Hi all

lightninglawncare1 · #1 07-07-2009, 01:49 PM

Hi every one. I had a lawn service a few years ago but I sold cause it was getting in the way of stuff and I wasn't getting paid what I was worth and my wife was going to have a babby. I wanted to be with her as mush as possable, and working a full 55 hrs at our family business and cutting grass for 20hrs a week wasn't going to let me do that. But now the kid is here and I need to make way more money. So, I bought another mower and all the esenciles and I am back to cutting grass on the side. I love doing it, it is hard work, but it is my work and a direct result of my picky and persnickity personality. I drive through neibourgh hoods and see people not cut thier grass and it makes me shout out " cut your grass dude or pay me to do it" Cutting grass is like therapy. I can block out the world out with the niose of the equipmnet and get into a zone and just go. I can't do that at my regular job. We play the POWER BALL here in Florida at work, we pool it together, and when the jack pot is like really big and we all would get several million a piece they asked me what I would do with the money. I said" i would buy a really nice house, a Ferrari (used of course) , and all new lawn equipment and just cut grass for the rest of my life. And now we have a joke at work. We quote the movie Forrest Gump and I say " since I was allready a gozillionaire, I cut that grass for free." So thank so letting me talk, c-ya.

Mike Growe
Lightning Lawn Care
St. Petersburg, fl.

Last edited by lightninglawncare1; 07-07-2009 at 01:52 PM.

Steve · #2 07-08-2009, 06:07 AM

Lawn care business tips

Hi Mike,

Welcome to our forum!

What kind of family business does your family run?

Also what kinds of things are you doing differently this time around than the previous time you were running your lawn care business? What have you learned from those previous experiences?

__________________

- Subscribe to my Lawn Care Marketing Blog Feed and get daily tips sent to you. Free!
Download your Free trial of Gopher Lawn Care Software.

lightninglawncare1 · #3 07-08-2009, 07:35 AM

Hey Steve,

We have a structual steel company and a reinforcing steel company (re-bar). I work in the re-bar divison and we are really slow right now. So I have some extra time on my hands so I spent $2,000 on some used equipment and started spreading the word that I an cutting grass again. I only have one customer right now, but he is a good customer, in a nice high class residencial area.
Some things I have learned is (1) that having extra work is not a bad thing, some people don't have a job at all. (2) I am communicating more with the owner of the property. If he see's that I am a nice guy and that he should not be afraid to tell me excactly how he wants it done. (3) Discount coupons, get me a referal and i will shave off 50% next months bill or al a' catre service, and new customers get 50% off the first month or al a' catre service.

arthur712 · #4 07-08-2009, 09:46 AM

Welcome to the G forum.

Do you like cutting Grass???? haha Just Kidding

It is great that you love what you do!
You will do very well.

In my case, I would rather be playing Golf!

Thanx!
Artie

lightninglawncare1 · #5 07-08-2009, 11:51 AM

it would be cool to cut the grass at the golf course and then go play, you wouln'dt hvr to go very far.

arthur712 · #6 07-08-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightninglawncare1

it Would Be Cool To Cut The Grass At The Golf Course And Then Go Play, You Wouln'dt Hvr To Go Very Far.

Free Golf!!!

Steve · #7 07-09-2009, 07:42 AM

Quote:

We have a structual steel company and a reinforcing steel company (re-bar).

That is very cool! Did you know the guys at Orange County Chopper got their start with a structural steel business? Do you like working with metal? Did you ever experiment with fabricating? Would you like to make other things out of steel?

lightninglawncare1 · #8 07-10-2009, 08:28 AM

Yes, I did know that is how the OCC guys got started. I do like working with metal, it is fun to create stuff other than just beams for building or basic re-bar stuff. I like to take the steel and make it in to something it wasnt intended or if you will, bring the steel from it's intended purpouse " as a steel column or reinforcing in concrete" and bring it into the home for different applications. It adds a new element to the room. I have a wine rack made out of re-bar, and a table I made from re-bar topped off with balck granite, it looks great. I like to take industrial matreials and mix them with the natural elements like granite and wood. I made my own coffee table with 1" x 1" steel tube and birch ply wood and stained it with mohogany color. I made a table for my Dad and my step Mom when they built thier home in N.C. I made it to match the haind rails my dad had made here for the stairs and the cat walk on the second floor, I hand painted the al lthe acctents on the table and topped it off with a black and gold granite. But I like cutting grass better. I just make my own furnurature for two reasons. (1) I refuse to pay the high price of stuff at like say Ashley for MADE IN CHINA crap that will last 5 years. I have a kid, things are going to get ruffed up, and (2) I can get the exsact design I want to fit the space I need. But I don't really have a market for this kinda stuff, I would have to cater to the upper class and charge about $200 an hr. So that is why I cut grass. I can apply my attention to detail in a line of work where is a larger need to the service.

Steve · #9 07-10-2009, 08:48 AM

Do you have any pictures of some of the items you designed so we can see?

lightninglawncare1 · #10 07-10-2009, 08:59 AM

Yes I do, I will have to upload them when i get home...

Hi all

Introduce Yourself