Tarmco Property Services

[tarmco]

Hello, I am located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I have had previous experience in lawn care and landscape design, however, my first go around was a little rough (mostly my fault). I have been working in corporate America the last 17 years and have had my fill. I'm ready to take all my experiences and put them together in a business of my own and call my own shots again.

[LawnBoy0311]

Lawn care business tips

What happened the first time? I'd love to know so I (And a lot others) can learn from it.

[Steve]

Welcome to our forum!

my first go around was a little rough (mostly my fault).

What do you feel was rough about your first go at it? What kind of errors were made that you feel you have learned from and can do better at this time?

[tarmco]

Well where do I start. I was more into the money than the service aspect. I was young and not really mature enough to realize what I had within my graps. I tried to grow too fast, without financial accountability, and didn't really have any clue as to how or what to do. Eventually running around with the amount of work I was getting, but no plan caught up and service suffered and eventually everything came to a screeching halt.

I have worked corporate America long enough to realize what I missed out on and with the experiences from my first collapse, the commitment to educating myself and utilizing all resources available (including this forum which I was so happy to find) I am ready to go about it the right way.

My advice:

Find mentors both landscaping and business mgt (many local business assoc offer free advice and guidance)

Focus on customer service!!!!

Set goals (both short term and long term)

Never stop learning and/or improving

Focus on customer service!!!!! (notice I mentioned this one twice)

I wanna share two nuggets of advice that I have received recently that have reignited my passion for this endeavor and helped me to move ahead.

"avoid paralysis by analysis"

and more importantly.....

"stop looking back. When you drive a car you spend 95% of the time looking through the windshield at whats coming and only 5% looking in the rear view mirror at where you came from."

I was constantly thinking about what I have failed at in the past and it really affected my self esteem and my energy. After receiving that last bit of wisdom (from my father and grandfather before him) I am a lot more positive that I can turn the failure into a plus and achieve my goals now.

[tarmco]

Just reading my response and wanted to clarify....

I had no clue when it came to proper time and money management. I didn't start in the cold turkey. I had worked for others before venturing on my own. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to fake it or bluff when it comes to the landscape knowledge. If you don't know find out. Your customers will be a lot happier and more likely to recommend you to others. On the other hand, if you ruin their lawn or landscape....

What's the saying, "a happy customer may tell one or two people about you, but a angry customer is sure to tell everyone they know how much you suck."

[Steve]

I was more into the money than the service aspect. I was young and not really mature enough to realize what I had within my graps. I tried to grow too fast, without financial accountability, and didn't really have any clue as to how or what to do. Eventually running around with the amount of work I was getting, but no plan caught up and service suffered and eventually everything came to a screeching halt.

What warning signs would you suggest other start ups look for to see if they are going down this road too?

Also I think a lot of newer business owners don't understand how too much growth early on can be a bad thing. Can you tell us a little about how it can hurt you?