From what seems the average lawn ($35) you guys seem to make a killing.

From what i can see the average guy seems to mow 10-15 lawns a day @ $35 average. This equates to $525.00 a day. About 12,600.00 on a month of 24 days average? This seems like alot of money over 120k a year. I know you have to kick out money for equiptment and insurance and such but sheesh how much does that run? 2-5k? Thats still 7k a month cleared? This numbers seem to be off if there was that much money in cutting grass i think EVERYONE would be into it? Is there something I'm missing here or are these kind of yearly incomes truly easily available? Thanks.

 

You are correct-If it was as easy as you stated then everyone and their brother would be in the grass cutting business. BUT-----1. Many guys go out of business the first year or two. 2. You don't make much money the first year and after that it grows with the number and quality of accounts you have. 3. You are betting on your body, if it falters you have to a) hire 2 guys to do the amount of work you were doing yourself and b) hope they don't screw it up that bad. 4. To clear over $500 a day after direct costs takes a very compact and efficient route. You must be in business several years or do some serious advertising before you can accomplish this. 5. Your estimate of $120K per year assumes you are working almost everyday during the growing season, you have to take a day every once in a while for equipment maintenance. Conclusion: there is a lot of money to be made in this business, even greater than $120K by yourself if you stay in it long enough and have a good head on your shoulders, but there is a significant risk as with any business. By the way 15 $35 lawns is a whole lot for one guy.

 

$500 a day is reasonable, but you can't schedule much more than 4-4.5 days. (2200 a week or so.)

$10,000 a month or so is certainly within reason, but here you can only bill for 8 months or so and spring/fall clean-up billing is less because of weather.

So, 1 guy grosses 70,000 - expenses is lucky to net 45,000+ depending on business sense and accounting.

Not too many 1 horse operators making 6 figures.

 

Hey syzer...
YES....what you have heard about cutting grass is true. It has alot to do with your area though. Im in the Northeast where landscape companies make some of the highest wages in the USA. My company is split into to divisions...one constuction($35.per man hr.) and the other lawn maint.
The maint. crew is made up of 4 men.....1 operates the Walker....1 operates grass trimmer....the other 2 do mixed things like 21' or 32'depending on gates and obsticles...who ever finishes first will grab the blower...next guy after that will load the truck backup and be ready to move to the next lawn. Average lawn takes about 8 mins.......all our 110 lawns are within 20 miles. For the most part each stop has 3 or 4 lawns side by side.
Now for the part you were inquiring about......we do about 28 cuts a day...times average of $35=$980. You betcha theres money in lawn maint....I built this company around it.

 

Barkley is correct. You may be refering to a post of mine about cutting 15 in one day, and I also said I was about dead. I normally cut 10-12 a day, over 3 days by myself. I'm not as fortunate as some, my route is spread out much further than I like. Some guys state they mow 20 by themselfs and others 40 a day with one helper. I do not make $525.00 every day of the week, only about every 2.5 days right now.

 

Thanks for the response guys, I am also from semi north east (Maryland) north nough i hope =). Either way its my brother and I starting the business. We are both keeping full time jobs for now (40 hours) and cutting on saturday and after work. Hopefully it will pick up enough to go part time with my current job, then hopefully quit all together and go full time next summer. I just hope this can grow big enough for us to both thrive or at least make what we make now. Which i think according to you guys is very possible.

 

BTW guys, even if you only clear $600 a week, how many jobs have you had that paid THAT well. Me? Only one, and I HATED it! I'd rather cut gr***. I have more $$$, and much more "quality" time. I spend this at the kids' ball games, fishing, and enjoying my wife's new pool. I don't work very hard and clear over 1k/wk. Someone with more ambition could make a LOT more than I do. I think it's more of a lifestyle choice.

And syzer, everyone IS doing it. If it weren't for that, we could make a lot more $$$. And what equipment and insurance were you talking about 2-6K? Here's what permits you to earn 60k working 3-4 days a week.

1 Truck (No matter what they cost $$$)
1 6x12 trailer ($1100) (for mowers & mulch)
1 5x10 trailer ($900) (for "high gr***" and brush equipment)
1 48" WB ($2500)
1 36" WB ($3000)
1 21" WB ($400)
2 26" Brush Mower ($1200)
2 LD Trimmers ($200 ea.)
2 HD Trimmers ($400 ea.) (for brush cutting)
1 BP Blower ($400)
1 HH Blower ($250)
2 Sulky attachments ($250 ea) Want to walk all day?
Not to mention the phone bills, (cell and land line) insurance, advertising, trash bags, fuel, oil, CPA, parts, hand tools... Help me out guys, what did I forget? I think my expenses are roughly one third, BEFORE taxes. Why do you think so many scrubs don't make it past their 1st or 2nd season? They think they can charge $20 per hour and "make a killing."

[Edited by eslawns on 08-30-2000 at 09:01 PM]

 

Well its both my brother and myself, we both have good fulltime jobs now. But we need to do something ourselves. I;m 21 he is 26 we both love outside lawn work and figure there is money to be had in this area (not many comapnies) that I see in my location. Here is the equiptment we currently have:

32" scag wb belt drive
95 dodge ram diesel
Echo trimmer
Western Plow (snow removal)

As of mon. or tues should be:

00' Dixie Chopper 60"
Shindaiwa Trimmer
Red Max Blower
18' Trailer.

I think that will be enough tog et started, we will be cutting after work and on saturdays maybe some sunday cuts. Then hopefully get enough work to go part time, then leave all together and go full speed on cutting. I think this is a profitible business and though we are starting very late this season i would rather get my foot in the door now and go straight into it next season. Giving me some exp and alot to learn during the winter. HOpefully by theend of next summer i can branch into some other stuff like aeration and dethatching, fertilizing, and all that good stuff. I'm hoping to at least make what i make at my current job (and really hope by the end of next summer so i can quit my current job and work for myself.)

 

MLI, I am curious how do you sustain a four man maint. crew doing $35 lawns. My two man crews will average 23 per day ( up to 33). About 75% of the income with half of the labor costs.
Two, 2 men crews cutting a total of 46 properties would increase your income to $1610. Take out the overhead for truck and equipemt and you are still ahead of the game.
Two men will average 8 to 14 minutes in these yards.

 

What up with the **** in the post?

I once knew a fine l*** who had a great deal of s*** fishing on a lake for some b***, meanwhile I was working for my boss (who was a crazy hard***), mowing some gr***. I don't mean to be so cr***, but I don't want to turn some candy-***, with my fine l*** ***essing the damage of the wrath of my boss's br*** knuckles.

I'm in lawn care not poetry.