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Hello everyone,
I’m looking for a little advice from you professionals.
The equipment I was using to take care of my one acre yard was getting a little tired, so last spring I bought a new Scotts/John Deere lawn tractor.
It’s the L17.542. 17.5 Kohler Command, 42 inch deck, Hydrostatic, with the bagger. I also bought a 6 horse Murray mulch/bag/push and a new Echo trimmer.
I have a dependable one-ton, duel wheel, 8’x6’ stake body truck in good condition.
This past September, as luck would have it, I ended my employment as the manager of mowing operations for a large turf farm.
Part of my duties involved the upkeep of a large estate on the business property, but I generally just supervised that aspect of the job.
The vast majority of my experience was with the big John Deere 6000 and 7000 series tractors, 22 foot rotaries and 7 and 11 gang reels.
I know what good grass looks like, but other than the estate and my own yard, I have little experience mowing “lawnsâ€.
I’ve begun to think that maybe… if I picked up a good backpack blower, a trailer, a few other items and added some well directed advertising, I might pull the trigger on a small, solo (for now) lawn care business.
I owned and ran a successful seafood operation for many years, so I have at least a rudimentary idea of how to run a business, however, that was selling a product, not a service.
I’m 50 years old, 20 pounds overweight, have a trick knee, and I’m having a hard time picturing myself running behind a w/b ztr.
Obviously, I already have the equipment I have.
The market demographics of my area in southern Rhode Island look good, as the next biggest cash crop after turf, is upscale subdivisions with half million dollar homes.
We have about an 8 month season here, if you include the cleanups.
I own some rental property, so winters might be lean, but I can make it through them, I think.
The problem is, as I sit here in mid January, I don’t have one single account and I’ve never bid a mowing job in my life. I also know that my mowers aren’t commercial grade, and that the 18†turn radius of the Scotts is going to add TIME to each job.
I’m just wondering if it’s practical at all, to think I might be able to squeak by for a couple of seasons until I see that the business is taking off or not.
Am I nuts or what?
Any advice, comments or reality checks are most welcome.
Thank you,
Dave
I’m looking for a little advice from you professionals.
The equipment I was using to take care of my one acre yard was getting a little tired, so last spring I bought a new Scotts/John Deere lawn tractor.
It’s the L17.542. 17.5 Kohler Command, 42 inch deck, Hydrostatic, with the bagger. I also bought a 6 horse Murray mulch/bag/push and a new Echo trimmer.
I have a dependable one-ton, duel wheel, 8’x6’ stake body truck in good condition.
This past September, as luck would have it, I ended my employment as the manager of mowing operations for a large turf farm.
Part of my duties involved the upkeep of a large estate on the business property, but I generally just supervised that aspect of the job.
The vast majority of my experience was with the big John Deere 6000 and 7000 series tractors, 22 foot rotaries and 7 and 11 gang reels.
I know what good grass looks like, but other than the estate and my own yard, I have little experience mowing “lawnsâ€.
I’ve begun to think that maybe… if I picked up a good backpack blower, a trailer, a few other items and added some well directed advertising, I might pull the trigger on a small, solo (for now) lawn care business.
I owned and ran a successful seafood operation for many years, so I have at least a rudimentary idea of how to run a business, however, that was selling a product, not a service.
I’m 50 years old, 20 pounds overweight, have a trick knee, and I’m having a hard time picturing myself running behind a w/b ztr.
Obviously, I already have the equipment I have.
The market demographics of my area in southern Rhode Island look good, as the next biggest cash crop after turf, is upscale subdivisions with half million dollar homes.
We have about an 8 month season here, if you include the cleanups.
I own some rental property, so winters might be lean, but I can make it through them, I think.
The problem is, as I sit here in mid January, I don’t have one single account and I’ve never bid a mowing job in my life. I also know that my mowers aren’t commercial grade, and that the 18†turn radius of the Scotts is going to add TIME to each job.
I’m just wondering if it’s practical at all, to think I might be able to squeak by for a couple of seasons until I see that the business is taking off or not.
Am I nuts or what?
Any advice, comments or reality checks are most welcome.
Thank you,
Dave
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