Mike,
Best advice I can give, is ALWAYS give quality work, quality service, be on time or a little early, always do something a little extra, look like a professional, and make sure your invoices/bills look professional, and your business will soon explode. I have not advertised but once, 95% of my work has come by word of mouth. I am still doing all the estimates and work, in a county of 15,000. I have to work against low ballers, and kids who start out cheap and then quit when school starts. All this aside, I make sure I have top notch equipment, (in the past I bought used from a reputable dealer), and make a very good living.
You need a good dealer to buy equipment from and to maintain it is a must. Zero turns have many advantages, a blower, weedeater, rake, broom, garbage can, hedge trimmer, small limb trimmer is a must.
Work by yourself at first, make a business plan, revise it as you go, learn from mistakes, read everything you can on lawn care, learn to look people in the eye, always be honest with your customers, and do not take on more than you can handle job wise.
I restarted in the lawn business 4 1/2 years ago after retiring at 48 (corporate cutbacks) and have not looked back. Some times it slows some, for a lot of reasons, but even last summer with gas at $3.00 plus, I still had a lot of work. Profits hurt a lot, but I kept all my customers/added several, and paid off all my equipment. Good luck, keep smiling, it will work, if you will.
Danny Morgan
An Old Man With A Lawn Mower
Pikeville, Tn |