For the past couple of weeks I have been trying a new procedure that has really proven beneficial to me. I only run one w/b mower and have always done a turn key job with the trim, mow and blow routine. Well now I have a rising high school senior who goes ahead on all of my accounts and does all of the trimming. He has a copy of my route schedule and can easily move ahead of me. When I show up I cut and blow everything off and head to the next one. This guy is really skilled with a trimmer as he has been helping my brother-n-law for the past two years. I have even had clients comment on how pleased they are with his work and no one has questioned or complained about him running ahead of me. My route is very tight with all properties being within a four mile radius of my house. I pay him $8.00 bucks an hour and supply everything. His time is cheaper than mine and we are always just a cell phone call apart. Soon I will be adding another w/b which my son will operate and I will add on more accounts using the same method as mentioned above. With this method I now have the opportunity to be home earlier in the evenings with my wife and son which as many of you know is priceless.
New Method Really Works!
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I have used the same method with great results.
But the trim man has to be really good for it to work.
The results, time saved and smoothness of this system can also be a GREAT asset on larger commercial sites where conflicts are present. For example, you send the trim crew ahead of the main mower to trim, edge, trim mow and blow the whole site at a time where there is no conflict. Then come in yourself at your convenience for the main cutting with a mower and mulch kit with no regard to the conflicts, such as parked cars, traffic, personnel, ect.
I've actually been able to do jobs more comfortably, more productively and with a higher profit margin while actually doing less work.
But the trim man has to be really good for it to work.
The results, time saved and smoothness of this system can also be a GREAT asset on larger commercial sites where conflicts are present. For example, you send the trim crew ahead of the main mower to trim, edge, trim mow and blow the whole site at a time where there is no conflict. Then come in yourself at your convenience for the main cutting with a mower and mulch kit with no regard to the conflicts, such as parked cars, traffic, personnel, ect.
I've actually been able to do jobs more comfortably, more productively and with a higher profit margin while actually doing less work.
Tharrell, as for his mindset to do a good job and do it day in and day out he is no different than you and I. $8.00 bucks an hour beats flipping burgers, he has flexibility and remember it does not take him 8 hours a day 5 days a week to do my properties. During the other times he helps my brother-n-law and sometimes me with landscaping jobs, I send him to my properties (residential and commercial) to do my herbicide spraying (I have the liscense) and this morning he is spending a few hours helping my neighbor move. By the way I am not talking about some deadbeat teenager here. This young man is weeks away from getting his Eagle in Scouts, very active in church and speaks to other youth groups in the area. He is the model that we would want our own sons to grow towards. As for missing spots, last Monday he missed an area between a row of shrubs and a brick wall. I called him on the cell and told him, his response was "My bad, it won't happen again". I can ask no more than that because over the past couple of years he has earned my trust and has never jeopardized that. I took the trimmer on my trailer and fixed the area. He is the exception in many cases but many people perform at higher levels when they are put in a situation such as this rather than felling like they are working under someones thumb nail.
An idea I have had also, just haven't found the right young man. That would be the key for sure, and for him also to be able to do the job correctly. I have thouht about letting a few guys "try out" so to speak for the job on my own yard and go from there. How did you find him?
All lawn services with crews do this in neighborhoods in our area except the mow guy goes first and drives through cutting the yards. The trim guys finish up. This process has lowered the prices in our area, but we have found that we still have good profit. Our goal is to try to get at least 50 in each neighborhood so we don't need to drive/load/unload and burn a lot of gas.
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Hey bull, sounds like you've struck gold, a hard working, qaulity oriented person is so hard to find now, seems like maybe 1 out of ten, keep him happy, pay him well, and make some money!!!
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If you can trust him, and he is as good as you say, that is an excellent method!
Well this is the perfect setup for me but he said that he will help me again next summer after graduating high school but at the end of that summer he wants to start working for a builder. His goal is to get his contractors liscense. Fortunately he has a younger brother but I would have to go one season with him having no drivers liscense. Could the qualities run in the family????????/
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