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This is not directed at the original poster, just my observations:
I see a lot of landscapers who see new opportunities everywhere and have a hard time staying focused because they are afraid that they are missing something. Many of them are in the same mold. They have 2-3 guys working for them and want to grow. They try to grow by expanding services rather than expanding their production in doing the services that they already provide. The result, more often than not, is a company that acquires lots of equipment over the years, but still only has 2-3 guys working. Those 2-3 guys now have to change gears from hardscapes, to planting, to mowing, to mulching, to shrub pruning, to hydroseeding, .... in other words they lose production because they are bouncing all over the place. You can't overlook that the cost of all the equipment that it takes to go in so many ddifferent directions weighs you down.
My opinion is that many landscapers won't take the time to look at themselves and ask themselves how many men can they truly manage. That number seems to be 2-3 in many cases. When that is the case, it makes far more sense to figure out the best way to make the most money out of those 2-3 guys instead of seeing how many different directions and how many different pieces of equipment 2-3 guys can use.
When you look around you at the big landscape companies, try to see what separates them from the companies that have 2-3 guys. What is the reputation of the owner that you hear from his workers? I think that you wil find that without exception the difference is not in the services that they offer, the equipment that they have, or even the quality of their work. It is their ability to manage a lot of people. We don't all have that ability, I don't, and to try to deny that will have you a yard full of equipment and 2-3 frustrated employees trying to figure out how many different directions you want them to run in today. Compare that to a 2-3 man crew laying down pavers every day, or a 2-3 man crew mowing lawns every day. None of it is bad.
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