Million Dollar Question

[LawnBoy0311]

Originally Posted by dpld i understand what you are saying but we are talking about starting a business here and if there is even a remote chance that you might not like it after your first year then that is proof positive you should not have started a landscape business to begin with. starting a business is not trying out a new girlfriend or ice cream flavor it is a progression from previously working in the industry and working your way up to own one yourself one day. if that is the new norm these days to wake up and say "what do i want to do with my life?" and conclude you want to be a landscaper then it should be no surprise that so many fail. the best way to learn what it is all about and try it out without investing a dime is to work for a bigger company. i did it for several years before i started and when i did start my own business i saved up and bought the right stuff from the get go. it is hard and i never implied it would be easy and nothing good ever comes easy but you can not go into it blind without any financial plan and putting yourself in the poor house as well as looking at it that there is always the option you might not like it. i think if you are going to decide to start a business you better be damn sure that you are gonna like it, first. That was exactly my point. I think I saw somewhere that the poster asking the question was 16. Thats a hard age, especially trying to figure out what to do in life. This day and age, theres a lot of job jumpers. From my point of hiring/firing, I often saw resume's with multiple jobs in a year or 2. Its sad to say, but if they don't like it, they quit. And yes, this is becoming the norm. What a lot of young guys don't understand is a lot of new business ventures fail. When reading other peoples threads, and seeing guys are making money out there...guys been in business for over 20+ years...it makes them wonder. Is it something I can do? Of course! I have a mower and trimmer. I'm going out and I'm going to start a company and make a lot of money! The proof is in the pudding, look at his user name (No offense). But theres a lot more to it than that. This forum has the guys here that can run a successful business and have done well, or sometimes scraped by. But this forum does not have guys that have failed, but still post. A study came out a little while ago- 50% of new marriages fail. I'm at the age where my friends are all starting to get married, and its scary thinking half won't make it. A business is no different. 56% fail in the first 4 years. The main reason? Lack of planning and jumping in too fast. What does that relate to? Job jumping....because you can always quit and do something else.

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Last edited by LawnBoy0311; 10-19-2012 at 09:07 AM.

[dpld]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by LawnBoy0311 That was exactly my point. I think I saw somewhere that the poster asking the question was 16. Thats a hard age, especially trying to figure out what to do in life. This day and age, theres a lot of job jumpers. From my point of hiring/firing, I often saw resume's with multiple jobs in a year or 2. Its sad to say, but if they don't like it, they quit. And yes, this is becoming the norm. What a lot of young guys don't understand is a lot of new business ventures fail. When reading other peoples threads, and seeing guys are making money out there...guys been in business for over 20+ years...it makes them wonder. Is it something I can do? Of course! I have a mower and trimmer. I'm going out and I'm going to start a company and make a lot of money! The proof is in the pudding, look at his user name (No offense). But theres a lot more to it than that. This forum has the guys here that can run a successful business and have done well, or sometimes scraped by. But this forum does not have guys that have failed, but still post. A study came out a little while ago- 50% of new marriages fail. I'm at the age where my friends are all starting to get married, and its scary thinking half won't make it. A business is no different. 56% fail in the first 4 years. The main reason? Lack of planning and jumping in too fast. What does that relate to? Job jumping....because you can always quit and do something else. i agree with you 100% and maybe that is wrong with this country today. there seems to be no value in commitment and dedication and it effects every aspect in todays society. people get married and when it gets hard, which it always does and bam, i don't like you anymore and i want a divorce. people get a job and realize it takes years to move up and bam, they quit and then use the 3 months experience to pad their resume to say they know how to do it and try to fast track themselves. i am not saying that this is the op's thoughts just saying in general because i have some good hard working people that i employ that are always there for me but we always have those couple of young stragglers that have no clue what they want to do and no urgency to commit to finding out that answer. even though i been in business a while i can say it is always a constant struggle and the only real difference is the type of issues and problems you incur and when you start out it is always the getting work and equipment worries but as you grow those issues never go away because as you get more employees you need more work to keep them busy and more equipment to keep them moving as well as more people to break stuff and more money to wait on. i learned a long time ago that being in business is the hardest thing you can do that comes with the most headaches and even though it pays less just showing up to work for a company is the far easier path you can take. being your own boss means you no longer have just one person to answer to it means you have as many bosses as you have customers and the prize at the end of the road is having security in building a money making machine. my business is my retirement and i will die the owner, i am not gonna unload it when i am old and one day after my kids get done with school they can take it over and by then they will be set for life if they choose to follow the road that i paved for them and if not they can sell it and do what they will after they plant me in the ground. there are plenty of days i wake up and say " why me?, and why do i bother anymore?" but then i realize i been at it for too long and come too far to nancy up and throw in the towel.

[Steve]

But this forum does not have guys that have failed, but still post.

I think when people get so turned off to their business that they end it, the last thing they want to do is talk about it. They would rather brush it under the carpet and move on to the next thing that excites them. Although it would be interesting to hear what happened.

The problem with just quitting things is you can find yourself in a repeating cycle as you are all mentioning, where you don't put in enough effort or energy or money into something to make it work.

If the vast majority of people put in X% of energy and most fail, there is a place out there for those that put in x% + 1%. For they will have learned the importance of perseverance. They will see positive results from sticking to it.

They will either learn this, or it is hardcoded in their dna to stick with things and not give up. To not doubt themselves. Not question if they have what it takes. They just do.

So much time is wasted in second guessing yourself and in repeating the same broken cycles over and over.

[Mowin4Dollas]

@LawnBoy I do not understand where this reasoning is coming from? Yes, I am 16 and yes, my username is humorous. How does this reflect my aptitude for business?

[LawnBoy0311]

Originally Posted by Mowin4Dollas

@LawnBoy I do not understand where this reasoning is coming from? Yes, I am 16 and yes, my username is humorous. How does this reflect my aptitude for business?

You may want to go back a re-read all the posts you've made. They all contradict themselves.


You need to come up with a plan before starting your business. Or your aptitude for business won't reflect crap because you'll be out of business.

[dougcaskey]

Ill throw in my 2 cents here, When I saw your first post and your business name I could not help but form a negative opinion...I am not being disrespectful when I say that but I don't see how a potential customer would see your ad and not think it's all about money and not customer service, We are all in business to make a living and yes making money is at the top of the list...However, a customer has to feel that they are getting the best service out there for the money they are spending....

If you are serious about this business I wish you the best of luck....

PLAN.....LISTEN......LEARN.......

[Mowin4Dollas]

My business name is not mowin4dollas. My business name is Reliance Lawn Care. This name is based off Isaiah 50:10 where he talks about relying in The Lord for all things.

[Steve]

I think if you just step by step slowly scale things up as your customer base grows, you should do fine.

Make sure you don't let business get in the way of your schooling now. There will be plenty of time in the future to grow as big as you want to.