Almost give up?

[Steve W]

I think I would just let that be the last time I worked for her unless she called you and said she was ready to pay the price. I do some C-Stores around here and YES the are owned by Indians. Friday nite for the second time this one tried to give me $10.00 less than he owed. I told him to just pay me what he owes me this time and he could get somebody else from now on to Do the job. He Said NOOO Steve you do really good work, it look so good when you finish, and then he handed me my money. He said see you next time right?

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[Fresh Cut]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by Steve W I think I would just let that be the last time I worked for her unless she called you and said she was ready to pay the price. I do some C-Stores around here and YES the are owned by Indians. Friday nite for the second time this one tried to give me $10.00 less than he owed. I told him to just pay me what he owes me this time and he could get somebody else from now on to Do the job. He Said NOOO Steve you do really good work, it look so good when you finish, and then he handed me my money. He said see you next time right? How you gonna handle it? Are you gonna do the job again? See, here is my dilemma, I really need the money so I'm inclined to take the job, but I know in my head that I can't take my business where I want it to go if people are taking my business serious. I have to make people respect my hustle. I feel like if they can't respect my hustle then you can't respect me and they can go find somebody else to do the job.

[Steve W]

How you gonna handle it? Are you gonna do the job again?

See, here is my dilemma, I really need the money so I'm inclined to take the job, but I know in my head that I can't take my business where I want it to go if people are taking my business serious.

I have to make people respect my hustle. I feel like if they can't respect my hustle then you can't respect me and they can go find somebody else to do the job.

Sure I will do it again,He will pay my price because of the good work I do for him. I guess its just in his blood to be that way.
And I know what ya mean about needing money, I dont have 80 acounts and the regulars I do have are set up for 2weeks. Around here it is hard to get folks to let you cut every week.

[CHEESE2009]

Lol one of my customers handed me a wad of cash & was so clueless, I only charged $65.00 & she gave me $120.00, cute old lady. I gave her back what she didn't owe, & told her to be more careful!

I WISH EVERY OTHER CUSTOMERS WERE LIKE THAT LOL!

"Can I pay you next week, next month, oh I don't have it right now"

I wanna say, "you don't have my money? I like your shoes" YOINK!!!!

[picframer]

Originally Posted by Steve

As we read all the different happenings that go on with small businesses on the forum, it seems to me at any one of these moments, a business owner could throw their hands up in the air and say I GIVE UP!

Did you eve have such a moment when you were getting started and how did you get passed that moment?

I think personally I set my expectations too high going into a new venture and when I do not see immediate results, honestly the thought of giving up has passed my mind.

In the lawn care side, my focus in April was lawn mowing, spent a lot of money on marketing material (80% is still here in the office) and started, no results. Did some research again, competition for mowing was fierce, saw there was no money in it....now what???

Things happen and sometimes for the good, had a call from a friend of a friend, herd I had started this, needed an area levelled for a play centre, I had the equipment, did the job. That honestly was the real start of the company, he asked about his lawn and hired us to spray it as it was in bad shape, massive lawn, then hired us to do tree clearing.

I was having a burger with him one afternoon when the mail arrived, there was a local paper called the Masthead News, took down the contact information, it is a free paper to every home in the area 20,000 +/-, I put an ad in the last week of April, OMG the results were insane.

Now I had a new problem, University was not out and I needed staff, used a temp agency, it worked ok not great.

Next problem was equipment, had the work, University was out, do I spend ten's of thousands of dollars in these economic times, thought....if things are so bad why are we getting so many jobs, forget the economy, stop listening to the media, get the equipment and do what you love to do and we did, results???? well according to our business plan, in the seven weeks of operation our revenue as of today is what I expected at the end of year two.

Has it slown down?? Not at all, the jobs are pouring in and what I am finding is the jobs are bigger, I quoted three yesterday and got all three, these are massive jobs for us, one is levelling 36 loads of fill, 14 loads of top soil, sod and spraying, that will take three staff well over a week, first few days will have to be two machines, excavator and loader, next job is clearing four acres of down trees and chipping, two week job easy, last job I looked at yesterday was tree clearing again, two acres on the ocean 300+ trees down from wind, then as we were talking the lady asked for two culverts, 200 feet of drain and a new driveway with a parking area for visitors.....two week job, four staff.

Please do not ever take any of this as bragging, it isn't, my only point is it can be done and I am a believer the work is out there, sometimes we have to look around and go after it.

Andy

[Fresh Cut]

I see nobody replied to my 'story', heh

[Steve W]

You need to go back and read again! heh!