No ones a Lowballer

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by JimsLocalLawn

Why is everybody slamming this guy? He told you he is making an acceptable wage. I also agree the economy is in trouble and I personally sent "thank you" letters to each of my customers last year! The loyalty is in the almighty dollar today. Truth of the matter is nowadays everybody and their brother cuts grass on the side... market is flooded! The true success story is those making a "acceptable livable wage".

Funny story - last year I spent a small fortune advertising quality service, fixing the errors of the part time guy, etc. Hardly got anything out of it! So I advertised prices STARTING at $25 and landed a lot of higher paying accounts. Tells me everything I need to know about the current economy and why the op is doing so well. Bravo sir!

How is he doing so well? I make more with less accounts and more employees.

If this thread was I make this much and I;m happy with it. People would be like thats cool.

The thread is low ballers dont exist. If you dont know who the low baller is its probably you. I have no problem with him working harder for less. That works for people who like to own a job. Me I own a business, my goal is to make money simple and plain.

[THORNTON SERVICES LLC]

Originally Posted by smallstripesnc

i'd love to see someone even come at me with a shovel because it wouldn't end good for them. Your all missing the point. Every area has its market and even within that market the prices vary. I was out marketing today and a lot of the places i marketed had fliers already out from other lawn guys and you'd be surprised. $30 is pretty good if you ask me compared to $15, $20 i saw on a lot of fliers from lawn guys.

On another topic even after figuring out my true operating cost (taxes, insurance, maintenance, fuel, etc...) i'm still making enough to pay my bills and have money left over to blow on what ever or put in my savings account. You must be crazy to think that $36,000 gross income for 6 months is bad money. Most people will never make that in their life with the current economy. Call me a low baller but my quality of work is just as good or better than a lot of guys and i know my stuff when it comes to lawn care. When a lawn takes 15-20 minutes i just don't see charging $45-$50. Also not everyone wants to grow some huge business and have to deal with managing employee's.

you have to certainly charge based on the location but to me seems like you may not be factoring in very important costs and this applies to a solo operation long term or a large business with employees , if you want to support a family , kids , house health ins blah blah these are factors you should consider , yes 36,000 is more than some people make but most of those people are not where they want to be in life , you have to look down the road , how much do you need to live , and in my own personal opinion as a solo operation to be able to replace trucks 10,000 mowers etc and pay all ins etc we are talking about $75,000 and that is stretching it , most people that do not make more than 75,000 are dependant on there partners to work as well so they can survive , i know i have been there , prepare for your future and consider these costs so they do not hit you in the face later , and if this is unobtainable in your market i would personally recommend another avenue to make a living. This is where pricing your work properly comes in so that you can make a living , but i meant no offense we all start somewhere and do what you need to to compete and suceed but do not be content with 36,000 a year that in my opinion is not a goal for having a good future. Just my opinion though and i meant no dis respect!

[Tinkerer]

A guy driving a new lifted crew cab with 24" wheels, custom paint and $30,000 in mowers on the trailer might charge $80 for a lawn I charge $60 for when I pull up in a 90s F250 or my 09 Ranger.
The guy the next step down might have a minivan with a trailer and a homeowner ZTR. He might do it for $45 in his first year as a 2nd income and find out he is not making much.
Then there is the complete dummy with a $50 MTD tractor charging $30 and having a lot of breakdowns and uneven cut of the grass. He didn't shower today,, hasn't shaved in 5 days,, wears clothes with holes in them that should be thrown away. He won't last long.
Then there is the retired guy looking for something to do with his old Gravely tractor and charges $25 just to get away from his cranky wife who has hot flashes and nitpicks everything he does while in the house.
Then there is the neighborhood kid on his dads JD 749 Ultimate charging $20 and his dad pays for the gas and everything else.
I only read the 1st page so forgive me if I basically repeated someone elses reply.

[dhardin53]

This old debate is like the silly "Occupy Wall Street" 99%ers. The current popular culture today is filled with hatred. Someone, everyone has to be wrong so I can be right. We are all different, it's been that way a long time. Try as you will you can not change human nature.
In the clime up the ladder of success you will have to step on someone. If I spent so much time fearing hating my competition I would get nothing done and be wore out at the end of the day.

For me Dan Hardin i say "I feel the problem is rich people, we don't have enough of them".

[yardguy28]

personally i don't spend one second about worrying about my competition, what they say or what they charge.

i know what kind of life i want to live and i know how much money i need to live that life. so i set up my business to make me that kind of money. thats where my priorities are. not joe's lawn care down the street, what he's charging or what he's doing.

[weaver]

Originally Posted by yardguy28

personally i don't spend one second about worrying about my competition, what they say or what they charge.

I know what kind of life i want to live and i know how much money i need to live that life. So i set up my business to make me that kind of money. Thats where my priorities are. Not joe's lawn care down the street, what he's charging or what he's doing.

agreed....