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robh · #1 06-03-2010, 04:24 AM

hello all. my name is Rob, I have recently decided to start my own landscaping/ lawn care bisness, but I am not quirte shore how to get things off the ground. I have already done one job,but it was a showcase job.I love this kind of work, grew up doing landscaping, but I work a full time job right now and I dont know how many cusomers I should have befor it is time to leave my day job. I really want to get this started. vary tired of working THE MAN. Also I don't have alot of extra money lying around to buy equipment,(truck trailor mower)and I really don't have the bisness yet to go buy the stuff. I don't want to take out a loan do buy it and then not have the bisness to make the payments, but I don't want to prommis people serves that I can't provide yet. Want is the best way to go about buying my equipment. I would like to focus my efforts on landscaping primerily,byt I know that I need to offer lawncare too when lanscaping is slow. and what kind of health insurance do people get for families. my wife dosenot work and we have a baby and I can't leave my job until I am stable. again realy want to get started. Right now I drive a lumber truck around the city, and it is a good job,but just not what I am supost to be doing. thank you for all your help.

Last edited by robh; 06-03-2010 at 04:27 AM.

Steve · #2 06-04-2010, 03:41 AM

Lawn care business tips

Hi Rob,

Welcome to our forum!

It sounds like you already got your first job completed! That is fantastic! What kind of job was it? Is it mowing or landscaping?

Have you started to let friends and neighbors know you are now in business? Did you get any business cards made yet or flyers?

Have you been thinking of ways you would like to market your business?

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robh · #3 06-04-2010, 04:05 AM

yes it was a landscaping job. I don't have any equipment yet to start mowing.
Friends and family know. and I do have some yard signs made up, but I am working on geting another cell phone. I can't have cust. calling my house
all day and waking up my baby. so I dont' have biz cards yet. I also don't want to get to much biz and not be able to handel it all since I have to do this on the weekends. alot of what I am doing right now if trying to let people know what I am about this year, and preparing my self and hiting it hart next season. but still want to do some work this season.

Steve · #4 06-04-2010, 05:21 AM

From what we have seen on here, many members have talked about being concerned with getting TOO many customers, but that never seems to happen.

As you fill your schedule up, you can always raise prices. There will be those who are willing to pay higher prices and that is good for you. You can also drop lower paying clients then.

So don't stress over getting TOO many. Keep getting the word out and get as many calling you as possible because it gives you a better choice of who you want to service.

robh · #5 06-07-2010, 08:50 PM

do I need to be licenced as a landscaper and what are the benifits. do I need it as a partimer.

JP Landscaping · #6 06-07-2010, 09:05 PM

Rob:

start part time. Pass out your business cards as much as you can. Perhaps when you do deliveries (if you do deliveries). If you don't have the lawn equipment, then focus more on landscaping until you have enough money to buy the lawn equipment. for landscaping you don't need a lot of equipment to start. A few shovels, rakes, couple of tarps, a hammer. If you need materials, have them delivered to the work area and charge the customer the delivery fee. If you need to use a trailer, you can rent one for the weekend and charge that as well.

Also, which part of the midwest are you in? Getting a license was easy where i'm at. maybe I can help.

good luck

robh · #7 06-08-2010, 04:17 AM

Indiana, and the web site is hard to naigate. of corse im shore i helps when you know somthing about it. Also I know it will be a wile,but when to I know when to go fulltime.

Steve · #8 06-09-2010, 03:15 AM

Making the jump from part time to full time ultimately comes down to when you are maxing out the amount of time you have to work and when you are maxing out the amount of money you can make part time. Then you can make the jump.

Or maybe it comes down to if you get to the point where you have had it with your full time job, then you might choose to leave then as well.

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