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jasonw · #1 05-13-2009, 11:29 AM

Hey everyone remember me? Been a while and I thought I would pop in and say hi. Time has been very limited and a lawn care business has been at the back of my mind but yesterday for some odd reason I started thinking about it so I figured I would stop in here.

Steve · #2 05-13-2009, 12:11 PM

Lawn care business tips

Hi Jason,

Welcome back.

What have you been thinking about? Where the plan stand? What will you be doing to implement it?

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jasonw · #3 05-13-2009, 12:52 PM

No plan, nothing to implement no nothing as of late. Just been doing a lot of stuff. I don't know if you remember or if I mentioned it but I ran a business breeding snakes for some time. Well I sold the entire business and have been relaxing, enjoying our new home and tinkering with some new toys. I am really not sure where I stand with the lawn care idea but its still in my head albeit back behind a few other things.

Steve · #4 05-13-2009, 01:10 PM

Do you miss your snake business? I thought that was very unique! Have you been thinking of other business ideas as well? Anything you would like to get into?

jasonw · #5 05-13-2009, 01:32 PM

I miss the rush that business life gave me but as far as the business itself no I don't miss it. I am in the market for a enw business now yes. My wife and I have been talking about buying an apartment building in S California. We have also talked about opening a "green" retail supper store and of course my love developing after market motorcycle parts but nothing is set in stone as of yet. We find problems with all the ventures we have thought of. Not big problems but enough to make us question if we would truly enjoy them, in my book if you dont enjoy it there is no point doing it.

Steve · #6 05-13-2009, 01:45 PM

That is a very good point. I don't know of many people who REALLY enjoy what they do, whether it be a job or a business.

I think if you can start something small and experiment with it, without risking too much capital, you might find something you really like.

After market motorcycle parts seem like they could be fun!

jasonw · #7 05-13-2009, 01:45 PM

The biggest problem with me is getting those ideas. We have the money, we have the time to do anything we want but its all in the idea. If you enjoy what you do you wont work a day in your life. If however I did not enjoy what I chose to do I am out a couple hundred grand and in the same situation I am in now. I really decided that I don't really want anything to do with the day to day opporations of the company. I am not interested in working but rather taking my idea "when I find it" and paying others to do it for me. This is one reason the lawn care business slid down on the list "correct me if I am wrong please" but it seems like it requires a lot of blood sweat and tears to make it, especially in my market area where we have more Hispanics than I can count already doing it for dirt cheep.

Steve · #8 05-13-2009, 03:03 PM

Well the beauty of lawn care is that it's not capital intensive. It's labor intensive. Many people have more time on their hands than money so they leverage their time and generate money through labor.

However there are others that have capital and want to leverage that.

Have you considered looking into franchises? Maybe get something together that you don't have to be there to operate on a day to day basis? Or maybe help fund someone interested in starting a franchise?

jasonw · #9 05-14-2009, 11:38 AM

Yes I looked into them but didn't really like them. I wander how log it would take to build a lawn care business up enough to step aside and let it run itself. hmmmm. This may be a good project.

Steve · #10 05-14-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Yes I looked into them but didn't really like them. I wander how log it would take to build a lawn care business up enough to step aside and let it run itself. hmmmm. This may be a good project.

That is a very good question. I think doing such things is very tough. Having a business run and the owner stepping aside works in a way with public companies but with small private companies, you really need to have some sort of checks and balances.

A possible way of doing it is having someone be kind of an partner/operator and you as an invisible partner of sorts. Depending how much or how little you want to be involved. Someone will need to be involved daily and be driven by some means to keep the ball rolling. Then you would still need to figure out a way to make sure the profits are split in a manner you have agreed to.

It can get really tricky.

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