Humm Breaking into the Professional Lawn Care Business

[Ric]

It's funny how people treat each other when it comes to business and money. Over the past few years I've learned that the Lawn-care Business is one of the most cut throat, stab in the back occupations one can get into.

The guy that is trying to break into the business automatically earns the name of Lowballer or a Hack, and god forbid he drives a Toyota pick with all his mowers and equipment in the back end, that makes all the so called professionals cringe.

:smiley_aafz: He's taking my money or He's killing or Business or better yet He's STEALING MY CUSTOMERS.
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H$ll everybody knows to be in Lawn care you have to drive at least a three quarter ton four wheel drive at least that's what they (all the Pros) told me. Those 12 to 16ft trailers are heavy.

Now lets Talk about the term Professional Lawn-Care operator. What makes a professional lawn-care operator???? Would it be he has a license or maybe he has a big Trailer with the name Professional on the side which gives him the right to screw over his customers and charge inflated prices.
Maybe the fact he has $12,000 mowers and 50 or 60 thousand or more in overhead and talk about attitudes.


I forgot you have to be able to do a lawn, just you on that 60" cut mower and another guy with a string trimmer in SIX MINUTES, Talk about Rocket Science WoW. Humm I wonder how many blades of grass he cuts or does he just mash it all down with those 12" tires on the back of that Dixie Chopper?



Reality Check........... Everything from the Toyota Pick up to the Six minute lawn cut, all true.
Breaking into the Lawn-care Business is hard enough without the name calling, the Negativity from people and big businesses and more than an individual should have to put up with. Lets remember, those of us who operate a lawn care business, we all started some where.:thumbsup:

 

[Lawnpro1969]

Sounds like someone is just a little jealous.the lawn care business is a hard one to start into. The professionals do not like the one that use the junk pickup and junk mowers. Because most of them don't know what they are doing. They think because they have a truck a mower and weadeater the are professionals. They have no clue what length to cut the grass how often to sharpen the blades. Or even how to charge a lot of those people are just out for beer money. And a lot of them screw up a lot of yards by not cutting the proper length or cutting to often when it is hot and dry. Just because we drive a three quarter ton or bigger truck and tow a trailer doesn't mean we over charge. Or that we screw our customers people don't mind paying a fair price to have a professional job done. Grass cut at the proper length trimming done clipping mulched or hauled away sidewalks,driveways,and porches blown off. Also there is other work that is involved in taking care of the lawn pulling weeds. Knowing what is a weed and what is a flower. When to apply fertilizer or weed and feed or how to tell if they have grubs or other insects. Also license and insurance what if you throw a stone and it hit a window or a person. Most of the fly by night people don't have insurance. They are hear one year and gone the next. When you see one of us with the big truck and big trailer and the big 60 inch ztrack we have been around for a long time. We spent a long time building up the business. It takes time hard hard earned money and a lot of work. Most of us spent a lot of time reading trade magazines and other books to learn as much as we can.

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[Ric]

Sounds like someone is just a little jealous.the lawn care business is a hard one to start into. The professionals do not like the one that use the junk pickup and junk mowers. Because most of them don't know what they are doing. They think because they have a truck a mower and weadeater the are professionals. They have no clue what length to cut the grass how often to sharpen the blades. Or even how to charge a lot of those people are just out for beer money. And a lot of them screw up a lot of yards by not cutting the proper length or cutting to often when it is hot and dry. Just because we drive a three quarter ton or bigger truck and tow a trailer doesn't mean we over charge. Or that we screw our customers people don't mind paying a fair price to have a professional job done. Grass cut at the proper length trimming done clipping mulched or hauled away sidewalks,driveways,and porches blown off. Also there is other work that is involved in taking care of the lawn pulling weeds. Knowing what is a weed and what is a flower. When to apply fertilizer or weed and feed or how to tell if they have grubs or other insects. Also license and insurance what if you throw a stone and it hit a window or a person. Most of the fly by night people don't have insurance. They are hear one year and gone the next. When you see one of us with the big truck and big trailer and the big 60 inch ztrack we have been around for a long time. We spent a long time building up the business. It takes time hard hard earned money and a lot of work. Most of us spent a lot of time reading trade magazines and other books to learn as much as we can.

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Jealously :laughing: I don't think so. Yes the lawn care business is hard to get into and that's my point.

You say the professionals do not like the one that use the junk pickup and junk mowers. Because most of them don't know what they are doing.

I've seen some so called professionals that don't have a clue and don't care to and are out there for just one thing and that is the money.

They think because they have the big fancy truck full of mowers and hand held equipment they have the right to call themselves professionals and charge those over inflated rates. Yea I also hear and read that people don't mind paying a fair price to have a professional job done but what's a fair price or a professional job??? Sorry but I don't consider seeing a six minute mowing and someone edge with a Trimmer very professional.( Talk about screwing up yards)

They make claims they have to charge those rates to cover there overhead, and they can't compete with the guys that use the junk pickup and junk mowers.

When you see one of us with the big truck and big trailer and the big 60 inch ztrack we have been around for a long time. We spent a long time building up the business.

Please give me a break :laughing: That's just the attitude I'm talking about, you think everybody owes you because you have a big truck and trailer and a big 60" ztrack that supposedly makes you better than the someone else and I guess gives you the right to degrade everyone else that's trying to break into the business. Pardon me but

 

[Lawnpro1969]

I agree there are some professionals that have no clue how to take care of a lawn. But for the most part it does not matter if they are a fly by night company or a so called pro if they don't know what they are doing they won't last long.and no we don't think anyone owes us because we have a nice truck and nice equipment.it just shows we have been around for a long time and put a lot of hard work and pride into are business.I have seen a lot of lawn care companies and I have never seen anyone mow and trim in six minutes.it's hard to believe anyone is stupid enough to use a big ztrack on a lawn that small that is what a walk behind is for. Also I have never degraded anyone I have helped several people that wanted to start a lawn care business.I have owned mine for 24 years started with nothing and built it up to a good business.I'm damned proud of that. Also there are a lot of people that will not hire someone in a beat up truck with beat up mowers. They realize the guys that take pride in there equipment and keep it neat and clean truck included will take pride in there work and do a good job on there lawn

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[Ric]

I agree there are some professionals that have no clue how to take care of a lawn. But for the most part it does not matter if they are a fly by night company or a so called pro if they don't know what they are doing they won't last long. And no we don't think anyone owes us because we have a nice truck and nice equipment.

It just shows we have been around for a long time and put a lot of hard work and pride into are business. I have seen a lot of lawn care companies and I have never seen anyone mow and trim in six minutes. It's hard to believe anyone is stupid enough to use a big z-track on a lawn that small that is what a walk behind is for.

Also I have never degraded anyone I have helped several people that wanted to start a lawn care business. I have owned mine for 24 years started with nothing and built it up to a good business. I'm damned proud of that.

Also there are a lot of people that will not hire someone in a beat up truck with beat up mowers. They realize the guys that take pride in there equipment and keep it neat and clean truck included will take pride in there work and do a good job on there lawn.

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AHH another Professional favorite...

But for the most part it does not matter if they are a fly by night company or a so called pro if they don't know what they are doing they won't last long.

Now how many times have I heard that one

We could go around and around with this subject but when it comes right down to it a fancy new truck, trailer and mowers doesn't tell how long a guy has been around or been doing the job, or how good he is at the job. That doesn't make a Lawn care professional In fact I think just the opposite.

I have seen a lot of lawn care companies and I have never seen anyone mow and trim in six minutes. It's hard to believe anyone is stupid enough to use a big ztrack on a lawn that small that is what a walk behind is for.

Yep Six minutes, I've timed him several times. He uses a 60" Dixie Chopper and I start my stop watch on my cell when he backs out of his enclosed trailer and stop when he drives it back on. He rounds all his corners and he never runs the blades speed only half throttle.The guy with the Echo Trimmer is actually running to get the house trimmed and he edges all the sidewalks, driveway, and flower beds with the string trimmer. While he finishes what the the guy that was on the mower blows everything out front off and I never see him go out back and blow off the patio or any of the windows. Then charges the lady $80 monthly I see this all the time when I'm out doing my lawns. It's just not him and believe me I hear it from a lot of people when they call for an estimate on lawn care.

So when I'm postings I think you can understand the Negativity I have towards the Professional side of the Business. I'm 59 years old and I've been Mowing School Campuses, Athletic Fields and Lawns for 30 years the last six in a business of my own. Most of the Professional Lawn Care Businesses and the people in them disappoint me greatly in the way they treat there customers and the public.

 

[Lawnpro1969]

Yes the nice equipment says a lot about the company it take time and money to build the business.I'm starting my 25th year in the business and i have seen a lot of fly by night companies come and go. They find out it takes a lot of work to build the business and they don't want to do it.I still can't believe the six minute lawn.but the bottom line with that one is $80 a month is not an over inflated price. That comes out to $20 each time that is pretty cheap. But the real bottom line is the women must be happy if she wasn't she would get rid of him. It still sounds to me like some one just want to complain because there are other companies that have better trucks and equipment.I don't know where you are from but in my area there is a lot of competition in the business. And the fly by night or the ones that do shabby work never last long 1 maybe 2 seasons. In my area when you see the nice truck and nice enclosed trailer and nice equipment they have been around for a while and they do quality work. Maybe you should come to central pa to see how the business is run.

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[LandN]

this whole issue ALSO includes most any trade and/or business not just lawn cutting/landscaping. a person should study the demographics of the area in which he chooses to do business or provide a service. A stand-alone building(service and products related) can attract a certain amount of customers from a very wide area but the core business comes from the immediate area because of the demographics from which it was originally built upon. a MOBILE run business(any) has a more challenging time of WHERE to focus his business from, with what he has to work with in terms of equipment and quality of service he can supply to customer. Customers' expectations of service and proffesionalism can run deep from area to area. i have cut some lawns on some very nice homes and had the homeowner say thats good.... "but not by my standards ma'am"., to the homeowner with a small house/ small lot come out and nitpik every blade of grass.:smile:

 

[Ric]

Yes the nice equipment says a lot about the company it take time and money to build the business. I'm starting my 25th year in the business and I have seen a lot of fly by night companies come and go.

They find out it takes a lot of work to build the business and they don't want to do it.I still can't believe the six minute lawn.but the bottom line with that one is $80 a month is not an over inflated price. That comes out to $20 each time that is pretty cheap. But the real bottom line is the women must be happy if she wasn't she would get rid of him.

It still sounds to me like some one just want to complain because there are other companies that have better trucks and equipment. I don't know where you are from but in my area there is a lot of competition in the business. And the fly by night or the ones that do shabby work never last long 1 maybe 2 seasons.

In my area when you see the nice truck and nice enclosed trailer and nice equipment they have been around for a while and they do quality work. Maybe you should come to central pa to see how the business is run.

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Yes the nice equipment says a lot about the company it take time and money to build the business. I'm starting my 25th year in the business and I have seen a lot of fly by night companies come and go.

Equipment doesn't mean a lot unless you have someone that knows how too use it and just because you paid more and it may have more bells and whistles doesn't make it better, as someone in politics said you can put lipstick on a pig but you can't change the fact it's still a pig.

They find out it takes a lot of work to build the business and they don't want to do it.I still can't believe the six minute lawn.but the bottom line with that one is $80 a month is not an over inflated price. That comes out to $20 each time that is pretty cheap. But the real bottom line is the women must be happy if she wasn't she would get rid of him.

I too have seen a lot of people try to break-in to the business only to see them be discouraged by the larger company's because they couldn't compete, the bottom line is unless you are willing to put in a sizable investment you're not able to make enough money to maintain the business so you basically fail before you get started.

They're large discrepancies in pricing in different parts of the country, here in my location $60 monthly is considered a good price and $80 is a little high but some do get that, but you also have too understand that we or I am in the retirement capitol of Florida. My prices range from $50 to $60 monthly.

It still sounds to me like some one just want to complain because there are other companies that have better trucks and equipment. I don't know where you are from but in my area there is a lot of competition in the business. And the fly by night or the ones that do shabby work never last long 1 maybe 2 seasons.

:smile: If you could see some of the 1960 and 70 trucks pulling trailers and some of the stuff people use you wouldn't say those things, Heck my 2006 F-150 looks like a Caddy in comparison. I also consider my mowers to be excellent mowers and I sure don't consider my Stihl and Echo equipment to be trash, so no I don't or I'm not complaining about other peoples equipment, I complain about statements like the last one you made.

Maybe you should come to central pa to see how the business is run

Just like you it's your and there I'm better than you attitudes. :thumbdown: Like you're the only ones that know how to run a Business. Like I said we could go around and around but this will end this up for me.

 

[Lawnpro1969]

I don't have an I'm better than you attitude. I have stated that I'm proud of what I have done in the past 24 years. I started the business at age 18 right out of high school no money and old equipment. I spent 24 years working 16 - 18 hour days 7 days a week unlike florida up here we can't work 12 months out of the year unless we get snow. The last couple winters was not good for snow. I built it into a good business when I said to come to central pa. I was not trying to say I'm the only one that can run a business what I was trying to say is up here thing are different. The people in the business up here treat each other with courtesy and respect and try to help each other out. We don't see the 1960 and 1970 trucks up here with the winter salt they don't last that long the rust out after 15 - 18 years. I use John Deere,stihl,and echo equipment I personally think that is the best money can buy.

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[PyhooyaBooya]

My 99 Chevy has some rust above the wheelwells. Does that make me fly by night?