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 ZippoZ
Knomadic
Registered: 06/17/03
Posts: 13,227
Loc: Pongyang, North Korea
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 I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. 
#9841504 - 02/21/09 09:45 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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so, i have been self employed for years and years.
and i started with something simple, lawn care.
its simple really, 20 or 25 a week from atleast 5 people, and you have a steady income stream of $500 per month, not much money, but less than one days' work.
so, as i find myself in a very broke (cash wise) position.
i think that im going to start selling lawn service door to door in my town.
then plan is to sign up a house for a year, and to persuade them to sign on, offer them a non binding contract that includes one or 2 free cuts. if they want out of the contract, they can have it. but truth be told, they usually dont.
but the key is to get them to sign the contract, and get them on board.
im hoping to get at the very least 25 clients on board, generating around $2000 a month.
then, here is the nice part. in the contract i write in the option to sub lease, or sell the contracts.
at this point, i can go sell my contracts to another landscaping company, or subcontract the work to someone else for cheaper.
basically allowing me to take in the money, without doing the work.
yay capitalistic intent.
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PEACE
 zippoz
"in times of widespread chaos and confusion, it has been the duty of more advanced human beings - artists, scientists, clowns, and philosophers - to create order. In such times as ours however, when there is too much order, too much m management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. To relieve the repression of the human spirit, they must sow doubt and disruption"
"People do it every day, they talk to themselves ... they see themselves as they'd like to be, they don't have the courage you have, to just run with it."
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 suburbanned
Stranger
Registered: 02/20/08
Posts: 2,810
Last seen: 13 years, 8 months
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 Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: ZippoZ]
#9866731 - 02/25/09 10:52 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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nobody is gonna pay for a nobody lawn care dude when they could do it for themselves in these times
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Lana
Head Banana
Registered: 10/27/99
Posts: 3,109
Loc: www.MycoSupply.com
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: suburbanned]
#9867921 - 02/26/09 06:34 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
suburbantoker said:
nobody is gonna pay for a nobody lawn care dude when they could do it for themselves in these times
I disagree. An old friend of mine owns a lawn care service.
He tells me that only people with money have their lawns cut. If you don't have much money, you can't afford to have someone else do it so you have to do it yourself.
It's like any other service, you will find people.
If you've been in business for years, I would concentrate on that. If you can push the fact that you have years of experience and long standing customers, people like hearing that you're stable and competent.
Good luck,
Lana
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ZippoZ
Knomadic
Registered: 06/17/03
Posts: 13,227
Loc: Pongyang, North Korea
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: Lana]
#9898845 - 03/02/09 07:03 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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So, i have been out and about, in person, trying to sign up commercial contracts, gas stations, small business, etc...
I have been offering to give them 10% off of their last years rates on comparable service.
So far, it has been hard, and i havent gotten any contracts signed, but these things do take time...
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PEACE
zippoz
"in times of widespread chaos and confusion, it has been the duty of more advanced human beings - artists, scientists, clowns, and philosophers - to create order. In such times as ours however, when there is too much order, too much m management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. To relieve the repression of the human spirit, they must sow doubt and disruption"
"People do it every day, they talk to themselves ... they see themselves as they'd like to be, they don't have the courage you have, to just run with it."
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automan
blasted chipmunk
Registered: 09/18/03
Posts: 8,272
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: ZippoZ]
#9899053 - 03/02/09 07:36 PM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Hire a 14 year old boy to go home to home to get contracts. People will want to support a young businessman in the making.
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No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr
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UniversalParadox
Stranger Than Fiction
Registered: 01/16/09
Posts: 397
Loc: Placement
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: ZippoZ]
#13118483 - 08/29/10 11:33 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
ZippoZ said:
So far, it has been hard, and i havent gotten any contracts signed, but these things do take time...
So....what happened?
Is lawn care hard to get into? I've been thinking about trying to get into it. Does a person have to be licensed and insured?
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xM��
� �V� �c�R��H�P
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Groovy Grant
Registered: 07/31/00
Posts: 6,635
Loc: TX 
Last seen: 9 days, 17 minutes
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: UniversalParadox]
#13118583 - 08/29/10 11:55 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Hard to get into? No, it has incredibly low barriers to entry. Which is probably why rates are so low. I mean after you factor, time, equipment rental/cost and gas, what's the margin? 5-10%?
However, if you can incorporate higher margin services into the model, I bet you could make some alright money. Other services, nursery services, planting, weeding, tree trimming, hedge trimming, etc.
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UniversalParadox
Stranger Than Fiction
Registered: 01/16/09
Posts: 397
Loc: Placement
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: Groovy Grant]
#13118824 - 08/29/10 12:42 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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All a person needs is a lawn mower, weed eater, hedger, edger, blower, chain saw(maybe), a couple gas cans, a rake, tools for repairs, a vehicle to carry these things in, maybe a trailer, a couple large garbage cans with lids(for the clippings), and experience. Right?
I have experience with all these tools and have $5000-$10,000, a vehicle, a trailer, no job, live in an apartment, and I have a bad driving record.
How can I start up a lawn care bussiness?
What are the rates? How much a fast food resturant pay to care for there surroundings, or would it be all the chains resturants?
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� �V� �c�R��H�P
Edited by UniversalParadox (08/29/10 12:47 PM)
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ZippoZ
Knomadic
Registered: 06/17/03
Posts: 13,227
Loc: Pongyang, North Korea
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: UniversalParadox]
#13118875 - 08/29/10 12:53 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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you cant start one mid to late season, thats for sure.
i never did end up going into this business again, it was far too complicated. I did however try and make some deals with friends of mine who had existing contracts and no equipment due to misfortunes and bad planning...
however, that also never materialized. there is a reason some people go out and get jobs, and there is a reason some people go out and start businesses.
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PEACE
zippoz
"in times of widespread chaos and confusion, it has been the duty of more advanced human beings - artists, scientists, clowns, and philosophers - to create order. In such times as ours however, when there is too much order, too much m management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. To relieve the repression of the human spirit, they must sow doubt and disruption"
"People do it every day, they talk to themselves ... they see themselves as they'd like to be, they don't have the courage you have, to just run with it."
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Stonehenge
Alt Center
Registered: 06/20/04
Posts: 14,850
Loc: S.E.
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: ZippoZ]
#13119411 - 08/29/10 02:46 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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This is one of the things i keep telling people to get into. Pick up a used mower for $20 and you are in business. Around here it's cut throat as hell but they still get $20 for a basic cut and edge. Many get more. I had a black guy do it for $20 and after a few cuts, he told me he was going up to $40. He went up by himself because i easily found someone on craigs list to do it for $20 but many get 25 or 30. A few get $50. The cut takes 20 to 30 minutes and you pocket $20. Not bad.
Tree trimming is even more lucrative. You can make over $100 an hour easy and cut everyone else's price. For that you need a ladder, a good saw, trailer and perhaps a few other things. Can you climb a ladder and cut limbs? Do you have a trailer to haul away the debris? $100 a tree is considered cheap and that's if they have several trees. One tree might be $150 to $200 and take you an hour to 2 hours to do.
Advertise on free services like craig's list, kijiji and the like. Pay a kid $5 an hour to distribute fliers in neighborhoods you would like to get business in. Or put your ad in fliers that are already being distributed. Make up a nice looking flier on your computer and find a place that makes copies for 3 to 5 cents b+w or perhaps 20 cents color. Make up business cards and present yourself as a professional. If you do 3 lawns a day, that's $60 or more and you put in maybe 2 hours max. 5 days a week and you have $300 tax free minus a gallon or two of gas. Add in a few tree trims and you can make some real money. It is a little late in the season for mowing but trees need trimming year around.
If you are a chick, do massages. You will probably have to call them body rubs because the state usually licenses massage. I see ads all the time for $40 for a basic body rub and up to $100 for a "sexy" rub but no sex. They take off their tops for the sexy rub. Woo hoo. And if you are willing to go a little farther, a happy ending can add $50 to $75 to the tab. Even at a basic back rub, $40 for 45 minutes is not hard to take. Smile a little and the tips could be good too. It's a little risky but make them come to you the first time and explain that your father or boyfriend is in the next room so don't try anything funny. Later, you can go to them for a little extra. Start up costs: zero.
Can you do carpentry, fix computers, lay tile or etc? Lots of money working out of your home. Can you clean houses? They get $20+ an hour easy. All you need is a bucket, a mop, an old vacuum etc and place a few ads. A young woman who posts a photo of her big smile will have so many clients she will have to turn some down. Take care of older people making meals, running errands and so on. $12 an hour plus expenses is considered dirt cheap and you might get twice that. Baby sit in your home if you can tolerate brats. $5 per hour per brat x 6 brats is not bad. 10 brats if you can keep your sanity.
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“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.” (attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville political philosopher Circa 1835)
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geokills
∙∙∙∙☼ º¿° ☼∙∙∙∙
Registered: 05/08/01
Posts: 23,589
Loc: city of angels
Last seen: 10 hours, 53 minutes
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 Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: Stonehenge]
#13123698 - 08/30/10 12:38 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Stonehenge said:
Tree trimming is even more lucrative. You can make over $100 an hour easy and cut everyone else's price. For that you need a ladder, a good saw, trailer and perhaps a few other things. Can you climb a ladder and cut limbs? Do you have a trailer to haul away the debris? $100 a tree is considered cheap and that's if they have several trees. One tree might be $150 to $200 and take you an hour to 2 hours to do.
Oh man, I wish it only cost $150 - $200 to cut a tree where I live. I get trimmers coming by handing me their cards all the time... but the quotes I get are always around $500 for the mondo huge diadora pine tree in my yard. I'd do it myself, but I don't want to mess with a chainsaw on 50lb+ limbs while being 60 feet off the ground! Not to mention, tree trimming is really an art that requires some skill and practice. There's a lot of hacks out there who just won't do a decent job of it.
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Stonehenge
Alt Center
Registered: 06/20/04
Posts: 14,850
Loc: S.E.
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: geokills]
#13125197 - 08/30/10 05:50 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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I was talking about basic trims on little trees, not big trees. Big trees might cost up to $1000 or more just to trim. To take a tree out will be even more expensive. Those jobs are going to be beyond someone with a truck, a saw and just a little experience who wants to get into the tree business. They should stick with easy stuff until they get a lot better. Likewise, a 1/2 acre lawn is going to go for a lot more money than a tiny one. You might spend all afternoon cutting, edging and trimming and get $200 for your efforts. I'm not talking top dollar, i'm talking about basic wage type jobs. No one will do it for less, usually.
If you know how to play a game, offer to give lessons. Claim to be a champion and offer gift certificates for xmass. People will buy them so their kids can learn the new game faster. Know how to set up a computer? That's worth $50 to a lot of people. Or basic installs for $20 and so on. Help set up email and the like for newbies. If you worked for a big company with a lot of local employees, offer to mentor. You know the inside workings of how to get raises and so on, some people will pay for that info.
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“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.” (attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville political philosopher Circa 1835)
Trade list http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/18047755
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jbt067000
Stranger
Registered: 07/08/10
Posts: 14
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: Groovy Grant]
#13126271 - 08/30/10 08:46 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Groovy Grant said:
Hard to get into? No, it has incredibly low barriers to entry. Which is probably why rates are so low. I mean after you factor, time, equipment rental/cost and gas, what's the margin? 5-10%?
However, if you can incorporate higher margin services into the model, I bet you could make some alright money. Other services, nursery services, planting, weeding, tree trimming, hedge trimming, etc.
Sorry to ZippoZ, I know nothing about the landscape market in Korea. I owned a landscape co. in Texas. Lawns are ok but there is more money in installation. I would recomend(what I did) put out flyers (again not sure if appropriate in Korea)and get some residential customers for some income. I would not try to get residential on contracts. With 2 other guys at 7-8/hr, we did a $30 lawn in about 10 minutes. But when you do installations you can up charge the materials and charge about 30-35/hr each man hour. That equals your pay at 75 per hour(90/hr-2 men at 10/hr) There is a lot of money in landscape but its feast or famine unles you live tropical year round area.
My 2 cents
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nachohippie
asshole
Registered: 09/19/09
Posts: 2,623
Loc: right around the corner
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: jbt067000]
#13126744 - 08/30/10 10:27 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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check into doing foreclosure clean up and yard maintenance ask the local banks and realators it is easy to get in to just look presentable and talk good game
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send guns, money ,lawyers, and drugs its been a long night
everything i post is a lie im a pathological liar
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ZippoZ
Knomadic
Registered: 06/17/03
Posts: 13,227
Loc: Pongyang, North Korea
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: jbt067000]
#13127215 - 08/31/10 12:53 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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yeah....
the location on my sig is a joke, no one from north korea is posting here. Im from Chicago
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PEACE
zippoz
"in times of widespread chaos and confusion, it has been the duty of more advanced human beings - artists, scientists, clowns, and philosophers - to create order. In such times as ours however, when there is too much order, too much m management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. To relieve the repression of the human spirit, they must sow doubt and disruption"
"People do it every day, they talk to themselves ... they see themselves as they'd like to be, they don't have the courage you have, to just run with it."
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Stonehenge
Alt Center
Registered: 06/20/04
Posts: 14,850
Loc: S.E.
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: ZippoZ]
#13128014 - 08/31/10 08:55 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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I don't think anyone in n korea is allowed to use the internet.
Another good racket is to install deadbolt locks on doors. All you need is a drill, hammer, screwdrivers and so on plus be handy with tools. It's a security measure and you will find takers in big cities as well as small ones. You will need the right bits for drilling the holes. Around here they get $75 and the lockset costs around $8. For a couple hours work, less time once you get good at it, you pick up about a $65 profit. Give them a break on second deadbolt done at the same time, maybe 60 for the second one. Install a slide latch or chain system for greater security, $30 and it costs you $5 and 45 minutes to do. Use fliers, free internet postings and word of mouth.
Another nifty racket is painting house numbers on the curb. All you need is a set of stencils and a few cans of spray paint. "want that in red, blue, black or gold?" They get $15 around here and it takes 10 minutes and 15 cents of paint. You can also offer to put the house numbers on the house using a stencil or stick on or screw on numbers from home depot. The selling point is that it makes it safer if cops or paramedics are looking for the address. Many cities require house numbers to be prominently displayed.
Roof cleaning and or painting is a good thing too. Get a pressure washer and you can do that and wash houses as well. People can make $30 an hour easy and cut all the going prices at the same time. No one will be able to touch your price if thats all you charge. Get your tile roof nice and sparkly clean, get rid of that dirt and algae. Do driveways too, put a powerful detergent on it to soak and then pressure wash. Pick up a used pressure washer for $100 and away you go.
Got a pickup truck, van or trailer? Offer to haul away junk and yard debris. People get notices from the city they have so many days to comply or $100 a day fines. You come to the rescue. Some of the old junk may be worth money and they pay you to haul it off. Copper, aluminum and scrap iron are worth cash at recyclers. People get rid of working appliances which can be resold.
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“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.” (attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville political philosopher Circa 1835)
Trade list http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/18047755
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ClammyJoe
Azurescen Head
Registered: 11/03/05
Posts: 3,691
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: nachohippie]
#13128047 - 08/31/10 09:13 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
nachohippie said:
check into doing foreclosure clean up and yard maintenance ask the local banks and realators it is easy to get in to just look presentable and talk good game
Where I'm from they are only paying 15-25 bucks a pop to do foreclosure houses. I guess you could make a quick job of it, but I know guys who are charging twice that an hour for yard work.
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jbt067000
Stranger
Registered: 07/08/10
Posts: 14
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: Stonehenge]
#13129232 - 08/31/10 02:28 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Stonehenge said:
I don't think anyone in n korea is allowed to use the internet.
Didn't think about that lol
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SheikCorp
Stranger
Registered: 01/09/08
Posts: 2,274
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: ZippoZ]
#13130437 - 08/31/10 07:17 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Most commercial properties require commercial insurance. At around 3000 round here. Some of the more wealthy towns require permits for landscaping in that town. These towns usually also have restrictions with when you can use leaf blowers or put leaves on the side of the road for pick up.
Make fliers and drop them in boxes. Ask clients to tell their neighbors. The closer one house is to the other the more turn over. Traveling eats up time. Aim for new wealthy neighborhoods. Dress kind of nice. Vacation areas are key. Even offer house sitting, or off season property maintenance. Offer spring and fall cleanups. Bed mulching. Know your plants and local nurseries. The right plants for the right areas is key. This one guy i know started a company back in the day. Ended up working in the shop and talking to costumers and getting two to three work trucks out on the road doing 50 some lawns a day. With five to six men working.
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Stonehenge
Alt Center
Registered: 06/20/04
Posts: 14,850
Loc: S.E.
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Re: I think that im going to go and sell some lawn service to people. [Re: SheikCorp]
#13132820 - 09/01/10 09:18 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Oh yeah, it's possible to make some serious money at it. At that point you are hiring people on the books, paying insurance and so on. What i was talking about was for the little guy trying to make a buck since jobs are kind of hard to find. Running under the radar you dodge a lot of the expenses of big companies. If everything you get goes straight into the pocket, minus a few bucks for gas and equipment, you can easily make 20 to 30 an hour maybe more. Some people get big while staying underground but when one of your workers gets hurt and you have no insurance, it gets sticky.
One way out of that is to set up independent contractors. The irs is suspicious of that and applies various tests. Make up a contract and pay a lawyer a few bucks to look it over. It must state that they are free to take or reject a job, set their own hours and so on. They will get paid by the job, not by the hour. They must agree to provide their own insurance etc. In actuality they will be working for you but you get the benefit of not having to take out deductions, pay unemployment ins and workman's compensation, keep paperwork and all that. If they don't have to pay taxes, they will work for less money allowing you to charge less and pocket more.
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“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.” (attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville political philosopher Circa 1835)
Trade list http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/18047755
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