Couple of Business Idea's

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I came across this, this morning, extermination but a business idea for you to consider in the slow months. The city where I live is on the Atlantic Ocean, mice and rats are an issue especially this time of the year where the weather is turning colder at night. I ran into a couple of guys my age two weeks ago that had just started and they claim they can not keep up. Something to think about as the start up cost would not be high and it's an on going issue in many cities. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/20.../18757726.html

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Andy
Halifax, Nova Scotia

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

I wonder if you could get into that without needing a license? Possibly if you just used traps instead of chemicals or pesticides?

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Originally Posted by Steve

I wonder if you could get into that without needing a license? Possibly if you just used traps instead of chemicals or pesticides?

Yes, What interested me is a new company I hired to look after our building, its a new multi million dollar building I manage however its right on the water front, the Ocean is 20 feet from one side which brings mice this time of the year. They use something called sticky traps, some live traps etc. His start up costs were next to nothing however the profit margin is high, I did the math, it's a very easy business to learn and would be a great add on business for those offering home services.

Just crossed my mind as I signed a contract for our building, $1,320 a month, there are traps every 60 feet along the parimiter in the 40,000 sq/ft building, you want to get ahead of the issue before it becomes one, they come in every week to check the locations which the document, anyhow something to consider.

Another thing is garbage removal, I moved the business from the big trucks two three young guys that have small dumps on their 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks, the service is better and a little cheaper, they charge me $30,000 a year and come three times a week. Because we recycle, one young fellow laughed the other day as he is making almost $600 a month on returning pop cans and water bottles.

There are so many things we can do to make money, just look around and think outside the box.

Lawn care for the place was an interesting adventure, mowing was easy to find, taking care of our many flow beds was another story, found the right company and very happy, what I found was most of the small LCO's that came in for a presentation could serve themselves well by taking a dace to face marketing course, they were probably excellent but fell flat in the presentation.

[Growing Green]

Andy, can you elaborate on the "garbage removal". What do you mean by they charge you $30,000 a year and come three times a week? Do you send them out to your customers or what do you remove the garbage from?

Thanks,

Matt

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Originally Posted by Growing Green

Andy, can you elaborate on the "garbage removal". What do you mean by they charge you $30,000 a year and come three times a week? Do you send them out to your customers or what do you remove the garbage from?

Thanks,

Matt

Matt,

I am an entrepreneur at heart, I see so many opportunities in life, some I pursue others I pass on, I find as much satisfaction in making it work as I do others taking an idea and running with it.

For $30,000 you come to our building three times a week to

1) load garbage that is not recyclable
2) Do what you will with items that can be recycled
3) Take compost

I was interested in this and am still giving some thought of starting another company then flipping it, it's what I do as I enjoy it and it gives people a chance.

There are so many restaurants screaming for this service in our city it shocks me as us little guys have overlooked what the bigger guys are doing and the profit is simply amazing, compared to lawn mowing it's 17 times the profit and I don't understand why more haven't looked into it.

Many of us understand the rose is quite often in front of our face, I just throw this out, do some leg work, at least where I live there is demand as few offer the service.

[Growing Green]

So looks like you are taking on a bunch more than lawn/landscaping services now. So when you say you manage a multi-million dollar building are you talking about the outside services of it?

I'm really enjoying reading about your adventures. My mind is always thinking of other things and I too agree that there are opportunities everywhere. I have so many things I want to do. I think what I need to do is list them all and then make a game plan of how to achieve them. If I don't then 10 years from now I'll probably still be mowing lawns and then talking about how I still want to do these things.

Would you be willing to help me at times? Maybe some phone calls and I pay you for your ideas and time? I at this time am really struggling with hardscaping and I'm starting to get more and more questions on this and I think you would be a lot of help to me. Plus would like to know more about what all you are involved in.

Take care,

Matt

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Originally Posted by Growing Green

So looks like you are taking on a bunch more than lawn/landscaping services now. So when you say you manage a multi-million dollar building are you talking about the outside services of it?

I'm really enjoying reading about your adventures. My mind is always thinking of other things and I too agree that there are opportunities everywhere. I have so many things I want to do. I think what I need to do is list them all and then make a game plan of how to achieve them. If I don't then 10 years from now I'll probably still be mowing lawns and then talking about how I still want to do these things.

Would you be willing to help me at times? Maybe some phone calls and I pay you for your ideas and time? I at this time am really struggling with hardscaping and I'm starting to get more and more questions on this and I think you would be a lot of help to me. Plus would like to know more about what all you are involved in.

Take care,

Matt

Matt,

I sold most of the excavation/Landscaping business in the spring, I still have a pile of equipment and do a few jobs, I kept the pressure washing crews, I sold for a few reasons, company grew too fast and I became an office manager when I wanted to be out running equipment, most of my staff graduated university and were taking on career's.

An oportunity came along to manage this massive building, since I had never done something like this, it interested me, I have 260 small business owners/farmers in the facility.

Here is a recent overview I worked on with a consulting company, this is the building.

As for helping you, or anyone for that matter, ask away, no cost bud, my payment is simply in being able to help people, we can Skype as it will cave you money or email me.

http://www.atlanticgreenbuilding.ca/...ies&Itemid=131

It's an impressive building and one of the most efficient in North America, we generate our power with wind turbines, collect water for the bathrooms, all geo thermal, cooling is from the ocean as it's 20 feet from our building, we are big into vermiculture etc.

Andy

[Growing Green]

Andy, that building is amazing! I love all of that stuff as well. I run my business using only organic products and I'm getting more into urban homesteading. Austin is really big on this. We are in this biggest drought we have ever experienced so people are getting rid of their lawns and going into using only native plants and xeriscaping. I'm working on learning more on edible landscaping as well. So much to learn!

Great that you are getting that experience with managing. Are you enjoying it? What made you decide to go into this from what you were doing before? Seems like a big change...I sound like Steve with all the questions...hehe

Yea, I would love to talk to you more. Don't really have an agenda, but I love that you seem to take on new adventures when they arrise.

Take care,
Matt

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Matt, if you looked at my resume, you would think this is one unfocused person

The short of it is I spent most of my career in commercial financing with Canada's second largest bank, even as a Regional VP, I wasn't making a lot of money, well in my books.

I left as I refused to transfer to another province, it was a promotion however I had started a family and it wasn't what I wanted. I accepted a position with a gold exploration company and made my nest egg in a very short time.

Now I venture into jobs that I can learn at, the thrill for me is taking on a task that is against the odd's and trying to make it work.