36 years ago I started mowing as a licensed business. I started trying to get every job that I could. I now have only 15 customers. I was taking on very labor intensive jobs . Over time I have acquired enough jonbs that range from 3 acres up to entire communities. I have found that if you bid high, and leave the labor intensive jobs to others. I am truly blessed, ZERO debt. I have time to relax.
I feel getting started if you have a homeowner version to do enough work to save up for a used commercial mower that's been researched and then save up for a new one. I think first mower should be cash if you can. Try not to finance or credit until later when you can do it responsibly. Love your break down of financing a mower and that not look at the oh its 10k. Defiantly want comfort and productivity. Gotta get those write offs.
I agree, started 2 years ago as a side hustle with my own push mower, rider and residential whip = all profit but small amount of customers, and smaller lawn sizes. Last year my customer base tripled through word of mouth basically, plus several larger lawns. I bought a new commercial mower, sold my residential mower and was able to pay off the new commercial mower in 2 months. Anticipating more growth this year so picked up an even larger commercial ZT (61”) used paying cash! Everything this year will be profit! I like new equipment but I love pure profit even more!
Ayyyy you made the video I requested thank you!!! Edit: thanks again this video is awesome. I used to be very scared of numbers but im excited to learn and videos like this help a ton
I’m about to purchase my first commercial mower before the start of the season, and I’m super excited about it definitely a big deal for my business. Hard work pays off fellas 💪🏾… Great advice and I definitely liked the breakdown on the spreadsheet.
Great Advice. We just financed our first commercial mower in 2022. It was great for us because they gave us 0 percent interest for 12 months. We were able to make monthly payments without pulling any money out of the bank. We were able to pay the mower off before the end of the season.
Very good information here. Plan on starting here up north in the next month or so. Already have a guy working on a logo. Only have a '03 Xterra but the sky's the limit
PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH as MANY people as possible who are in the lawn care business. This is important information that not a lot of people are talking about!!
Absolutely love your vids! I have mixed feelings about debt but i have started to implement it cautiously and slowly into my business. In 2020 i bought my first zero turn mower (Gravely pro turn z 48) which was a fantastic mid grade mower for me to start out on. Last year i financed a Pro Stance 36in and paid it off in 6 months. This January i retired the 48in to a back up mower and 0% financed my new favorite piece of equipment, a gravely pro stance 52in. I was hesitant to purchase it so early into the season especially with taxes and slower cash flow, but i was presented with a fantastic deal that just kind of fell into my lap. made it out the door at 9715.25 on the 52in and cant wait to make some money this season. Thanks again for your knowledge and transparent videos that help all of us learn and grow :)
I pay cash for everything the business needs, from business proceeds. I have two Toyota Tundra trucks, John Deere commercial stand-ons and all ECHO power tools. The trucks, one trailer and all mowers are used, but excellent condition and built to last. The power tools were all bought new but that expense wasn't much. And I didn't buy anything until I needed it for a job. It's taken four years to grow to the point I'm at, which is still small, but it's been a profitable side business that's been debt-free since day one. If you were to finance everything you'll become a slave to the banks and will work for payments rather than profits. If I were to stop lawn care tomorrow I wouldn't owe anyone a dime and to me, that's freedom.
Without a doubt, a commercial mower is the way to go/start. I started my business with a residential mower and I would have gotten a commercial mower sooner had I known the difference between them.
$700 and $600 is what i paid for my two Ferris commercial walk behind mowers. Great cut, durable, and look the part. We only do 20 yards as part of a property maintenance business that includes cleaning and home upkeep for contacts... Plan to buy a ztr to offer more mowing as its oddly more profitable than some other things we do in my area
When's the best time to buy your first commercial mower? First year in business. I bought my first new one my first year. A Honda HRC 216. It paid for itself within a month or 2. 3 years later another one. Over a year later a John Deere X758.
Financing a mower that allows you to cut faster (thus handling more yards) could definitely be the better option than struggling with equipment that isn't cutting it. Pun definitely intended.
Im currently in this situation where ive limped my old 20 year old residential zero turn along for my first two years. Going into my third year im ready to finance a dump trailer. I cant do anything without one without extreme difficulty. Ill save 3-4k cash for a cheap commercial mower soon too. Cant wait!
@@TopNotchPropertyServiceLLC you can find a commercial mower used for $4000, it's a necessity for sure. The big outfits buy new stuff every couple of years & sell the old fleet for a quarter what they paid new. I have 1500 hours on a John Deere 652R with a Kawasaki engine as my main workhorse. Bought it for $4000 with 1000 hours and still haven't had a breakdown. The ones who have all the flashy new stuff only look profitable, they're in debt. You got this!
I believe the best advice is when you said the question to ask is, "Is this truely necessary for my business?" It is easy to want something better to be more productive, but is it necessary?
If you’re mowing faster but it all goes for payments and parts you’re really just spinning your wheels 😢 Think about working less and how to keep most of it and Zero debt ❤
Work and save. Start small jobs. Push mow, trim bushes, chainsaw etc. Use the saved money to purchase the mower. I would recommend an eletric ego. Not only a write-off but potentially a fed tax credit for electric equipment
Um, I would say you could definitely run into problems if you get into a wreck and your insurance company finds out you are using the truck for your business... It's always best to just be upfront with them and they can allocate a specific portion of your premium to personal vs commercial... be on the up and up with them for sure.
36 years ago I started mowing as a licensed business. I started trying to get every job that I could. I now have only 15 customers. I was taking on very labor intensive jobs . Over time I have acquired enough jonbs that range from 3 acres up to entire communities. I have found that if you bid high, and leave the labor intensive jobs to others. I am truly blessed, ZERO debt. I have time to relax.
For starters check out Bradley mowers. I ran their mowers for years and years without issues. Quite a bit cheaper than the big name brands.
I feel getting started if you have a homeowner version to do enough work to save up for a used commercial mower that's been researched and then save up for a new one. I think first mower should be cash if you can. Try not to finance or credit until later when you can do it responsibly. Love your break down of financing a mower and that not look at the oh its 10k. Defiantly want comfort and productivity. Gotta get those write offs.
I agree, started 2 years ago as a side hustle with my own push mower, rider and residential whip = all profit but small amount of customers, and smaller lawn sizes. Last year my customer base tripled through word of mouth basically, plus several larger lawns. I bought a new commercial mower, sold my residential mower and was able to pay off the new commercial mower in 2 months. Anticipating more growth this year so picked up an even larger commercial ZT (61”) used paying cash! Everything this year will be profit! I like new equipment but I love pure profit even more!
Don't forget to pay your taxes too.the hours loves to get our money
@@janetwolski1607 oh yes, taxes are a bummer but I was able to expense some of my profits for multiple things.
Ayyyy you made the video I requested thank you!!!
Edit: thanks again this video is awesome. I used to be very scared of numbers but im excited to learn and videos like this help a ton
That's right, I knew someone had requested this! 😊 Glad it was helpful for you. Good luck to you this year.
@@FloridaTurfPros thanks man. Did my first landscaping job today. Still trying to get some mowing clients tho!
I’m about to purchase my first commercial mower before the start of the season, and I’m super excited about it definitely a big deal for my business. Hard work pays off fellas 💪🏾… Great advice and I definitely liked the breakdown on the spreadsheet.
Thanks for letting me know!
Great Advice. We just financed our first commercial mower in 2022. It was great for us because they gave us 0 percent interest for 12 months. We were able to make monthly payments without pulling any money out of the bank. We were able to pay the mower off before the end of the season.
Very good information here. Plan on starting here up north in the next month or so. Already have a guy working on a logo. Only have a '03 Xterra but the sky's the limit
Good luck to you this year.
Thank you, same to you.
I really love your videos and find them very informative and helpful. I'm from the Midwest and prepping to get started next Spring part time.
PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH as MANY people as possible who are in the lawn care business. This is important information that not a lot of people are talking about!!
Thanks for the visit. You ready to hit it this season?! We are. 💪
@@FloridaTurfPros let’s get it!!
Excellent video, a must watch.
Glad you enjoyed it
Good stuff right there.
Absolutely love your vids! I have mixed feelings about debt but i have started to implement it cautiously and slowly into my business. In 2020 i bought my first zero turn mower (Gravely pro turn z 48) which was a fantastic mid grade mower for me to start out on. Last year i financed a Pro Stance 36in and paid it off in 6 months. This January i retired the 48in to a back up mower and 0% financed my new favorite piece of equipment, a gravely pro stance 52in. I was hesitant to purchase it so early into the season especially with taxes and slower cash flow, but i was presented with a fantastic deal that just kind of fell into my lap. made it out the door at 9715.25 on the 52in and cant wait to make some money this season. Thanks again for your knowledge and transparent videos that help all of us learn and grow :)
Man that was a great deal on a 52inch… hope you have a great season. 👍🏾
Sounds like your cautious enough with debt that you won't get in trouble. Just err on the side of being conservative and you'll be ok.
I pay cash for everything the business needs, from business proceeds. I have two Toyota Tundra trucks, John Deere commercial stand-ons and all ECHO power tools. The trucks, one trailer and all mowers are used, but excellent condition and built to last. The power tools were all bought new but that expense wasn't much. And I didn't buy anything until I needed it for a job. It's taken four years to grow to the point I'm at, which is still small, but it's been a profitable side business that's been debt-free since day one. If you were to finance everything you'll become a slave to the banks and will work for payments rather than profits. If I were to stop lawn care tomorrow I wouldn't owe anyone a dime and to me, that's freedom.
Well done!
I bought a Toro 3000 series commercial mower for my personal 7 acres, best 10K I ever spent!
Thanks for the video, you made several great points.
You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
Without a doubt, a commercial mower is the way to go/start.
I started my business with a residential mower and I would have gotten a commercial mower sooner had I known the difference between them.
The biggest difference is the deck and spindles 😊
Good explanation of liquidity.
Bought two new Turf Tigers two years ago for 37k.
It was a helluva hit but we paid cash.
They paid for themselves in a portion of the season.
37k😮.
Great video. I love learning from you.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, this is great content!!
Glad it was helpful!
ETH 3K sooon! Let’s go baby!!
$700 and $600 is what i paid for my two Ferris commercial walk behind mowers. Great cut, durable, and look the part. We only do 20 yards as part of a property maintenance business that includes cleaning and home upkeep for contacts... Plan to buy a ztr to offer more mowing as its oddly more profitable than some other things we do in my area
Back in the day 36"standers used to run $4800-$5600.
Everything has gone up. It's the way it is.
For sure, I remember brand new commercial walk behinds cost that, now it's 7,500 and up for a new one. It's crazy
Gravely pro stance 32 $18000 New Zealand 🇳🇿
I got a toro zero turn 32” deck for 600$ from a older more established company that replaced it I also asked for tips
When's the best time to buy your first commercial mower?
First year in business. I bought my first new one my first year. A Honda HRC 216. It paid for itself within a month or 2. 3 years later another one. Over a year later a John Deere X758.
Financing a mower that allows you to cut faster (thus handling more yards) could definitely be the better option than struggling with equipment that isn't cutting it. Pun definitely intended.
Im currently in this situation where ive limped my old 20 year old residential zero turn along for my first two years. Going into my third year im ready to finance a dump trailer. I cant do anything without one without extreme difficulty. Ill save 3-4k cash for a cheap commercial mower soon too. Cant wait!
@@TopNotchPropertyServiceLLC With decent credit, you'd be surprised at financing options. Often can finance one for 200ish - the price of a few lawns.
@@TopNotchPropertyServiceLLC you can find a commercial mower used for $4000, it's a necessity for sure. The big outfits buy new stuff every couple of years & sell the old fleet for a quarter what they paid new. I have 1500 hours on a John Deere 652R with a Kawasaki engine as my main workhorse. Bought it for $4000 with 1000 hours and still haven't had a breakdown. The ones who have all the flashy new stuff only look profitable, they're in debt. You got this!
I believe the best advice is when you said the question to ask is, "Is this truely necessary for my business?" It is easy to want something better to be more productive, but is it necessary?
If you’re mowing faster but it all goes for payments and parts you’re really just spinning your wheels 😢
Think about working less and how to keep most of it and Zero debt ❤
Thank you so much for this video
You are so welcome!
Walker mowers that we use around here start at 18k or more. 80% of the guys use them around here because the market.
You must be on cool season turf grasses?
@@FloridaTurfPros yep. Mn and nd border.
I bought my Wright stander for $7k it’s got 2700 hours now at about $100 and hour. So it’s money well spent!
What is the average cut height do you use with your customers?
Centipede and zoysia about 3", and St. Aug 4.5".
Im laughing at 10,000.
They wanted 8 g last year on sale for a 48" walk behind belt driven at stores near me.
That's for a top spec residentia ztrl mower
what land planer did you get ? how do you like it ?
bought a Wright 36", 11K, owned for 4 months, paid down currently to 9.75K, I’ll be taking 2.2K depreciation on it for 5 years.
Work and save. Start small jobs. Push mow, trim bushes, chainsaw etc.
Use the saved money to purchase the mower. I would recommend an eletric ego. Not only a write-off but potentially a fed tax credit for electric equipment
Can give two thumbs up I would man you dropped a gem. Thank you makes since
Glad you enjoyed it.
My credit is doo doo so I can’t even go into debt lol
If you can with on them yourself, replace spindles ect your fine
If you can’t do the simple repairs and have a place and tools just don’t get in the business 😊
Hi I have a question, do you need commercial insurance on your pick up truck to start a solo landscaping business here in FL???
Um, I would say you could definitely run into problems if you get into a wreck and your insurance company finds out you are using the truck for your business... It's always best to just be upfront with them and they can allocate a specific portion of your premium to personal vs commercial... be on the up and up with them for sure.
OK ok I understand. Thank you so much
How many houses do you complete per day?
About 30
I paid cash for everything
...
Well I do not agree with you on the 10000 now because that mower will not get that much you be lucky if you can sell for what you owe on it
Ummm, Dave Ramsey would disagree with you.
Dave's great, but I don't believe in his total black and white thinking with regards to debt.