thinking about starting a lawn care business

[DeltaCotton12]

I do agree with 4 Dawg night I understand what he is saying. I have no problem with someone mowing a couple yards in there free time. I do have a problem when that turns into some dumb !@# getting in to deep and taking on landscaping and undercutting reasonable prices. I live in memphis and I have lost countless design/build jobs to a car load of meximelts, or a high school kid that will get half through and decide he realy just wants to play x-box. I believe what he was trying to say is that this is some folks, myself included, livelyhood. I count on this work to pay my bill, by diapers for my son, and have a roof over my head. There have gotten to be way to many part timers who have a full time job with benefits takin work from full time, insured, tax paying companies. But in good spirit I think you could likely get 8-10 yards and be able to make some money. I wish you the best. By the way I own my own co. and I still do all my mowing with a 23" JD walk behind because I like that jingle in my pocket instead of a 0-turn payment.

its amazing that someone finally used their brain to speak instead of lashing out about the size of their D*%k... nice job Quack..

Best of luck on the Lawn care business. You could easily pickup 4-8 yards that are low maintenance looking to pay small bucks. 15-30 dollars a yard i'd say depending on size.. Those are the ones looking for basic service.

[BAY KINGFISHER]

I see it all the time in the flooring world, being beat out of jobs by the lower bidders, weekend warriors, 2nd jobbers. Hell my new motto is "we fix $99 dollar installs everyday" anyway
Some good points have been made, but to get back to the absolute truth of the matter: if you run a legitmate business (Note:busines lic, carry workers comp, gen liability, pay taxes, and e and o etc) you will have a hard time competing with the "fireman type operations" period,end of discussion. Your overhead is already higher just by doing business the correct way!! The only thing that ever fixes this is say Joe blow grass cutter gets hurt over there cutting the pharmacy, and sues!! I have been very informative to potential customers about the liability they have when an un-insured worker is in there house or if old joe blow doesnt finish the job up to the customers standards. May be a little different in the lawncare business, but overall the same frustration!!!

[deltadukman]

There is something yall "professionals" can do about that...its not too advertised....and you'd be called a d!ck...but you can make them stop if you know how and actually want to.

[donia]

y'all got big bladders.....

[4dawgma]

There is something yall "professionals" can do about that...its not too advertised....and you'd be called a d!ck...but you can make them stop if you know how and actually want to.

please tell us ooooo wise one. answer me this though, if an unlicensed agent were in your area, calling on your clients, what would you do? well never mind, i guess there aren't any "professionals" or "ethics" in insurance anyway.

[deltadukman]

I bet you 90% of the "lawn guys" out there dont have all the correct permits and bonds as "supposedly" required by the State Plant Board. You can be a d!ck and call him on it.

And smartazz...more than likely you will not find an unlicensed agent out here...they have to have company representation and a company will not likely have a contract with an unlicensed agent...fyi...the insurance industry has regulations...so does landscaping and lawn care..kinda

[huntersmky]

wow, just cause your mad at him doesn't mean you have to cut the rest of us down. Dayum, talk about a low blow.

There is something yall "professionals" can do about that...its not too advertised....and you'd be called a d!ck...but you can make them stop if you know how and actually want to.

please tell us ooooo wise one. answer me this though, if an unlicensed agent were in your area, calling on your clients, what would you do? well never mind, i guess there aren't any "professionals" or "ethics" in insurance anyway.

[4dawgma]

And smartazz...more than likely you will not find an unlicensed agent out here...they have to have company representation and a company will not likely have a contract with an unlicensed agent...fyi...the insurance industry has regulations...so does landscaping and lawn care..kinda

exactly my point friend, and yes i can turn them in all day to BPI, but when they don't have anyone to come check and no fine, than what's the point. Had an agent come by my office to check me, then informed me I should go talk with brother ----- (a fireman) installing the CVS pharmacy because he's not licensed. So I guess it's sort of a self policing thing?????

[edub20]

[JDgator]

Lawn service is a tough industry to be in right now. Every laid off worker thinks of mowing lawns under the table to pay some bills. There are no barriers to entry into this field, all you need is a mower. Plenty of desperate, unskilled laborers figure they can push a mower, and would be happy to make 10 bucks an hour doing it.

You gotta focus on marketing yourself, and explain why you worth more money. The major selling point is that you are a professsional, not a fly-by-night operator. Maybe you also need to go after new projects that are too big for small guys to bid on. Have you thought about offering services like exterior powerwashing and cleaning rangehoods for restaurants? What about getting service contracts to maintain rental properties on behalf of property management companies? What getting into property management yourself? You get with realtors and banks, and see if you can work out a bulk rate for maintenance/lawn care. They probably want someone who is reliable, who they can count on. Have you really tried to push into new areas?

[blackhawk0718]

Just remember the lawn care business it self started way back when with old manual mowers and some teenager looking for a quarter. so what if i dont wanna get liscensed or bonded or insured. I just want beer money and my boat note money as stated earlier. i am not looking to put anyone out of business. but i do think i can do better than some of these big "professional companies" that go out and hire illegal mexicans to work for half the price as a legal citizen. and i am not saying every one has em but most of em do.

[MSDawg870]

Come up with a midol pill for men, I believe there's a market for that.

[RiverDuck]

4Dawgs.....CHILL OUT

[DeltaCotton12]

Hell naw GET ROWDY!!!!!

[4dawgma]

midol, ha how bout a fucitall. Blackhawk, as i said in in the beginning, I don't have anything against a man tryin' to make a dollar. And I also appreciate the work that men like you, and SFDelta and hail, while we're havein' a group "@#$%#" hug, all the sumbicthes that call themselves fireman across this great land.(cue drums) And yes deltadude may be wise beyond his years, maybe even a jedi master of sorts,(cue horns) the fact remains; man will ALWAYS chase that elusive dollar. Why you may ask...."BEARDED CLAM". That's what it boils down to. A damn ole woman. Chase that little green piece of paper around. Chase it around the "@#$%#" world if you like, follow it til you can't get nomore. Buy that damn boat, that big booty tv, your fancy booty f-850. Give up those nights and weekends. Your makin' money right? Why would you want to spend time with your wife and son, nieces, nephews, family??? Fug it! I'm rich biotch! Get that GD dollar, its gettin' away! Make some more and finance them dreams that'll drive your neighbors WILD! Yeah biotch! Just don't wait on that ship too long, it might not be the boat you were looking for. So hail, jump on! Though you may wonder were yo woman be's.




P.S. see ya'll around dove season, ya'll some awenry focks with some ducks

P.S.S. deltadude, i luv u.....man






.





P.S.S. Piss on you