Teenager Forum?

stumper1620 · Feb 22, 2005

freddyc said:
Personally, I think if a 15 yr old has the maturity to come to this site and ask intelligent questions about business then the people that have been doing it for a while should be mature enough to answer.

I don't think they will get good advice from others their age due to the lack of experience, and frankly, maybe they can offer something to the good ole boys here. I think it's great that they would rather be on lawnsite then hanging around with a gang or wearing out their thumbs on the Nintendo joystick.

what he said !!!

TClawn · Feb 22, 2005

I have learned SO much from this site. if I hadn't found lawnsite, I would still be mowing lawns for $15 and not know about all the licensing, insurance, and how to conduct myself profesionally.

I personally find macs signature line insulting, but the way that our society is set up, it prejeduces kids who have enough ambition to own ther own BUSINESS.

I always have had trouble because of my age, most people treat me like a kid (which I am), but I still try to be as professional as I can.

to address the teenager forum thing, why would I ever post there? it's just like me trying to get an answer in the "just starting in business forum" where other begginer's answer my questions.

I do thank all the people who have really taken the time with a "kid" and helped me understand the industry. I especially thank allseason turf for his help on the engine.

.

freddyc · Feb 22, 2005

mowerman111 said:
I thought this was a really good site when I first found it and there is some pretty good stuff on here, but the more I read the more I realized that there are alot of kids on here bragging about how much equipment they have and so on, well my daddy never helped me out when I started out at 21 yrs. old. I took on every job that came along I worked weekends or whatever it took just so me and my wife could make ends meet, we paid rent by the week because I would collect as soon as the job was done there was no way I could bill out monthly. I had nobody supporting me. I can tell you I struggled all the way to where I'm at now. I haven't had to run a route in over 7 yrs. and damn proud of it I can stand back and say I built this company with my own two hands. So to get on here and see these kids bragging when they are not old enough to own a business. really chaps my A$$!!!!!!!!!!! :angry:

If what you say is true, then you should be the first to understand the value of getting advice from experienced professionals.

Worry less about bragging and worry more about advancing the profession. I know a lot of old men that brag too.

BMFD92 · Feb 22, 2005

As a teenager on the lawnsite, I would feel better posting regular stuff and news on there. Sometimes when I post on Lawnsite, I feel like maybe I shouldnt be posting because Im just a kid and I get the feeling like people get annoyed when I post. I'm sure when I'm older and need advice I am not going to want it from some kid so I see where you seniors guys are coming from. So I am saying that to keep the peace on lawnsite maybe it would and should be a good idea to have a forum where we can all relate and talk about our lawn services. Since I joined lawnsite last summer I have learned so much and love coming on here each day and learn from everyone. I come on here everyday looking for new methods and ethics so when I do reach the proper age I am ready to be successful and this site is a great luxury to me and would hate to come on and some how annoy someone. I think this is a wonderful sight and I would hate to be offending anyone or annoying anyone. So in conclusion, with the approval of everyone else, I think Sean Adams should add a Teenager Forum :waving: .

65hoss · Feb 22, 2005

Let the youngsters be. One day soon they will be old enough to be legal and decide if they want to be in this industry for the long haul. The more they want to be business owners now, the more change of them being successful business owners later on.

With that being said, people looking at supporting a family and other financial issues should be careful not to make life decisions based on a 16 yr olds thoughts. They haven't started paying real bills and dealing with family matters enough to give real life advice.

mowerman111 · Feb 22, 2005

freddyc said:
If what you say is true, then you should be the first to understand the value of getting advice from experienced professionals.

Worry less about bragging and worry more about advancing the profession. I know a lot of old men that brag too.

Well you are right and I do understand the value of getting good advice. hell I wished there had been a place to get advice when I started out.

Heller Landscaping · Feb 22, 2005

You Know MMLawn, I did read you first post. And I understood it completely. The idea is still stupid. Second Why would you have ever read the post on Teenagers. It was not addressed to old guys,but to teenagers. It was your fault you opened it up.

I bet you anything if they ever put a teenager forum on Lawn site You would be one of the first people on it. Remember just cause you did not start out as a teenager did not mean you did not brag a little when you did first start our. I would rather hear them brag about their work and equipment then about how they break the law and how the sit on their butts and watch TV all day.

Let me also tell you this you can at any age pay taxes and become legal if you do all the right paper work.

Abigail
Secretary of Heller Landscaping

MMLawn · Feb 22, 2005

Heller Landscaping said:
Let me also tell you this you can at any age become legal if you do all the right paper work.

Abigail
Secretary of Heller Landscaping

Okay missy, I realize that looking at your profile you are not very far removed from being a teenager yourself and that your boyfriend probably still is, but that is twice now you have called me stupid so listen up idiot. What you have stated is your uninformed opinion. NO, you cannot become legal at any age because you cannot do that "paperwork" at any age. Do a search and READ the LAW that I posted for every single state. You must be at least 18 to legally own a business in every single state my dear.

My idea was to allow the kids a forum so that they could talk about the stuff outside of lawn care they find interesting such as the forum as "to you teenagers, how old were you when youi started" as they like while not using bandwidth on the commercial forum and yet still post and ask questions there also when needed. The reason I open that forum is because it only said "Teenagers" so I thought maybe someone else had the same idea. If I had know that it was a teenager to teenager question I can assure you that i would'nt have opened it.

As to your "bet" that if there was a Teenager Forum that i'd go on it. HOW MUCH my dear?

Charles · Feb 22, 2005

Being 13-1/2 and 1 day. I think it is a great idea!

I told my daddy about all the wonderful intelligent old people I have met on here--like Crawdad(he said what the hail is a Crawdad?--we live in the city) I also mentioned booby--he said booby was leading me down the path in a cell with big bubba.
I dont think daddy respects my career choice. I dream of being adopted by Sean or Jodi. They would be more likely to understand my hopes and dreams of one day owning a Z and a dodge hemi

Charles
21' crapsman push more
10ft 120 volt extention chord(dog chewed my 20ft may he rest in piece)
brume(for long drives) Sears Electric blower
MJ tennies
cell phone 555 888 -2121
fax--555 828--2321
gps on push mower--mommy likes to keep track of me at all times

text message--555-888-2121
beeper--555--828--6161

Smalltimer1 · Feb 22, 2005

ALarsh said:
You sure put a fire cracker under my ass with the comments.

You aren't old enough to be using that kind of talk. :nono:

I'm sure your clients would love to hear you talk like that, especially when you ask for payment.......you'll be sent packing.

I'm also sure your parents would love to see your language. I bet you'd get backhanded if you talked like that around them.

DLCS · Feb 22, 2005

Heller Landscaping said:
Let me also tell you this you can at any age pay taxes and become legal if you do all the right paper work.

Abigail
Secretary of Heller Landscaping

Abigail,

You are wrong. If you are a minor you can't be fully legal unless the business is in a parents name. Then you cannot legally enter into any contracts. What insurance company would insure a 16 year old on a contractors policy? Your not considered an adult until you are 18 years of age.

Heller Landscaping · Feb 22, 2005

All right.MMLawn Sorry I have not replied sooner, but I am having my family for dinner and I had to get the roast in the oven. Peel and cut the potatoes for mashed potatoes and make the Cole slaw. I think I might also make home made dinner rolls.

1. I did not call you stupid I called your idea stupid.

2. Let me tell you age really does not matter. I will tell you the truth I am 19. And also my boss which is more then my boy friend is older then a teen.

To all that said you can't be legal under the age 18 I have Heard that you can,and I know a friend who was under 18 and got insurance without using his parents name. Also Our tax man said you could be legal,by paying kiddie tax.

This will probably be my last post to this tread cause I not going to try talking you out of your idea if it happens o well. And no I am not giving up I am just stopping the argument before it cause big trouble.

About the bet I was going to really put something nasty but being afraid of being banned I will let it pass.

Abigail
Secretary of Heller Landscaping

TClawn · Feb 22, 2005

MMlawn, why don't you just put all of us teenagers on ignore? you obviously don't think that we have anything of value to say.

btw, you don't HAVE to click on a thread that might be teenager realted.

Soupy · Feb 22, 2005

I'm not going to pretend that I know the law to it's fullest. I do know that when I managed a restaurant we could not let the kids under 18 work the dishwasher in the state of IL. We had some 16 and 17 year old kids that bussed tables, but they could not do everything.

There are laws that allow a kid under 18 (not sure the starting age) to work for their parents, but I believe they have to be under their parents supervision. There are rules to this law that I wouldn't even suggest that I know. I would think that there is rules that protect the child from becoming taken advantage of by their parents though. It is hard to imagine, but someone might produce children for labor benefits without certain laws/rules.

If you can find a loop hole in this law that is great, but child labor laws are meant to protect the child. I would think that if a homeowner hired a 10 year old (many claim to have been in "business" since they were 10) that they are breaking all kinds of child labor laws. They might get by with it and people might think it is harmless, but the truth is it is not. The homeowner is taking advantage of that child. The only reason I might consider that they are not, is if they truly want to help the child and give them the work, but in most cases it is all about the price of the 10 year old service. That is breaking the "taking advantage" side of the law. Then there is the safety side of the law which they are also breaking by letting these kids operating a piece of equipment that could kill them. I have no idea why these actions are allowed to continue. That is between the homeowner, child's parents and the law keepers. But it amazes me why they make such laws, but then turn their heads to them.

10 year olds are more likely to get injured by a lawn mower then a 16 year old operating a dishwasher. I would even venture to say that a 16 year old would have a higher probability of getting injured using a lawn mower over a dishwasher.

I also see where guys will hire 16 year olds to operate a trimmers thinking that is OK too. Trimmers are not any safer. I don't know this for fact, but I would imagine Trimmers cause more injuries then lawn mowers. Although the potential injury of a lawn mower can be much more severe.

All of the above has no real effect on my business. I don't lose bids to these kids, but I guess you could say that I lose the potential of some of these homeowners calling me for a bid if they didn't have these children doing the grass cutting. But all and all I don't worry about that part, I'm just concerned for the child's safety.

Soupy · Feb 22, 2005

I forgot

I do favor the idea of a teenager forum. Not everyone checks the profiles for someone age. I have seen were guys were arguing with children and didn't even realize it. It amazes me that a child would even have the audacity to think they know more then a veteran and argue with them. Maybe they do know what they are talking about, but I would venture to say that most of the time that isn't the case. I have also seen were children have give advise about something that only a seasoned veteran should be advising on. Like if someone ask about a mower decision etc. These children shouldn't be commenting on these issues. So what if daddy helped them get a Quick 36 (just an example), it doesn't qualify them to compare the commercial quality of that mower to others.

The only problem is that a teenager forum would not solve any of the above problems unless they were not permitted to post in the commercial forum. That is something that I would favor as well. Then all we would have is the pretenders to deal with. But for the most part these teenagers have been honest about their age and have never purposely tried to hide it. So I don't think we really have much of a problem with teenagers claiming to be 30.

I will say that I respect the hard work and dedication from these teenagers. I know they mean well. I meant well when I was a teenager too, but I did some stupid things. I wasn't even that smart about life at 21. It wasn't until I was 26 and had my first child that I woke up and realized what life was all about.

DLCS · Feb 22, 2005

Soupy,

I agree with you. Also, Illinois has a law that no one under 18 years of age is allowed to operate machinery. Unless, you are working on your parents farm then this law doesn't apply. I know when I was 16 I couldn't even operate(push the button) the compactor at Wal-Mart cause i wasn't 18 years old. I do know that the State of Illinois does persue violaters, I know companies that have been cought. But to go after the kid with the lawn mower, I don't think that would happen. Remember like Soupy said, these laws are made to protect our children.

Ol'time Lawncare · Feb 22, 2005

bobbygedd said:
i like the idea. they could have smilies with bugs bunny, and micky mouse. and the teen lawnsite giveaway could be milk and cookies

After i read this , i could't stop laughing , good idea!

MMLawn · Feb 22, 2005

Sorry TCLawn you are on Ignore

ALarsh · Feb 22, 2005

Smalltimer1 said:
You aren't old enough to be using that kind of talk.

I'm sure your clients would love to hear you talk like that, especially when you ask for payment.......you'll be sent packing.

I'm also sure your parents would love to see your language. I bet you'd get backhanded if you talked like that around them.

I talk in my every day life exactly like I talk here. No, I wouldn't say that to my clients... Did I say I do?

My parents know how I talk and I do not get "backhanded" for the occasional light swear.

Gatewayuser · Feb 22, 2005

MMlawn
Please show me the law for the State of Ohio that says that I can't own a landscape mant. business. Because I do, I have liability insurance, equipment insurance, biz lic, commercial tags, commercial truck insurance, pay all my taxes, and I will be taking the pesticide applicators test. All which are in my name!!! I'm beginning to think I'll just stay off this site because every time I'm on here I just get mad. I will be 18 in a few months, and I'm sure in some states I'm might not be legal right now but in this one I am!

Teenager Forum?

stumper1620

TClawn

freddyc

BMFD92

65hoss

mowerman111

Heller Landscaping

MMLawn

Charles

Smalltimer1

DLCS

Heller Landscaping

TClawn

Soupy

Soupy

DLCS

Ol'time Lawncare

MMLawn

ALarsh

Gatewayuser

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