HOW I GOT 40 LAWN CUSTOMERS IN 2 WEEKS
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- This is how I got 40 Lawn Customers last year. This would be helpful for New Lawn Care Companies or New Lawn Companies starting out. I also introduce how I will be marketing and gaining new lawn customers this year.
#lawnmower #lawncare #howtostartabusiness #howtogetlawnclients
#howtostartalawncare #wright #exmark #gravely #lawnmower #mower #scag #lawn
Man your story is very similar to mine. Left my corporate sales job, managing 8 states and $13m in revenue. Reached my ceiling in the organization and decided I needed to build something myself.
I don’t know everything about landscaping, snow plowing, etc. but I definitely know how to build a book of business and make relationships with people. The skill in all that will come.
Will close around $30k in plowing this season and invest a good chunk of that into next year’s lawn season.
I sure you mentioned book of business and just reading this comment lets me know that you are a very sales driven person and organized. It sounds like you have a lot of awesome things in the works. There definitely are ups and downs in running your own business but when you are in sales typically you are 1099 so you really depend on your output. It really sounds like you're going to have a great season and a great 2024 and I hope the best for you. I appreciate you commenting and watching!!
I am doing door hangers this year that has the instant quote on it. Most of our municipalities have ordinances on door knocking and you need a permit to do that, which most don't approve it. As long as I don't knock, trespass, or put hangers on no solicitation sign properties we are typically good. I am also sending out EDDM flyers as well, most went out this week.
Good luck on your business this season and hope it goes well!
That's perfect!! The door hangers with the quote is so much more effective than just leaving a door hanger they most likely will throw away. I had to learn this as a kid through trial and error and it just works.
I'm not sure what the actual door knocking ordinances are in my city but, I did work for spectrum door knocking and knocked thousands of doors and never heard of any policies. There might be but, I never experienced any issues or have I when I knocked for my own company which I actually believed in. My strategy with the door knocking is to be as quick as possible. I thought about just leaving a quote but, I like a little more face to face. The only thing that should have me at that door for more than 30 seconds is if they have questions or want to sign up. I'm really using a different strategy to be quick, gain high numbers in quotes handed out and also have the opportunity to get a little facetime with my potential customers. This might be crazy or not work like I imagined but, I have already prefilled out quotes tonight for various prices and I'll be filming myself going out and trying this strategy. Haha. The worst case scenario would be that I might have some pretty interesting videos that I got. But, that's why I started with CZcams. I want to help educate and show what works for me and if there is a problem, we'll figure out a solution and be mowing real soon!!
I appreciate you watching and commenting Sanders Lawn Care!! And I hope you have a great season. Keep me updated with the results!!
Same thing I do. I keep a pen on me always
Door knocking takes too much time anyways. It's simpler to have a good door hanger with their quote.
I bought a mower off a guy who just started his business and he got 70 customers in 3 weeks.
That's impressive and shows a ton of motivation and drive!! Hat's off to that guy!!
First-time viewer here. This is excellent content. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Like & subscribed.
First year here in IA. This is super helpful - FB has never worked for me before so will definitely try this! Trying to do the same as you - quit a corp sales job!
@TheBurkett5 Thanks for watching!! I really could have split some of that into a couple different videos. But, I feel like I have to talk about what has worked best for me. I hope it saves people some time and money.
That's funny...you are like the 4th person I've talked to that is quitting some type of sales job and starting their own lawn care company. Probably bc we all knew how to sell but, hated commission structures that change and don't benefit you 😂😆...
Good luck on getting started and keep me up to date on how it's going!!
@@vibrantlawns2444 dude it was so helpful, especially to see a video from someone a few hours from here, rather than in a different time zone!
I love that this can get you a ton of exposure for free, and whats the worst that happens, fb takes down the post? worth it!
thank you! yeah I have been in financial sales for 5 years, the money is fine but it just isnt worth it. you have 0 control in any decision, your income, what you can say, how you dress, literally anyhting. need to have that autonomy!
Hoping for the best! thank you again, looking forward to catching more of your videos!
minnesota myself, everything on his business card is 90% of what people want but there is alot more they want you can do that is money left on the table if you are able with the time and equipment. as far as equipment make sure you are using the manufacturers oil no if's and's or buts they have special tailored polymer lubricants in the oils made specifically for their seals that will burn out with any other oils within 600-900 hours of use echo is what most are using as you can get them at every dealer and box store like home depot srm 225-226-2K series whips 6/7XX(X) series blowers, i prefer stihl myself because i grew up with those and all of them still work today after 40 years non commercially. mowers exmark laser Z is where it's at, toro turf tracers 48" and less, grandstands 52"-60" i prefer the deere EFI's just don't buy box store stuff it's all quick recycling if it doesn't have thick steel, there is some decent box store cub cadet on the higher end side and you can always put it on a card but dealers have access to better financing deals if you need which in the long run is a greater tax break.
this guy is on youtube (Brians Lawn Maintenance) i am a commercial professional in this industry with decades of experience and i like to watch people start out and grow and see how far they go and why. i highly recommend watching him, i have since 2016 he just put out this book on amazon only; about how he did it, i am about to buy it just for fun but am interested in the technical side of how he does the business side of things such as yard books and FB market place (i'm sure it's simple i just haven't bothered to check out how it's done yet). his videos are worth watching too.
Zero To $100K!: The Complete Guide On How To Start A Successful Lawn Care Company Paperback - February 20, 2023
by Brian Fullerton (Author) it's 20 bucks and if you watch this past live stream video he has a code that will get you % off
this is worth the read from what alot of long term viewers have said in the live stream chats he does on wednesdays if you want to ask some questions.
oh check out florida turf pros also. probably the top 2 fastest that can help you out for most everything. everybodys videos got tedious after google implemented the 10 minute monetization adsense.
i have watched a bunch of people in this industry on youtube that mostly succeeded such as lawn care nut- alyn which i have bought into his lawn supplements guides ( since he used to work at true green along with a former boss of mine), stanley-dirt monkey who runs dirt monkey university, gci turf services, blades of grass, keith kafalas, pest and lawn ginja, tractor time with tim, and this brian guy and ryan knorr, a bunch of others and alot of them got together after meeting at GIE and other trade show expos they all attended and formed training seminars how to do what they did. i also like keeping up on all the equipment manufacturers stuff of all the brands i used to use and the new products and new brands or brands i didn't know about especially over seas as well as local since a bunch of the big names are in my front and back yard, ha. polaris, turfco, toro, and such.
i had the good fortune of a family member having his own lawncare company when i was little so i learned alot way back in the 70's and 80's which helped me land a golf course job at a newer massive 36 hole course on 325+ acres that hosted multiple corporate events on the same day fri-sun and atleast 1 almost every week day for years where i got to do everything from grounds maintenance to club house, set up, prep, shut down, customer care/assistance, helping catering services, biz team building and challenge courses, which landed me a job at one of the corporations, which was great to learn how a retail biz operated from warehousing to front end retail with sports and hollywood celebrities and contractors that the company relied upon for all sorts of things until everything went all political in and i jumped into construction and learned tons there as well but politics is toying with that industry to the point it's no longer reliable with out being financially able to build custom jobs and i'm just getting too broken and old for that, and am looking to get back into things i love doing, i have some family that are growing up and i am looking to help them and this is one industry in which i can teach them alot of what i know and help them learn to succeed even where others aren't while passing on what our green thumb farmer great & grand parents passed to my elders and myself.
alot of kids don't like to work these days since we were all sold on computer jobs are the future by our teachers since the 1990+ so i like to pass along how easy it is to do this work to pay for fun growing up and finance your post education or property.
@TheBurkett5 You said it. I was in medical sales and other sales positions and there is no control that you personally can have over that job. Almost every time I passed my sales goals and made a good commission check, they would change the structure to where it was harder to make money. I just got sick of playing the same games over and over.
If you know how to talk to people and sell, you might as well do it for yourself!! I respect your decision to realize that and I genuinely hope you have the best season here in 2023 and would like to hear about your year!!
I appreciate you watching and hopefully I can spread some knowledge through things I already know and through trial and error. More videos coming!!
@aprilgeneric8027 You have so many good things in this message but, I want to start by saying I appreciate you taking the time to watch and write a comment. Also, it's such a good thing being raised around this type of work because it brings out a sense of ownership and reliance on your own hard work. There is a lot to learn along the way but, as long as you keep at it, you end up with a solution.
That's why I started this channel as well. I have about 20 years experience but, I am coming back to the green industry in a basic way. Starting with maintenance on lawn and then going from there. And anyone that I can help along the way I would love to share my victories and struggles as well. And I've got a respect for Brian Lawn YT channel and all the knowledge he has to share..
Thanks for watching and commenting!!
Being in Olathe you are actually in a great area with all the new building happening in southern Johnson County between 175th to 159th most homes that are being built out there are from $500k to over a million and a lot of the HOAs require irrigation. I am starting up out here Eudora this year and am hoping to target a lot of the new neighborhoods up and down K10. I just spent $200 on door hangers and magnets on vista print.
Hey Dominick. I live in West Olathe and that is exactly where I'm targeting this season. I started driving around and using Google maps and noticed how many new developments are going up with nice houses with irrigation and large gates. I'm actually door knocking today and tomorrow and going to film a little bit and see how it goes. Hopefully I'll get to post some door to door and customer interaction.
You're right. There is so much potential over here and it's all within 5 minutes from my house.
Good luck man!! Hope you get some good responses with the hangers!!
Keep me updated with your season.
@@vibrantlawns2444 I will be looking forward to your video. My son and I will be out in Lenexa and Lawrence leaving door hangers with quotes this weekend.
@@dominickwynn2435 Awesome man!! It's awesome to have a son to help inspire and also have an extra hand passing out those hangers. Plus if you get to talking to someone, he can still be hanging them.
It's never too late. After I sold my customers last year (to be closer to home), I definitely should have started earlier but, I think we'll do just fine. As long as you do quality work and don't screw people over on pricing, we'll do just fine. Hopefully the knocking goes great and I not only get some footage for people to see and learn but, hopefully I sign up some customers on the spot.
Excited to hear how your marketing goes.
Video starts at 5:07 mark. Before that is 5 minutes of the same thing over and over. This video could have been condensed to about 10 minutes.
Probably could have. So... What he said
Brooooo!!!! I’m here in the KC area too. I would love to buy you lunch and pick you brains about striping. My son and I are trying to do the same thing in the liberty area.
Awesome man. Right here in the same area as me!! Striping is a good subject and I was eventually going to do a video on how to stripe.
But yeah. I wouldn't mind talking to you about it and see when I can get some time to maybe even meet up.
route density is key but just like you said when you're starting out you take them all.
This is correct. when you're starting out you want to stay busy because when you are busy you're making money. now is it the best money that you could be making no but, you are still bringing in money, meeting customers and people who typically have extra work for you all the while if you have quality of work the people that you have helped will tell people they know about you and your services.
But yes. when you are starting out you are definitely not as picky as when you have way too many customers and not enough people to where you can cut down clients to where it benefits your bottom line.
I will say this though. when I say don't turn down a job, that is me saying that within reason. don't go mowing an acre with a 21 inch mower for $20. that doesn't make sense money wise, and physically you will be worn out and you will have made no money and probably not want to make the extra steps to go get any more clients because you will be worn out. That's not really a typical scenario but when I say don't turn anyone down you will look for the price and is it something that you would be making some money on, and also how close in proximity that is from your house and also some of the other potential clients and houses you might already have. Starting out, I would pull up Google maps and look at some of the neighborhoods around you and start to strategize different days that you will go to different neighborhoods. and that way if you are persistent you will be successful in getting people in and around your own neighborhood so that it definitely makes sense with these jobs being closer together using less gas and less time therefore you being able to fit in more work per day or get off early if need be having done a good amount of work.
I'm going to go over this question more and this video but I appreciate you commenting and asking this question and watching the videos. and I wish the best 2024 for you and that you make a ton of money
Yeah, goes without saying; know your worth and don't take low balling cheap skates. lol@@vibrantlawns2444
Awesome video brother
Thanks!! Have a good season!!
Your video isn't over yet, but I hope what is making the water flow noise is a nice fish tank or bait tank....water sounds can be nice but this one has me...I'll be back, restroom calling...lol.
😂😂😆... Sorry. It was a relaxing place to make the video but, my bait tank does make a little noise. I'll try and tag a link to the bait tank.
czcams.com/users/shortspMQXeyJN5V4?feature=share
Hoping to start a lawn business in Springfield Mo this summer I’m super excited
Good stuff
Thanks!! I hope videos like this help. I appreciate people like you commenting!! Have a great rest of your weekend and an awesome season
For those of you looking for new business, contact local Property Managers. If you can do a nicer job for the same price as your competition, PMs like me would gladly hire you.
I am a PM in Oregon and use professional lanscapers for many single family properties. Its been a struggle for about 10 years to find someone who will do a nice job for a fair price. We are looking for grounds to stay nicely mowed with straight, clear edging and no moss, weeds or mayflies. They are even welcome to fill up the tenants yard debris bin instead of hauling away debris. It's not difficult to maintain and our best Landscapers send a crew of 2 that spend 15 minutes per week at each house. Still very difficult to find anyone.
If you live in Oregon and looking for some consistent work and you are good at what you do, pm this property manager. I just spoke with one today and finalized a couple jobs. It is a little difficult to find people that are consistent and do quality work.
typically when working with a property manager you are net 30 and 1099 having to provide a W-9. I'm not sure if that's the same case but it's not a bad gig because if you can be reliable and good at what you do there's a lot more work they can hook you up with.
Typically you will need to take before and after pictures so they know the work has been done as they can't be in the same area all the time.
HOPE YOU CAN FIND SOMEBODY RELIABLE FROM VIBRANT LAWNS!!
Your transparency and honesty is super helpful 👌 I have some questions on how you handle the technical side of your business and taxes? Do you have an LLC or are you sole proprietorship? I’m new to the lawn care this season and I have a handful of clients but I’m not and official company yet and have not started a brand👍
I apologize for getting to this question so late. but I'm going to address this from what I do when I file my taxes. I'm not an expert in that area but when you are just starting out a lot of people will give you advice that you need to go register your business and do all this different stuff that costs money. now a lot of us don't have that extra money when we are just starting out and trying to get customers, equipment and some of the other things we need for the business.
so I file my business taxes under my individual self-employment taxes as a sole proprietor without an LLC. This makes my name basically the name of the company because that's how I filed taxes and my DBA (doing business as) is vibrant lawns. The first two to three seasons you will most likely not be paying anything in taxes and probably getting back money in taxes. I can't promise that but most case scenarios that is the way it is unless you start out making $180,000 the first year.
again I'm not an accountant but I have filed my taxes this way for quite a while and not had any problems. you also need to look into deductions because a lot of people on the internet are pushing the fact that you need to keep track of all of the expenses like gas, equipment, marketing, office space and laptop, vehicle trailer and handhelds.
I personally don't suggest that but definitely keep track of your records of what you do have and what they cost. because of the allowance that might be available to you, doing all that work and adding in your expenses for the first couple of years might actually be under the allowance credit that you get when you file your taxes and so you don't want to do all that extra work for no reason but do keep Good records. Also I would speak with a certified accountant to get some better answers particular to what you are doing and how much money you are bringing it. but for me if you are just starting out I file with my wife jointly and I put myself on there as a sole proprietor and then put the numbers in and depending on how much money was made that year, you might need to calculate expenses and things like that. otherwise if you're just starting out, you are going to have a loss most likely so get in touch with an accountant if you are serious about this and they will definitely have better answers than I do. I appreciate you watching and commenting and being involved and I hope your 2024 year is amazing
Does that mean your net was negative if you did not owe anything?@@vibrantlawns2444
I got banned on marketplace almost instantly For posting a service lol
This is something that I will cover in one of my next videos coming soon. Fb marketplace did start restricting a lot more posts because they wanted to become basically an eBay or Amazon with shipping capabilities. They actually suspended my site for a day or two as well on this matter but the point of this video is to think outside of the box and what is there to do to gain customers besides what everybody else is doing. I appreciate you watching and commenting I hope you have an awesome 2024!!
My upbringing was exactly how you explained in the beginning lol
It's not the worst of ringing LOL
YOU SPEAKIN FACTS. thank you
Thanks for watching!!
💯👍 thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching!! Appreciate you
The rain in the background is definitely a vibe
Good quality video👍 only bit of constructive criticism i can think of is to condense the video/info a little bit, other than that, keep up the good work
I appreciate the feedback. I can be long winded and I'm working on it!! Thanks for watching
40 customers big ups✔️💯💪🏽
Thanks for watching!!! Hope Big Son's has a great year!!
@@vibrantlawns2444 Appreciate that sir!✔️💯👍🏽
Im just going to jump right into it. i started a small owner op trucking company and am ready to get out. My dad has talked about wanting to start up a lawn care business, and it sounds enjoyable working with him, so im thinking within the next couple of months, im going full boar!! Wish us luck.
I feel you brother. Not owner op but I can only imagine what you went through. I’m a company driver right now and it’s nice and all but my end game is to be a business owner.
@TheEducatedTrucker if you decide to go owner opp, (trucking/hotshot) I'm sure you probably know, but go ahead and get insurance on your truck. Then get your mc number before you quit company driving. It will be rough but do that for about 6 months because nobody will touch you with a 10 foot pole. That way, you're still making money while getting " experience " on your mc number. I pray everything works out for you!
@TheEducatedTrucker Also, if you're trying to get into lawn care. I just bought a scag tiger cat 2, 0 down 0% intrest for 48 months. They have that promo going on till the end of the month.
@@levi9kirk I most likely won’t become an owner op. It’s too much stress and wayyy too much risk involved for me. I’m definitely starting up a landscape business. I’m buying a ride on mower soon, then trailer and then all the smaller purchases.
@TheEducatedTrucker we got almost the same mindset I used to do land clearing before I started up my trucking company. The trany gave out in my dozer, and my tractor needs a new engine. That's what I'm going to get back into after I get this lawn mowing business up and going
Great video! Thank you!
Hey Treva!! Thanks for watching. It really means a lot and I hope something I say can possibly help make someone's business run smarter. Thanks!!
Great video i learned alot
Thanks!! I appreciate the feedback and I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to watch and comment. Hope you have a great 2023 season!!
I've been watching this video now for like 8 minutes and I've heard him say I'm going to show you I'm going to explain how I got customers I'm sorry I don't need a peep and f****** repeat the same thing if you're going to tell it get
sorry to string you along there but sometimes I can be a little long-winded. I hope you have a great 2024 season and I appreciate you watching
So I’m 16 and hoping to start a mowing service this summer. I’ve been watching a lot of videos and I think I know how to get clients. What I’m worried about is putting them on a schedule. Do I ask if they want mowed weekly or bi-weekly? Do I assume it’s every week? If I mow them on a Monday should I make sure it’s on a Monday next week or is it okay for it to be on a Tuesday? Just those types of things. I might just be thinking about it too much. Also how do I do quotes? Should I go by how long it’ll take me to do the lawn? Square footage?
Congrats on getting inspired to start your own company!! Don't overthink things too much but still be organized. My suggestion is based in my area the grass being taken care of will need to be mowed once a week. I wouldn't give people options to do bi-weekly I would assume that they just want a weekly service. I did have some exceptions where people mentioned if they could do every 2 weeks and I told them yes but it would be a little bit more. Lets say if I was to do bi-weekly with somebody, and their yard was a $50 weekly yard, I would tell them I could do it bi-weekly for either $75 or $80. I would go with the $80 because you can explain to them that if they want to save money and that's what they're doing.. that in a month they're going to only spend $160 instead of $200 if they were on a weekly $50 plan.
But again, I would try to keep things simple and do weekly. when you get into those every 10 days scenarios it throws your entire schedule off. Your schedule is going to be the most important thing for you especially if you're still in school. Customers like to know if you're going to be there weekly that they have a certain day sometimes but they also understand that things happen throughout the week like rain and unexpected things that might set you back. so I would be up front with them and say let's start you out on these days but if it's been raining a lot, just expect that I might be a day or so late. And if you have a few enough customers you can actually let them know that by text or call. I'm not saying that you have to mow it on the same day each week but for you and your schedule it makes it so much easier for you to plan out your week instead of being very sporadic and unorganized. you don't want to accidentally forget somebody or miss somebody so when you are more organized it helps you out to be able to plan to do things with your family and friends, and also a lot of the clients like that as well. Also, just relax going into it and don't overthink the weekly the bi-weekly, because every instance is going to be a little bit different sometimes, and starting out you might have to make some adjustments as you go and grow.
With pricing, I'd keep doing what you are doing and stay on forums and watching videos on how people will do pricing and even possibly link up or talk to somebody in your neighborhood that has either had lawn care done and see what the price is and right around what people are paying for lawn care service in your area for an average quarter acre house lot. Going by square footage would be more for larger properties but at the end of the day I'd still want to go out and see them because they could be a nightmare if it's acres it could have hidden rocks and rebar and things that will destroy your mower and might not even be worth your time. For me when I was just starting out I had a minimum of $40 this last year. and a lot of guys around me have a minimum that's a lot higher than that. I didn't see why because we're still making good money. But, I'd focus on customer service, your quality, and if you realize when you get into a job that it's a lot more than you thought it would be and taking a lot more time, if you have that customer service down then they will most likely be receptive to hearing that you made a mistake and it might be a little bit more.
I’m starting late. How do you get the strips in the lawn? I only have experience from my own lawn. Just trying to make enough the rest of this year to pay for all my equipment
Where’d you get your business cards made up? Love the design and idea of having a spot for the price. Good luck and I look forward to your video of going door to door
I'm excited to get out and knock some doors and hopefully I can get some interesting clips to share. I made my cards through got print. I intentionally made the blank space and had the cards made non glossy so the writing wouldn't smear. It's not the most attractive care but, it's a card that gets to the point.
Thanks for watching!!
@@vibrantlawns2444have u made a videos of you creating your business card?
Great video! I’m just getting in the (Mowing) business as well and was wondering what all you say when you knock on their door and give them your business card with the quote on it? Thanks a lot, it seems like a good idea!
What I would typically say is not usually from a script because I'm a talker but if you feel like you need to write down something specific or different points to say while you go door to door, you just do what you need to do.
Personally what I would do is knock on the door. and make it a loud knock about three times and then step back a few feet so you don't look intimidating. When you get somebody to the door you introduce yourself and explain what you're in the neighborhood doing and real quickly before they can object to the fact that they either already have it taken care of or that they mow their own lawn, give them the card with the estimate on it and say that that includes everything for mowing, trimming, edging and blowing off all hard surfaces for that price on the card. If they do have an objection then I say great, well hold on to this card because if your mower breaks down or if you go on vacation keep this card and give me a phone call in that price is good for when you call me. I don't require a contract at the moment and so depending on my schedule I can do a one-time low for you or I can do a month-long mow for you if you will be out of town. so I understand that you already have it taken care of but in case one of those things does happen just hold on to that and I'll be able to take care of what you need done in case one of those things happened. Also, nice to meet you I work a lot in this neighborhood and feel free to give me a call anytime.
I'm a father of 2 soon to be three and I live in the KCMO area. I'm looking to start a lawn care business of my own as soon as I'm able. Is there any other in depth tips or bits of advice that you could pass down to somebody who is about to start from nothing in an Area you're familiar with? Thanks
I always see Facebook market place mentioned for advertising. But I tried 2 different occasions with large multi year gaps in between and every time within a day or so I am red flagged and the post taken down and message saying i can advertise for businesses I need to pay for that service and go thru a different option. So it always rubs me wrong way when I see everyone have zero issues but I get flagged asap every time :(
Facebook marketplace really caught on when they realized that people were making money with their business and not having to pay for it so they changed some things around. I have heard the same things from other people that it is not the same. I did see the other day on marketplace that somebody put a couple pictures of a lawn striped and a price of $40 and I'm not sure how long that lasted but it was up for a little bit with this company advertising for mowing.
Otherwise, they really want you to get on their business plan and start paying them to market for you. I don't think that it's a bad idea but when you want to stick to your budget, that's when I went the marketplace route putting a mower up for sale and then the ad description being me advertising to give free quotes out for lawn care... I had to pull a quick one on them making it look like it was a for sale ad. I guess a lot are getting taken down but some make it through and stay up for a little bit. I hope the best for your 2024 season!!
Facebook now has it where they review the post before it posted making it hard for the little guys trying to save some bucks
Hahaha. They got us. Well that's too bad. There's always a way to get your name out. I just put an add on nextdoor and I got 4 customers out of it and that was free.
Now that’s yapping at its finest🎉
Thanks. I practice a lot. sometimes it makes sense sometimes it doesn't but I've become really good at it over the years man I appreciate it. Give me a topic and I'll YAP something for you, let's see how this goes LOL
Are you catfish kc? I’ve been watching those videos for a while I’m from kc too just happened to scroll across this video while researching how to get a business started
YES... @everyone I DO also have a Fishing CZcams CHANNEL: Catfish KC
youtube.com/@catfishkc?si=EeQNuD3inFo9tFrn
CHECK OUT MY FISHING CHANNEL CATFISH KC.
IT WILL REALLY HELP ME TO COME BACK TO THIS CHANNEL AND ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS, I HAVE VIDEOS ALMOST READY TO PUT UP.
1 is a complete seeding job and also another video I want to discuss the current Lawn/Landscape prices that customers expect to pay and are shocked at what inflation does.
I LOVE THE LAWN AND LANDSCAPE BUSINESS AND I WANT TO START ANSWERING QUESTIONS, SHARING TIPS OR ADMIT WHEN I MIGHT MAKE A MISTAKE.
NEW VIDEOS SOON TO COME! Thanks!!
How did it go this year mowing it looks like you have good content
I'm going to address this year in this next video and we'll get into how it went. Thanks for watching!
I was not clear how to get 40 customers in 2 weeks.
Sorry about that. The way I did that was the process of using Facebook Marketplace and using it how I explained in the video. Thanks for watching
Matt
Lucky number 100 sub🎉
Yay!!! Lucky 100 is gonna have an awesome 2023 season!! Appreciate you!!
The fb marketplace idea can lead your account to being banned from posting on marketplace due to selling services. Beware of that.
Yeah, that is for beginners
👍
A salesman probably knows about customer retention.
Retention is huge. When your truck engine blows up and you have to sell your client list and start over... You gotta do what you gotta do.
You are truly blessed by GOD. remember to honor the lord and hold is commandments.
I know!! God has definitely blessed me, my family and this business!! Thanks for the reminder. Thanks for watching!!
Take a shot every time he says 2022
Shoot this actually sounds kind of like a fun game if it wasn't me that I was watching LOL. or it might even be more fun. sorry for all the 2022s in there but I appreciate your comment and you watching
What if where u live there isn’t much for big yards and u got a mower with a 60 inch deck and u want a acre or more so mowing can be fun
I've had from 72" decks to 36" and believe me... If it were up to me, I would love to mow 1 acre or more properties all day. You're on the mower longer relaxing, possibly thinking about the acre and a half fence line that you're going to have trim lol.. But, the truth is a lot of people that I know that have larger properties typically have their own mowers. There are a lot that do use lawn care services but, especially in my area there's a lot more quarter acre to 1/3 acre lots of land that are in cul-de-sac and neighborhoods. I've done a couple that were over an acre and I've had some that were 10 acres. The market in in my area is a lot of families that possibly moved from apartments up and then out to a nicer neighborhood and that's like 85% of our market right in my area. The people that have acreage a lot of times buy a zero turn mower almost when they buy the house. I wish I could just do 5 large properties a day. But, again working in those smaller yard neighborhoods you seem to meet a lot more customers that have a lot more needs.
$35 is doable if it's close by and takes 15 minutes, that's actually very profitable if you can do 10-20 within 5 minutes of your home/shop. i used to do 1&1/2-2 acres for $20 when i was in jr high to graduating. a kid on my paintball team was still doing $15-$20 with a push mower intown up until he went to college in 2008
i like this guys stripes with exception they should be alot straighter but dang there are few people in the biz these days that can do that kind of consistent vibrance!
i'm personally trying to develop a cheater attachment just to make people who think tire tracks are stripes easily spotted as liars. i refuse to spend the 3grand on what i used to use at a 36 hole golf course i worked at in high school that made perfect real 100% solid stripes 0% tire tracks. kicking myself for not learning welding from my dad back then when i had the chance. almost all of these deep deck and accel decks and zero turn machines you can't put this attachment on anyways.
I wish I have the equipment to weld also. I plan on getting a welder this year. there's just so much that you can do. whether it be working on your trailer or mower. And yes. $35 is doable especially if they're right around you and you can fit your mower in the backyard then it should take no time at all. I actually got two more clients today and I actually made them $40 and there right around the corner. I also had several people call me and want a quote because their new quote from their Lawn company was outrageous this year. When I said $40 they were amazed. and I know that a lot of the other guys would get on to me about $35 and $40 Lawns but the thing is is that my overhead is not that much and with everything being so much closer than last year I couldn't be way more profitable. again I am rebuilding this year so that's the best way to do it is not to be cheap but to be reasonable. I still don't see how some of these companies can charge $70 for an easy $40 lawn. they are losing customers left and right but they don't care because they don't have as many workers anymore so if they can get people to agree to that high of a price then they are making pretty good profit that I won't do that to people. I just want to bring high quality service and great customer service.
Thanks for watching
I won't unload for any less than $50
@@JMuneyBagI tend to agree. Where are you located?
@@boomer1049 arkansas
@boomer1049 right now I'm bagging leaves. .04 a sqft.
What did you use to estimate price?
I started looking at the yards that I felt like I was making a pretty good profit on, then I looked online at yardbooks or a property measurement app to see and measure how big those yards were. I came up with a price that way. Sometimes you have to live and learn through mistakes that you should have charged $10 more than you are. I can easily go to a lawn right now and look at the front and back and give a price quote. And that's not because I measured it out or anything. Just been doing it for a while. Online forums are good but sometimes not realistic. They are helpful but a lot of people overcharge or have inflated egos in some forums...but they can be helpful at times.
It's not a difficult thing to determine but, it is hard in different ways. I might be able to finish a yard faster because I can edge quicker, trim faster and have a faster mower. Be done with a lawn mowed, trimmed, edged and blown in 12 minutes... But that doesn't mean I should charge less than a guy that has equipment that takes longer and still learning smarter ways to trim an edge quicker. I'd definitely start off and think about a minimum price and you don't go below that no matter what. Like $35 / $40. you have to make it worth your trip especially these days with how expensive everything is
Did a post on market place and got it took down how were you able to post and not have it taking down ?
Bruh we in the same area lmao
Nice!! It's a growing area for sure.!!
I’m starting up in Paola ks what’s the first step I should take
Find out if you have an area that has sufficient population close by with 20 minutes
This is good advice.
Since I don't know your entire situation on whether you have equipment and what equipment you do have, I would start there. If you can only start off with a lawn mower and no weed eater, then do whatever you can with what you have and you can always build off of what you make. your number one concern and priority should be quality of work, how you treat your customer with customer service and always learning more about the industry and improving on your skills whether that be organizational skills with clients or improving in quality of the work you're doing. Thanks for watching and commenting and I'm going to go over some of this in some of this next video
bro said a whole lotta nothin, vid starts at 10:00
I understand that. Please give me a little grace on this one. Sorry about that. I wish I could get your time back but I can't. But, what I can do is grow and get better at sharing my experiences through comments like yours. I appreciate you and hope you have a great season.
Thank you
Did you purchase a Wix website plan or just the free version?
Well I guess I signed up with the Premium plan at a really big discount and then a year passed and they charged me $324. I instantly called them and had them switch to a plan that was like $170 a year.. I must have been really tired when I made it bc I usually catch stuff like that.. I don't need the premium plan bc I'm not going to use most of the features 😂
@@vibrantlawns2444 yeah I made the free website but the free version doesn’t let customers book online
@@grant8846 Yeah I guess that's a nice feature. I honestly just wanted the website so that when people googled me, I looked legit and it makes your Google My business look way better with a website listed.
I also like the chat feature on the site and you can chat with people in real time on the wix app.
What's name to create webside ?
Wix
What is the software you use to produce the estimates?
I was going to cover this in one of the next videos but what I use and am a little bit new to in the past couple years is yardbook. It's a website that allows you to enter in each customer and all of their data on yard size, price, square footage and even take additional notes. it's an awesome software that you can even run credit cards through. Draw up estimates etc.. I appreciate you commenting on this and hope that you're 2024 season is amazing
I believe google maps has the abilities to calculate an area.
Can I edit your videos to improve your watchtime?
😂 😂 The wiz kid that knows how to do it all! Haha...I'm good with my video and I'm actually blown away at how it got over 4.2k views in just over 3 weeks...You keep watching junior and you might learn how to start a channel. My average view duration is actually really good in this video.... thus the more suggested and the high amount of viewers.
PLUS this video is made in my garage with my bait tank running in the background. This video was more about telling a story than trying to impress people with my B roll and location.
Thanks for watching Money Mane
Do you have all your customers put a card on file?
I would prefer a CC to be on file. But, some feel uncomfortable and I'm not making it a "Have To" this year. While I'm rebuilding this year I'll let it go. Next year I'll try and make it a must.
What about you?
@Vibrant Lawns I haven't went that route yet making it a must to have a card on file,like you said some people are gonna be uncomfortable with it but it would make it alot easier on my end not having to wait for some customers to pay.that way I know exactly when I'm getting my money!
@@joshuacaldwell1822 Exactly. In all the years I've done this, I've definitely been screwed over before. And it almost seems like the customer is still your boss at times, holding a check over you and paying when they want. I think it was Spencer Lawn that said that everyone can get a card these days. It would be so much more convenient. And I run cards the day of service. I find that it's easier for me (knowing I'm getting paid) and also it's a smaller price to pay for the customers instead of 4 or 5 times mowing all at once.
Last year there was a guys card that I'd have my wife run before I started mowing because it previously declined and it took a couple weeks for the customer to get back to us.
You gotta do what you gotta do to protect yourself.
@Vibrant Lawns yeah,I'm gonna start trying to push the card on file a little more,I would eventually want every customer to have a card on file.would give me alot more peace of mind!
@@joshuacaldwell1822 Same with me. This year It's my way of payment that I mention first. If they ask for something else I will. But, I've seen the most honest customers not pay and then ignore calls until they get paid. Card on file is a better situation for both parties really.
Would you recommend FB marketplace still?
I would still recommend Facebook marketplace if you are starting out and looking to get a full roster. that means they might be all over town but, you're still going to be working and busy. Or, if you have a company that you're looking to expand it would be good also.
I would suggest doing it the way I did which was sell something and then slip in your company information and people will most likely jump on It. make sure you make it really really easy for the customers. Like I told them that I have a software that can give them an estimate over email or text or phone. all I need is their address. that made it really easy and there wasn't much back and forth in messages. that way you can get an address which is what you really want and then go from there. a lot of people are doing Facebook ads and so spending the money might be worth it but I would try free marketing if I were you. and if Facebook shuts your ad down after a week or two, most likely you've gotten maybe 10 to 15 customers since then. in my case Facebook didn't notice my ads for a couple of months and so I got every customer almost last year just from free marketing.
What kind free add
@@feliciaandmartinmartinez1154 I'm saying make a for sale ad and make it an ad for your lawn care or whatever you are selling. Facebook might take it down after awhile and it's not the most "amazing" marketing plan. Sometimes you have to do what works and for me it worked and was free.
What is the website? 🤦🏾♂️
My website is www.vibrantlawnskc.com
Do you use a virtual address?
I did not and I'm going to explain why in this next video. thanks for commenting!!
I cant even get one
keep your head up and keep grinding. Learn what type of marketing works best for you whether it be door to door if you're a little more outgoing or flyers or door hangers. I really suggest that you think outside of the box and try and figure out something that will work for you that not everybody else is doing. I guarantee you will have customers if you care about that customer, do quality work and show up when you say you will show up, and you continue to better yourself.
Thanks for the comment and I really hope you have a better 2024 season
Yo are you kc local lol? You hiring lmao???
Cool video but it’s too long. You could’ve made it to 15 minutes at most. Too much yapping about the same thing.
I'll keep this short for ya.. Appreciate the comment 😉
Still too long
Bro I get it you want to keep the viewers watching but spending over 5 min saying you are going to teach us how to gain new clients in a million different ways lost me...time is money PEACE!
My apologies man if I mumbled on about nothing in your eyes. I didn't make this channel to make money or for any sideways reason. I've been in lawn care for over 20 years and I was just trying to share what has helped and hurt me when gaining customers. Wish I could get you the time you lost from watching this video but, I'll take your comment and grow from it and try and make more adjustments to my videos. Thanks for the feedback and I'll try and make a video in the next week quickly explaining this video better. Have a good rest of your weekend.
@@vibrantlawns2444 ok, this is my question...i LOVE Lawn care/Landscaping and am thinking about starting my own business BUT how do you avoid all the confrontation that come s along from taking clients from crews already established in the area? Ive literally had crews pull up on me asking what im doing in "Their" area? Or is this just part of the business?
In my 20 years plus of doing this I have heard certain areas can be like this with these guys and crews. I guess in certain areas if a crew has several lawns in a neighborhood then they want to try to intimidate you to not go after business for you and your family. If this happened in my town, nothing is stopping me from helping me and my family get ahead and start my company. A twat waffle crew trying to be pushy is not going to stop me from outperforming them in quality, striping, performance, edging, timing, personality, customer service, billing and everything else. at the end of the day you have to have confidence in yourself and this is not the mafia. what's funny is that in my area lawn crews wave to each other, and I don't live in a small town where that is typical. but each Lawn company knows what the other one has to go through on a 110° day so we have respect for each other. If it was me I was just continue to always be yourself, don't be intimidated and if they are then call the cops or take care of it. they're not going to keep you from making money on a public road and sidewalk where there are residences that most likely would prefer your services over there service. A confident Lawn and landscape company wouldn't have to intimidate smaller guys starting out unless they were doing a terrible job. if they were great at what they did nobody would want to drop them. and if somebody did drop them because somebody lowballed the price then it wasn't the correct customer that they want to work for. a customer that is always just about price and not quality and what you bring the table will always be a pain in the butt especially for any side jobs you do landscaping wise or anywhere else around the house. stay strong and keep going after it and have a great 2024
@@vibrantlawns2444 thank you brother I appreciate the words
After u hit 100 lawns per week! U will hate it
Yeah I feel that. I was opposed to employees because at one point I did have a couple of people helping me out. It gets difficult having employees that try and care about the lawn as much as you do as an owner, and also show up on time. I don't know how many times we waited for somebody to show up and it puts everything behind. Also the excuses are no shows for employees were almost hilarious sometimes and so yes doing solo work is really hard but, dealing with employees sometimes is really difficult also. There are some good guys out there that do show up and care as long as you take care of the money-wise, but these days it's really hard to get people to even show up to work sometimes so with having some of those experiences, going back solo was almost relaxing but it is a lot of work
What if they say no soliciting on the whole neighborhood!?
What if it says no soliciting on the door?
Knock anyway. Say “sorry” if they call you out.
@@kcb5336 Sometimes they are the neighborhood patrol and they call the cops & I have high anxiety! It’s happened multiple times.
5 minutes no tips yet
I'll get to the point quicker on things. I was a little too chatty in this one. Thanks
I respect you for how you took the criticism
What if you were going door to door and a dog attacks you!?
40 in 2 weeks🤔
It was for real for real... The only problem getting them that way was that they were all over the map. But, if you're starting with 0... Work is work.
@@vibrantlawns2444 100% true on the last part. That’s how I was year 1, literally all over the map
@@Awallacethegoat That's how I got that many customers was because I practically said yes to everyone... There were some exceptions that completely made the trip not even worth going. It did lead to a lot of wear on my truck. I was putting a lot of miles on it and I'll admit I didn't maintain it like I should have.. I didn't realize how much I was putting it through so the engine blew in October.. leaf season time.. and that's when I sold the customers. It was a blessing in disguise so that I could get money from those clients and pass them on and start a new route and really concentrate on how close to home I can be. The only thing I regret is the engine in the truck because, even though the route was spread out, when you're mowing and busy you're still making money and that was better than sitting there with 12 customers not making anything. But definitely a blessing in disguise to be able to sell and start over
Here We Go Another Chuck In A Truck!!! Driving Down The Whole Industry!!!! Let's Go Brandon!!! 2023 $35 to mow 500,000 to 1million dollar properties🤦♂️.
This is the problem with a lot of the forums online is that there's a lot of people that have the same belief but yet they've never gone out and actually worked the streets and been in the industry over 20 plus years. if you don't agree with my tactics then just go use your own but if they aren't working then why are you watching how I did mine.
in my area I don't even quote $35 anymore but this was to help people that are starting out. I did not suggest that they go out there for $20 and ruined the industry which it wouldn't. there's a thing called quality, customer service, continuing to progress in your skill, and if you can do those things you aren't going to lose your customers to a $20 or a $35 cut when you charge 45 to 50 dollars for an average quarter acre lot.
My motto has always been if somebody can come and take my customer for $20 then that wasn't the customer for me. so it's not ruining the industry but what it is doing is showing that those customers that switch to the $20 guy all the sudden realize that the guy doesn't have an edger a blower a weed eater and that he scouts the yard and all the sudden his homeowners association noticing as well as all the neighbors. that's how you get customers to realize what you're worth and why $20 doesn't get you very far especially these days.
there are a lot of people that use tactics like low balling like crazy to build your company fast. and that is not what I'm saying to do. what I am saying to do is to do quality work for a little bit less then the guy that's been doing it for 45 years is doing it because he still has a lot to learn, professional equipment to buy, techniques on how to edge correctly, how to even blow a driveway and sidewalk off correctly and quickly. there's a lot of learning for new people and so $35 for a quarter acre yard is very fair for both parties and is not ruining the industry and if it is for you then I think you need to step up your game because I think your quality might not be where it's supposed to be otherwise people wouldn't be leaving you therefore you saying it's ruining the industry.