The Best and Worst...

Some days I love my job from the time I wake up until the time I come home. There are days I despise my job, every second, from the hassles of residential customers, to the rain delays, late payers and the unrelentless Florida sun & humidity. <p>So what are the best things about your job?<p>What are the worst things?<p>To all the old timers and veterans in here; how do maximize the good aspects about this industry while eliminating the unattractive aspects? Life is too short to spend 1/3 of your time at work you don't enjoy. I don't mean work you can tolerate, I mean enjoy. Like I said, I want to increase the days where I come home feeling like I've put in an honest day's work, proud and walking tall, a small business owner free of corporate America's B*llSh*t, doing the work I enjoy. Let's talk.<p>----------<br>Mike Reynolds,<br>GrassRoots Lawn Care, Florida

 

Mike, I know this is not what your looking for, but I'm a rare case around here I think, so I'll let it out. <p>The best parts of my job: Traveling and getting to run heavy equipment all day. I've been called &quot; A kid that never outgrew the sand box&quot;<p>The worst parts of my job: War; living in a musty tent days on end in a third world country. That's the $hity part!! But I like everything else.<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://communities.msn.com/guidosequipmentpics/&quot;&gt;&quot;Guido&quot;&lt;/a&gt;<br>David M. Famiglietti

 

I enjoy cuttilng grass i dont enjoy customer complaints and late payers also. I do enjoy watching the seasons change and being so close to nature and the outdoors. I dont enjoy getting beat up from ridding too much and not enough rest with hoards of work to do. Having to hold my left arm in while driving because the killer sun is frying it to death. Hearing some customer want all his money back or sue me because my a$$ emplolyee mouthes off so bad. I love this job and will probably take anytihing that comes along with it because its a great way to make a living.

 

I enjoy working for myself. I love being outdoors and having a variety of scenery all day long, as opposed to being in cramped office space somewhere. I like setting my own schedule, and the feeling of a job well done, that I've put 100% of my own blood, sweat, and tears into.<p>I hate the rain, mostly in late spring. I hate the customers that can't understand how rain and equipment slowdowns can affect a schedule. I hate it when my back gives me problems.<p>I love working a long day and making sure everything I set out to do is done. I hate coming home after that day and realizing I need to work on my edger another three hours so it'll be ready for the next day...<p>I hate losing money. I found out recently I'm losing a lot.<p>I'm gonna love dropping off the rate hike notice to the customers who have been sliding by all these years. <p>I love LawnSite.Com.<p>-TGC

 

What i like about my job. Callouses. My modo is &quot;Honest work for honest pay.&quot; At the end of the day i know that i did something for myself. Not for &quot;the man&quot;. What i did i did to put food on My table and put money in MY pockets. My customers are happy and are also my friends. If you get too big to chat with customers then you lose alot of what drew you to the business. TIME. I know that on days when i am too busy to stop and ask the little old lady how she is feeling and how things are going, then i dont feel good about my day. I know alot of people out there are so focused on $$ that they forget to focus on what made us who we are. Smiles, handshakes, knowledge, and ol down home hospitality. I know that some days i lose some $$ chit chatting, but i also know that because i do i also keep my customers. Wouldn't you hate to fire a friend?<br>One day, stop while on a job, look up and around you. What do you see? Birds, trees, blue skyes, scolding heat, green lawns, happy people. When i do this i say outloud &quot;dam i love my job&quot;<p>BUt, thats just me and i could be wrong.

 

A.C. I couldn't agree with you more. We are in the Service business, and for some, part of the service is to spend a few minutes talking to our customers. I try to remember certain facts about them and their families, and make certain to mention these to them. <br>I hate Spring transistion, but I love to see a really great looking lawn and landscape, knowing that in a small way I was responsible in making it look good.