Why do we fail at business?

[jasonw]

Originally Posted by Steve From your personal experiences and the experiences you have seen with others, what is your view on why so many of us fail at business? What makes it seem next to impossible for the average person to start a business? I am sure most everyone has seen my ranting as of late. My problem has been mismanagement and growing faster than the business could sustain itself causing an ultimate implosion of the business. We are scarping out of it but it has not been easy. I still dont know how we went from up top to hitting the ground and getting back up in this economy. As if its not hard enough to get work now we got it, destroyed it and saved it. AIG should hire me.

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White Company

[picframer]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by jasonw I am sure most everyone has seen my ranting as of late. My problem has been mismanagement and growing faster than the business could sustain itself causing an ultimate implosion of the business. We are scarping out of it but it has not been easy. I still dont know how we went from up top to hitting the ground and getting back up in this economy. As if its not hard enough to get work now we got it, destroyed it and saved it. AIG should hire me. Steve asked a tough question and there is no simple answer, if there was we would all be a success. Its a learning experience, when you get a contract that you did well, were paid for, received referrals, build on that and look at what you did and run with it.

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Andy
Halifax, Nova Scotia

[Paineless Creations]

Originally Posted by ringahding1

Quote Steve: "They will probably rather hire the guy who seems to love his business and enjoy what he is doing" .... This is what you need to do, and show in order to succeed.... It's sometimes hard for my guys'(crew) to see how much I love this biz, cuz it looks as though I have so much...House, 5 vehicles, shop, mad lawn care equipment...HOT WIFE...LOL, and they are just scratching by...but I tell them I dont care about $$$....it is true I dont... I didnt start my own LCO for the $$$, and some of you may be witness to some of the flyers I have contributed...I'm telling you RIGHT NOW, I hit the pavement everday(SUNDAYS TOO)...."Work hard, take break" was stolen from a gentleman I used to work for(died in a MC accident) and that's exactly what I do...Hey mama didnt raise no FOOL, we all need $$, but if that's all this was....I wouldn't be on here trying to pass along what has worked for my LCO to people i've never met....Live honestly, be grateful, and WORK HARD....

That is a good write up.

I have just started this year- I do have a full time job and right now I do lawn care on the side. This year I took all my money and just bought equipment and made no money (I can't afford to buy commercial equipment yet-yes I know wrong move before you guys yell at me, but I can not justify the cost yet) I actually did very well off "word of mouth" this year. I have only good stories to tell you guys of this first year. But I always try my hardest to do a great job selling myself (always smile and treat people very respectfully) and upbeat (happy). Show up with clean truck and equipment and on time, try not to look dirty when I show up. I have simple logo shirts and keep a spare in the truck (I have learned) and then my good quality service on the lawn with great communication. This has worked for me. I am grateful for every customer and every lawn no matter what.

[Steve]

This year I took all my money and just bought equipment and made no money

What is your view on this? Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Did you plan this out or did you realize this at the end of the year?

My problem has been mismanagement and growing faster than the business could sustain itself causing an ultimate implosion of the business.

What's crazy is, we always want more more more. Bigger, Stronger, Faster.

We don't just want a Pepsi, we want a MONSTER energy drink. We want to supersize everything.

We want the fastest car or motorcycle and once we get on it, we want to hammer the pedal to the floor.

The problem with all that goes back to the old saying 'power is nothing without control.'

What that can mean in business is, we want everything big and new. As many crews as we can get. As big of properties as we can get. Yet we focus on the big and don't focus on the control.

Control is the last thing we ever worry about. Whether it is understanding our cash flow. Understanding how to manage our business. Understanding how to manage our employees.

I think the reason why we never seem to worry about control, is because control is not something big and physical in front of us. It is more of a concept. You don't necessarily see it in other businesses when they drive by or when you drive by them. You simply see, mowers, trucks, employees, and buildings.

You don't see the infrastructure laid in place over years of trial and error. You don't see how the office is run. You don't see if the owner is enjoying running his business or pulling his hair out daily.

If we realized more that we needed to learn more control, we would focus on it more and affirm that it is something we need to pay more attention to.

Their are entrepreneurs out there that make it all look so easy. That is because they have systems in place to make operations smoother. You can do it too. You just have to acknowledge control is something that needs to be part of your focus. As you look into it more and research it more, you will find ways to organize and streamline your business structure.

Realize control is an issue before it becomes uncontrollable.

[Paineless Creations]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for asking the answer is complety yes....I was thinking in my first season would officialy be the 2011 mowing season.
What I did this year was R & d like this forum I got a business license, got general liability and bought equipment as a made money. This year I just wanted to see if I like doing this kind of work. So to answer your question this year was completely planed and went way better than expected with my training wheels on...

[Steve]

Would you have done anything differently up to this point if you could start over again, knowing what you know now?

[Paineless Creations]

Originally Posted by Steve

Would you have done anything differently up to this point if you could start over again, knowing what you know now?

No not really. But ask me that same question 1 year from now.. LOL