Advice on Hiring Employees

[CCLS]

I'm looking to expand my business next year by hiring employees, can you guys give me some feedback about what is all involved with hiring employees, Social Security, Unemployment, Insurance, Ect.
How you determine how much to pay your employees, based on experience or what? Any other additional info or comments reguarding hiring employees!

[alcpi]

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You say employees, plural, are you currently a one man operation planning to have others do the labor or are you still going to mow? Regional placement will figure in to how much to pay as well as how experienced the individual. I've always felt better adding one employee at time, personally. Of course, the bigger the company the easier it is to absorb.

[CCLS]

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Alcpi,

I'm from the mid-west. This last season I worked by myself, full time mowing, ect. I recently got my pesticide app licence and will be doing fertilizing and weed control next year. I am also tripling the amount of advertising I'm doing by taking on two phone book ads and radio commercials.

My question is, should I hire someone(s)(depending on my advertising feedback) to handle my mowing ect. Someone inexperienced that I will train to do my mowing, while I work on fertilizing & weed control, advertising and running my business. I have seen several local lawn companys fail because they got burnt out working theirselves to death. I figured if I hired employee(s) as my business grows I can focus on running and growing the business rather than getting burnt out mowing all day.

I WANT TO WORK ON MY BUSINESS NOT FOR IT.

[alcpi]

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About how many accounts are we talking about servicing per day or week? Small amount: definately grab one guy with experience. Large amount: start w/ two, experienced. You don't have time to train someone and not to mention, you won't even be there with him throughout the day. Whomever you hire, I would advise working with them for a week or so to show them how you want things done and to set the pace that is expected. There's nothing worse than having a guy take an hour and a half perfecting a $20 mow and go account! A few days of that and you can kiss your biz goodbye! Around here, the going rate is about $9-10 start experienced lawnman, $7-8 non. Hope this helps. And to the contrary regarding one of your statements(Not saying you haven't observed that), I have seen many guys go under because they were paying out more labor than they could afford when in fact they should have been out in the field. It all boils down to who is the best manager of the resources they own.

[dancom]

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I start my people out at 8.00 per hour and i pay my crew leader by the yard. he/she usualy averages about 18.00 per hour. i have two crews i run one and a women who has worked for me since the begining runs the other. i have two people on a crew. we average a little over two yards an hour. it cost me about 10.00 per yard for labor on one crew and about 3.00 per yard on the crew i run.

[CCLS]

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Alcpi,

Next year by the beginning of May I anticipate about 10 yards 5 days a week, this is about double what I am doing this year. I can handle what I had this year, but next year I know I will need help because of all the advertising I'm doing. I have checked around here for wage rates and it is about $8 for unexperienced and $10 for experienced. Like you said, I plan on working with the employee(s) at least a good week or two till they get in the flow of things.

Do you pay more to people that are more productive, even though they lack experience?