New to the business!

Hi everyone! I am new to the business and just starting out. When I say "just starting out", I mean looking for my first walk-behind used (any ideas?). I've got an old beat up truck to work out of. I will update my profile in the coming days. Our business is named "Desert Oasis Lawn Service" and is based just outside San Antonio, Texas. Our goal is to have two crews going by end-of-season to be fully loaded for the following, with all revenue going back into the business this year. Any and all advice is appreciated! Special thanks to the guys here at Gopher for the wealth of information available here. What a great site! Talk to ya soon! Tim

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Hi Tim, Welcome to our forum! What got you interested in starting your own lawn care business? Have you check out the lawn care equipment review section here? What are you doing to market your business?

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Thanks Steve!
I have been in management for 20+ years, "slave to the job" so to speak. I was very successful until alcoholism caught up with and devoured me last summer. I didn't lose my employment, but lost my position and over half of my pay. (Thankfully, I am sober since July 4th last year and am happier/healthier than I can ever remember!) I have always wanted to run my own business, but just never had the time. The blessing of my current position is I work nights four days, then off four on a continual rotating basis. This allows me the time to start a business for the first time.

As part of my management responsibilities, I have overseen high-volume nurserys and it has always been my favorite department. I've always taken pride in having one of the nicest lawns in the neighborhood, even back in the day when the neighborhood competition we had was basically dirt!

I am planning on marketing my business as environmentally sound, utilizing natural solutions whenever possible. I am planning a website to include informational service for clients as well as the ability to request special services over and above basic maintenance contracts.

Other than that, I am ALL ears on here and reading everything I can get my hands on.

I am heading to the equipment ratings forum right now!

I am trying to determine if the gopher software supports PDA's and sent a query to the staff; if it does, I'm sold on it and will be getting it in the next week or so.
Great site, bro'!

God Bless,
Tim

[Steve]

I have been in management for 20+ years, "slave to the job" so to speak. I was very successful until alcoholism caught up with and devoured me last summer. I didn't lose my employment, but lost my position and over half of my pay. (Thankfully, I am sober since July 4th last year and am happier/healthier than I can ever remember!)

I think this is a very interesting topic. I was just recently having a talk with a friend of mine who has been dealing with depression for quite sometime now and he seems to blame a lot of it on his job and the feeling of being trapped by a high amount of debt.

Could you shed some light onto the topic of alcoholism? What do you feel causes it to happen and how has running your own business effected that?

Steve,
To answer your question, alcoholism starts with the first drink; it is there whether you've ever had a drink in your life. It is a progressive disease that is somewhere in the genes of the people afflicted.

Running my own business is something I am new to since being sober; I always wanted to run my own business, but because of the drinking, I never dared. Now, I have the confidence and drive to do it for myself and my family's future, rather than managing a large company for someone else. I cant wait for it to finally come together!

[Steve]

Do you feel that running a business can help a person find that something they were missing in their lives that causes depression?

Is running a business a creative outlet that can change a life or is it more along the lines of hard work just makes you feel better?