I MADE SOME MISTAKES IN MY LAWN CARE BUSINESS...
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- Опубліковано 27 бер 2024
- LAWN BUSINESS RESOURCES:
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MY STORY:
In 2016 I had been in law enforcement for 7 years.
I was not in control of my schedule, I was hardly making any money, and I was away from my family working nights and holidays. I was capable of more, and I was silently suffering. I knew I was selling myself and my family short.
I started Florida Turf Pros as a side hustle in 2016 before going full time in 2017.
My lawn business changed my life.
I control my own schedule, control my own income, and I am proud of what I have built; a business that supports me, my family, and some employees.
If you are a lawn care business owner, this channel will be a valuable resource for you.
This really is a great industry to be in, and I hope that by documenting my journey it will help you.
-Jonathan C. Christian
I have been watching you since nearly the beginning and I seen how you have changed your mindset over the years. Running a lien and mean operation is fantastic until a piece of equipment goes down or your supplier doesn’t have the materials you need to start or/even to finish a project. We use a 80/20 percent rule of thumb. Only book (schedule) 80% of our capacity each week to keep backlog to a minimum due to weather and other unforeseen situations.
Definitely my biggest regret was not hiring sooner. I had to shut down advertising and spend June on recovering from running 70 weekly mowing clients and 60 fert accounts solo. And backup equipment is SO important. We actually scaled back our mowing to favor irrigation, turf renovation work and landscaping after learning how important revenue per hour is.
Pretty much all the regrets you have I do too lol. But I wouldn’t trade what this industry has done for my family and I.
Another spot on video. One of my biggest mistakes was not charging enough at first. I had come from being a foreman for the previous 6 years and making $18 an hour back in the 2010s. I was only charging $30 an hour being self employed and thinking it was a lot. I worked my balls off. I had soooo much work. I did make a lot of money but I could have easily made double without any extra work, had I charged correctly.
Winter work...prune roses, crape myrtles, pampas grass, Lariope, mondo grass, pickup River birch tree branches that fall, install weed barriers, prune lower tree limbs, trench islands... enough work on some properties in north Atlanta.
Man those river birch belong down by the river 😂
Worked on a golf course and they had those everywhere but they definitely keep the maintenance schedule going in the winter. I used to live in Forsyth County and all the work that you mentioned is what I did for all of my clients. I wasnt as busy during the winter but it keep me busy enough. Pruning crepe myrtles and the knockout roses would always bring in some good money.
I have a Vermeer s925tx. It’s is THE best machine decision I’ve made. In 4 years I’ve only replaced the starter and the tracks. At the time it was slightly more money than a MT100 but I would make the same decision again. The controls are the best and it runs every attachment that we’ve put on it. Get a bulk material bucket bucket for moving large amounts on material without spilling.
This is good information, thank you.
My focus this year is route density! Going in my second year full time, my first year I took every call partially because I was nervous and needed business I thought. Then I would get nervous when I would lose customers for whatever reason. But it seems like as soon as you lose them, you gain more. I bought an electric scooter this year, and I've been putting out door hangers. I know it sounds funny but dude it's been a game-changer I can put out a crap to the door hangers. I think with door hangers though it's all about timing I might have jumped the gun this year so far. I'll wait and put more out in two to three weeks when summer starts getting full swing. When I noticed yards that need attention that's when I'll throw the door hanger up. I canceled my services in three cities this year and also raised my prices. I'd say half stayed half left. It's a little scary right now it's almost like starting over. I only have 19 accounts and I need to triple that for mowing. But here's the thing I have 19 and accounts and it seems like I can find more things to do to have extra revenue come in for those 19 accounts whether it's pulling weeds landscaping whatever.
My mistake was not doing lawn mowing to begin with. I went strictly landscaping and would of had a full route by now.
Went way too long with a 21" walk behind. I think I did 3 years with one. Finally bought a 42" ztr and was a game changer. Cutting twice as wide moving 3x as fast, turned hour long jobs into ~20min. To any newbies out there debating on getting a zero turn, don't even think twice about it just do it
Man you WORKED using a 21" for 3 years! Glad you got into something more comfortable!
I have had the bobcat mt85 for 8 years and it's been a great machine it moves over 200 yards of topsoil and 300 yards of mulch every year.. I love that machine it's definitely well worth the money..
i have a skid steer vermeer ctx50, its been an absoulte game changer i love it. I would recommend if you can pitch it, the step up, this machine cant lift any more then a quarter of very dry sod lol
Thinking about starting a mowing business… question. Do I just mulch the grass or do I bag it? Do I use their green trash can or do I need to dump it?
Happy Easter my brotha !
Our Vermeer has been rock solid.
Used bobcat a lot of times. I like it
I just recently ran the Vermeer 925 for 2wks straight on a forest trail building project and its a super solid, capable machine. I have only ran Toro before and the difference was night and day
Ya, Toro is out of the question for us
Ditch witch is my favorite units but I love the mt100 as well. I have never ran a Vermeer but have heard they are similar to the ditch witches.
your not alone buddy
You speak the truth. Doesn't matter if you pay $10/hr or $40/hr, unmotivated is unmotivated.
I run a Vermeer 925 daily doing residential tree work. Absolutely recommend
Thank you for the insight
I was talking with the field manager over at East Bay Landscaping one day. They run the bobcat. He said that's the most powerful mini skid you can find. He did say it will do things others won't.
Good info, thank you
I would go 925 as a bobcat mt85 owner i have had alot of warranty issues from radiators, a new head at under 500 hours, another radiator, a steering linking arm, and an exhaust all warranty work. Machine is 4 years old and has spent 8 months in the shop. Has been a great unit when working for heavy tree work, grading, stone driveway repair, and brush mowing. That being said i am selling at switching to a vermeer they just seam to be built a little better and have some better engineering. Best of luck with your purchase if you have any questions reach out.
This is an excellent comment... I appreciate you sharing your experience. I have heard the radiators on the bobcat tend to get clogged from diesel spillage attracting dirt around the radiator? I think this info you shared may have sealed the deal...
It's a shame that you don't have a ditch witch dealer nearby. They're, without question, my favorite. I have zero experience on the Vermeer other than rolling one around at an auction. I've used bobcat, ditch witch, Toro, Wacker neuson, boxer and a prototype of the Dixie chopper RC mini loader. Without any hesitation I would put the bobcat as my second LEAST favorite. I didn't care for the hydraulics on it, how they felt, how well they worked etc...I also don't like the fact that they have a proprietary attachment mount rather than the universal mount. Everything is about personal preference and dealer support so only you know where you land on that. Purchase whichever model best suites your business, as you already know
BTW, the Wacker neuson was my least favorite. The hydraulics are amazing. So much so that they actually overpower the machine.
Great comment, thank you for the insight.
People rag on commercial way too much as being lower margin and lowest bidder work. I used to be one of them when I focused on residential. I can tell you that we run an extremely profitable business that is 90% commercial and our payments are the same all 12 months of of the year. Our expenses go WAY down in the winter but our revenue does not..... therefore, do you really make more money on residential or is it just front loaded? We rarely lose contracts because we are simply more professional than the competition. Maybe not even better, after all We all perform the same services.... just more professional. I'm not talking about gas stations and small strip centers. I'm talking about nicer apartment communities, nicer HOAs, and Universities. There are clients that will always put it out to the low bid year after year..... I would suggest there are even more that are image oriented and just want to deal with a good company long term that keeps their property looking fresh and doesn't hire ragtag crews.
To anybody who says you can't make as much money in commercial I would say......no, YOU can't make money in commercial. Look inward and have an honest conversation with yourself about the type of business you run.
Great comment, thank you.
Vermeer !
I hired a guy this week and fired him 2 days later
s925 is better the bobcat has terrible visibility in comparison and it's belt drive hydraulics were the vermeer is direct drive. Fuel cap under the hood is dumb as well also makes them overheat when diesel leaks down onto the rad it attracts dirt.
This is a great comment... Great insight, thank you!
Taco Bell 😆
Love you babe!
Make friends in the industry, so if something happens to your machines, you might be able to borrow machine from a friend
There’s a 21 year old kid on BB Lawn cares videos doing 5 million a year doing only commercial…
Sk800 is bullet proof
Ditch witch of Alabama
I've ran the sk900 for 3 years and it's so smooth
Use to hit Taco Bell after racing Motocross - fast forward to 250 lbs I went to Jenny Craig...... I never eat fast food anymore and I am good with it ..... maintaining 190 lbs. Life at 250 lbs sucks.
Agreed. I just had a craving the other day because I hadn't eaten there forever... and I was not dissapointed 😂
Taco Bell is healthy!! Watchu talking about 😅
😂