When doing leaf cleanup on weekly properties I take the weekly price, and its a dollar extra for every extra minute im there that week. So $40 lawn and it takes me 15 minutes more that week to bag the leaves it would be $55 that week.

This is if I can dump the leaves on site. If I have to haul them off its more

 

Does that include leaf hauling away?

 

Does that include leaf hauling away?

See last sentence of post

 

I charge an hourly rate....but I have to caution you...


If your not experienced quoting leaves with an hourly rate, it takes time. It's hard to quote just starting off. Just take your time, think about each step you have to do, even write it all down if you have to. From there, you can come up with your price.

 

Man you guys are picky. I'm just happy to have the yards to mow during the winter. So what if it takes an extra 15-20 minutes. Although I'm solo so I can see the issue if you have employees.

 

It all depends on what you want to make, know one like raking leaves so they pay to get it done. I charge 80 dollars a hour most yards take me 2 hours I'll ad a hour for dump fee and just in case. I feel I'm too cheap since I'm getting a lot of clean up customers that have other companies mow them. Still money in my pocket.

Pricing is the hardest part when starting out, you don't want to short your self out of money.
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Man you guys are picky. I'm just happy to have the yards to mow during the winter. So what if it takes an extra 15-20 minutes. Although I'm solo so I can see the issue if you have employees.

Solo or not, you should be charging for your time and not working for free.

 

Man you guys are picky. I'm just happy to have the yards to mow during the winter. So what if it takes an extra 15-20 minutes. Although I'm solo so I can see the issue if you have employees.

It all depends on what you want to make, know one like raking leaves so they pay to get it done. I charge 80 dollars a hour most yards take me 2 hours I'll ad a hour for dump fee and just in case. I feel I'm too cheap since I'm getting a lot of clean up customers that have other companies mow them. Still money in my pocket.

Pricing is the hardest part when starting out, you don't want to short your self out of money.
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Some time in September to October 31st I switch from mulching to bagging when I mow to get the earlier leaves up.
I also do not blow out the beds or anything else because I am mowing not just doing a clean up.

Being that I just empty my catchers into a leaf bag lined barrel and then leave the bags at the curb for the town to pick up it does not add much to the job.

However when spending and extra twenty minutes on a job when you are there normally for say one hr you have just increased the time on the job by one third.

So if you were earing $60 an hr you just dropped your hourly rate to $45, repeat FORTY FIVE DOLLARS.

Why are you low balling?

Why are you leaving money on the table?

A $500 dollar job is a $500 no matter if one is solo or one sits in an office all day and is sending out ten trucks with crews every day. That is what the market has determined customers are willing to pay.

Having a low overhead because one is working solo out of his garage is one's advantage resulting in higher profits because his overhead is low.

Low overhead is to be the benefit of the business owner not the customer (another wise member just recently posted this thought).

There is no advantage to ruining the local area's pricing.

Problem being solo is you are limited to how much money you can bring in.

Combine that with there is never enough money to buy the equipment, dump trailers, and trucks, with I don't need anything now and I am set for a few years mind set. Leads them to a fools paradise. Where they have to get a loan to buy the next truck instead of paying cash.

Or they what the 35 hp debris loader but only can afford the 18 hp one. All because of not having any financial foresight.

$80 hr is good money. What equipment do you use?

 

52" ferris ztr with bagger. The way I do clean ups is one on the mower and one on a blower that way when the blowing is done so is most of the mowing. I also pay my helper 50.00 a hour, that way he wants to get as many as we can done. I load everything in the back of

Other companies in my area will have 2-3 trucks at one property with 5 to 8 guys taking just as long as the way I do it. There's too much confusion with a lot of guys. Also they have to pay for all them guys so there clean ups are 480 and up. So from reading on here I may be considered a low baller! Lol when really I have better techniques getting the job done faster and still make good money.
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Hang on here... You pay your helper $50/hr really? Dang, how do you make money off of your helper?
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We charge by the man hour plus a small fee for haul away, under $20 for that. I get charged $35 to dump my leaves but I've also got to add in my time to go there and back and gas etc. So my actual cost to dump a load is more in the $75 range so I try my best to make sure I have covered that before I make a run to the dump... It's the mulch yard, they turn all of it into mulch anyway so nothing into the landfill.
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Hang on here... You pay your helper $50/hr really? Dang, how do you make money off of your helper?
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Sorry miss typed that 50 a house so he makes 25 a hour. When I worked for a company I hated doing Clean ups since the days are shorter and I never really got into over time. So by doing this he makes 150/200.00 a day and he's happy to come to work!
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