The results of starting ANOTHER business...2 weeks in!

[thefed]

Well, is all I can do.

We've advertised for 2 weeks exactly....5k postcards distributed by hand the first week, and 8 newspaper ads in local papers around here just hit this week.

We've given 24 estimates

We've signed 8 weekly mowing accounts

We've got $7500 in misc. work lined up...clean ups,mulch, trees,pruning,seeding etc


Total work signed up so far, combined mowing and misc is $12,500

Now keep in mind that there was snow on the ground til the other day...and we have 10k more post cards to distribute!


I'm lovin' it!!

 

[wabmester]

You're an empire builder, dude. Today -- lawns. Tomorrow -- the world!

 

[haha]

I'm lovin' it!!

Could you possibly be bipolar?

Ha

 

[thefed]

You're an empire builder, dude. Today -- lawns. Tomorrow -- the world!

muhahahahaha!

funny u mentioned that...i was talking about something similar today with a family member.... i figure if i throw enough stuff against the wall, something's gonna stick! and hopefully, it all sticks....


my goal with this business is ,within 3 seasons, to eliminate the need for me to do any physical labor. that means hired help....and me as an estimator only...that'd be the first step to creating a totally self-sufficient company..which is my long term goal


we shall see...

 

[wabmester]

my goal with this business is ,within 3 seasons, to eliminate the need for me to do any physical labor.

That's the secret sauce of success, IMHO. Scalability and leverage. Think Big.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Could you possibly be bipolar?

 

[thefed]

Could you possibly be bipolar?

Ha

sometimes i think so...but im always on the right pole when im making money...haha that sounds funny

 

[Texas Proud]

Thefed,

You sound a lot like my BIL.... he was mostly into construction, but did a few other things... when things were going well, they went well, but he also had expenses that ate up any money he had saved... you might be different in that you don't appear to be getting into anything that requires long term commitment... but don't think that having employees is an easy thing... personel problems can take a lot of time away from other things...

Good luck in your pursuits...

 

[CCdaCE]

Yeah, what Texas Proud said...

thefed, I really appreciate your postings. I have been thinking about starting a business myself, but there's too many reasons for me to not start one at the moment...

Your details are always appreciated.

There's "good money" in lawn work, it seems. When I was working 70+ hr. weeks, my wife had the hedges, bushes, trees trimmed. (That sounds funny too.) I'm guessin' it took 4 people less than an hour - I made it home before they finished cleanin' up, before dark. Total bill? $200. Some estimates were double that. I figured that's pretty good money if they can do that 8-10 hrs. a day.

-CC

 

[Brat]

Employees take management. 'Tant as easy as it looks.

Sometimes the most profitable enterprises are those done by a small team. My DD's lawn team is a father, son and uncle. The kid doubtless works for his allowance.

Were I you I would build up the business and along the way try to find small teams like that who don't/can't easily market themselves. Sign them up as sub-contractors (non-exclusive agreement that includes a non-compete re your customers and households across the street and 5 houses either direction).

 

[chris2008]

How could your business be "self sufficient" if you use hired helpers
Take care!

 

[modhatter]

That means "cheap labor". Which also translates to unreliabillity. Case in point. New guardener yesterday. Lots of planting of new plants to do. Not enough time yesterday to complete job.

Conversation: (guardener) I can come tomorrow and do rest of it.
(Me) Are you sure? I don't want to go out and buy 40 more plants and have them sitting here dying from not being put in ground.

(Guardener) Yes, yes, I know. I will be here at 9 AM with three helpers. Don't worry.

(Me) You promise. I will go out and buy the rest of the plants today, if I know for sure you will be here.

(Guardener) Yes, yes, I know. I will be here 9 AM.

Saturday: 40 plants sitting outside. 12 Noon. NO GUARDENER.

 

[thefed]

How could your business be "self sufficient" if you use hired helpers
Take care!

how else could a business become its own entity, free of my input, without hired help?

 

[thefed]

im already officially OVERWHELMED

4-5 estimates a day, as many as 9 in one day. its getting crazy

 

[Brat]

Then slow down!!!!

The worst thing you can do to your business is to not fill your service requests. Add only customers who you can profitably service.

 

[thefed]

Then slow down!!!!

The worst thing you can do to your business is to not fill your service requests. Add only customers who you can profitably service.

im not signing people up just to sign them up.... im just going on the estimates first to determine their needs. i just didnt expect such a turnout from our ads....i may cancel the newspapers altogetheer in another week or so and work off of residuals from our direct mail/post card campaign and word of mouth

plus, we are closing a high %, imho; our 1st ad hit 16 days ago. we've gone on 35 bids (16 in the last 5 days). we've already closed on 21. and no, we are not lowballing! im just that good

 

[Brat]

I didn't mean to imply you are low-balling. I just want you to be able to service your customers to build a great reputation.

 

[tryan]

We pay $32 per cut for a 1 acre lot. 4 guys blow in here with 42 inch mowers (1 on a weed wacker) and the job is done in 20 minutes.

But every time I see the owner he's telling me about equipment maintenance ... this truck was in the shop, that mower is dying, this one blew an engine ...

Looks like real W*RK to me.

 

[SteveR]

I didn't mean to imply you are low-balling. I just want you to be able to service your customers to build a great reputation.

Agree.

The guy that does did my yard for a couple of years got too busy to supervise his "kids" and the quality of the job got worse and worse. I called and talked with the owner several times the degraded quality of work they were doing. He was full of promises but empty on delivery. I fired him and will now try out a new guy to see how long his "promise" of quality will last.

Getting too much work with too little labor or a low quality job due to lack of training or supervision is a path to lost business. Dont' take on more than you can feel good about supervising or you will lose business and a bad reference take 10 goods ones to erase.