Hello Every one

[AllProlawn]

Hi every one
I started my company 5 *years a go *with just a lawn mower and a blower and a weed eater my first year i had 45 accounts all home owners,
I did mowing ,yard clean ups,sprinkle repairs power raking and lawn areations and small tree -brush trimming,
it was going good .
And then i was approched by a freind that was doing some work for the city and he was a sub contact with this guy
he was ripiing out curbs so they could be replaced and i would go back through and fix any broken sprinkler lines and put new sod or seed it it was good contract making some good money.

Then it happend the guy who was sub contracting us
Ran off leaviing me and my freind scott with put paying us
it was a big struggle but i had to shut down on octoberof 20o6
i had owed venders a lot of money and they wanted it
so i had to sell my equitment pay them off
and then i had to take a job at wally world to survive
and keep the family fed and a roof over our head
and i was not happy some thing that i built with my hands was gone
in a second
I took pride in what i did i tought my self everything
if i did not know some thing i read a book and tought my self
my wife said that i need to get back in it she saw i was getting depressed when i see a lawn care tralier go by
2 weeks ago she told me that she wanted me to get back in to it
we had a very long talk i told her with our credit shot
it would be hard
thats when she told me she pulled some of her money from her 401k to buy *some *equitment and she all ready got our name in the phone book
for 2008
she said she wanted to see me happy again
and she knows that i can do it i did it before
and i can do it again
i have one thing to say if you are going to subcontract from a subcontracter dont do it it is not worth it
My wife found this site and showed it to me
it looks like a great site i look fward to chating with all of you
sincerly
Pj
All pro lawn & Sprinkler

[pmblair]

Wow... first let me say welcome to the forum! We're glad to have you...

Secondly, man, that's a VERY touching story... I think Steve will agree that you DEFINATELY need to get that in the paper! It's just what the people want to see - a good "come back" story!

Glad to have you here! Good luck to you! It's great that you have such a supportive and encouraging wife.

[AllProlawn]

yes me and scott had it on paper but the city would not honor it be cuse we were sub under him

[Steve]

WOW!

Welcome PJ to our forum! I am very happy to have you here. That is quite a story and yes would make for a great article!

Looking back on the experience, do you have any thoughts about warning signs of something like this happening? When was he supposed to pay? How long did it drag out before you knew there was a problem?

Looking forwards, when are you going to be starting again and what will you be doing to market your business?

[moseley creek]

WOW what a story. Welcome and best of luck. You had it once you'll have it again. Sounds like you have a great partner behind you that always helps.

[AllProlawn]

we were getting paid weekly and he was allways on time *wehen we finished onesid of the city and start on the other side whe had to do a walk thru with the city manager he said evertyhing look great
and kyel gave me a check for half and said he would get me the rest when he got a check from the city in a coupl of days
a week whent by i had not herd from him i called him
and he said that he had not gotten a check yet it would be monday
he would call me and tell me to come to his office
i wen to the bank and did a deposit from my regular customers
and found out that his check bounced
i called and called and webt to his off and it was cleened out
and he was gone
called scott his check bounced to and some other venders we contatced
said eathier *he had not paid or the check bounced
we have not seen him since

i pan to be back in in full force in febuary
2008

[Steve]

What kinds of things will you be doing to market your business to get it built back up?

[AllProlawn]

Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Oct. 19 2007,3:13)]What kinds of things will you be doing to market your business to get it built back up?
well we will be in the phone book for the first time
never done that before and we are going to build a website
in the past we advertize in the local news paper
and the free want ads so we wiil be doing that again
and i will be passing out flyers *nothing fancy this year
just black and white my computer has been printing *a 100
flyers a night and i will start in febuary passing them out
i get good feed back from them

and i race a stock car u will be a mazed on the fans that come up and ask you for a card and its a tax write off
when i started i first put my name on the car and got 20%
of my customers some of them either moved or passed on
but *my name will be back on it next year

my phone has been ring off the hook for sprinkler blow outs
that i did last year and the year before so i have to go rent a compresssor and go blow them out and *we are going to give out flyers ot in that in that area
i just love it i will make in one day what i would make at wally world in two weeks and put that money in the bank

[Steve]

Quote[/b] ]and i race a stock car u will be a mazed on the fans that come up and ask you for a card and its a tax write off
when i started i first put my name on the car and got 20%
of my customers some of them either moved or passed on
but my name will be back on it next year

You have GOT to tell me more about this! Can you please post some pictures too?

What got you into this?

What other kinds of cross promoting are you doing with this?

My gosh! I can imagine a logo with a checkered flag, your race car in it all on top of some grass!

Your website could have your car parked on a lawn with your mowers in front and then maybe you standing in front in some kind of race car driver outfit!

There is SO much you could do with this!

[AllProlawn]

Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Oct. 21 2007,12:23)]Quote[/b] ]and i race a stock car u will be a mazed on the fans that come up and ask you for a card and its a tax write off
when i started i first put my name on the car and got 20%
of my customers some of them either moved or passed on
but *my name will be back on it next year

You have GOT to tell me more about this! Can you please post some pictures too?

What got you into this?

What other kinds of cross promoting are you doing with this?

My gosh! I can imagine a logo with a checkered flag, your race car in it all on top of some grass!

Your website could have your car parked on a lawn with your mowers in front and then maybe you standing in front in some kind of race car driver outfit!

There is SO much you could do with this!
thats a good i dea iam rebuliding itr now you gace me some good ideas thanks

[Steve]

Do you have any pics you can post?

[Steve]

Here is a quick idea that shows you how you could incorporate the two ideas. Race cars and lawn care.

[AllProlawn]

thanks that a good idea Pjs wife

[Steve]

Hi pj's wife,

Do you have pictures of the race car you can show us?