How do you picture your lesser competition?

[tcls83]

Originally Posted by LwnmwrMan22

BUT, in many instances, that "projected image", whether it's from the truck when you pull up to give an estimate, the first time you speak with someone on the phone, or whether or not you can spell on your estimate form, whether you want to believe it or not, THAT'S when you make your first impression.

That is pretty much what I'm trying to get across. Even though Now I do appreciate the fact that these guys decided to go out on their own by starting a business. Honestly, I really wasn't trying to brag about my company. I know it isn't the best out there. Appearance wise mine is average, truck isn't brand new , but try to wax the truck often to keep things looking nice. I wash and clean everything quite often. I even wax the mowers! Boy do they look great when you do that! It doesn't last too long though. I guess I'm a neat freak.

[K.Carothers]

My question to all those that look down on lco's with the rusted out truck, craftsman mowers, no company shirts...etc, have you shared this site with them?
I tell every lco that is serious about this business about this site. Who am I to judge.

kc

[chimmygew]

I have nice equipment, but I try to buy cheap trucks. The ones I can get two, maybe three years out of then sell them for what I payed for em. Right now I have a 1992 Chevy 1/2 ton paid $1000 for. Got a little rust on her, but towes the mowers just fine. I just bought a 1997 Ford 3/4 ton for $3750. It has some hail damage, but guess what? It will tow my equipment around pretty good. I have 2 Scag turf tigers, all echo 2 cycle, but when I started, I used a Chrysler lebaron pulling a (you guessed it) homeade trailer, craftsman rider, push mower, trimmer, and a broom. Remember, It's not about how you start a race. It's about how well you compete during it, and how well you finish.

[The Cowboy]

Originally Posted by chimmygew

I have nice equipment, but I try to buy cheap trucks. The ones I can get two, maybe three years out of then sell them for what I payed for em. Right now I have a 1992 Chevy 1/2 ton paid $1000 for. Got a little rust on her, but towes the mowers just fine. I just bought a 1997 Ford 3/4 ton for $3750. It has some hail damage, but guess what? It will tow my equipment around pretty good. I have 2 Scag turf tigers, all echo 2 cycle, but when I started, I used a Chrysler lebaron pulling a (you guessed it) homeade trailer, craftsman rider, push mower, trimmer, and a broom. Remember, It's not about how you start a race. It's about how well you compete during it, and how well you finish.

I am closer to that image than I thought. I only grossed 70 grand last year. I do keep my trucks clean and washed, make sure my workers wear neat clothes, and keep all my equipment washed. Every friday I scrub everything, that way the homowners see me cleaned up on saturdays. My Chevy has some rust, but it is all one color and the chrome gleams with wax. My customers see past the thrift and know I have it together. And my lawn striping is very competitive. I can't tolerate a stripe that goes off course even a little.
I don't overspend. This way I can keep out of debt. To me, good equipment is better than good trucks, if it gets from point A to point B without breaking down then fine.

[Plow_Boy84]

it has been said by many people, everyone needs to start somewhere. What about using the "competition" for motivation? Remeber to dot your i's and cross your t's and think of better faster innovative ideas

[sheshovel]

You mean a beater truck like this?

[sildoc]

Originally Posted by sheshovel

You mean a beater truck like this?

Thats not a beater truck. That is a clasic!

[drsogr]

Originally Posted by chimmygew

I have nice equipment, but I try to buy cheap trucks. The ones I can get two, maybe three years out of then sell them for what I payed for em. Right now I have a 1992 Chevy 1/2 ton paid $1000 for. Got a little rust on her, but towes the mowers just fine. I just bought a 1997 Ford 3/4 ton for $3750. It has some hail damage, but guess what? It will tow my equipment around pretty good. I have 2 Scag turf tigers, all echo 2 cycle, but when I started, I used a Chrysler lebaron pulling a (you guessed it) homeade trailer, craftsman rider, push mower, trimmer, and a broom. Remember, It's not about how you start a race. It's about how well you compete during it, and how well you finish.

It may not be about how you start the race....but the whole reason landscapers and lawn care workers are perceived as lower class workers is because there are people out there driving a lebaron, pulling a homemade trailer. If the industry wants to move up as a whole, these companies need to be eliminated.

I would be frightened to call people out of the phonebook, because you have no clue what you are going to get in these industries. You could find someone that is well educated and runs a good business, you could find someone that is extremely overpriced, or you could find someone that dropped out of high school, been in prison, or has had a drug problem that just decided that mowing was the only way that they could make money. Since no one else would hire them.

I will always look upon those that start their business with nothing. Get educated, find a job, make money, and then when you have contributed something to society start your business. Don't be so selfish as to drag down an industry to make a dollar.

[Jdmtnbikr]

In my short time on this website I have seen MANY guys boast about their expensive equipment who.....

-can't spell worth a sh*t
-can't form a complete sentence or thought worth a ****
-are highly un-educated (it shows)
-have no business savvy whatsoever (it shows)
-have little to no intelligence outside of mower blade sizes

BUT they have the latest and greatest walk behind mowers, or trailers or whatever else they are bragging about.

The best equipment in the world won't buy you a brain, or the knowledge of how it is used. What a joke.

[topsites]

Guys, there is a long-standing rule on this forum concerning these threads. It started sometime last year as the powers-that-be decided these threads were not productive for the survival of the forum and it also looked bad on our Industry in general, that is to talk down on others.

It was then decided rather unanimously that we would all do our best to not start the scrub threads anymore. For those of you who remember, I believe we realized we were human and that we might fail at times, but to come back around as soon as we saw ourselves do it, and stop the behavior at once.

On second thought, I do see some better posts concerning our upcomings, but I'll leave this to remind ourselves not to start this scrub stuff going into what I foresee as an extremely busy spring, please.