to be under the table. How are you going to keep it away from her. What if she finds out?

Right now my major expenses are auto insurance, cell phone and fuel, those will become buisness expenses, freeing up whats left of my current paycheck. I will pay myself minimum wage and work a couple of hours a week on the books. I don't think she will take me back to court for her cut of $15 a week. Even if she does, I gotta do something. I just am not cutting it with the amount I am left with. If the buisness makes money, it will go back into the buisness. I would say its reasonable that most buisnesses do not make any huge profits early on anyhow. We lost our house to forclosure as our marriage went down the toilet. With that my 24x36 detatched garage, storage and everything else was lost as well. I am definitely not the guy who will accept living in an efficiency apartment so this is my attempt to get some where. She hasn't taken my two hands or my desire to suceed

[larryinalabama]

Men loose all their civil rights in a divorce. Run your busineess at a loss, sounds like you can cover yourself that way. Spend as much time with your kids as you can

[LindblomRJ]

Good luck. When I divorced I was able to keep my house, my retirement, my tools, equipment and pickups. I ended up assuming more of the debt which I paid down.

I was glad, I didn't have any children with her nor paying her any alimony. My case is rare. I know what you're feeling though.

[GOOSEIDI]

There comes a time you just have to lick your wounds and move on. I am excited to have a good reason to fix up my equipment. I'm a bit nervous on the estimating part of the business and the paperwork involved. It seems there are good down to earth people, I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping to get some good information here. I can offer plenty of info on the 83-94 Ford diesels but everyone seems to be on the new truck bandwagon,haha. Monday I go to register my business name and get the LLC under way. Winter is going to be gone in a blink of the eye and I got plenty to do.
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