Making a Living Mowing Lawns
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- Опубликовано: 26 май 2024
- In this video I'm providing an example of a lawn that I mow solo that has a very per man hour rate for our lawn business. In a previous video I gave an example of how we are able to hit 200/hr on certain size properties, but this lawn is well below 80/hr. It's vitally important to know why you are cutting grass at the price you are, and to know your numbers. Are you simply going through the motions and treading on a monotonous hamster wheel? I challenge you to learn WHY you are servicing the properties you are... If you're truly doing it as a favor (as I am in this lawn) then at least you know why... But if your lawn business is struggling, I would guess it's because you don't have a good grip on what is a great lawn for you... It's so important to pick winners for your lawn care business... You only have so much bandwith cutting grass... Why fill your lawn mowing schedule with low margin yards? Take a hard look at each of your lawns and hold them to a high standard.
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MY STORY:
In 2016 I had been in law enforcement for 7 years.
I was not in control of my schedule, I was hardly making any money, and I was away from my family working nights and holidays. I was capable of more, and I was silently suffering. I knew I was selling myself and my family short.
I started Florida Turf Pros as a side hustle in 2016 before going full time in 2017.
My lawn business changed my life.
I control my own schedule, control my own income, and I am proud of what I have built; a business that supports me, my family, and some employees.
If you are a lawn care business owner, this channel will be a valuable resource for you.
This really is a great industry to be in, and I hope that by documenting my journey it will help you.
-Jonathan C. Christian
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I couldn't agree more about the smaller yards being more profitable for mowing. However, in my area, there just aren't enough smaller yards to have a full route. On the plus side, very often, the larger yards mean more mulch, larger leaf cleanups, and longer driveways (we plow snow). Our most profitable customers by total yearly revenue (but not hourly revenue, so there is a trade off) are the larger properties.
This is a really good point actually... The bigger properties typically have more hedges/mulch/maintenance opportunities... great comment.
Are you AWARE of WHY you are servicing the properties you are? Or are you just going through the motions of monotony... I get it... it's easy to just put our head down and get to work... But man... Make sure you are looking up every now and then holding your lawns to a very high standard... We only have so much bandwidth as smaller owner operator type businesses... Use that bandwidth wisely... ❤
Small Yards Biweekly is the ticket.
I have to say I learned a lot from the financial side of this video. I used to cut lawns on the side and never made much money.
Let’s not forget all the string you leave in your pockets for the washing machine 😊😂
I have a friend that I mow for and do his for free, but he gives me free podcast studio rental. I am definitely getting the better end of that deal! Here in Denver, CO, I am trying to hit $95/man hour for mowing and $150/man hour for other work. It's getting a little harder to do with the cost of living and inflation here, but I just got 2 yards today for $48 and $49 which gives me about 30 minutes to complete the mowing, easily doable in maybe 22 minutes solo guy giving me a per man hour rate of $130.91. Great video for those just starting out or feeling stuck!
Awesome, thanks for the great comment!
Totally agree with your order of operations, but honestly I switch it up sometimes in the dog days of summer just to keep life spicy
I do too 😂
Trimming first takes longer because you end up doing more than you need to. Running a guard takes longer because you need long string to cover more ground. It’s hard on the machines but saves enough time to where it’s worth rebuilding or replacing them every few years. I use a string trimmer for all edging and try not to trim any edges. It saves time although the edger does a cleaner job. I can make it looks nearly as clean but I have broken multiple windows in the past. I like having a day with big yards. It’s more relaxed. The hourly rate isn’t as good but I look at the consistent monthly revenue a good client with a large property brings.
These are all very good and valid points
I agree, I have some nice big properties for Fridays. , if im in good shape for Fridays it’s like a day off , big yards not much trimming , rural properties , nice views . I love my job
I've moved from Atlanta where 95% of my lawns were bermuda grass. While there with those weekly clippings so small it was really more about preference when it came to order of operations when showing up on a property. Now I'm in North middle Tennessee which is cool season dominant and that means longer and thicker blades of grass left over when trimming. I'm finding that my finished product looks nicer if I trim first and then mow over the weedeater clippings.
I've been running an Echo 225 since apprx 2017. They are affordable with easily found maintenance pieces. I've been getting 2.5 years out of them. Lightweight and good enough for trimming. I think they are still under 300$ and was originally around 230$.
Last year I tried out the ECHO 225 Edger and have had the same issue with the handle but all in all it gets the job done. Nice video.
Yes, the 225 is still about 250, and agreed... they're good for about 2 years then throw it away and get a new one... I will say I do upgrade the edger for our mowing crew... I get the commercial edger for them and it usually last a couple years
@@FloridaTurfPros if you do a yearly service and clean the carburetor out on them they should last you a lot longer that's why I stopped using Stihl
Man, I know it's your buddy but I wouldn't touch that yard in that neighborhood for less than $100 per service and with my 54" I'd estimate I'd be in and out in about 45 mulinutes. I specialize in larger properties. On the bigger end they range anywherefrom 4 to 10 acres if you price it right it's a gold mine. Less downtime loading and unloading/driving, plus more opportunity for sidework like hedging and pruning, sprinkler work, cleanups, etc.
For example: one of my 4 acre properties takes me 2.5 hours and that gets billed out at $280 per service.
The 10 acre property is a whole other beast. I alot 6 hours a week to that client and they get billed out at $2750 per month.
You need big mowers to make those big jobs worth it though. I jump on the 60" whenever possible
Haha, nah it's all good. I really enjoy this property actually.
Small trashy yards is where it's at.
💯
Great video. This is where I'm at. I've clustered in an area & I love it. I have a few bigger lawns that I plan on giving a price increase next season or dropping. They are an acre each & real labor intensive.
I've dialed in my ideal lawn in my market.
Gold!!!!!
I see you got a new camera looking nice and shine keep it up and thank you for the very informative video
Thanks for noticing. 🙏
Your correct if your fully booked,I do the same t hing on my lawn with the edge as well
It looks so clean with a high edge! 😂
Hey man, agree with pretty much everything you said.. small yards better , edging with stick edge, mowing rental /crappy yards . All of which I do in my business.. great video
Thanks for sharing
Very valid! I cut mostly higher end properties and I’m solo as well, would love if I could just hit little postage stamps all day and crack it out! But we do what we have to do
Every market is different for sure! I'm sure you've figured out how to make a great living mowing lawns there.
I'll do extra work/time on a legacy customer's lawn no problem, glad to do it.
great videos as always man. I think something that should be mentioned is that tho you have smaller margins, you have less hassle. especially with commercial lots.
for example we have a client we charge $200 per cut. 1 customer, 1 person to communicate with 1 lawn to learn and get good at mowing.
we also have 5 $40/cuts. that’s 5 people to communicate with, 5 spots to drive to and estimate and bill, 5 spots to remember all the quirks (how to open the gate etc etc)… this especially becomes a factor with employees
there’s pros and cons to both
This is a great point. Typically in my market, I’m not able to charge $200 for a larger property, but I totally would if we could! Great comment.
I havent used a air filter in my trimmers in years. First thing to go is the air filter, guard, and spark arrestor. Been doing this for 10+ years. If you don't make a mess, nothing to clean up. Lots of good tips in your video.
Why in the world would you not want an air filter..?
Haha, that's great.
Maybe raise the price for about $75 to make up for the gas and fuel that was used at least.
Trimming first is faster and it keeps you from getting too close to objects. Also when you trim first you can spot out any wet spots that need trimmed out so you don’t bury the tires. I trim and edge throw my backpack on and blow on the go less walking. And where I’m at the grass is super thick so I can thin out the grass with the blower while I mow. In Florida all your yards are thin so you’re gonna have less grass on the concrete for sure.
All good points.
No trimmer guard is life changing. Can't imagine going back to a narrower cut width. Longer string + slower rpm = less likely for me to scalp. I prefer longer string for flip edging too. Another benefit I never anticipated was increased visibility. With a guard on I never realized how often I had to pull my trimmer back to see what my guard was blocking from view. Might only be a half-second each time but it was constant. No guard makes your movement smoother which is faster.
Very true.
Mow, edge, trim
I have always mowed first. If I trim first I tend to miss some of the spots my mower won’t hit. If I mow first, there’s no guess work on what to trim.
💯 That's the way I do it.
I always edge/trim first because i get hot and sweaty then when I jump on my machine I catch the breeze and cool off then blow down also the trimming throws and leaf litter out on the yard to get cut up
Makes sense!
Trim, mow, and edge.
Interesting... do you have lots of clippings from your trimmer that you need to. mulch up?
Agreed about smaller properties. If you average it out, what is your target per hr?
I’m upset if I’m not getting 120
Postage stamps you should be charging a $50 minimum
icant get my guard off!!
Take the speed feed head off first, then you'll have access to the screws that hold the guard in place.
Wait, wait, wait, why don’t you run an air filter on your weedeater? I thought that was the way to keep trash from getting inside the motor.
Do you have any thoughts on the Darwin grips?
I love it. I use one when I want a little change up.
Need to run that weed eatter on everything including edging. Save more steps and learn. Tk hold 10 different ways to adjust for throwing rocks
Hi Jonathan, I see you edge walks while standing on grass. What do you find is the benefit?
I do both actually just depending on the situation.... no rhyme or reason really =)
Bro business is business that 120 all day in my area Saint Augustine
Keep the string in your pocket, more good stuff!
My wife gets so mad because it always ends up in our washing machine.
Are you going solo now? What happened to the big red F250? Less overhead is nice!
No, sir. I have a mowing crew and I primarily focus on sod sales and sod installation prep now. But I occassionally do have to jump on a mower to help them finish huge weeks, so I grab some mowing footage when I can.
I know it's your buddy, but why not place a 160 dollar price on it and if they say no, so be it? Edit: they, meaning any future clients with a similar yard size.
I do this very thing for larger properties... I've had a few say ok to my complete shock, but most run for the hill when I give them a 200 price 😂
What are you telling the clients that you get rid of, when their yard is too large or not meeting your man hour rate? What do you find works best, when letting go of clients without negative reviews/word of mouth.
I am honest with the client, flat out. I say "To continue service on the lawn the new price for the lawn is x. The price will take effect on x date. There's nothing you need to do on your part. Thank you for allowing me to take care of you home." I don't cancel on them usually... I either get them to our per man hour rate or it they're not agreeable they cancel. Either way, win-win.
@@FloridaTurfPros thank you
Why did you cut the thumb from the glove ?
To touch screen phone
@@Texas1987 My man!
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@@FloridaTurfPros could you explain that it took you years to get the clients that you have…. I know you did a couple of videos explaining some of the hard times that you endured through, but I just really don’t think that people understand how much you’ve done.. to acquire what you have
If it takes you an hour to cut that you should be charging $150 to $160
No hate or judgment … just curious why you don’t stripe back and forth and instead kind of do loops and no stripe life… noticed on a few videos… again.. no judgment .. just curious the reason
Warm season turf grasses do not stripe. You really can not see any cut lines in the yard. About 25% of my properties you can tell and I am much more mindful about cut lines in those situations.
Ahhh!! Ok that makes sense. I’m jealous… up here in the Midwest we don’t get that option unfortunately… I wish we did on some of these lawns with a million mulch beds.
Thank you for the content!
Air filter trashes equipment?
No... I lost the air filter last year and haven't replaced it... meaning, I really don't care much about trashing out a cheap weedeater.
I heard very wrong, but I have to say man. You got it together, you are for sure what I’m striving for hard for this year.
As long as your not actually losing $ it all adds up,car salesmans thouhhts
Hmmm, I don’t know. That’s the exact mindset I’m trying to lean away from… for example; why add up quarters, when you could be adding up dollars? Now, if your schedule is not full, then I understand keeping the quarters AND the dollars. But if your schedule is full with new work coming in all the time, you have to get rid of the quarters to make room for the dollars.
4 lawns in 1 hour u must be rushing cause theres no way! Maybe 3 lawns
That’s not how you line fyi
Huh?
I'm surprised you can charge what you charge here in FL. Soooo many illegals working for min wage out here in the sun. I am about ready to give up because people say I am too expensive at $30 for a tiny 1/8 acre lot.