[FamilyBiz]

:blob2:
I guess my last post didn't make it. Let me be blunt.
1. Do they make striping kits for 21" mowers?
2. What is a good billing procedure? Having them mail in checks or picking them up?
3. I wanted to get a larger mower (36") for front yards and havind a 21" for backyards. 21" so I could get through the gate.
Would that be a good idea or is a 36" to big for residential?
4.Are there any weed eaters that have an electric starter. My home use weed eater kills me with 15 pulls on the cord.
5. What are some of the equipment you would use to start off with ? For residential. Mowers, WE's, blowers, edgers (stick or the one with wheels):dizzy:

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[Lombardi]

1. Get a bigger mower. You will appreciate it much more. I do not know if they have striping kits for a 21".
2. Bill them monthly.
3. Refer to #1.
4. Buy Sthil, Echo, JD, or any other good commercial brand. They usually start with one pull.
5. That is a very broad question, but buy the best that you can afford.

 

[redbull]

Originally posted by Lombardi
1. Get a bigger mower. You will appreciate it much more. I do not know if they have striping kits for a 21".
2. Bill them monthly.
3. Refer to #1.
4. Buy Sthil, Echo, JD, or any other good commercial brand. They usually start with one pull.
5. That is a very broad question, but buy the best that you can afford.

ditto

 

[Team Gopher]

Hi FamilyBiz,

"What is a good billing procedure? Having them mail in checks or picking them up?"

If you are just starting out and cash flow is tight you might not be able to wait until the end of the month to get paid. If this is the case, get paid after each cut.
Ultimately though sending out your billings at the end of the month seems to be the preferred method.

You may want to review this thread for more information

 

[Let it Grow]

Yes they do have striping kits for 21"ers.
Get a commercial grade trimmer...I've got a Honda, and it starts almost every time on one pull.

I bought a striping kit for one of my mowers, and it works well, I had to modify it to fit my liking, but it works well...it's from inventek. I think their website is www.inventek.com but I'm not sure.

 

[ffemt1271]

go get you a 36"er . you willincrease your productivity greatly. buy yourself a good trimmer. dodnt be afraid to spend a little money to get a good one, you will be glad later. also make sure you have good insurance.

 

[FamilyBiz]

thanks for the helpful info. I think I will get a 36'.
One more question.
Where can I get a license for fertilization ?
A trade scholl or what. I haven't seen any classes at the local community college on that subject.

 

[DUSTYCEDAR]

i use a 61 lazer on residential lawns as small as a 1/4 acer all depends on the lawn. i like echo trimmers easy to refill the trimmer head with line. have trained morons to do it.

 

[ffemt1271]

go to your local agriculture extension office and ask about the herbicide/pesticide/fertilizer license. thats what i did . it cost like 10$ for a booklet, test, and card. ( also on how to recieve payments. bill monthly if possible. if you plan on growing your biz, eventually you will be spending more time chasing money than mowing. it's easier to start off billing than to change later on.)

 

[quiet]

1) Think about your current and target customers; only you can decide which mower is gonna best fit your needs. If you can ride, ride. But if your properties are just small or medium size residential lawns, you may wanna consider get a good quality 36" to start with. For average size lawns, you won't regret having the 36". It can be the backbone of your fleet now, and complementary later. A 36" hydro will be manueverable enough for smaller lawns and tighter places, and you can attach a sulky for the bigger lawns

2) I bill customers monthly via mail, and commence a new billing period on their start date. For example, if I started working for a client on the 12th, they get billed every month on the 12th. I have cash flow throughout the month.

 

[GLAN]

Originally posted by quiet


2) I bill customers monthly via mail, and commence a new billing period on their start date. For example, if I started working for a client on the 12th, they get billed every month on the 12th. I have cash flow throughout the month.

Never heard that before. Yes sir, can see what your saying about the cash flow.

Allow me to ask.

Is that alot of paper work? You can probably do billing every day of the month. And what about those that do not pay on time. Are you set up "Due on receipt" or net 15 - 30? Doesn't that get a little hairy to keep track of?

 

[quiet]

a lot of paperwork? No more than billing on the 1st or 30th . . . just spread out! Or did I misunderstand your question?

I was too cheap to buy anything other than Quicken for my accounting ($75 at Sam's), but I can see having to upgrade soon. For now Quicken meets my basic needs, though. I set up customers on Net 14 days. Quicken generates the invoice, and moves it to a list of unpaid invoices and aging. Billing throughout the month (yeah, just about every day) allows me to review aging, know who my outstanding receiveables are, etc.

 

[BSDeality]

i split my clients 50-50 on billing on the 15th and 31st. i use a net-15 pay setup too, i think net-15 works better cause they don't see the "oh i've got 30 days to pay this, i'll just put it back here behind all my other bills"

I've only had one late payment, and that was a from a scumbag that was tryin to get out of paying for services. he was dropped at the blink of an eye soon as i had cash in my hand. (after his first check bounced)

 

[ElephantNest]

Striping roller for 21" can be found here.

www.outsidepride.com