A "real" scrub

[GrassBlaster]

By what I read in here, a lot of you guys might call me a scrub. I'm new to the biz, but I heed almost all the advice I have gotten in here. I'll have my pesticide license in June, and refuse to spray before then. I report everything and pay my taxes...but I have been working a little cheaper than the established guys. Now that I have established a clientele base, though, my bids are getting higher. I will not drop my gate for less than $25.00, and a $25.00 yard will not take my more than 30 minutes alone.

I am working hard to establish a good reputation, and all of my customers like my work and refer me freely.

I started in, and concentrate on, residential accounts, but I have started bidding a few commercials lately..but I must share with you the "true" scrub I saaw yesterday.

I have seen him at two of the local shopping centers this past week. He drives on OLD Chysler four door car with a 4 x 6 trailer. On this trailer is an MTD style mower with no hood, and duct tape all over it. He was carrying an old WeedEater brand trimmer and finishing up. He was old, and scruffy, and I thought "What a bad image for the customers." It seems to me that businesses would want someone professional outside the storefront doing work.

I guess it goes to show that money is the bottom line sometimes.

After I thought about it, I figured there is no way he is losing money. That mower had to be paid for and the weedeater was $69 tops....

How can I compete with that?

ps. While getting gas today, I noticed the guy doing the bank next door was working out of the back of a U-Haul. OMG!! LOL!!!

 

[Expert Lawns]

Is it possible that he is related to someone that owns that store? Maybe they are paying gramps under the table since he's retired? Just a thought. We should know that in business we like to cut down on costs, maybe this is how that particular store is going about it. They save money, grampa gets exercise.

 

[GrassBlaster]

No..it was two different shopping centers under two different management companies...

 

[Tonyr]

GrassBlaster

Doesn't sound like you are a scrub to me, we don't all have the same fees, a scrub to me would be the guy on the old ride on you mentioned, we have a lot of that kind of ''pro'' in my area, and yes I think it gives the industry a bad image, folk think we are a bunch of part timer no hopers.

When these guys start getting the work and we fight for every penny then this is when guys really despise these scrubs/grubs.

Now we will hear how scrubs don't harm us or the industry and to leave poor scrubs along and mind our own businesses, as if scrubs aren't apart of our business...low quality cheap competition afterall. ha. ha.

 

[Trevors Lawn Care]

THAT WAS ME! two years ago before i had a drivers license, and was driving my mower down the street to the jobs.

 

[Tonyr]

LOL! Very Funny Trevor, nice one

 

[matthew horner]

Grassblaster..............quit underbidding me. Just kidding. Glad to hear of your success. Sanford is loaded with mowers this year. Its very frustrating. I lost a job to a lady over a five dollar difference, and I'd allready come down 10 off of my gut estimate. She said the only problem with the guy that was five less than me was that he sometimes let the grass seed out. Frustrating. Anyways, I haven't seen the rig you were talking about, what was the shopping center? Oh and the bbandt at riverbirch, I could really tell you some stories from the inside on that one.
Matt

 

[GrassBlaster]

This was over at Kendale, and at the Winn-Dixie on Horner.

I bid on Lake Villanow homeowners assoc....I bid $6000 total, of $750/month across 8 months. I fely Pretty good when I found out that Morgan's had bid $8000. The winning bid...$3600

I can't wait to see who won that one....

 

[Carolina Cutter]

Originally posted by matthew horner
Sanford is loaded with mowers this year.

Well, since I am from the Cameron area, I'll come up there and add to the competition. Just funnin with you guys. Glad to hear of others on here that are within 20 miles of me. I was wondering how the market was up there. The Sanford Herald threw a paper in my yard this am (trying to get me to subscirbe I guess) and I didn't see many listed in the classifieds.

 

[GrassBlaster]

There is a services listing somewhere in the classifieds..it's a whole page of 1 x 2 or 1 x 3 ads....there are several listed there. Last month, there were 7 in there

There are a lot of guys that don't advertise...The Natural Touch, JLS, and on and on and on....

There's still plenty of work here, though.