I Am New!!

[anaheimlawn]

Well to start my name is Nick and I am from Anaheim. I have never owned a lawn care co. before. the only experience I have ever had in the business is riding the riding lawn mower across my moms 1/2 acre yard. I am a self starter and have always dreamed of my own business. Seeing the people who service my yard now gave me interest into lawn care. I need lots of help and am reading things all over the net. Any advice on any areas of the business would be greatly apreciated. Thanks Nick

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Hi Nick, Welcome to our forum! Do you ever wonder why you didnt start a business before? Did you ever think about it? What kind of businesses would you have liked to start?

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[anaheimlawn]

Before the econmy took a turn for the worst, I was a sales consultant for a dodge store and a ford store. I was in fleet sales, i worked with mostly small businesses but I did have a few government deals. At that time I dreamed of owning my oun little used car lot. I liked my job but i was unable to get passionate about it because i worked for someone other than myself. My goals were cut short due to a mass lay off, my funds were spent and I had no way of starting my business. finaly 6 months later i was able to land a part time job in ride opperations at disneyland. I am thankfull to be working but i want more. I feel now that geting laid off has been good for me because now i can devote time and myself to opening my business. Can a business with little resources ( mower, weed whacker, other small tools, and a trusk)and funds be sucessful?

[Steve]

Can a business with little resources ( mower, weed whacker, other small tools, and a trusk)and funds be sucessful?

Absolutely. You don't need money. You need a will to do!

My first question now knowing what I know is, do you still have that contact list? Did you sell to local businesses? Can you call them and tell them you are now starting your own lawn care business and can you offer to meet them and give them a quote?

[majoe7]

Everyone has to start somewhere. With the tools you have already, you're on your way.

Motivation is the key to Success!

Steve made a good point with the contact list. If you have that, it is worth a million dollars to you. No better starting place then with old clients you had a good previous relationship with.

I know at Disney that you wear tags that say your name and the city/state you are from? If someone comments to you that they are from the same place, maybe you could hand them a business card with what you do and tell them to give you a call if they are interested. It may be risky to do at your place of employment, but............. JMO I take risk. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good.

Good luck to you.

[anaheimlawn]

I was forced to return all contacts from the ford store, but all of the contacts I had from dodge i still have. about 20-30 solid customers.

[Steve]

That is great. On top of that, realize you got a leg up on most of us. You know how to make sales! What are you planning on doing now with those 20 or so contacts? Can you remember any or your other contacts from Ford?

Maybe you could even give us a few pointers on the best way to close a deal? Are there any do's and dont's you lived by as a salesman?

[anaheimlawn]

Yeah the first thing i plan on doing is calling everyone in my book of business. Then i have a couple places i plan to advertise. My target area is a nice metro area in anaheim. homes range between 400,000-1.5 mil. I plan on printing 5,000 flyers and going door to door. Then i plan on contacting all real estate offices to find vacant homes that may need my service. Next will be property management offices. I have already began to post to craigslist. My website is in develpoment. As soon as i get my business lic all of this will go in to play. If you guys can think of any other places i may want to go or any suggestions please let me know. and yeah i would be happy to post some sales tips.

[Steve]

Are you a member of any social organizations in your area? Are any of your friends or family members?

Can you network through these groups? Can you hand out business cards to them? Or have your friends or family let others know you are getting your lawn care business started?

Also what about putting together a story about you for the local paper?

"'Turning lemons into lemonade!' - From car sales to lawn care.

How one local resident isn't letting the loss of a job stop him."

I'd be interested in reading that! I bet others in your area would too!