Solo Operator

[Grasshoppers1]

How may solo operators are out there vs crewsd. Please sound off. What are the benefits of being solo?

[charmill26]

no employees to pay. you know you did the work and it got done. less equipment. probably more that other people can mention

[wickedinhere]

Less headache, you dont have to listen to stupid employees complain and call in sick.You could make more money with employees but for me i like it solo and less stress.

[wenied]

I've had employees in the past but i decided to scale down and go solo again. It was too hard for me to find dependabe and trustworthy employees. When i scaled it down do enough accounts to profit 3000/month and only work 4 days a week i was happy.

Now i've scaled it down more. Over the years i managed to complete my mechanical engineering degree. Now i can make 5000+ a month at this simple 40hr/week plant job and still supplement my income with 20 good lawn accounts.

The only problem i have now is that i have this itching to take it big and hire a few employees again..lol

[beedee]

solo operator

The Job gets done to my satisfaction every time, equipment gets taken care of correctly,I eat lunch where I want to..start early as I want or start later if necessary.... no B.S. from employees..... no dirty boots in truck, no having to stop at a bathroom for anyone else (and theres always at least one that needs to go bad) life is just simpler.....

[charmill26]

what would you say the % increase of profit would be for each employee added if you gained enough business to still work a full week or however long you work?

[Brian@Greenleaflawn]

I wouldn't even consider hiring someone. I love what I do and don't need the headache of dealing with a bunch of lazy turds. The work is always done how and when I want it, the money is all mine, and I know the equipment is treated like it should. The main reason for starting this business was for less stress, and the freedom that it brought me.

[spotremix]

well going solo does have it benefits but i can see where crews do too. i'm solo right now and what i like is that i know the work got done the way i(the customer) want it done. i can see where employee's calling in sick and just trying to find a good dependable employee would be headache but i do aspire to get so busy i have to have a second crew and beyond. my plans are to doing it myself until i can't handle it by myself anymore then hire someone, then hopefully from there i'll just keep hiring and keep getting more equipment.

[Hawk83]

i can handle my regular mowing schedule on my own, but some scaping jobs are killer to do solo.. not to mention doing leaf clean-ups go by soooo much faster with a 2nd guy. and the more time you have to do them, the more you can get done in a day as the sun sets so damn early! and we all know how profitable leaves can be, especially when you show up to do one, and like 3 neighbors come out while your there and you pick them up for a buck or so a pop- having two guys allow that stuff to happen!

[Jack D.]

Jack D. is a High Class Solo Scrub.

Running Solo w/ Major Profit takes Years of Experience.

Jack D. recommends hiring and hiring and Going Into The Field until you are comfortable and knowledgeable then going Solo for Exercise and Tanning.

No Serious Money Can Be Made Doing The Actual Monkey Work.

Good Luck.

[Stephen M.]

...

No Serious Money Can Be Made Doing The Actual Monkey Work.

Good Luck.

REQUIRED READING FOR ALL SOLO OPERATORS:

"The E Myth Revisited" by Micheal Gerber, author of the best selling classic "The E-Myth".

SYNOPSIS:

Entrepreneurial sucess happens when creating jobs. Solo operators are still working for THE MAN; you are the slave to the business. If something happens to you and you are unable to work, the company goes under.

Some of my business friends have given up employees and gone back solo. Yes it is less hassle, but they have precious little free time. Employees can be a pain in the a$$, but I have found the golden childern that are few and hard to come by and they come through 99% of the time, and I'm still making $$$ when I'm not working.

[clclawn]

for me the freedom has come with more employees. I can take off when i want and go on vacation when i want. Yes employees are a pain but i decide what i am going to do every day.

[crzymoe]

This past season i hired my first employee. I bought out my partner last winter so i had to either hire someone or cut down on my accounts. I hate working by myself, as far as mowing goes not a big deal to do jobs alone, but when it comes to mulching, cleanups and lawn installs sucks trying to do it alone. Still didnt get a lot of free time out of it, hoping to hire maybe a few more this year, like Jack said, no serious money can be made doing the actual monkey work.

[Blake]

I've done it both ways & had good sucess both ways. But don't get too comfortable either way. Times change so fast if you aren't ready to change with them you can get lost amoung the losers.

[Stephen M.]

I've done it both ways & had good sucess both ways. But don't get too comfortable either way. Times change so fast if you aren't ready to change with them you can get lost amoung the losers.

Well said. Roll with the punches. Be flexiable. Most of us are workaholics. Some of my customers think we work too hard, but I tell them its like farming: you gotta work when the work is there. I have to schedule in my free time because the work is never done.