crew problems

[raish05]

My dad and I are in business together and he wants to go down to just me and him and 2 employees and do want landscape work we get do it on the weekends. Because last year he said we put to much out in labor cost because we had to many guys when we didn't have the work. I want to do landscape work during the week in our busy months April may and June and then when it slows down let them guys go. Any suggestions would be helpful thanks
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[jrs.landscaping]

So you want to hire guys to work 3 months and then lay them off for the other 9?

[raish05]

Originally Posted by jrs.landscaping

So you want to hire guys to work 3 months and then lay them off for the other 9?

I guess I worded that wrong were not as busy after July 4 as we are before. Pay college kids or something
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[jrs.landscaping]

The problem is most college kids don't get out of school until June. I'd have to agree with your father. Cut your labor pool to fit your schedule, or make sure you have enough guys to mow 4 days a week and do landscaping Fri/Sat.

[raish05]

Originally Posted by jrs.landscaping

The problem is most college kids don't get out of school until June. I'd have to agree with your father. Cut your labor pool to fit your schedule, or make sure you have enough guys to mow 4 days a week and do landscaping Fri/Sat.

We have to mow 5 days a week plus when we get a patio or wall I go do them with another guy . That's what we used to do mow 4 days then landscape Fri n Sat. Then last year n the year before we had 3 crews running most of the year
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[jrs.landscaping]

If you're already mowing 5 days a week how is he planning on cutting employees. From the sounds of it you need 1 or 2 more employees.

[raish05]

Originally Posted by jrs.landscaping

If you're already mowing 5 days a week how is he planning on cutting employees. From the sounds of it you need 1 or 2 more employees.

that's what I said plus he wants to get more yards I think if he does it he will have customers mad and business will go down
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[jrs.landscaping]

It sounds like you should sit down and try to get rid of some of the slow/underpaying accounts. Then he can go down to four people mowing, four days a week and do landscaping the other 1 or 2 days. When I started working for my father I sat down with him and showed him all of the ways he was losing money. At first he wouldn't listen, now he asks my opinion about business moves and it has helped to streamline everything, with both of us have a different perspective we can better manage growth, income, and the future of the business.

[raish05]

Originally Posted by jrs.landscaping

It sounds like you should sit down and try to get rid of some of the slow/underpaying accounts. Then he can go down to four people mowing, four days a week and do landscaping the other 1 or 2 days. When I started working for my father I sat down with him and showed him all of the ways he was losing money. At first he wouldn't listen, now he asks my opinion about business moves and it has helped to streamline everything, with both of us have a different perspective we can better manage growth, income, and the future of the business.

I wish it was that easy it's his way or no way that's the hard part. He only wants to do what his body can handle. His body can't handle landscape work or hardscaping so he don't want to do it. Another question for you do you think push mowing yards slow you down? For example we have a 35 dollar push now yard it takes just as long to weed wack it as it does to push now that's 2 guys trimming one guy mowing I said get rid of it
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[jrs.landscaping]

That's why you have employees. To do physical work, he probably has a hard time giving the responsibility to someone else, my father still struggles with that

I can't help you with the push mower, our push mowers just take up space in the shop.