Don't buy more than you can afford to pay cash for. Credit will bite you inth a** your first few years. Don't quit your day job until the income is there from your business. Don't do work without insurance, if you can't afford insurance then wait until you can. Know local laws, codes, regulations, and restrictions before you get started. Know what "FAIR" pricing is in your area, stay competative - don't lowball (if you don't know what this means browse this and other forums you will learn) Know your expenses - this is the most important group of numbers that you will ever look at - be sure to include everything you could possibly think of (and a few you can't) into this number or you will never know how much money you are truly making. This is a common mistake people don't know what all their expenses are - some are losing money and don't know until it is too late. Start small, stay proffessional, educate yourself in as many areas of lawn and landscape as you can (continue to educate yourself even after you are started) Set policies, guidlines, and goals and stick to them. Be respectful but stick to your prices and policies even if customer doesn't like them (don't take s**t from customers they will push you out of business if it means less money for them) Good Luck!!
P.S. The lawncare/landscape portion of my business started by mistake last year. I had an customer that needed sprinkler repairs, he asked if I could mow his lawn for the summer (he was having knee surgery and couldn't do it). I picked it up as a "side job" from my irrigation business. Later in the season a few other customers caught wind that I would do lawn care and were soon added to that list. At the end of last summer I had only 3 "side mowings", I am currently at 30 residental properties ($25-$75 ea. per week), 8 rental properties (will triple next season, I got in pretty good with another realtor last week), 4 small -medium commercial (less than 2 acres), and one large apartment complex (about 4 acres, but will probably drop after this season I think I end up making more from this place in late fees and service reinstatement fees than i do actually mowing) |