Fun Questions!

[CHEESE2009]

Erase the above posters answers, & fill in your own!

1. What got you into starting your own lawn service?
I suck at learning something from a desk at school. I worked for a couple of companies who offer lawn service & decided that it would be worth it to start my own. Though previously I was hesitant to cut grass, thinking it wasn't a career, that it was a silly job that will get me nowhere. Over time I looked more into it, not having much knowledge on how to do anything else, I realized that it's a job in high demand, & it's something I'm very good at.

2. Do you have another job, what do you do?
I have no other job

3. Are you still in high school or college, etc?
No, I can't stand school.

4. What is your dream job?
I'd like to own a small yaht, & take people out to go fishing or just transport them to different islands... Kinda like the bad guy in the movie, "Anaconda".


5. What are your top 5 life priorities?
1. Maintaining the business
2. Finding new clients
3. Investing
4. Relationships outside of work
5. Health

6. What is your biggest fear being a business owner?
My biggest fear has to be a shortage of people who need lawn service, without customers, I'm destroyed. I started a business in interior painting, it's a job full of hassles & you can only serve one customer out of the 5 who called you, then your done your one customer & the others have gone with another company... you get stuck searching hard for people who need their rooms painted.

7. If you won $80,000.00, what would you spend it on?
A new truck, an enclosed trailer, or a walker mower

8. If you had a girlfriend/wife & suddenly they were pregnant with your child, what would you do?
I'd move to Mexico, joking! I would panic, probably get a second job, spend a grand here & there on advertising, bring in more customers and hope for the best!

9. What would you do if one of your legs were broken?
This year... I'd probably call all my customers & tell them I wont be able to do lawn service for the rest of the year. I wouldn't pay someone to replace me just yet. I'd advertise in weeding or something I can do with a broken leg lol...

10. From the time of starting your business up until now, how has your attitude changed?
I don't take what my customers say seriously, most of them are full of crap. I tell them how it is, instead of wasting my time trying to make ends meet. They either agree on something I offer right away, or I'm done with them. Basically they don't deserve as much patience as I had given them earlier.

11. What do you see your business like in 7 years?
I will probably have 7 times the amount of problems. 2 crews who can do the work while I take care of the paperwork & phone calls. It's a tough call, next year I might be able to predict where I will be. I have visions of my company driving military vehicles, and all the crew dressed like my own personal army. LOLLLLLL:D

12. Was there ever a time you wanted to give up on your business?
When something becomes routine, it gets boring. When you had to wake up every day to go to school, I'm sure you hit the alarm a few times & even took a couple of days off. When I started the company, I was on time every day to do the best work possible for everything. Though now I'm not afraid to sleep until 10am, instead of waking up at 6:30am. I now say, "This is my business, this is how I'm going to do it!" I still get my work done before the evening, so I don't see a problem.

13. Did you start off thinking you’d have to fight customers off because there would be too many wanting your service?
I did expect to have many customers, I thought every one flyer in 10 I would get a phone call, now it's every one in one thousand if I'm lucky!

[Steve]

This is really thought provoking.

10. From the time of starting your business up until now, how has your attitude changed?
I don't take what my customers say seriously, most of them are full of crap. I tell them how it is, instead of wasting my time trying to make ends meet. They either agree on something I offer right away, or I'm done with them. Basically they don't deserve as much patience as I had given them earlier.

It seems many times that if you have to personally deal with the public, over time, it grinds you down and takes the fun out of it. Some entrepreneurs that seem to keep their smiling personality well later into life seem to have insulated themselves from having to deal with problem customers.

11. What do you see your business like in 7 years?
I will probably have 7 times the amount of problems. 2 crews who can do the work while I take care of the paperwork & phone calls. It's a tough call, next year I might be able to predict where I will be. I have visions of my company driving military vehicles, and all the crew dressed like my own personal army.

That is awesome. Hey why not, Gene Simmons has the Kiss Army LOL. It's amazing how difficult it can be to project into the future where you want your business to be. I have read a bunch of books where these successful people would be driven. DRIVEN. They would say I want X% growth each year and in 7 years my business will be like this and this big. But it does make me wonder. How much can you really force growth in a business? Will a business have a certain level of organic growth it will want to take each year? Then if you force it further, there will be side effects to it?

Like for instance your other question if you had gotten an additional $80,000, what would you do with it? That is such a great question and I do wonder how many would be able to take it, inject it into their business and find a return on investment similar to that of their other equipment vs it just become a white elephant that is never used or becomes a drag on the business.

12. Was there ever a time you wanted to give up on your business?
When something becomes routine, it gets boring.

This reminds me of the book I recently read on Paul Newman and his food company Newman's Own. He seemed to have one of the best attitudes about business. His view was 'if it aint fun it aint worth doing.' It's amazing how few business owners want to have fun with their business. Where they realize life is short and you shouldn't waste your time doing something you don't like, when you can do something you'd like. You are the captain of your own ship so why not take it where you want to take it?

13. Did you start off thinking you’d have to fight customers off because there would be too many wanting your service?
I did expect to have many customers, I thought every one flyer in 10 I would get a phone call, now it's every one in one thousand if I'm lucky!

I think many new business owners go through this phase. You can read posts here and see a new business owner say, well I don't want to advertise too much, I don't want to get swamped. Well, the chances of getting swamped are slim!