Geo,<p>Well, I didn't research my market well enough is what it boils down to. 40 miles from me is a market of roughly 3-400,000. Lot's of competition. I gave a lot of bids and got only a very few. Most potential clients told me I was too expensive. I did see a flyer by some competition advertising $16 a cut in a neighborhood I was targeting. I was bidding those same lawns in the $30 range. I did get quite a bit of cleanups and hedge trimming jobs. Most of those were referrals. And the people were happy with my work. But now those are over, and I'm down to lawn maintenance. I have one day a week filled in the town 40 miles away. And I have a few accounts in area where I live. But where I live is the second poorest county in the state. Most people cut their own lawns. Been stopping at every place I see where grass hasn't been cut, and offering my services, only picked up one account this way. What I need to do is concentrate my marketing efforts earlier next year, and target more commercials. Lot's of the commercials I've talked to were interested, but already had somebody signed up. Only one other lawn care provider in my area, and he does some shoddy work. So I'm hoping people will change to me. <p>But I'm definitely not giving up. I love this biz, I just need to pay the bills. And that requires me going back to work for somebody else for now.
