education for the green biz?

[FeartheDeere]

Hello,
Again for those of you who don't know I'm a Junior in High School and am looking forward to an exciting future. I was wondering how many of you full-time guys in the green biz have had formal education related to the field of landsaping, turf science, or something of the sort? How many of you just took the experience you already had and went from there? Do you think it would be wise and/or a good investment to go to college or technical school for getting in the green biz.? e.g. Purdue University - major in landscape horticulture, turf science, or landscape architecture.
Also, would education in business or accounting help me in running my future green biz?

Thanks,
Kevro's Mean Green Cut

[Maddog]

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I am not full time yet, but I was looking into the courses they have at the local community college. The degree here includes some accounting and business. The turf and agricultural portion covers chemicals, sprinkler systems, soil, turf, weeds and equipment maintenace. According to the college it will prepare you for getting licensed for pesticides and herbicides. I was thinking of taking a few of the core classes for my own information. They teach you about turf management for your specific area of the country also.

You might want to check with you guidance counselor. Some high schools here have agreements with the local community colleges were you might be able to take some classes while in high school. It is worth the try.

[Phil Nilsson]

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<b>Question was:</b>
"would education in business or accounting help me in running my future green biz?"

Reply ... 70% fail in this bizz (or achieve only marginal results) because of lack of management know-how ... suggest you take courses in advertising, cost accounting, business management, and business planning.

Marginal results? ... bizz plateaus early leaving the owner with a shallow sales base and limited income, growth stops, next steps for continued success unplanned, unforeseen.

[GrassMaster]

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Hello Everybody:

All You got to Do is Start a Lawn Service Business & Work Hard, Plus do a Good Job & Stay on Schedule. But If You Want to Be Successfull & Make a Good Living at it, You...

Must Know the Numbers - Operating Expenses & be able to Market Your Services. I was Lucky, My Wife Had Bookeeping in High School. It didn't Really come into Play at First but as the Business Grew. It was the Most Important thing that I Owed to My Success!

Once You Learn How to Bid Your Jobs, Knowing Your Total Operating Expenses is a Must. Then Depending on what You Want to do, You Then Market Your Services Accordingly!

Are You Making Close to The Same Amount of Money Per Man Hour on Each Job? I Doubt it? Do You Know Which Jobs are Your Most Profitable? I Doubt it?

So Why Would You Decide to Raise all Your Customers 10% Straight Across the Board. There is No Way I would, Unless I was Making The Same Per Man Hour on Each Job?

What I would do is, Figure the Money Per Man Hour Per Job. Then Make a List, Put the Highest Paying at the Top & Lowest at the Bottom. Then I would Raise By Least Profitable at the Bottom of the List Up to What My Most Profitable Ones are. If You Lose one of them No Big Deal? Then All My New Jobs would Be Based on What I'm Making Per Hour Hour on The Most Profitable ones. Get the Picture?

I Bet if You Check in to it, There is Up To $10 Difference Per Man Hour from The Least Profitable to The Most Profitable. I Know it was True With Me? Now Who Do You Think I'm Going to Raise First?

Don't Get me Wrong, But the Average Person can get out there & Maintain Properties. But Once You Learn Your Cost of Doing Business, You Start to Notice that You can do this & Make More Money than Mowing. You can do this & Make Great Money when The Grass isn't Growing & So Forth.

Yes, I Needed Year Round Contracts, But I Pursued 1 Time Clean Ups, Fertilization, Aeration, Add on Services, Pressuring Washing & Etc.. Why?

Because Everyone of These Payed me Way More Money than Running Mowers. I Knew this Because I Knew What My Expenses were. About the Only Thing Less Profitable than Running the Mower was Riding in my Truck.

When I was in my Busy Season, I did Little to No Advertising, When I had the Extra Time I did More & More Advertising. After a While I Still Had Plenty of New Work Coming in during My Busy Season Without Advertising.

Lots of Mistakes Made & You Actually Think You are Doing the Right Thing?

Example:
Why do People Hang on to Older Equipment, It's A Poor Excuse to Hang on to it Because it's Payed For. Unless You Have Plenty of Back Ups? Why Do People Purchase a New Mower & Then Save the Old One as a Back Up, That's a Big Mistake in it's Self.

Great You Have a Wore Out Lawn Mower for a Back Up? Run That Wore Out Lawn Mower as Your Production Mower & Save the New One as a Back Up. When the Old One Starts Breaking Down to Much, Get Rid of it. Then Use your New One? LOL, Sell Your Old one to The Competition.

If You Know Your Numbers, You Will Soon Find out that those Break Downs are Killing Your Profits.

Ok, You Pay $800 for that Commercial Mower, You Run it Hard for a Year. You Then Sell it for $300. That New Mower only Cost You Less than $10.00 a Week to Have the Luxery of a New Mower, How Much Grass did You Cut With it & How Many Break Downs did You Have? Probably Not Even 2 at the Most.

You Will Learn this & Much More, Learn You Numbers & You Will See Where the Problems are. The Numbers if Done Right Will Tell You Everything You Need to Know!

Learn Bookeeping & Accounting, Even if it's Just in High School. It Will Pay You Back Many Times Over.