Good video. As a lawn care person I have said since the beginning when I started. There is no competition. I don't worry about other lawn care companies if we see a new person starting out first thing we do is stop and talk to them. We ask them what areas they cover and if they know what the prices are that others are charging. Usually they have no idea what to charge so we tell them.Then we ask them if they would like some more customers and have them give us a business card. We don't want all the yards in the area, but a new person would be happy to take a yard we don't want. So what we have created on our area is a network of lawn care companies that work together. Yes we do bid against each other that is business. And we do get each others customers when one quits. You just cannot take anything personal in business. It is just business.
Yep share the market. There is plenty of work to go around. And sometimes the referrals come back to you and sometimes you might need help. I was down for a month and I was able to get 3 different guys to cover my routes and 2 of them wouldn't take any money!!! Because of this I was able to keep my business.
That's exactly how it works where I'm @..u can network & still be effectiant & profitable..with out taken on all the work..I've given away countless properties..I feel as if my work speaks for itself..most ppl have No idea how truly hard this businesses is..& that's ah whole nother lecture.. ATTENTION 2 DETAILS..&STAYING ON TOP OF THE BOOKS..is how it works..not to mention being dedicated..it's always in ur best interest to throw ah couple bones to the Green guy.. especially when customers already gravitate towards ur service anyway..most of the time those individuals burn out by July &: August and that same property u really didn't want.. always come back around..lol...JUST MY OPINIONS
The best in life always make it look easy. But that's because they've spent hundreds of hours practicing! Most folks I've noticed always underestimate what it's going to take to hit their goals, I know I did, and still do. There's no replacement for hard work and goal setting. Great advice pal!
im glad you put this out. Ive had this conversation with folks who ask me about why i do lawn care. Their common question is "isnt it hard with all the competition?" then i ask, what market doesnt?
he's right! ya gotta think like a business owner right from the start. Ive owned my servic business for 30 yars, I never compete on price, ever! you have to know your numbers, what your production rate is, and be confident in your work. My fiance has 10+ years doing lawn maintenance and landscaping as an employee at a Country club and very upscale restaurant. We want to move South, I'm going to help him start his own lawncare and landscaping business. I know pricing, marketing, production rates, CS, websites, invoicing, card processing etc. I think we will be o.k. ... my advice? listen to the pros! dont think like a rookie or you will stay a rookie.
the "act" of mowing the lawn is what us youtubers would say is "easy", although the job is physically demanding...but logistics, accounting, and overall organization is only as good as the owner of the company...great video, thanks!
I'm not a business owner, but I've come across one term that can make or break your business: R.O.I. - Return On Investment. Your bean counters are usually the ones that keep your business afloat - Every piece of equipment in your inventory should be assigned a 'Return on investment' rating - which is a deep look at how well it performs, how often it needs maintenance, and how long you can expect to use it before it needs replacement. Establish his rating when your equipment is in brand new condition. If it requires maintenance more often than you planned, are you or your employees being too rough with the equipment? Are you or your employees using the wrong tools for the job? Often you might be tempted to replace something, when it may be more cost-effective to wait a few more months with a quick fix just to last the season. You may find that 'quick fix' can last longer than you anticipate!
Good stuff , my landscape company is in Orlando fla , now we name our price but we use to not cause we were scared , but got to do good work and people will pay we're small company 2 trucks but growing now , we have lawn maintenance truck and landscape truck goes out every day , ground images oh yeah we have a hurricane breathing down our throat !!!!
Listen up... I'm not going to write an ebook (atleast haven't thought about it) but I have lots of experience starting up a successful lawn service 3 times, and I was profitable very soon because of what I learned over time. It's actually a good thing if lets say most houses in a neighborhood actually use a lawn service... it means they are already in the market. As long as they aren't contracted, which few are... you can easily pick them up at the beginning of a season in early spring. You just have to know how your service is better, and advertise that. Advertise that you yourself will be mowing, that you have x amount of years experience, and you will be the one answering the phone. Advertise that you speak english... this is not a racist statement, it is only about communication... ie if you are hispanic and speak english... it works the same. Advertise you have references, that your price won't change etc. etc. And also understand that $30 can be extremely profitable over the course of a season... from mid June to December, most yards can be cut in 15 minutes... ie making $100 an hour from June to December if your yards are close to each other... People may have considered me a low baller... but guess what? I'm happy with that, if I'm making $2000 to $3000 a week for most of the year...
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! The word I think you were dancing around is "niche". In this service sector, a niche, or something unique, is what will take you into some decent money. Another point is "Do you love what you do?". Too many people get into something just for money and wind up miserable. They hire crews who don't give a crap about the work or the equipment, or they just slough around and bitch about their situation. I think a motivated person could make a good living even hustling small lawns if he loves it, is reliable, professional, and consistently does quality work. We all must realize that there are scores of people; transients, illegal immigrants, etc. that work cheap but do marginal work. And there are plenty of customers that either don't know what quality work is, or don't care. These are not the clients you want anyway-they will switch providers for $1 less. Keep up your quality, and love your work and you will not miss a meal.
I live in the south Chicago suburbs. In my market the largest companies are purely commercial. In fact one company has branched off into 2-3 more companies. Should I be moving in that direction? In residential we have literally every lot size sub 1,000 all the way up to multiple acres. I'm not sure what direction to move.
Michael Crnkovic I am up in the north suburbs in lake county IL in Waukegan have my small business and know how you feel. Residential will be better to start off then move up to commercial. These big companies have like 5 years contract and uts hard to get them but they will come in time. Good luck man what suburb are you at.
Capitalism and free market decides on pricing and success. There is a niche for people who want to run one truck and mow 50 lawns at 30$ and make $1500 a week just to be their own boss and not make a corporation richer with their labor.
Ive been in the business for 25 years and here is the absolute fact....When I first started in 1993 I was getting the same amount for residential mowing and more $ back then for commercial mowing ! And back then I could buy a brand new truck for 25k and the best mowers on the market for 3k. And that also goes for snow plowing. Fast Forward to now trucks are north of 50k and mowers are 12-15K for zero turns and 7-8K for stand on mowers !! So go ahead you tubers tell me how your 2 man crew mows 25 lawns a day and makes 700$ a day....You are driving a 50k truck, 30k in mowers, trimmers, back pack blowers ! $250-$300 a day in labor (If you can afford to put them on the books) Then tell me how much you are profiting off those 30$ lawns. And nobody come on here and tell me you are getting 50-60$ for a postage stamp cuz you are full of shit
A lot of these RU-vid landscapers don't understand the cost of doing business besides their equipment and fuel. They don't talk about all the indirect costs such as state and federal taxes, workmans comp, unemployment tax and payroll taxes, processing fees, insurance, and many more. The consumer doesn't realize these costs either. They assume if you charge $100, you pocket $100
acfuller86: that's true. Another barrier is general liability; a necessary evil. This adds significantly to the required charge. The trouble is that someone will come along without it and underbid to the utter joy of the client. In drywall, a contractor dropped me because I didn't have GL, but the next time I saw him he was working a group of illegals certainly without insurance. Weird...
"YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME"........ i understand the guys email. Hell i've even said that same thing to myself a few times. but the other thing i tell myself is that you 'CAN NOT' i repeat 'CAN NOT' make a profit marketing to people that cant afford your services. its not a knock on poor people. i grew up poor we didn't have money to pay people for services.
Realistic advice from the best industry advisor i've found so far! A business is to be taken seriously if it is willed to be successful. When I visit the local zoo, I study the plants and landscaping. When I'm at the book store, I find myself in the plant care/landscaping section. I habitually visit, and capitalize on, local garden centers. It has to become part of your being to find and reinforce weak points. The greatest are always improving, always making ways to something new, always moving forward!
Hi this is Dan Fontaine from Rolling Hills Lawn Care I've been working in the supermarket industry for 39 years I've been doing loans on the side for 20 I started out with just the push mower and something to do I really enjoy doing Lawns but I can't make the jump for my full-time job into doing lawn is what I want to know from a lot of these guys that are saying that we're driving prices down we don't know what we're doing what about the fact that we enjoy doing Lawns and we're making money doing it what is wrong with that just because the professionals that do it full-time doesn't like the fact that we jump into the market that's not our fault there is a market for us they don't want to pay the high prices and with me doing it full-time I don't have to make the prophet that they I take all my money put it back into my business and every year I buy a new piece of equipment and make it work more efficient and better for myself so each year I have more money to do what I want with my business these companies don't have the same options
Lawn care channels on RU-vid were extremely helpful when I decided to go full time in lawn care. Now i know a bit more and try and share when I can. I like to listen to the solo guys and the huge businesses so I can continue to learn. Good video man (I love using your software btw)
It’s not easy. Florida’s Summers are brutal. Not everyone can handle that alone. Try being cheerful after working your but off in 98 degree heat & jungle humidity. It’s hard but possible. Juggle the logistics well & be smart Work hard. Take care of your equipment & your people. Be honest. Be frugal. Don’t compete. Your reputation will precede you. People talk. I’m not a you tuber. I just love my people & my profession. I never don’t have work. I am not in debt. I am not trying to own the world. My people love us. Never give up. Work hard & never stop learning. Don’t let people discourage you.
In 1986 I was walking my family’s push mower around the neighborhood, mowing yards for $40, gas was less than $1/gallon. 35 years later, I’m driving around in a $50,000 truck with a $4,000 trailer with $20,000 in mowing equipment, mowing yards for $40. Gas is about 3x more expensive. Thanks low ballers!!!!!!
Used to try an add extra services like landscaping etc, but 99.9% of my customers would always say, "Sorry, we're not interested at this time". I eventually gave up. Now, 99.9% of my work is simple "mow & go" jobs. The only extra service I offer is trimming bushes. Everything is great & profitable. Not getting rich, but I've accumulated a list of amazing good paying customers.
This guys comment is not correct. We don't drop the gate for less than 35$. Our average lawn is 50$. Yes there are low ballers but the part about "having to landscape" is not true. With that being said it's not easy but if you get it right it's very profitable. The low ballers don't last long in this industry. Once a customer gets a real company they want go back to a low baller who shows up when they want and do sub par work.
Well when you are trying to sell something you make it seem easy. Unfortunately, a lot of these so called gurus are doing just that...selling something!!!!
Capitalism and free market decides on pricing and success. There is a niche for people who want to run one truck and mow 50 lawns at 30$ and make $1500 a week just to be their own boss and not make a corporation richer with their labor.
There are many different variables in any successful businesses. The famous and most important one is location, location, location! Following along the details that you have discussed, big one being competition, each location is going have different hurdles to achieve success. The other big detail is that it takes lots of work in the beginning of starting new business. On the topic of lawn care.... many of the people capturing videos of their daily activities are showing the seasoned side of their businesses. There are some great channels that even capture failures of their business currently... but is limited. While is desired to see some more reality of the daily failures and hard work.... for channels that are looking for those continued growth of daily hits/views.... the successful view that is out there is desired. I also have not seen yet someone being able to video capture the beginning days/months of starting a new business. I think that is what other people may be looking for.... but will take an interesting person to achieve! Open market for those types of videos! O:-)
Very sound advice John. I'm new to the industry and I appreciate the time you take to share your knowledge. I noticed you don't monetized also. Thanks for everything!
I had to learn the hard way back in the late 80's by actually working for someone first before I went out on my own. Now you can just watch it here for free. You all should be charging for your years of knowledge instead of giving it all away for free just to get subs and a few ad dollars.!
Lol...Wondering why he's cutting? Im also a developer. We get burned out on using our precious brain power so we go do something that doesn't require much thought.
