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I just can't seem to get this thing going the way I want it to.
I don't know right now if I'm just getting tired of the biz or the biz is getting tired of me. I keep leaving posts for help for certain aspects and I keep trying to change things to try to help improve my operation but at the end of the day I take no joy in what I've done that day.
This is my day broken down, can anyone tell me where I'm going wrong.
With 32 clients I do 2 weekly, 6 bi weekly, 24 every 10 days.
I collect monthly, and I fiqured on paper to bring in only $13000 from May to November. 3 Commercial sites averaging $34.57/hour, 29 Residentials averaging $25.62/hour, all done by myself but I use an employee after rain storms to catch up.
I only mow/trim/blow in the mid summer, haven't had good luck with landscaping properties.
(All numbers are estimated, don't have my exact numbers in front of me, but their close)
Day started at 8 to 9 am.
Do only 3 or 4 properties a day, some days 5.
Usually finished by about 4 or 5pm with lunch and coffee breaks and driving included.
During day, I see most of my properties with small spots with bugs who have white strips on their backs. But their is a pesticide ban so I'm just watching it spread. Also weeds are in all but 2 of my properties (not severe, just present). These two things bug me all day and I feel theres nothing I can do about it.
Also during my day I see many other LCO's using bigger gear, more trucks and bigger properties. But when I try to bid higher on some sites, the owners actually show me prof that some other LCO's (whether scrubs or not) are bidding low.
Example: one of my commercial sites I bid $72 for the site, a LCO who have commercial gear bid only $39, the owner basically laughed at me, showed prof and everything. I then bid the site for $41 because I gave him business earlier that year and he wanted to give me the job but not $72. (note: 1 hour to complete)
This has happened at residentials too, so I feel I can't raise my price bar very far at all.
I'm getting very tired at the end of the day, not of the work, but of the stress that I feel because I can't climb the Lawncare Mountain with my Envy of other companies and pest just eating my business up. How do these guys do it, they must feel the same as me, but they appear to be growing and getting new gear.
I don't know right now if I'm just getting tired of the biz or the biz is getting tired of me. I keep leaving posts for help for certain aspects and I keep trying to change things to try to help improve my operation but at the end of the day I take no joy in what I've done that day.
This is my day broken down, can anyone tell me where I'm going wrong.
With 32 clients I do 2 weekly, 6 bi weekly, 24 every 10 days.
I collect monthly, and I fiqured on paper to bring in only $13000 from May to November. 3 Commercial sites averaging $34.57/hour, 29 Residentials averaging $25.62/hour, all done by myself but I use an employee after rain storms to catch up.
I only mow/trim/blow in the mid summer, haven't had good luck with landscaping properties.
(All numbers are estimated, don't have my exact numbers in front of me, but their close)
Day started at 8 to 9 am.
Do only 3 or 4 properties a day, some days 5.
Usually finished by about 4 or 5pm with lunch and coffee breaks and driving included.
During day, I see most of my properties with small spots with bugs who have white strips on their backs. But their is a pesticide ban so I'm just watching it spread. Also weeds are in all but 2 of my properties (not severe, just present). These two things bug me all day and I feel theres nothing I can do about it.
Also during my day I see many other LCO's using bigger gear, more trucks and bigger properties. But when I try to bid higher on some sites, the owners actually show me prof that some other LCO's (whether scrubs or not) are bidding low.
Example: one of my commercial sites I bid $72 for the site, a LCO who have commercial gear bid only $39, the owner basically laughed at me, showed prof and everything. I then bid the site for $41 because I gave him business earlier that year and he wanted to give me the job but not $72. (note: 1 hour to complete)
This has happened at residentials too, so I feel I can't raise my price bar very far at all.
I'm getting very tired at the end of the day, not of the work, but of the stress that I feel because I can't climb the Lawncare Mountain with my Envy of other companies and pest just eating my business up. How do these guys do it, they must feel the same as me, but they appear to be growing and getting new gear.
Well, Well, Well.....Sounds like the bugs getting you....Heres what you do....Get up a little earlier like 6:00am. Go out side and get all your equipment ready for the day. Mowers/ edgers/ ect.ect. This should take about 15-30 minutes., then.....get in your truck and start off to your first account lets say its 15-30 minutes away this puts you at around 7:00am. If you like coffee and donutes go to your local donut and coffee house or like we do go to a gas station and feed yourself. O.k. now this takes like 15-minutes or so and off to your first account at 7:15 to 7:30am. Some counties laws wont let you start until 8:00am so adjust accordingly. Then start your day.Lets say you only have large properties that take an hour each. This will give you 8 properties per day for 8 hours. Times this by 4 days and your route is taken care of and you get friday off. Now reality!!!!! Same as above but work your butt off........I mean really dedicate your self...not for weeks but for years.....Now lets say you bust your balls and you get 16 done for the day,.,,smaller yards..,,NOW you can work 2 days and have 5 days for growth. Is this impossible...No not at all...I worked my self to the bone for 5 years before I even new I was supposed to take a lunch..I mean a real lunch.,"A sit down for 30 minutes, lunch."..My lunch was going through a fast food place and eating it on the way to my next account. Seriously, no joking, I only started the lunch thing recently as my employees needed a lunch by law. Any way back to the story, So for 5 years of 12 hr days and I was pushing 20-27lawns a day by myself. No joke. I guess the moral of the story is hard work for what you want. I did all the crap jobs., scrubbing toliets, pizza driver, office work., ect.,ect. But when that guy., that was like 10 years older than me., who was making only $1.00 more per hour., shouted at me and made me do stuff like cleaning the toilets ...man I tell you what I will bust my butt to make something of myself and not be in that situation again.......................K the big guys., Yes I do remember the big trucks pulling the nice equipment....It took me 3 years to buy my first 36" mower..but the big guys were pulling 24' trailers with like 6-8 of them....."MOWER ENVY"., the difference between them and me...I own mine cash and I appreciate it more..... Point being it up to you if you think its worth it. Do you have kids?...Do you want to be your own boss?...Do you want to take the risks?....I think its worth it...It sounds like your doing o.k. 32 lawns thats not bad....I ran an ad one time and everybody seemed to have their own route that I interviewed. I asked them, just to be nosey, and to see how I was really doing, just how many accounts did they once have. Every one of them said around 30-35. There was not one person who had more. Maybe thats the magic ,"TESTER" number. Well I will stop rambeling. My suggestion get up earlier, try to do more accounts, free up your time by doing more accounts, and throw out fliers, this should help bump up your accounts. As for those pesky bugs. I think they sell some kind of a natural bug-B-Gone thing. I am sure you should be able to find it on the internet. OR Just try some average dish soap and water., thats what they do here in california and it works. Also if there are bugs make sure the lawn is getting enough water.............And as far as the mower envy goes., it took me 7 years to get my first 16 foot dual axel trailer., and on it I put (1) bunton 48" walkbehind, (1) 36" snapper Pro walkbehind and 4 commercial toro's...almost fills it up but theres still more room............Have a great day and I hope you make the right decision......Temlawn
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