Hello and questions for the entrepreneurs

[Ric]

You should really teach a class on this. In my 50 years of life your the only one that knows it all and the only one that does everything the right way.
Not trying to be sarcastic

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I never claimed to know it all, it seems your the one that does that. I just know what the reality of the business is and I just told him the truth and what to expect. Don't get me wrong I admire the new guys trying to start a business and I' ll help them all I can but I'm not going to sugar coat things to make it sound like it's a cake walk either, it's a lot of long hours and hard work to run a business.

What people don't get about Home Depot is when your ryobi breaks bring it back and get a new one. ((please))

If he wants to be successful the first thing to do is stay away from Home Depot and buy from his nearest dealer and get good equipment to start with.

Oh and BTW I don't appreciate you editing my post.

 

[Carscw]

I never claimed to know it all, it seems your the one that does that. I just know what the reality of the business is and I just told him the truth and what to expect. Don't get me wrong I admire the new guys trying to start a business and I' ll help them all I can but I'm not going to sugar coat things to make it sound like it's a cake walk either, it's a lot of long hours and hard work to run a business.

What people don't get about Home Depot is when your ryobi breaks bring it back and get a new one. ((please))

If he wants to be successful the first thing to do is stay away from Home Depot and buy from his nearest dealer and get good equipment to start with.

Oh and BTW I don't appreciate you editing my post.

Many successful company's shop at Home Depot.
You tell everyone the only way to go is to have the big mowers and high end tools.
I made over a 100 grand this year with my push mowers. You say you work 12 hour days so you must have made 200 grand at a grand a day but I am thinking you only make at best 300 a day.

Your fast to tell everyone they can not make it if they don't do things the way you do

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[Ric]

Many successful company's shop at Home Depot.
You tell everyone the only way to go is to have the big mowers and high end tools.
I made over a 100 grand this year with my push mowers. You say you work 12 hour days so you must have made 200 grand at a grand a day but I am thinking you only make at best 300 a day.

Your fast to tell everyone they can not make it if they don't do things the way you do

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

I never said they needed to buy High end Equipment or tools or that they can't make it in the business. Stop twisting my words. I said go to there dealer to buy there equipment not HD, with a dealer you'll not only buy better equipment but you'll get there knowledge, there service along with the warranty that goes with it, something you don't get from HD, it only make sense.
As for 12 hour days, I never said I worked 12hr days, again stop twisting my words, but I do know businesses that do to make ends meet.
As far as money goes I make what I set my business up to make, a certain amount of money per month and that is my success, I make what I want. I don't need to let people know how much money I make or the reasons for which I'm doing it.

 

[mikosiko]

Has anyone mentioned you need a License, Insurance, maybe someone to do the book keeping to record your equipment expenses, Gas, oil, vehicle mileage etc. etc. so you can pay your taxes at then end of the year without being audited.:frown:

Now lets look at the reality of what you're trying to do, you have a Honda push mower, Ryobi gas trimmer/edger and you're going to invest in the blower and you're going to have this stuff in the back of you're 03 pickup and you're going to compete with a guy or business that has a F-350 cc a twenty foot trailer with two or three ZTR and all high end hand held equipment and backpack blowers etc. etc.:smile:

Now this post may sound a little sarcastic but the reality is there is a lot more to the lawn care business than what's being told here. What you're trying to do with the equipment you are trying to do it with will not work very long, I've been there done that. Again I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm just telling the truth and 10 or 12 hours a day in the field then maybe another couple spent on equipment maintenance isn't my idea of a success.

You should really teach a class on this. In my 50 years of life your the only one that knows it all and the only one that does everything the right way.
Not trying to be sarcastic

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

I appreciate all suggestions and advice. I know there are going to be many camps of thinking on this and I know that there will be risk/ reward along with risk/ failure. I will have to just do the best I can here. I know that I dont know much here, and I want to learn so right now it's all valuable.... I do have resources. My brother being a CPA of major multi-million dollar companies and other friends and family who are business owners so that may help. More importantly they all have lawns that I can possibly do lawn care for and maybe use for references and pics. as a bonus for doing well. I plan to beat a path starting with my next door neighbor because he knows what my lawn looks like. So far I know I dont have much tangible to start but I do believe that hard work and calculated sacrifice might be the beginning part to the calculus to putting this all together. Now off to my actual job for 16 hours...lol

 

[AmericanTurf]

I would work for a lawn company first to learn how they do there operations. learn the tricks of the trade and how they cut grass and do spring/fall clean ups. good luck to you.

 

[jekjr]

Another thing that worked for me was I bought a Kubota and got it for 0 down and 0 interest. zI can cut a very minimum amount of grass and make the payment on the mower and they insure it at a very cheap rate also. That way I got a top of the line mower and can use it to pay the bills. Also I have posted in other places but it bears to be posted here as well. Facebook is a very powerful tool to use to get work.

 

[mikosiko]

Update... Getting my business license and tax id next week, and taking my treating test. I did treatments for a national company many years back and was pretty effective as well as fast. I have always mowed but not professionally and that lies the knowledge deficiency. I still maintain that need to not accrue any debt and take just a few steps at a time let this thing start and grow on a slow steady pace. My ideal customer will want lawn care not mow, blow, spray and go. They will probably be the 30-40 somethings very deep into their $200k minimum careers and want lawn care because they dont want to do it, not because they cant. They will pay around $150.00-$200.00 minimum per month for me to do the job for them. Depending on lawn size and other variables of course. This will take time and experience to hone the craft before that happens. The jobs will justify the equipment at first then re-invest everything for future growth. Certainly I have to do a good job and in treatments I am very confident, it's really the mowing that I will use smaller less motivated customers to grow my knowledge and practice the craft, yet everyone will get my absolute best. The preparation for starting the business legit-wise is time and thought consuming but getting there. Funny thing is you never quite know how valuable a pen and paper is as my list of goals and priorities towards getting this thing going has been a huge help with staying on track. All of your advice comments and criticisms as well are valuable and appreciated. This helps my analytical process to keep me on track as well. Thanks again