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why cant you net over 100k solo? is my math wrong?

12K views 42 replies 20 participants last post by  Rick1111 
#1 ·
Ive saw a lot of threads about struggling to net over 100k as a solo operator. Heres my math. What am i doing wrong?...


This is not cutting yards but just spraying and fert....


Say you run a route of 6 weeks. You visit each yard 8 times per year. (i know up north you dont go 8 times) Thats 30 days mon-fri. 8 of those 30 days rain or wind. so you work 22 days on avg for the 6 week route. I can do 30 yards a day if my route it tight as i have a ride on. so 22 days X 30 a day = 660 yards in 6 weeks. On avg you make 30 bucks a yard after fert and pre cost. all diff size yards aywhere from 150.00 down to 40.00 my avg i figure 30.00 per yard.

660 yards X 30.00/yard = 19,800 X 8(times a yr) = 158,400 thats your gross right? Minus 48,000 in taxes your at 110,400.00 for your net. Yes this is with no truck payment and no business debt. insurance about 6k per year for all. your net after all expenses in 104,400.00.

Now, Is my math wrong or am i correct on this? If you throw in aerating in the summer (for bermuda) you can make another 5 or 6 thousand.

Where am i going wrong here?
 
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#2 ·
Ive saw a lot of threads about struggling to net over 100k as a solo operator. Heres my math. What am i doing wrong?...

This is not cutting yards but just spraying and fert....

Say you run a route of 6 weeks. You visit each yard 8 times per year. (i know up north you dont go 8 times) Thats 30 days mon-fri. 8 of those 30 days rain or wind. so you work 22 days on avg for the 6 week route. I can do 30 yards a day if my route it tight as i have a ride on. so 22 days X 30 a day = 660 yards in 6 weeks. On avg you make 30 bucks a yard after fert and pre cost. all diff size yards aywhere from 150.00 down to 40.00 my avg i figure 30.00 per yard.

660 yards X 30.00/yard = 19,800 X 8(times a yr) = 158,400 thats your gross right? Minus 48,000 in taxes your at 110,400.00 for your net. Yes this is with no truck payment and no business debt. insurance about 6k per year for all. your net after all expenses in 104,400.00.

Now, Is my math wrong or am i correct on this? If you throw in aerating in the summer (for bermuda) you can make another 5 or 6 thousand.

Where am i going wrong here?
your math is probably right, but its just that math...do you already have 660 yards or is that number just for arguments sake. also gas, and truck maintenance help eat up profit, it is possible to do but things have to be priced just right. I would think it would take a lot of advertising to get to that many accounts.
 
#3 ·
No i do not have that many accounts. I just hear people say you cant do it and when i crunched numbers it seems you can. I understand truck maint and gas. Gas is figured in this but not maint. Either way it looks like you COULD. i was just seeing if my math was correct to the guys that have had a business for a while and i was missing cost
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#4 ·
Your expenses are way low, even if you already had all your customers and did no advertising, bought no new machines/equipment or supplies, its still way too low. I do however believe you can make 100k, I'm solo and still fairly new at this, and don't so spraying/fert, but I make a decent buck and don't work to my full capacity as of yet. It's possible but 60k is a more realistic number.
 
#6 ·
Your expenses are way low, even if you already had all your customers and did no advertising, bought no new machines/equipment or supplies, its still way too low. I do however believe you can make 100k, I'm solo and still fairly new at this, and don't so spraying/fert, but I make a decent buck and don't work to my full capacity as of yet. It's possible but 60k is a more realistic number.
Why are my numbers low? 50.00 yard. 13.00 fert. 4.00 post. 3.00 gas= 30.00. Thats my avg yard.
 
#8 ·
If you have that many accounts I would think you would need some help.

I can't do 8 apps here and I doubt I would ever have 600 account much less 300. I can do 20-25 per day with my ride on but that's a tight route and at the end of the day I really need a day off!!
 
#9 ·
If you have that many accounts I would think you would need some help.

I can't do 8 apps here and I doubt I would ever have 600 account much less 300. I can do 20-25 per day with my ride on but that's a tight route and at the end of the day I really need a day off!!
The facts i stated above are FACTS. I dont need anyone telling me how many i can do in a day i have that figured in. I can do 30 a day. What i was looking for is if anyone saw any finance things i was missing. Everyone keeps telling me i can do this i cant do that. I already stated what i could do! thanks everyone anyway.
 
#10 ·
The facts i stated above are FACTS. I dont need anyone telling me how many i can do in a day i have that figured in. I can do 30 a day. What i was looking for is if anyone saw any finance things i was missing. Everyone keeps telling me i can do this i cant do that. I already stated what i could do! thanks everyone anyway.
dont base your projections on an absolute number of stops per day. Base it upon square feet per day, week, round, etc. You are going to find that as soon as you use an average size lawn for a budget, your average is going to change. Instead, base it on 150, 200, 300k per day and you cant go wrong.
 
#14 ·
The facts i stated above are FACTS. I dont need anyone telling me how many i can do in a day i have that figured in. I can do 30 a day. What i was looking for is if anyone saw any finance things i was missing. Everyone keeps telling me i can do this i cant do that. I already stated what i could do! thanks everyone anyway.
My bad. I was simply stating from my experiences in the business and using my numbers and lawns as reference. I'm at around 135 with and average size if 12k.

What I see from your numbers is that you currently have 150 customers and you need roughly 660 to net over 100k based on you current numbers.

That will take lots of advertising and time for estimates.
What about call backs?
Could you raise your prices after a couple hundred to reduce the number of clients and base it on quality work and not quantity.
Would you upsell aerations, fire ants, grubs, etc? Is there time for that? I don't know your program.

It's definently doable if you have a strong market. Also consider that repairs and equipment will cost more once you are running thing all the time.

Good luck. I'd be interested in what worked for you to go Fert and squirt only.
 
#16 ·
Say you run a route of 6 weeks. You visit each yard 8 times per year. (i know up north you dont go 8 times) Thats 30 days mon-fri. 8 of those 30 days rain or wind. so you work 22 days on avg for the 6 week route. I can do 30 yards a day if my route it tight as i have a ride on. so 22 days X 30 a day = 660 yards in 6 weeks. On avg you make 30 bucks a yard after fert and pre cost. all diff size yards aywhere from 150.00 down to 40.00 my avg i figure 30.00 per yard.
dont base your projections on an absolute number of stops per day. Base it upon square feet per day, week, round, etc. You are going to find that as soon as you use an average size lawn for a budget, your average is going to change. Instead, base it on 150, 200, 300k per day and you cant go wrong.
Problem whether dealing with stops per day or SF per day is that there are to many variables. Some days 40 stops some days 10 stops all because of lot size. Then day to day changes will be different due to travel time.

Then some jobs will have a higher profit. There is no way of knowing that 10% of one's jobs will be big money makers, 30%, 1%, or 0%.

I just picked up a customer that had a lady gardener do all of their bed and property maintenance. She hit 65 the retired. This is not anything like my other customers. My son are working 2 hours a week there, billing 4 hours total for $240. This job has thrown off my average. I usually work solo. My son is helping so I can fit this job in on the day we do it.

If I was to project how much money I would make if my schedule was full this customers figures would make my total gross higher then what it would be. Doubt I would make that much because doubt I will get more customers like this.
 
#19 ·
if you have went from 55 customers to 150 in 2 months then i think you are well on your way. that is great.. I think i signed on 30 since febuary, and the last 2 months mabee 5.. lol. i've about thrown in the towel myself. lol. i'm just fighting over all the scrub lawn mowing jobs now.
 
#20 ·
The facts i stated above are FACTS. I dont need anyone telling me how many i can do in a day i have that figured in. I can do 30 a day. What i was looking for is if anyone saw any finance things i was missing. Everyone keeps telling me i can do this i cant do that. I already stated what i could do! thanks everyone anyway.
What many are saying is you might not have all the facts. Many on here run larger businesses and understand the flaws in your math
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#21 ·
What many are saying is you might not have all the facts. Many on here run larger businesses and understand the flaws in your math
Posted via Mobile Device
yes sir I understand that. But what I was asking for was what were the flaws? and was I missing anything finance wise. I already know I can do 30/day because that's how many I do. I also already know the profit on each house. or avg should I say. I was looking for things like someone stated above maint cost. Once I start using it more the maint will go up. That was a good point. But people were saying I couldn't do 30 accounts a day. I know I can that's a fact. not a guess. Some subd I have 15 in there. I don't have to load up my ride on but 3 or 4 times. don't by 11:00 in that subd
 
#22 ·
The facts i stated above are FACTS. I dont need anyone telling me how many i can do in a day i have that figured in. I can do 30 a day. What i was looking for is if anyone saw any finance things i was missing. Everyone keeps telling me i can do this i cant do that. I already stated what i could do! thanks everyone anyway.
Hate to say this, but you are wrong! Period. Please enter the real world not theory.
 
#24 ·
Hate to say this, but you are wrong! Period. Please enter the real world not theory.
Says the guy who lists push mowers in his sig. To the op, keep pushing for it, don't let haters discourage you. If you accomplish your goal and can't net what you are hoping to, up your price and weed out the long drives to make more profit per day.
 
#25 ·
Ive saw a lot of threads about struggling to net over 100k as a solo operator. Heres my math. What am i doing wrong?...

This is not cutting yards but just spraying and fert....

Say you run a route of 6 weeks. You visit each yard 8 times per year. (i know up north you dont go 8 times) Thats 30 days mon-fri. 8 of those 30 days rain or wind. so you work 22 days on avg for the 6 week route. I can do 30 yards a day if my route it tight as i have a ride on. so 22 days X 30 a day = 660 yards in 6 weeks. On avg you make 30 bucks a yard after fert and pre cost. all diff size yards aywhere from 150.00 down to 40.00 my avg i figure 30.00 per yard.

660 yards X 30.00/yard = 19,800 X 8(times a yr) = 158,400 thats your gross right? Minus 48,000 in taxes your at 110,400.00 for your net. Yes this is with no truck payment and no business debt. insurance about 6k per year for all. your net after all expenses in 104,400.00.

Now, Is my math wrong or am i correct on this? If you throw in aerating in the summer (for bermuda) you can make another 5 or 6 thousand.

Where am i going wrong here?
You need look at better paying jobs I only have 57 lawns and I make 80k to 100k per year just on mowing
The highest I ever was 250 lawns that was in late 80s I never been solo might been day I was. I like 57 vs 250 less stress. I make more on the 57 lawns then I did on the 250

In your math where is you fuel cost
 
#26 ·
Says the guy who lists push mowers in his sig. To the op, keep pushing for it, don't let haters discourage you. If you accomplish your goal and can't net what you are hoping to, up your price and weed out the long drives to make more profit per day.
I have my equipment for my business, I am not sure what a push mower listing has anything to do with anything - but theory doesn't not belong in real business only real numbers. Theoretically you could drive to the moon, you just have to wait till they build the road.
 
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