third guy or 2nd crew?

[greenC]

From what I gather here over the last year a 2 man crew is the MOST profitable on smaller residetial props. I now have some larger homes (1 acre each 3 in a row) and a few other smaller comm props. I have 1 other guy working for me now and I'm almost up to 100 accounts. I just ran a new ad in a local mailer and have picked up 8 accounts today and it just hit the mailboxes yesterday. I have 4 estimates scheduled for tommorow allready and will run the add twice the size next month. I have a good felling I wiil have way more than the 2 of us can handle within the next few weeks. My question is, bring on a 3rd person on the one route or invest in another truck and trailer and start a second 2 man crew? Already have 2 blowers, 2 trimmers, backup mower behind the shed, but would need to hire 2 more people and have the expense of the other truck, trailer, and mis. equip. I not afraid to make the jump since this has been my plan from the beggining. I feel I would be better off giving est. all day and advertising. Should I even bother taking on a 3rd guy on the same route or just take the plunge.

[safari lawn]

From what I gather here over the last year a 2 man crew is the MOST profitable on smaller residetial props. I now have some larger homes (1 acre each 3 in a row) and a few other smaller comm props. I have 1 other guy working for me now and I'm almost up to 100 accounts. I just ran a new ad in a local mailer and have picked up 8 accounts today and it just hit the mailboxes yesterday. I have 4 estimates scheduled for tommorow allready and will run the add twice the size next month. I have a good felling I wiil have way more than the 2 of us can handle within the next few weeks. My question is, bring on a 3rd person on the one route or invest in another truck and trailer and start a second 2 man crew? Already have 2 blowers, 2 trimmers, backup mower behind the shed, but would need to hire 2 more people and have the expense of the other truck, trailer, and mis. equip. I not afraid to make the jump since this has been my plan from the beggining. I feel I would be better off giving est. all day and advertising. Should I even bother taking on a 3rd guy on the same route or just take the plunge.

I have a friend in the same boat, and I suggested when he got a route and fill it up with his present crew Owner included. let that crew keep going and start a second route with accounts you can do and then add people as you fill up the second route. Yes new truck adn trailer, but your first route should cover the expenses for the second. Just start all over. (Add 3rd person to replace you on that crew, so you can do the second route and give estimates etc, while still mowing and the work getting done.)

[spotremix]

From what I gather here over the last year a 2 man crew is the MOST profitable on smaller residetial props. I now have some larger homes (1 acre each 3 in a row) and a few other smaller comm props. I have 1 other guy working for me now and I'm almost up to 100 accounts. I just ran a new ad in a local mailer and have picked up 8 accounts today and it just hit the mailboxes yesterday. I have 4 estimates scheduled for tommorow allready and will run the add twice the size next month. I have a good felling I wiil have way more than the 2 of us can handle within the next few weeks. My question is, bring on a 3rd person on the one route or invest in another truck and trailer and start a second 2 man crew? Already have 2 blowers, 2 trimmers, backup mower behind the shed, but would need to hire 2 more people and have the expense of the other truck, trailer, and mis. equip. I not afraid to make the jump since this has been my plan from the beggining. I feel I would be better off giving est. all day and advertising. Should I even bother taking on a 3rd guy on the same route or just take the plunge.

i guess i'm weird but when i get to the point of having an employee and to the point where i have that many accounts i plan on teaching someone else to give the estimates and do the advertising. i prefer to be out there mowing.

i would buy another truck and trailer + equipment if i were in that situation. send a 2 man crew out and a one man crew. in that case i would keep the newbie with me to teach him and send the more experienced on his own

[jgc8fan]

I used to think a 2 man crew was the way to go, but after something I saw 2 weeks ago I'm starting to wonder... I was at one of my regular accounts, and just started pulling the edger off the trailer when a lawn crew showed up across the street. 4 guys jumped out, and I was chuckling to myself thinking why do you need that many people???

One got on the mower, another started trimming, one edged, and the 4th walked behind the guy edging with the blower... I was still thinking it was kinda pointless as I edged, but when I finished edging I went back to switch to the trimmer they were already loading up to leave. My jaw was on the ground... That housing community has pretty big yards and they were done in 5 minutes! I started thinking if they have a tight route and enough accounts they could theoretically do 30 - 45 lawns in an 8 hour day minus an hour for lunch. If they were doing that even at my low rate ($30) they could possibly pull $900-$1300 a day... At average rates they could pull $1200-$1800 a day.

Granted that those are ideal conditions the possibilities make me wonder.