The Great Business Debate

[Dmk]

I often get into friendly arguments with fellow landscape workers and owners...who has the better business? Them, new trucks, bigger accounts, more employees, more overhead, more hours, year round work with plowing adn such ...or me old trucks, less employees, less overhead, 3 months a year to travel and enjoy life? I am willing that while my gross income is not as high, my net income is higher...I know this for a fact....Who really does have the better business? So many people understand how to work....but do they really like it that much? While I do work hard during the year...I laugh when people ask about plowing...I tell em...I am away for most of the winter!

[Scaper-S2k]

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Ya know, there are the ones with the newer trucks, bigger accounts, and more employees that do very very well. A properly run company will hands down out profit a smaller one. If not, they are running it wrong. We aren't huge, but I'd put my numbers up against some of the largest companies (as in my salary). I'm very confident in the amount I personally profit. I don't do much in the winter, and nothing that is done is necessary. We work banker hours, and still have the new trucks, large accounts. But like I said, we still aren't a LARGE company. More in the middle.


Also, your income may be higher than some of the companies just up from you, but when you get up to the truly large companies going well into the millions, they more than likely out class us all.

Now for the actual size of my biz, I 'personally' make more than companies 10 times my size. But that is from picking only certain accounts. I really pride myslef on it. Not bragging, it's just something I have worked to accomplish.

[Dmk]

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Scaper,, I hear ya all the way.

[dancom]

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i think i would rather have the larger business and have to physicaly work less. even if it meant making a little less money. Although i think if you ran it right you would make a lot more money.

[Bobby D]

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I think you guys are right. I just had this discussion with my partner, you can net just as much if not more running a tighter ship with the right accounts as you can with a larger operation. The larger the operation, the more work it is for the owners to keep a good handle on the business and what is going on. I wonder if some businesses have employees who cut a few lawns on the side and take cash all the while using the owners equipment. Cause if its that big, you can't be on or near every job that is being done. Ouch!

[Scaper-S2k]

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When I said large operations, I was speaking of companies way up in the millions.