[MOW ED]

First off, Great Site Jeff. I know that the Valley has a great resource for quality work.

I am not in the Landscaping business at all but please give me a minute.
Think back to when you first started, was it an all or nothing deal or was it something a person could work into. I know that there is a very large commitment of equipment and labor needed for much of the work involved. How does a person start a business of this type?
I know that volumes could be written about it. Is it something that can be done on a part time limited basis and if so what are the types of projects that this type of business should be involved in?
I guess that I just don't see the guy with a dingo being profitable when he is competing with the full service landscaping firms. Maybe there is good reason but then the question is how did the big firms become big? Did you put out 200K for all the toys and hope the business takes off?

It is an interesting profession that I am just scratching at but I am really immersed in the lawncare/applications end of things right now. I am always willing to learn. Thanks for inviting me in.

[Stonehenge]

I've got to step away from this PC for a few hours, and I'll answer your Q a little better when I do. But for now, I can tell you I started with very little and built up from there.

[Stonehenge]

Now that I have a few minutes, I need to welcome you to GTX. Thanks for coming aboard.


When I started my biz, I had a 5 cu ft True Temper wheelbarrow, about $200 in hand tools, and a pickup truck. I invested another $3K in the biz. With that $3K I bought a brick saw, compactor and a transit level (sight level, not a laser).

I'm by no means a big shooter now, but we have a lot more equipment now than I did then. Below are the trucks we run now, 6 years later.

Can it be done on a part time basis, like a fireman's off hours? I know of companies down here that are run by fireman or police officers. I think you probably would have to be better about scheduling work, so that something doesn't sit half done for the better part of a week. Either that or find a full time guy or two that can work on the site while you're at the station.

And the commitment of capital on equipment doesn't have to be big at all. I have a brother-in-law that owns a commercial construction business - I think they did $1M in work last year, and other than some hand tools, I'm not sure they own any equipment at all. No skid steers, excavators, dozers, dump trucks. He rents everything. So you can really do it on a shoestring if you need to. And sometimes it's better that way. Throwing huge wads of cash at something you're new at can easily end up with making one bad decision costing you a small fortune.


Jeff

[Stonehenge]

Ooops - I forgot to add the pic....

[KevinH78]

Man, that is some motivating suff there! I am just getting my feet wet in my business and boy do I have a TON of stuff to learn and figure out but I know for a fact it is going to work just like you probably did when you started.

[Stonehenge]

Glad to have you here Kevin. There are lots of bootstrap stories here, many much better than mine. So hang around, ask lots of questions. You'll be an old veteran in no time!

[Paul]

Mow Ed you have a natural lead, the homeowners you do work for now can lead to you start doing installs,so the dingo type work can lead to a bigger and more profitable work. My company started by doing homeowner installs but the time commitment moved me to larger work allowing my business to grow