The fastest most surefire to achieve your goal of owning a lawn care business that supports you and your family is www.turfprosacademy.com It's a STEP BY STEP BREAKDOWN of exactly what to do based on everything I have learned over 8 years.
Great insights. I have been a solo operator for almost 30 years. I service between 60 to 70 yards in a 5 day week sometimes 6. Route density is key. My heaviest days are Monday and Tuesday. I usually knock out about 20 or so each of these days. All grouped closely together sometimes 3 or 4 right next to each other. Be dependable and predictable. The accounts are serviced the same days every week normally about the same time of day each time. Once you understand how to get through each yard it is a piece of cake. The same way every time, everything each and every time. Variations of mowing patterns taken into account. Quality, dependable service, but you have to understand your customer. Some yards you are just a grass cutter and other customers you are a lawn guy. Don't cut corners. I try to sell my customers on annual contracts where the amount is the same every month with extra money for things that are outside of the normal course of work. I figure mine on 44 trips per year, servicing 12 months of the year. It has worked for me. I use to work a job and do this on the side. You can make it. Bet on yourself. People will pay for quality work.
I've been doing this for 30 years now. 70 accounts is no problem where I am. There are yard guys everywhere here. Military town with loads of retirees. So I can BS on you
Glad you mentioned RECOVERY at end of day. Drinking or Smoking to relax will put you on the unemployment line. Rest, Diet, Recreation with Family are Key.
Right on the mark! Im solo and some things that come to mind that pays dividends is, let the mower cut the grass on the curbs(not your string trimmer); Shute blocker; 4 day maintenance week; full property maintenance(landscaping beds)range $90-220 per ;working for people that have the money to spend on a excellent service; full sleeve poly shirts and pants, full brim hat, scheduled service only company!, monthly during winter for properties that have trees and or nice landscaping. Equipment don’t make a business! Your customers make your business! Offer a premium service for premium price for the people that value it. Have money in the bank so you can wag the tail, not the customer. You are the professional you need to back it up with your company appearance and service!
Worked 6 years solo cutting grass on the side while going through nursing school. I then worked for two years as an ICU nurse while I continued to mow grass. I had around 15-20 clients at a time and made around $40,000 a year. Saved my ICU pay for 2 years and paid cash for my anesthesia schooling. I am forever indebted to the lawn care service and cherish my time that I had on my mower for those 6 years. Hard work!
@@NataliaM-c7q I live somewhat rural and so most of my clients bills were 100$ a cut or more. One lawn was 240$, another 175$ that was a church. I generally only mowed and did very little landscaping. My schedule was limited so I only kept weekly or biweekly clients that were reliable and I charged around 50-60/hr. I would typically only work Friday and Saturdays but they were usually 10-15 hour days. I did have to pay taxes on that and there were some business expenses obviously, but running lawn care is pretty cheap on over head if your equipment holds up, so I netted less than 40k, but still I was able to live on that at the time while being married and save my other income to put towards my schooling.
was unable to cut my yard as of last year due to stage 4 cancer, so I hire a guy to cut it for $100.00 he has 10 other yards within a 2 block area around my house he cuts them with a push lawnmower, and hauls everything in his car no big trailor
You are absolutely spot on. I have mowed 14 in a day and 12 in a day. Route density is key. 12 a day is adequate for me. Kudos to those wanting to do more. I am a realist. Great content
When starting up, I took on everything. First realization was that I wasn't making any money hauling equipment around town. It only makes money when it's running. So, logistics and planning is key in this game. Then I got selective on the type of accounts, only took on townehomes and other year round properties.
I’m solo, I absolutely bust my ass and charge more because I am the owner who also does the work…so I care. I’m at 91 yards that average $224 a yard. That took me 7 years of quoting the highest quotes and getting only about 5% of the quotes bc my price was high. I have about 48 small beach yards that I charge a minimum of $200 a month. They take me anywhere from 5-10 minutes to complete. That took a lot of patience and time to get where I’m at. Also, i began to record my work and my channel has over 100k subscribers. There’s also one time jobs I do on the weekends every few weeks. I’ve had months of 35k but I’m usually around 20k now. Not bad money for cutting grass by myself. I started at like 4k a month and my route density and pricing sucked bc I inherited most of it. Happy I found you and looking forward to learning from you.
There was another gut in the area that had his Trailor two riding lawnmowers and all his equipment stolen, someone just pulled up to his trailer and hooked up to it and pulled off, I tell people to get them airtags on all the equipment so if it gets stolen it can be tracked
I totally agree! Whats sustainable is a good point! At this point in my life and solo I'm the Tortoise not the Hare , Some days I may hit 7 and some 3 it depends I'm set up to be consistent over the long haul. I may not ever get rich but I do ok for a retired solo lawncare provider, Some days I can even by doughnuts🍩🤣Great information👌🏾
Great video. You spot on with the facts you talk about in this video. I have been running a lawn business now for 14 years and recovery time,clusters of yards and a good operator is so important to a smooth running business. Also to profit margins.
In order to get clusters starting out you need to accept as many jobs as possible. The clusters will start forming. Then as time goes on "thin" out the weeds as your clusters grow.
First of all, thanks! You and a couple more guys on RUclips made me think and look at what I'm doing. April 1st was my third year full-time. Right now, I'm spot on what you said. I'm doing 8 to 13 yards a day solo. Averaging Right at 11. My market is crazy. I truly have to turn down work several times a week. Finding that perfect yard is key. I have yards I go to and hate, but now I see the ones I like, and they pay just as good. That's what year 3 is showing me. And your wife is indeed beautiful. 😅
Increase revenue streams. Fertilizer, weed control. Irrigation service, bed maintenance, season color, ways to take a 1600/yr customer into a 3500/yr customer
You got me with the "lawns don't have to be beautiful to make money". I'm listening to this as I reorganize my routes and am working out a $1,000+ solo day with "ugly" yards. They are my best customers as far as efficiency and hourly income on the day! LOVE IT
❤ thanks for the inspiration. I have clusters on each day. It does make all the difference. And the recovery taking care of yourself is a big deal. Working in heat and humidity day after day takes a toll
I have 80 lawns, all in same neighborhood which has 500 homes. Lots are almost 1/2 acre to .38. It takes me 10 hours 5 days a week. Rarely rained out. I also do all landscaping on Saturdays. I have one helper. I have had offers to expand into commercial mowing but then no life ever.
Very good content that is on point. Operator efficiency, route density, and recovery. All great points make a difference on the bottom line with profit and health.
8-10 for me now solo working in 3 great neighborhoods near by each other…when I had two extra guys it was 18-22 per day. You can definitely make a killing in lawncare💯
The content in this video is from MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE starting as a solo guy, as well as many others in TurfProsAcademy... these are real numbers we're seeing from those actually doing it. What are you guys seeing on your end as solo operators? More, less, same? Discuss!
Good info. When laying out my routes I even try to factor traffic flow, Right hand turns prevent waiting to cross traffic and keeps from wasting time. Solo is hard over the long haul. At 48 I’m finding it very difficult to keep hitting the numbers consistently.
I live in Cental Florida. I started my lawn care business in March 2021. As of December 2023-now I am full. I consider full 80-85 a week, Mon-Thurs approx. 730-330-4pm.I make $657 a day working those 4 days a week. I leave Friday open for special projects and rain make ups. I have a very tight route; almost all of my days/time is spent in the same 4-mile radius. I am considering at the start of next year either raising all customers prices 5% or hiring another person. However, I'm hearing from too many people on RUclips and in person, about how hard it is to keep an employee and how stressful it is.
I ran solo for years and maxed out at about 110 lawns a week. Once I swapped over to fertilizing and pest control I doubled my income with half the work and equipment. Highly recommend people go that route. Yes it has a slightly bigger barrier to entry with licensing and education but a solo guy in a van can easily pull in $2k in a 8 hour work day depending on your market and density. Best thing I ever did was stepping out of mowing.
@@shannonp4037 Quality, personal, education and local. My servicing offering was much greater with a personalized approach. “Custom” programs for each lawn, soil testing on all my properties, mostly organic products with use of bio stimulants. I often took on free lawns in neighborhoods to grow into those areas, I would just find an ugly lawn and offer to make it beautiful again for free. With the use of proper bio stimulants it’s not hard to get a lawn to turn around quick. Or money back guarantees if I did not turn their lawn around within two months. After I had a few on a street it was easy to go door to door and point out my results vs TrueGreen or Weedman results. Most was me just walking around talking to people and showing them a better quality experience with a personal touch. Staying active on Facebook and answering questions / education. I have a friend that started a lawn care business from scratch and he spent the winter before active on neighborhood Facebook groups answering questions, he started his first Spring with 82 accounts just from him staying engaged on Facebook and providing good education and information over the winter before. I had plenty of Tuegreen lawns in between mine and I would just keep poking those home owners and creating good relationships with them. Many homes have had Truegreen for years and their lawns look like shit, not hard to show them a better way. If they want cheap they get cheap results. Most of my products I ran were from Greene County Fertilizers, hands down the best products in this industry. Can’t stress education enough, you cannot turn a lawn around all on your own, home owners need to be taught good cultural practices and be involved with their lawn and do what you ask them to do. It goes a long way.
@@FloridaTurfPros 6 days a week killing myself and good route density. Had an awesome 48” mower that I ran for 20 years ( old Buyers Gold mower) Replaced the hydros with ones I pulled off a forklift and suped it up a bunch. Re designed the pulley system to get more speed out of it. Was able to cut at about 12mph and drive 15mph with it. So having that speed all day made a big difference just going back to the trailer for example. Had a 36” gravely that drove me crazy because how slow it was. Don’t make them like they used to anymore. Found them at Costco for $2k. Plus it was extremely light and easy to maneuver around. Only weighed about 300 lbs. Thing was a monster and just as scary to use. Closest thing I can find to those mowers is from Bradley mowers but the design has changed so much you can’t do much to them to make them faster. Only did 110 for about two years and it was just too much. Dropped down to 90 a week solo and would do that in about 4.5 days. Average sqft was about 3k so quick and easy lawns.
@FlordiaTurfPros It depends where you are at. I live in CA. Everything is expensive here EXCEPT getting your lawn cut. For your average subdivision house, you are not getting more than $20, most of the time $15. There are just to many people willing to do it for cheap, and there are virtually no barriers to entry other than a very small investment to get started. It's a strange economic situation where minimum wage is $20/hr., but $15 to mow your lawn. It's crazy.
I’m a solo guy I do about 56-60 a week mom-fri at about $50 each. I like the smallest yard possible and thin. Bigger tall wet yards just drain your time. Problem with loading up your schedule is when it rains or is really tall.
Very true... Our area gets so much rain that I learned after the first year I absolutely can NOT mow 5 days a week or we will get behind all the time. We do a 4 day/week mow schedule then take care of flowerbed work on Fridays.
On Long Island ny. Everything is extra. And you have to have crews. Because the trimming will slow you down. We all have sidewalks patios pools paths all have to be trimmed. Then the shrub work is all day Saturday and Sunday. Not easy.
Here in Southern California, homeowners expect to have the planter work included in the price. That just means more time on property. Thus a $49 minimum per visit. For the yards in my area. Make sure to calculate price for yourself guys. My price may not be good for your workflow.
This was a very realistic video and I couldn't agree more. I would argue you will make more as a solo compared to a 2 man for the simple fact that a 2 man doesn't double your production.
Physically I feel good. I do about 14 a day and that's on about a 10 hour day. I have some yards that are 1 acre and bigger. My #1 issue is dealing with late payments or people that refuse to pay for work that's already been completed.
Credit card on file or don’t work for them. Bill after each completion. Work the cc fee into your pricing or just absorb it as you’ll have the money in your account within 2 days. It’s a game changer👍🏻
I love St. Augustine lawns they’re easy to mow usually one pass and the clippings disappear. I have a few here in Va. Beach but mostly fescue which can require some extra work.
I do 550 on my main lawn day. Trying to fill up a 2nd. Other days i do cleanups and hedge trimming. Some of those are around 800. I do all push mowing though and collect clippings.
I work electrical Monday/Thursday and then mow Friday Saturday. My Fridays start at 4:30 A.M. and end anywhere from 6:30 P.M. all the way to dark sometimes. My route density is horrible 🤣 in the middle of the day I’m driving thirty minutes across town to my other set of lawns throughout another city. And I only have one neighborhood where i have two right next to each other.
True inspiration. Ty. I wish you did life coaching in addition to cutting. I just can’t pull the trigger to flip to full time, side hustle keeps growing and starting my route at 4pm after working in healthcare is starting to brake me after 30? Years of hustling.
Buddy, I need to know the exact name and exact color of these pants because wrangler makes a blue million of them and I want the ones you are wearing. Thanks a lot! I’m very picky and apologize for being a pain in advance. Lol
Even when you are efficient with your workload. How many jobs do you need every month to meet your expenses? All your fuel for equipment and truck. All your regular maintenance and unexpected repairs. And liability insurance. Before you make a profit .it's not as easy as people think.
My friend has a Chevy sonic that he pulls a 5x8 trailer a 30" push mower ,blower and weed eater, his only job and he pockets 2k a week after expenses. It's not what you have to do it with it's what you do with it. I put everything in the back of a 2005 Chevy Colorado 21" push, blower and whacker. I'm bringing home 800 plus a week 3 days while I grow, I will add a trailer for junk removal soon but now I just rent a uhaul box for those jobs
I really don’t understand been cutting lawns for over 10 years in central Florida. Nobody pays $50 a cut here in my area. Typically most cookie cutter yards pay $25-$35 per kite and some people still scream when you tell them that price.
Have you done a new equipment tour yet? I know you have the 36/52” ProStance mowers and i think you said you went to PAS2620 for trimmers and edgers. Blowers still 580s? I’m in Tampa Bay Area and slowly copying your setup haha
I only do an average of 5 to 6 a day. I don’t even try to max my self out anymore it’s not worth it, you’ll just burn your self out and your equipment. Not to mention the more you make the more u gonna pay Uncle Sam at the end of the year. Sometimes less is more. 6 hours a day and I’m done I’ll turn that phone off. Don’t kill your self for these customers cause they can replace u the next day.
If your doing 5-6 yards a day how much are you making per week? are you working 5 days a week? I'm new and I like your approach I'm trying to learn to be my own boss with this
It gets lonely sometimes, but i will say this get a good customer and use them to buy a gravely like yours. Then dont fianance anything until you get monthly contracts to cover all the big items truck etc.
The answer is yes, I’m not even a year in and I focus on landscaping (soft scapes) and I’m making 1,200 in two reasonable days. Alone. I have a brand new ferris z2 52” stander and a scag 30” push with a stick edger, trimmer and a couple stihl 800 blowers.
Yes but... How much overhead does it cost per day? I noticed you drive a stander. People never take this into account. Gas for truck/ gas for equipment. Take that off the $600 per day. Being solo I use per week $70 truck with using AC on entire time and equipment gas $20 on average. 141 accounts Monday-Thursday Bi-weekly all in 1 community. 3-per hour $90. Push mower --Week A-- $535-Monday $550-Tuesday $650-Wednesday $440-Thursday --$2,175-- --------------------------------------------------------------------- --Week B-- $780-Monday $600-Tuesday $570-Wednesday $495-Thursday --$2,410-- I have some accounts weekly. Trim 2 accounts per week all 52 weeks a year here Gilbert, AZ. Add another $150 per week income. It's 100 degrees in Summer and 70 all winter. Rains 5-7 days entire year that's all we get with rain.
Clusters of properties is great logistics. So are add-ons like weed management or fertilizer packages. Usually fertilizer and weed spray only need 3 or 4 visits per season, and take so little time that multiples revenue for minimal additional output or travel
@@acfuller86 He really is a mad lad if he does. I give a 50% up charge on biweekly. So my becomes 75 etc. I will not kill my equipment because your cheap lol
Just discovered your channel so don't know if you have discussed this previously, but what percentage of lawns do you cut vs cut and seed/fertilize? Like how you show a video of cutting "ugly" yard. Not everyone has these insane park like yards.
I don't seed/fertilize any of my lawns. Overseeding is almost always a waste on warm season turf grasses. There are some fertilization companies I work with and refer work to for clients who want those services.
12-15 yards a day. Are you weed eating, edging, blowing etc. I even spray the cracks for weeds. Getting after it for me is just over an hour for $65. I’ve tried looking at it in every way possible. I just don’t see how you can knock out these yards in 30 minutes or less and do a quality job. For all I do with service visits I’m actually charging too low but nobody’s is going to pay $100 bi-weekly I do 3-4 yards a day. That sustainable. 16-21 customers. If I had around 50 solo, I would be so behind during a week with 4 straight days of rain. I want to generate 6 figures AFTER TAXES, it just seems like lawncare just won’t bring in that kinda of money. I want to be bringing home 300k-500k a year
Question please. How much (%) have you raised your prices since 2020? You said $50-$55 in this video and that sounds like it might be the same as what you were charging before the covid inflation. Genuine question, THANK YOU
im a critical care nurse with tons of liability and mountains of stress and have to deal with tons of Sh@t from all the karens in HR doctors co workers families patients etc. nothing is more stressful than what im doing now. and i make 600 a day. its not worth it id rather cut grass
I have a brand new f250 and 2, 13k zero turns on my trailer and some well seasoned stihl handhelds. My trailer has 4 different rusty rims and bald tires to give the haters something to talk about. 😂 sorry too busy working to care about my trailer rims.
Here is something you need to think about...those standup mowers will ruin your knees over years of use...you are young now...but knee replacements are in your future...sooner than with most professions.
Too much competition and low margins and no money to invest in your 401k or health insurance. Part time maybe but even then too much work for little money and equipment issues.
No, he is talking daily. If you charge $50/lawn for a mow and trim and each lawn takes you 20 minutes and you spend another 20 minutes driving between clients, you mow 2 lawns per hour. If you leave home at 7:30 am and arrive at your 1st at 8:00, mow 2 lawns per hour including drive time, 1 hour for lunch and then return home for 4:30, you should have mowed 14 lawns. You were out for 9 hours, took a 1 hour lunch and took 1/2 hour drive between your house and the first client and then your last client and your house totaling 1 hour driving. Some lawns take more or less time. Driving between clients is the killer of wasted time.
I love ugly lawns. Perfect lawns take a lot of labor to keep perfect. Those property owners like to haggle on price and will call and complain anytime a blade of grass is out of place. Leave those account to the big companies that bring an army of low paid guys to the property. Solo and small crews should stick to the normal properties of normal working people that want to go do something fun on the weekend instead of cutting their lawn
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
The fastest most surefire to achieve your goal of owning a lawn care business that supports you and your family is www.turfprosacademy.com It's a STEP BY STEP BREAKDOWN of exactly what to do based on everything I have learned over 8 years.
Great insights. I have been a solo operator for almost 30 years. I service between 60 to 70 yards in a 5 day week sometimes 6. Route density is key. My heaviest days are Monday and Tuesday. I usually knock out about 20 or so each of these days. All grouped closely together sometimes 3 or 4 right next to each other. Be dependable and predictable. The accounts are serviced the same days every week normally about the same time of day each time. Once you understand how to get through each yard it is a piece of cake. The same way every time, everything each and every time. Variations of mowing patterns taken into account. Quality, dependable service, but you have to understand your customer. Some yards you are just a grass cutter and other customers you are a lawn guy. Don't cut corners. I try to sell my customers on annual contracts where the amount is the same every month with extra money for things that are outside of the normal course of work. I figure mine on 44 trips per year, servicing 12 months of the year. It has worked for me. I use to work a job and do this on the side. You can make it. Bet on yourself. People will pay for quality work.
This is an excellent comment... thanks for sharing.
I call bs how is he going go find 60-70 people everyday people love to lie
I've been doing this for 30 years now. 70 accounts is no problem where I am. There are yard guys everywhere here. Military town with loads of retirees. So I can BS on you
@@kristensdad6828 i read that wrong man i thought it said 60-70 everyday🤣
@@charlesjoy6213 20 to 30 a day Bro, 60 to 70 a week.. it's possible dude
Glad you mentioned RECOVERY at end of day. Drinking or Smoking to relax will put you on the unemployment line. Rest, Diet, Recreation with Family are Key.
Right on the mark! Im solo and some things that come to mind that pays dividends is, let the mower cut the grass on the curbs(not your string trimmer); Shute blocker; 4 day maintenance week; full property maintenance(landscaping beds)range $90-220 per ;working for people that have the money to spend on a excellent service; full sleeve poly shirts and pants, full brim hat, scheduled service only company!, monthly during winter for properties that have trees and or nice landscaping. Equipment don’t make a business! Your customers make your business! Offer a premium service for premium price for the people that value it. Have money in the bank so you can wag the tail, not the customer. You are the professional you need to back it up with your company appearance and service!
Me too! Lol
What a rambling mess of a comment.
Its free advice and good advice at that cmon man
Worked 6 years solo cutting grass on the side while going through nursing school. I then worked for two years as an ICU nurse while I continued to mow grass. I had around 15-20 clients at a time and made around $40,000 a year. Saved my ICU pay for 2 years and paid cash for my anesthesia schooling. I am forever indebted to the lawn care service and cherish my time that I had on my mower for those 6 years. Hard work!
Love
This quick story bro!! Hey how were ypu able to make $40k/year off 20 clients? Did you upsell them on other services alot?
@@NataliaM-c7q I live somewhat rural and so most of my clients bills were 100$ a cut or more. One lawn was 240$, another 175$ that was a church. I generally only mowed and did very little landscaping. My schedule was limited so I only kept weekly or biweekly clients that were reliable and I charged around 50-60/hr. I would typically only work Friday and Saturdays but they were usually 10-15 hour days.
I did have to pay taxes on that and there were some business expenses obviously, but running lawn care is pretty cheap on over head if your equipment holds up, so I netted less than 40k, but still I was able to live on that at the time while being married and save my other income to put towards my schooling.
was unable to cut my yard as of last year due to stage 4 cancer, so I hire a guy to cut it for $100.00 he has 10 other yards within a 2 block area around my house he cuts them with a push lawnmower, and hauls everything in his car no big trailor
You are absolutely spot on. I have mowed 14 in a day and 12 in a day. Route density is key. 12 a day is adequate for me. Kudos to those wanting to do more. I am a realist. Great content
When starting up, I took on everything. First realization was that I wasn't making any money hauling equipment around town. It only makes money when it's running. So, logistics and planning is key in this game. Then I got selective on the type of accounts, only took on townehomes and other year round properties.
Awesome info. You’re one of the few on RUclips that hasn’t forgot what it’s like to be new in Lawn Care
I’m solo, I absolutely bust my ass and charge more because I am the owner who also does the work…so I care.
I’m at 91 yards that average $224 a yard. That took me 7 years of quoting the highest quotes and getting only about 5% of the quotes bc my price was high.
I have about 48 small beach yards that I charge a minimum of $200 a month. They take me anywhere from 5-10 minutes to complete.
That took a lot of patience and time to get where I’m at.
Also, i began to record my work and my channel has over 100k subscribers.
There’s also one time jobs I do on the weekends every few weeks.
I’ve had months of 35k but I’m usually around 20k now. Not bad money for cutting grass by myself.
I started at like 4k a month and my route density and pricing sucked bc I inherited most of it.
Happy I found you and looking forward to learning from you.
There was another gut in the area that had his Trailor two riding lawnmowers and all his equipment stolen, someone just pulled up to his trailer and hooked up to it and pulled off, I tell people to get them airtags on all the equipment so if it gets stolen it can be tracked
I totally agree! Whats sustainable is a good point! At this point in my life and solo I'm the Tortoise not the Hare , Some days I may hit 7 and some 3 it depends I'm set up to be consistent over the long haul. I may not ever get rich but I do ok for a retired solo lawncare provider, Some days I can even by doughnuts🍩🤣Great information👌🏾
Johnathan, I have watched you for years and years. This might be the best video you have ever done.
Great video. You spot on with the facts you talk about in this video. I have been running a lawn business now for 14 years and recovery time,clusters of yards and a good operator is so important to a smooth running business. Also to profit margins.
In order to get clusters starting out you need to accept as many jobs as possible. The clusters will start forming. Then as time goes on "thin" out the weeds as your clusters grow.
That's great advice, thanks.
First of all, thanks! You and a couple more guys on RUclips made me think and look at what I'm doing. April 1st was my third year full-time. Right now, I'm spot on what you said. I'm doing 8 to 13 yards a day solo. Averaging Right at 11. My market is crazy. I truly have to turn down work several times a week. Finding that perfect yard is key. I have yards I go to and hate, but now I see the ones I like, and they pay just as good. That's what year 3 is showing me. And your wife is indeed beautiful. 😅
Increase revenue streams. Fertilizer, weed control. Irrigation service, bed maintenance, season color, ways to take a 1600/yr customer into a 3500/yr customer
You got me with the "lawns don't have to be beautiful to make money". I'm listening to this as I reorganize my routes and am working out a $1,000+ solo day with "ugly" yards. They are my best customers as far as efficiency and hourly income on the day! LOVE IT
I always enjoy watching this guy's videos. Very educational.
❤ thanks for the inspiration. I have clusters on each day. It does make all the difference. And the recovery taking care of yourself is a big deal. Working in heat and humidity day after day takes a toll
I have 80 lawns, all in same neighborhood which has 500 homes. Lots are almost 1/2 acre to .38. It takes me 10 hours 5 days a week. Rarely rained out. I also do all landscaping on Saturdays. I have one helper. I have had offers to expand into commercial mowing but then no life ever.
Very good content that is on point. Operator efficiency, route density, and recovery. All great points make a difference on the bottom line with profit and health.
8-10 for me now solo working in 3 great neighborhoods near by each other…when I had two extra guys it was 18-22 per day. You can definitely make a killing in lawncare💯
Hi ..are your yards weekly??
Yes weekly
The content in this video is from MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE starting as a solo guy, as well as many others in TurfProsAcademy... these are real numbers we're seeing from those actually doing it. What are you guys seeing on your end as solo operators? More, less, same? Discuss!
I do pest control and I do 4 a day, I make $120,000 a year.
Nothing but real truth in this video. Great channel.
I been doing it solo for 20yrs.
Bought my truck an I got a house 2010 ....2day I owe less then 5k. Did it solo Dolo!
Good info. When laying out my routes I even try to factor traffic flow, Right hand turns prevent waiting to cross traffic and keeps from wasting time. Solo is hard over the long haul. At 48 I’m finding it very difficult to keep hitting the numbers consistently.
You make a living doing anything as long as you hustle hard enough!
Jonathan is dropping GOLD nuggets! Love it, brother!
I live in Cental Florida. I started my lawn care business in March 2021. As of December 2023-now I am full. I consider full 80-85 a week, Mon-Thurs approx. 730-330-4pm.I make $657 a day working those 4 days a week. I leave Friday open for special projects and rain make ups. I have a very tight route; almost all of my days/time is spent in the same 4-mile radius. I am considering at the start of next year either raising all customers prices 5% or hiring another person. However, I'm hearing from too many people on RUclips and in person, about how hard it is to keep an employee and how stressful it is.
Right on
I ran solo for years and maxed out at about 110 lawns a week. Once I swapped over to fertilizing and pest control I doubled my income with half the work and equipment. Highly recommend people go that route. Yes it has a slightly bigger barrier to entry with licensing and education but a solo guy in a van can easily pull in $2k in a 8 hour work day depending on your market and density. Best thing I ever did was stepping out of mowing.
How do you compete with the big companies like True-Green? They seem cheap!
@@shannonp4037 Quality, personal, education and local. My servicing offering was much greater with a personalized approach. “Custom” programs for each lawn, soil testing on all my properties, mostly organic products with use of bio stimulants. I often took on free lawns in neighborhoods to grow into those areas, I would just find an ugly lawn and offer to make it beautiful again for free. With the use of proper bio stimulants it’s not hard to get a lawn to turn around quick. Or money back guarantees if I did not turn their lawn around within two months. After I had a few on a street it was easy to go door to door and point out my results vs TrueGreen or Weedman results. Most was me just walking around talking to people and showing them a better quality experience with a personal touch. Staying active on Facebook and answering questions / education. I have a friend that started a lawn care business from scratch and he spent the winter before active on neighborhood Facebook groups answering questions, he started his first Spring with 82 accounts just from him staying engaged on Facebook and providing good education and information over the winter before.
I had plenty of Tuegreen lawns in between mine and I would just keep poking those home owners and creating good relationships with them. Many homes have had Truegreen for years and their lawns look like shit, not hard to show them a better way. If they want cheap they get cheap results. Most of my products I ran were from Greene County Fertilizers, hands down the best products in this industry. Can’t stress education enough, you cannot turn a lawn around all on your own, home owners need to be taught good cultural practices and be involved with their lawn and do what you ask them to do. It goes a long way.
How in the world were you mowing 110 lawns a week solo?
@@FloridaTurfPros 6 days a week killing myself and good route density. Had an awesome 48” mower that I ran for 20 years ( old Buyers Gold mower) Replaced the hydros with ones I pulled off a forklift and suped it up a bunch. Re designed the pulley system to get more speed out of it. Was able to cut at about 12mph and drive 15mph with it. So having that speed all day made a big difference just going back to the trailer for example. Had a 36” gravely that drove me crazy because how slow it was. Don’t make them like they used to anymore. Found them at Costco for $2k. Plus it was extremely light and easy to maneuver around. Only weighed about 300 lbs. Thing was a monster and just as scary to use. Closest thing I can find to those mowers is from Bradley mowers but the design has changed so much you can’t do much to them to make them faster. Only did 110 for about two years and it was just too much. Dropped down to 90 a week solo and would do that in about 4.5 days. Average sqft was about 3k so quick and easy lawns.
@FlordiaTurfPros It depends where you are at. I live in CA. Everything is expensive here EXCEPT getting your lawn cut. For your average subdivision house, you are not getting more than $20, most of the time $15. There are just to many people willing to do it for cheap, and there are virtually no barriers to entry other than a very small investment to get started. It's a strange economic situation where minimum wage is $20/hr., but $15 to mow your lawn. It's crazy.
I’m a solo guy I do about 56-60 a week mom-fri at about $50 each. I like the smallest yard possible and thin. Bigger tall wet yards just drain your time. Problem with loading up your schedule is when it rains or is really tall.
Very true... Our area gets so much rain that I learned after the first year I absolutely can NOT mow 5 days a week or we will get behind all the time. We do a 4 day/week mow schedule then take care of flowerbed work on Fridays.
I have 53 customers im thinking about going pt on my job because im still growing and my job is getting in the way
What about winter time and your customers do have no tree so there no leaves to get up
@@mikeduckworth9533 winter is for maintenance on equipment or for moving to a warmer climate ;)
❤ love berry picking with you!
Only because you make me go into the thorny sections.
Heck yea a Gravely guy !! I run a pro turn 148 and I’m solo
On Long Island ny. Everything is extra. And you have to have crews. Because the trimming will slow you down. We all have sidewalks patios pools paths all have to be trimmed. Then the shrub work is all day Saturday and Sunday. Not easy.
Here in Southern California, homeowners expect to have the planter work included in the price. That just means more time on property. Thus a $49 minimum per visit. For the yards in my area. Make sure to calculate price for yourself guys. My price may not be good for your workflow.
I like the cluster analogy brah.
This was a very realistic video and I couldn't agree more. I would argue you will make more as a solo compared to a 2 man for the simple fact that a 2 man doesn't double your production.
Physically I feel good. I do about 14 a day and that's on about a 10 hour day. I have some yards that are 1 acre and bigger. My #1 issue is dealing with late payments or people that refuse to pay for work that's already been completed.
Credit card on file or don’t work for them. Bill after each completion. Work the cc fee into your pricing or just absorb it as you’ll have the money in your account within 2 days. It’s a game changer👍🏻
I love St. Augustine lawns they’re easy to mow usually one pass and the clippings disappear. I have a few here in Va. Beach but mostly fescue which can require some extra work.
I do 550 on my main lawn day. Trying to fill up a 2nd. Other days i do cleanups and hedge trimming. Some of those are around 800. I do all push mowing though and collect clippings.
Love it! Thank you for the great advice!
Great video with tons of advice 🔥
Great tip on taking care of your health!!!
Dang good advice man!!!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it.
I work electrical Monday/Thursday and then mow Friday Saturday. My Fridays start at 4:30 A.M. and end anywhere from 6:30 P.M. all the way to dark sometimes. My route density is horrible 🤣 in the middle of the day I’m driving thirty minutes across town to my other set of lawns throughout another city. And I only have one neighborhood where i have two right next to each other.
Once again, good stuff!!!!!!
True inspiration. Ty. I wish you did life coaching in addition to cutting. I just can’t pull the trigger to flip to full time, side hustle keeps growing and starting my route at 4pm after working in healthcare is starting to brake me after 30? Years of hustling.
Buddy, I need to know the exact name and exact color of these pants because wrangler makes a blue million of them and I want the ones you are wearing. Thanks a lot! I’m very picky and apologize for being a pain in advance. Lol
thanks for sharing, this is great!
Even when you are efficient with your workload. How many jobs do you need every month to meet your expenses? All your fuel for equipment and truck. All your regular maintenance and unexpected repairs. And liability insurance. Before you make a profit .it's not as easy as people think.
My friend has a Chevy sonic that he pulls a 5x8 trailer a 30" push mower ,blower and weed eater, his only job and he pockets 2k a week after expenses. It's not what you have to do it with it's what you do with it. I put everything in the back of a 2005 Chevy Colorado 21" push, blower and whacker. I'm bringing home 800 plus a week 3 days while I grow, I will add a trailer for junk removal soon but now I just rent a uhaul box for those jobs
Good video....I hope that client doesn't see this video talking about how bad the lawn looks! 😅😂
There’s an app called real green that we use to route and track time. I’m solo and can get 10-12 a day if I stay until 5 or so.
How do you determine with what to charge? Do you also trim and blow? What about maintenance? Like blade sharpening?
You know your stuff. Great content.
I appreciate that!
I really don’t understand been cutting lawns for over 10 years in central Florida. Nobody pays $50 a cut here in my area. Typically most cookie cutter yards pay $25-$35 per kite and some people still scream when you tell them that price.
In middle Tennessee I ain't rolling out of bed for a yard that pays under 50 dollars
I'm in Central Florida and get 45 for 1/4 acre. Tell them no
Have you done a new equipment tour yet? I know you have the 36/52” ProStance mowers and i think you said you went to PAS2620 for trimmers and edgers. Blowers still 580s? I’m in Tampa Bay Area and slowly copying your setup haha
I'm about to do an equipment tour/setup. Yes, 580t's and BR600's.
I only do an average of 5 to 6 a day. I don’t even try to max my self out anymore it’s not worth it, you’ll just burn your self out and your equipment. Not to mention the more you make the more u gonna pay Uncle Sam at the end of the year. Sometimes less is more. 6 hours a day and I’m done I’ll turn that phone off. Don’t kill your self for these customers cause they can replace u the next day.
If your doing 5-6 yards a day how much are you making per week? are you working 5 days a week? I'm new and I like your approach I'm trying to learn to be my own boss with this
It gets lonely sometimes, but i will say this get a good customer and use them to buy a gravely like yours. Then dont fianance anything until you get monthly contracts to cover all the big items truck etc.
I'd like to do this but I can't get the ZTR to stop leaving skid marks. They're ok in ur drawers but not so great in the lawn.
Your deck is missing the left side wheel... I'm sure there's a purpose, what is the advantage?
I've got several deck wheels on order... 😂 thanks for noticing!
You charge seasonal or per cut
The answer is yes, I’m not even a year in and I focus on landscaping (soft scapes) and I’m making 1,200 in two reasonable days. Alone. I have a brand new ferris z2 52” stander and a scag 30” push with a stick edger, trimmer and a couple stihl 800 blowers.
Thanks for the info
I cut lawns for 44 years by myself no big deal
Thank you!💯
Yes but... How much overhead does it cost per day? I noticed you drive a stander. People never take this into account. Gas for truck/ gas for equipment. Take that off the $600 per day. Being solo I use per week $70 truck with using AC on entire time and equipment gas $20 on average. 141 accounts Monday-Thursday Bi-weekly all in 1 community. 3-per hour $90. Push mower
--Week A--
$535-Monday
$550-Tuesday
$650-Wednesday
$440-Thursday
--$2,175--
---------------------------------------------------------------------
--Week B--
$780-Monday
$600-Tuesday
$570-Wednesday
$495-Thursday
--$2,410--
I have some accounts weekly. Trim 2 accounts per week all 52 weeks a year here Gilbert, AZ. Add another $150 per week income.
It's 100 degrees in Summer and 70 all winter.
Rains 5-7 days entire year that's all we get with rain.
Lawns like that you can cut 20 a day no problem. Make it so when you un load your trailer you cut four on the same street or five on the same street
How do you get your gravely to cut well ? they don't cut well in Long Northern grass
We’re mowing, warm, season, turf grasses, I’ve never had an issue with cut quality.
Clusters of properties is great logistics. So are add-ons like weed management or fertilizer packages.
Usually fertilizer and weed spray only need 3 or 4 visits per season, and take so little time that multiples revenue for minimal additional output or travel
How do you get those “clusters”
Awesome video
What up , You are saying you get $50 for by weekly or weekly. In Florida ? 👍
In this example it would be a $50 mow... I charge per service and let the client decide if they want every two weeks or only once a week.
@@FloridaTurfProsso you charge the same for weekly as biweekly mow? I doubt that
@@acfuller86 He really is a mad lad if he does. I give a 50% up charge on biweekly. So my becomes 75 etc. I will not kill my equipment because your cheap lol
What about winter?
Where did you get your hat at?
tractor supply... it's a justin hat.
Just discovered your channel so don't know if you have discussed this previously, but what percentage of lawns do you cut vs cut and seed/fertilize? Like how you show a video of cutting "ugly" yard. Not everyone has these insane park like yards.
I don't seed/fertilize any of my lawns. Overseeding is almost always a waste on warm season turf grasses. There are some fertilization companies I work with and refer work to for clients who want those services.
1.5 years in. My ideal lawn is 2 acre lawn. That’s weekend homes for folks. Don’t have to deal with customers hardly ever. Very niche
I'm having alot of trouble getting clients when starting my small care business. What do you recommend I do>?
If you ever see another lawn guy ask if he has any work he can’t get to. You’d be surprised how effective that can be.
12-15 yards a day. Are you weed eating, edging, blowing etc. I even spray the cracks for weeds. Getting after it for me is just over an hour for $65. I’ve tried looking at it in every way possible. I just don’t see how you can knock out these yards in 30 minutes or less and do a quality job. For all I do with service visits I’m actually charging too low but nobody’s is going to pay $100 bi-weekly
I do 3-4 yards a day. That sustainable. 16-21 customers. If I had around 50 solo, I would be so behind during a week with 4 straight days of rain.
I want to generate 6 figures AFTER TAXES, it just seems like lawncare just won’t bring in that kinda of money. I want to be bringing home 300k-500k a year
$50 a pop….thats a great price where I live
Question please. How much (%) have you raised your prices since 2020? You said $50-$55 in this video and that sounds like it might be the same as what you were charging before the covid inflation.
Genuine question, THANK YOU
youre a pro? first 2 stripes parrallel to street are in same direction
We don’t stripe warm, seasoned turf grasses. Absolute nonsense.
Aint no way you left those stripes in the clients yard like that. You went back over them…. Right?🤣
It’s Florida the type of grass they have won’t hold a stripe, no need to even try. Only cool weather grass will hold down.
Get some huge corporate lawns...make big $$$$$
I was going to say 8 a day is a good amount to go for.
Man look im 52yrs old im solo most of the time. So i do a min of 300 and a max of 500 a day.
Midwest……$600 per day, 5 days a week, 25 weeks per year. Not enough meat on that bone.
im a critical care nurse with tons of liability and mountains of stress and have to deal with tons of Sh@t from all the karens in HR doctors co workers families patients etc. nothing is more stressful than what im doing now. and i make 600 a day. its not worth it id rather cut grass
I can easily do 15
Facts 👍🏽🫡🍀💰
I have a brand new f250 and 2, 13k zero turns on my trailer and some well seasoned stihl handhelds. My trailer has 4 different rusty rims and bald tires to give the haters something to talk about. 😂 sorry too busy working to care about my trailer rims.
28.3😉
Here is something you need to think about...those standup mowers will ruin your knees over years of use...you are young now...but knee replacements are in your future...sooner than with most professions.
Based on experience personally?
That would make a great video. Ugly lawns pay the bills.
Sure would... 😊
Too much competition and low margins and no money to invest in your 401k or health insurance. Part time maybe but even then too much work for little money and equipment issues.
Are u all talking weekly when u'll all say 12-15 yards a day
No, he is talking daily. If you charge $50/lawn for a mow and trim and each lawn takes you 20 minutes and you spend another 20 minutes driving between clients, you mow 2 lawns per hour. If you leave home at 7:30 am and arrive at your 1st at 8:00, mow 2 lawns per hour including drive time, 1 hour for lunch and then return home for 4:30, you should have mowed 14 lawns. You were out for 9 hours, took a 1 hour lunch and took 1/2 hour drive between your house and the first client and then your last client and your house totaling 1 hour driving. Some lawns take more or less time. Driving between clients is the killer of wasted time.
I love ugly lawns. Perfect lawns take a lot of labor to keep perfect. Those property owners like to haggle on price and will call and complain anytime a blade of grass is out of place. Leave those account to the big companies that bring an army of low paid guys to the property. Solo and small crews should stick to the normal properties of normal working people that want to go do something fun on the weekend instead of cutting their lawn
Not really, it’s a low profit business.
Don't it's not worth it it will kill u in the long run