re: starting a landscaping/lawn cutting business

Whatever you do, always inspect your crews work and don't trust they do the right thing all the time. Stand by your word and don't cut corners. So many guys act high integrity but the crews don't. Just my 2 cents.

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Dude, there is a teenager in our neighborhood that does this per house, once a week, for $25 a week.

He just rolls around the neighborhood with a pooper scooper, shovel, and a big waste bin on wheels on his 4 wheeler.

Makes a killing.


ETA:

Or maybe its $25 a month and weekly pickup? I can't remember. But anyways, he probably has 100 houses in our neighborhood.

He'll knock out my street (20 houses) in about 2 hours.

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Yep. It's all about a nice decent sized neighborhood. People are too busy and don't want to do it.

I think the neighborhood mowers used to charge a $5-$10 fee for pet removal.

Used to see parents advertising their kids for this to make money for things they want.

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There are guys all over Craigslist advertising tractor work for $40-75 an hour. You can't compete with Bubba on his Massey 135 with no insurance.

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I used to make good money fixing their work.

Any business cost money to run. Plan on giving up alot of your time. Weather wont allow it to be a 9-5 type of job

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In other words, do your own research before you ask me so YOU can show me you're learning before I help.

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for a dude that just got a certification so you can have a side gig, you sure think highly of yourself. You aren’t special. You don’t have some deep insight. You are likely a poor. Sad.

Your comments are very becoming of your name. Well played baw

also

I just started a thread about my lawn service experience. If you do, here are some pointers.

- Start with 2 or 3 yards. Save up money to buy better equipment. Don't buy residential equipment that isn't designed to be used every day. Get the tools that are built for what you will be doing.

- If you are a lazy frick looking for an "easy" way to make money, it will probably not go well. If you do a good job, don't leave your clients wondering when you will be coming cut their grass again. Do the small things that is technically not "your job".. Like, if you get there and they haven't picked up their garbage can, pick it up for them. If one day, the hose pipe was accidently left in the yard and not rolled up, roll it up instead of cutting around it all because "it's not your job to roll up the hose pipe".

- If you have a few older widowed clients, always ask if their is anything you could do for them while you are there (they might need a light bulb changed or something screwed back in place). That goes a long way, especially if they are relatively well off. Not only will they talk about you with their other old lady friends, which could result in getting a few more yards, they might be a little more generous every once in awhile, when they pay you.

- Know that it is hot as frick and you will be doing work in the middle of it. Can you handle it?

also, I don't plan on taking on too many clients. I have worked on a lawn crew a few times and realize how difficult a job it can be.

I don’t know if this already a thing or not, but I’ve always thought that if you could get in with a few real estate agents and let them offer 1 or 3 or however many free grass cuttings when they purchase a house. You’d prob be surprised how many people would decide to keep you as their regular yard man. If nothing else, you’d get some exposure.

Aside from that, have some kind of sticker/magnet or something with your name and number on your truck/trailer. Learn how to do pool maintenance.