Lawn Mowing company ???

[coonchaser]

I've been asked to mow some lawns and put in some bids, i'm not real sure how to bid things, whats a common bid starting point, do you bid by the job or the hour etc....Thanks Rick

[LwnmwnMan2]

From someone that's been doing this for 23 years, walk away now.

You'll bid low, then once the DOT gets ahold of you, the Department of Revenue gets ahold of you, work comp, liability insurance, maintenance, fuel, etc. etc., you're better off working at a big box store.

Just saying.

[Tom7227]

From someone that's been doing this for 23 years, walk away now.

You'll bid low, then once the DOT gets ahold of you, the Department of Revenue gets ahold of you, work comp, liability insurance, maintenance, fuel, etc. etc., you're better off working at a big box store.

Just saying.

Note that he wrote this on one of the most beautiful days of the year so far. What do you think he'd say on Friday - possible rain/snow mix in northern part of state.

[luckycrank]

and yet you still mow lawns hhhhhhmmmmm

[LwnmwnMan2]

and yet you still mow lawns hhhhhhmmmmm

As with any career that you've been at for an extended period of time, it's hard to leave and move to something else.

Last year was the first year I actively looked for another job. I've already had multiple friends that I've met over the years leave the industry to move onto other careers.

It's a business that you don't need a license, degree or even enough knowledge to understand how to calculate your true costs of doing business.

This year we lost some accounts that we've been doing for 15 years. The new guy is charging less than what I charged when I started maintaining these properties.

Everyone has a different profit margin, everyone has different expenses. Some guys are doing it on the side, some guys still live at home, some do it solely under the table.

[luckycrank]

as like any other small business its great at first till people find out theres a profit to be had when theres 20 differant outfits in one area doing the same not so much

[psepuncher]

I'm listening to the gotcha man.

I as well have lost long time accounts this year. Not because of price so much from lower bids, but the economy stinks much worse. People buy there own equipment and do it themselves , neighbors borrrow mowers it's endless etc

I had a big bid this year at 70K, almost locked in and someone bid 2/3rds cheaper last minute.

I say go for it, it's one of the easiest business ideas to make, and the rest is all uphill from there. With "0" customer loyalty like 25-15 years ago what's to worry about?

[The Grebe]

I guess it's all in how you look at it? We've been in business 22 years and I wouldn't want to do anything else. Those things you mentioned are a part of doing just about any kind of business?

As far as client loyalty, some of our clients we've had since the beginning, some have been handed down, parent to children over the years.

About being under cut, that has happened to us, but not very often? I closed a bid on Friday where the client told me that he had other lower bids, but he liked our approach and professionalism and decided to go with our company. We retained all but 3 clients from last season, not counting the ones that died, or moved. Two of those clients we decided we didn't want to service them anymore and the third one I believe went to a lower bidder....but the property was rough to begin with.

Nah, I think we'll stick it out till closing time and as far as the lowballers go, they usually sink anyways for one reason or another?

Talking about lowballers, I gopt a little story for you.... last summer I went out on an estimate for a private home and a small adjoining business property. The lady said that her husband used to take care of both places and he wanted the lawns perfect. They had a standard city lot and the business was about a third the size. I checked it out, left her a bid and went on my way. A couple days later she calls back and tells me that they had a bid of $10.00 for the bigger lot and $3.00 for the smaller lot and would I like to make a counter offer! I busted out laughing and hung up on her! I suppose the guy that put in that bid was the same guy I seen towing his lawnmower down the street, behind his raggedy car with a rope!

[MuleShack]

Talking about lowballers, I gopt a little story for you.... last summer I went out on an estimate for a private home and a small adjoining business property. The lady said that her husband used to take care of both places and he wanted the lawns perfect. They had a standard city lot and the business was about a third the size. I checked it out, left her a bid and went on my way. A couple days later she calls back and tells me that they had a bid of $10.00 for the bigger lot and $3.00 for the smaller lot and would I like to make a counter offer! I busted out laughing and hung up on her!

This just happened to me last week.

I was fertilizing an adjacent property where the graas area was 17000sf...big lot. I use the good quality granular slow release fertilizers and slow release liquids in the spray tanks for all my applications. The neighbor has a bigger yard with hills on both sides of his property and stops me for a quote. I give him a price, and he says CLawn will do it for $40, will you match it? I laughed and said that my product cost is nearly that much for his size lawn and told him he better take them up on their quote.

I've been doing the mowing and fertilizing for 18 years, I don't deal with low balling. I bid the price I need to get and pitch quality. A lot of my business is returning customers every year and referrals. I probably only get 1 out of 3 bids due to the price level. With maintenance, break downs, insurance, fuel, oil and taxes, it just doesn't pay to work for nothing!

[The Grebe]

You got that right! Yet, with some people, there is a mentality, especially in the residencial sector, that a professional lawn maintenance company is going to charge the same thing as 10 year old Billy boy from down the street! "Mrs. Johnson, if you pay me 50 cents, I'll mow your lawn?" I've had potential clients ask me if I had my own lawnmower! You run into some stuff huh?

One I never forgot...A guy that lived in a swell house, in a swell neighborhood, wanted a bid to do his lawn. He had a good sized hill on each side of his front steps and an over all good sized lot. A couple of days after placing the bid, I came by his place and there was this guy doing it and just struggling with those hills. I had seen him in the neighborhood before and I believe he may have been a little retarded. On a humbug, I called the guy on the pretense of doing a follow up on the bid. He said he had hired a neighborhood guy for $7.00 and was doing him a favor. I couldn't believe that normal people would do that, take advantage of someone like that and then turn it around, like they are doing a community service.