Scott, Very common problem your facing. Here's my story in a nut shell
After 9 years working for fert & squirt companies (never did mowing) I went on my own. That was in 94. I had no intention to offer mowing, my first year a big commerical contract wanted me to bid everthing so I bought a mower and did just that, 5 years later I found myself with 150 fert customers and 100 mowing customers.
Every year all my time was spent putting out fires with the mowing crews, fixing machines, changing blades getting behind schedule when it rains, worrying about summer drought slow downs, early snow falls. Basicly a huge headache. I tried subing out the mowing one year but that didnt work, So I sat down with my Fincial advisor in 2000 and came up with a plan. Try for 1 year to sell off all mowing contracts with equipment and employees. After one year if I couldn't sell I was ready to walk away from mowing and concentrate on fert & squirt. And I was truly ready just to walk away from mowing, I was lucky enough to sell the accounts and equipment to a local company and they took on my old employees. I made some money but more importantly I got my life back.
Right now I work alone, I got 300 customers, a nice office and I make a little more working alone then I did with 4 guys mowing for me. And because I do it all my self I got no headaches.
I look back and say why the hell did I buy that mower