Average Income

[Smallaxe]

If you decide to go Kelly's route, it will take a number of clients to accomplish that... I started as Solo Operater and got comfortable real quick... I have friends in the business who went the route of employees, big equipment, payroll and payments and they spent much more time in the office handling taxes, insurance, banking etc. than I would ever do...

I did tax work in the winter when I started out and fortunately I've been able to quit that. I couldn't imagine doing paperwork during the summer... It all boils down to what you would like to be 5 years from now... Solo Op is my only way...

[samuel_schumaker]

Originally Posted by jad004

I wish. On 105 accounts, if you average $75 a lawn, then you only gross $40,000. Bring home about 40% of that after taxes, insurance, materials, and all that jazz. I am not even close to what the steel mill pays me.

Please tell me i am reading this wrong. 105 accounts at 75 bucks per cut average gives me a calculation of 7875. Now assuming you mow every week or even if you mow every two weeks from april thru september that is a gross of right at 94k. Maybe you are meaning your gross personal income if you are just paying yourself from payroll. I am just confused i guess

[samuel_schumaker]

Sorry i did not see where you said that you just do spraying

[guitarman2420]

Originally Posted by Kelly's Landscaping

Don't get hung up on prices some of my least profitable lawns have been some of my highest price lawns and vice verse.

One of the key things to learn is that your regular weekly cuts is only part of the revenue stream from a client. I have several clients that the monthly cuts are @ $200 a month; but we install $3,000 worth of mulch, $ 2,000 worth of plants, 275 for aeration, and so on. I figure @ $3,000 income for each of my residentials, some more some end up less. I'm lucky that my wife is a landscape designer and we use our regular maintenance crews to attract landscape opportunities, which have a much higher profit margin. We run @ 6 -7 employees during the season and gross @ 400k. My problem is that I owe to much to the "company store", the bank, but I'm getting that paid down. If you have a marketing mind and are willing to call on commercial clients and have a few doors slammed in your face, you can grow as fast as you're able to sustain the growth. Just don't grow it too far too fast - that's the worst thing that I see some people do and their debt catches up to them. Two or three large landscapers in the central Va. area recently went out of business because of too fast of growth.

[ralph02813]

Originally Posted by guitarman2420

One of the key things to learn is that your regular weekly cuts is only part of the revenue stream from a client. I have several clients that the monthly cuts are @ $200 a month; but we install $3,000 worth of mulch, $ 2,000 worth of plants, 275 for aeration, and so on. I figure @ $3,000 income for each of my residentials, some more some end up less. I'm lucky that my wife is a landscape designer and we use our regular maintenance crews to attract landscape opportunities, which have a much higher profit margin. We run @ 6 -7 employees during the season and gross @ 400k. My problem is that I owe to much to the "company store", the bank, but I'm getting that paid down. If you have a marketing mind and are willing to call on commercial clients and have a few doors slammed in your face, you can grow as fast as you're able to sustain the growth. Just don't grow it too far too fast - that's the worst thing that I see some people do and their debt catches up to them. Two or three large landscapers in the central Va. area recently went out of business because of too fast of growth.

Exactly! One of my bigger customers I know I should charge more for the cut but the extra's far out weight the mowing.

[GARDENGATE]

awsome thread guys keep the knowledge flowing.