Hey brother love your videos, I have my own lawn care Business as well out of Maryland, your videos have really help me along the way ... thank you and keep up the GREAT WORK.GOD BLESS
thanks for the video this is my second year in lawncare first year licence and bonded I started off buying a kubota Zero turn for my property and all the rest from the pawn shops I had three accts now I have 31 with hardly no advertising now I just post finished pictures of the yards wheb I'm done on Facebook. the only overhead I have is my gas and the kubota everything else is saved up the best thing I did was look at RUclips and caught Keith k when he said he start his business buying used Equipment off of Craigslist and I see it now guys go out and buy all new stuff now you have to make sure you get jobs to pay for the stuff. I never buy stuff until I get the job and I get the customer to pay 25% of the landscaping job up front and it has worked out Excellent
Great video Mr. Curtis! Nice to see the other software that other guys use for management. Hope you had a great Christmas and a great New Year brother.
I know that feeling . I have been there before. I have my days of what did I get myself into. If you have some time to spare its okay. I would rather just have fun doing other stuff. Take it from me it's not worth it.
People can tell when you are a 'legit' business. We've probably all done 'side jobs', but I think the guy who is insured, has nice lettering on their trucks and professionally printed stationery, etc. has the advantage, at least with the better-paying customers.
New subscriber, look forward to watching your past videos this winter and hope 2016 will be a good year for you. Keep us posted over the winter with more videos. Time to review last season to make changes for next season.
Great video and information. Theres not to many brothers out there helping and inspiring the community with tips and videos like you. God Bless You and I wish you the best SIr!! And I know its not just for the "brothers" its for everybody!!! Make this year prosperous !!! #SmallCircle2
I don't even have signs . I have cards but no signs. I have about 45 lawns and they are all by word of mouth. If you do good work. trust me you will be ok. I let my reputation carry me. Trust me I have made some good money. I started on all the overgrown lawns. Now all I do is top of the line yards. This all in about 2 years.
yo im a young man looking to start a lawn care business with the lil money I have saved... but I just wanted to say this huy is awesome very real and down to earth
Thanks so much for the Video, How did 2016 work out for you, I hope you got everything you hoped for, looking forward to 2017 update, btw I am starting lawn care business this year God Bless you sir
Thanks, I don't take a vacation till season end. Some of my customer I informed them that I'll be on vacation. This business will slow down in October.
Hello fellow Houstonian! I must have watched this video seven times over the last 10 months. Think we can get a 2017 version--with what you learned from 2016?
Hey Curtis I just wanted to stop by and say great video! I wish you would have gotten more views. I guess your video is rather new, so maybe it has a chance. Something I noticed about you is that your business (as many others) runs well into the colder months. I have always been used to closing up shop as soon as the grass has slowed in growing. This is probably because of my customer base. I think they were more of the kind that wanted to save as much money as possible. I have been running into customers now that want work done into these Winter months like having their leaves mulched. I may go hard on it next year. I think there might be some money to be made.
+Gabriel ben Israel Now if you are serious about getting into lawn care business. Then you need to have one good mower,weed eater and blower. This will get started in a business. Now if you can afford to get some high end equipment. I would get me commercial mower 21" Honda, Echo weed eater and Stihl backpack blower Br600. As your business grows then you can branch out and get other equipment as needed.
I subscribed a while back but just discovered you are a fellow Texan. Is your service area limited to Humble or do you go into Houston? Just curious. I am in Abilene.
+Barry Camarillo I go into Houston. Hey my first job out of college was in Abilene at Dyess Air Force Base. I worked on C-130 flight simulator. My Abilene bring back some memories. I had some good time there back in days.
+Dom Storey Thanks, I had some problems with customer giving me their card #. They were renter and gave me a stolen credit card#. I may try the credit cards again.
Nice illustration Curtis! I have my lawn service in Houston also..we service West U, River Oaks and The Museum District...check out DB's Landscaping Services on Facebook:)
I think all in this industry have taken a loss at some point. My policy for lawn service has now become pay per cut if you are bi weekly and if you are a weekly customer you must pay every two cuts. I don't mow if you don't pay me my doh. Another thing that I personally do is any job over $100 requires a 50% up front pay if not I am not moving. As for jobs that require materials , well customer has to also pay that upfront fully because I sure ain't. At first I struggled with these ideas , I thought the customers would say no and drop me, but little by little I began to implement this strategy and to this day only 2 customers dropped me because of it and i don't miss them at all.
Mr. Curtis rough them up a little bit that will stop the dragging when you go to the door to get paid and they open the door and you don't see your money in their hands just grab them in the calla with hands shake them a little bit, and say where is my money I want it now .
wow burned $4 K in 2015. Im blessed to only get burned for $60. in the last 15 yrs. by a real estate agent and property manager. I do have acouple of people that have been real slow paying. I will purge them in 2016
I was running a successful lawn care business until one fateful day. I’ll never forget it. The homeowner was a short and slight man of weak and feeble body. I performed the lawn services at a discount because he was living off of a modest income and his twiggy arms and legs couldn’t handle the raw power of gas powered lawn machinery and his budget certainly couldn’t afford the latest electric stuff. I was chugging along and not paying attention and then I felt my mower big and stutter....and then it cleared up. When I looked back all I saw was the homeowner tossed up into a tree after being chewed up by the mower. Needless to say it took weeks for his estate to pay the final bill and that was the final straw. I closed down right after I cashed the check.
+TheWTFMatt Well, the only thing could that have been beeping was the camera. If the battery is low are the memory is approaching full. There was nothing else in the room at the time of this video. Thanks for letting me about this.
Make the new customers pre-pay. It's an easy way to weed out who's serious! If they have the $$, are honest, and really intend to pay you, they will have no problem with it IMHO. If someone balks at pre-paying even after I explain why I do that for new customers, I forget them and let them try to find another sucker to rip off. Once they pre-pay a few times and I'm comfortable with them, I'd consider going to monthly billing or whatever. That's my plan anyway......
Hey the door swings both ways on not getting pay and paying up front, the person never shows up to do the job. So don't think your alone when some stiff you on the payment. People get taken everyday by per pay up front. Like I said the door swings both ways. Take care.
+Weed Whacker Lawn Care My apologies! I meant no disrespect. I thought you were trying to be comical about it. It does suck! I have been there many times. I cut in the south/southeast part of Houston (Clear Lake, Deer Park, La Porte)
+RLCGLCAGC It's all good. I'm not going for that in 2016. When service is complete I need to get paid. I have learnt my lesson in 2015. Those are some good area to cut in. The paying behaviour is better .
+David Vollandt Yes, That was to let everyone know that the phone number were not correct if someone was thinking about trying to call the number. And To keep everyone happy that is why I said over and over again. Somebody though the number were real
Love the way you say "the way I run my bitness" 😀 my wife's from new Orleans. You have an old school jazz vibe to the way you speak.
I had to drop a customer which was a 3 yr customer she would drag paying me but wanted me in her yard all day have my doe or no mow
+Christopher Banks I know what you are talking about. I let my headaches customer go this year. I'm Looking for better year next year.
I've been there too. Now I get paid before I mow. That works out a lot better.
Nice video Mr.Curtis and good information that you are sharing
cool video, I'm not in lawn care but I always like seeing the entrepreneur spirit....
Hey brother love your videos, I have my own lawn care Business as well out of Maryland, your videos have really help me along the way ... thank you and keep up the GREAT WORK.GOD BLESS
Solid advice Curtis!! I'm looking forward to an awesome 2016 also. Thank for helping me "sharpen" my tools.
+Hi Tech Lawn Care & Landscaping Thanks
Great info! Hope to see more of your tips in the future.
+Ring Lawn Care Thanks
Awesome video, I like the board and the computer software, anyway thanks and it looked like a pretty good party God bless , Merry Christmas
+Ammerman Lawn Care Thanks
thanks for the video this is my second year in lawncare first year licence and bonded I started off buying a kubota Zero turn for my property and all the rest from the pawn shops I had three accts now I have 31 with hardly no advertising now I just post finished pictures of the yards wheb I'm done on Facebook. the only overhead I have is my gas and the kubota everything else is saved up the best thing I did was look at RUclips and caught Keith k when he said he start his business buying used Equipment off of Craigslist and I see it now guys go out and buy all new stuff now you have to make sure you get jobs to pay for the stuff. I never buy stuff until I get the job and I get the customer to pay 25% of the landscaping job up front and it has worked out Excellent
How does the kubota run. Does it give you any issues
Great Video Curtis, Thank You for all the Passed on Knowledge, "MERRY CHRISTMAS" and "HAPPY NEW YEAR" to you too. :)
+Cool58F250 Thanks
I'm from la i definitely can relate to your southern lingo lol
Great video about being prepared for the green season, very helpful info. Gotta watch out for them HOT checks tho!
+Levi Schroeder Thanks
Enjoyed your videos all year Curtis. Happy Holidays and have a great New Year buddy.
+BillsProLawns Thanks
Bags of Cash, Keep doing what you do ! Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year $$$
+Duan S. Bills Thanks
Mr. Curtis you are a trip funny but cool put some Ice on your hand after holding the check lol.
Great video Mr. Curtis! Nice to see the other software that other guys use for management. Hope you had a great Christmas and a great New Year brother.
+alfred johnson Thanks
great video. happy new year ...
+Jon Wright Thanks
Hey Carter's. Do you mind giving some advice I'm in South Africa. I'm thinking of opening lawn care business.
Great inspirational motivational video, I learned a lot. Thanks Curtis!
Thanks
Great videos Curtis. Look forward to the 2016 videos. Merry Christmas!
+texasleo123 Thanks
Awesome ending Curtis.
+john houston Thanks
A few guys that I work with do lawn care on the side. They have made me want to try it. But sometimes I wonder if its worth it.
I know that feeling . I have been there before. I have my days of what did I get myself into. If you have some time to spare its okay. I would rather just have fun doing other stuff. Take it from me it's not worth it.
Lol. i get it man. Kinda what im struggling with . Time vs extra money. And thanks for the reply!
Appreciate the honesty.
People can tell when you are a 'legit' business. We've probably all done 'side jobs', but I think the guy who is insured, has nice lettering on their trucks and professionally printed stationery, etc. has the advantage, at least with the better-paying customers.
New subscriber, look forward to watching your past videos this winter and hope 2016 will be a good year for you. Keep us posted over the winter with more videos. Time to review last season to make changes for next season.
+Billy Goat Thanks
Very informative. Merry Christmas! Looking forward to your 2016 videos...
+Cortez Lawn Service Thanks
Thanks for the info. I use a cloud based software called yardbook and I love it. Every thing you can imagine in outdoor service business is covered.
+legacylg Yes yardbook is a good cloud base software. I'm using it to.
your a good man!
Great video sir. Merry Christmas and I look forward to your 2016 videos.
+Scag Man Thanks
can u do a tutorial how to play the guitar
you are preaching on this one bro. great video!
+A simmonslawn Thanks
Merry Christmas, Curtis. Happy New Year.
+sarabeth35 Thanks
I laugh my balls off every time I watch one of your videos!!!! Awesome job Curtis!!
+CountrysideLawnNY Thanks
Great video and information. Theres not to many brothers out there helping and inspiring the community with tips and videos like you. God Bless You and I wish you the best SIr!!
And I know its not just for the "brothers" its for everybody!!! Make this year prosperous !!!
#SmallCircle2
+Calibre Crow Thanks
bitness
Hugo Garcia 😂
Binnuss
I don't advertise.....My work speaks for it's self. Christmas is the Best Part of the year. Great Video. Bless!
+Dat King Thanks
I don't even have signs . I have cards but no signs. I have about 45 lawns and they are all by word of mouth. If you do good work. trust me you will be ok. I let my reputation carry me. Trust me I have made some good money. I started on all the overgrown lawns. Now all I do is top of the line yards. This all in about 2 years.
Amazing content!
Glad you enjoyed it
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Canada.
+Primo Landscaping Thanks
nice video,im going to take your tips, keep on mowing
+scag pit Nunez Thanks
yo im a young man looking to start a lawn care business with the lil money I have saved... but I just wanted to say this huy is awesome very real and down to earth
Thanks
Do you have a price list to show customers? I want to start a lawn service and need some advice? Can you give me some advice?
No price list to show the customer. Prices change every day. To do lawn care work you must have a passion for doing this kind of work.
Thanks.
Very nice video and extremely helpful 👍👍
+Sowing Seeds Lawn Care Thanks
Thanks so much for the Video, How did 2016 work out for you, I hope you got everything you hoped for, looking forward to 2017 update, btw I am starting lawn care business this year God Bless you sir
Thanks
Hey Curtis how is your season going well my season is doing well but I had my sthil bg55 blower stolen when I was doing a lawn
TOP NOTCH LAWN CARE Paysgeste while you were mowing? Holy crap. What's wrong with people?
Very informative Sir.
Awesome video
+Brandons Lawncare Thanks
If it doesn't rain all summer and the grass is brown and not serviceable as far as cutting goes can you deduct losses due to the drought?
No, You can not deduct losses due to the drought. Lawn care is a seasonal business.
That's keeping it real.
Curtis, really enjoy your videos. As a small business, I'm just wondering what you do with your customers if you take a vacation.
Thanks, I don't take a vacation till season end. Some of my customer I informed them that I'll be on vacation. This business will slow down in October.
Hello fellow Houstonian! I must have watched this video seven times over the last 10 months. Think we can get a 2017 version--with what you learned from 2016?
Okay, Sure I will do a video on what I learn from 2016.
Hey Curtis I just wanted to stop by and say great video! I wish you would have gotten more views. I guess your video is rather new, so maybe it has a chance. Something I noticed about you is that your business (as many others) runs well into the colder months. I have always been used to closing up shop as soon as the grass has slowed in growing. This is probably because of my customer base. I think they were more of the kind that wanted to save as much money as possible. I have been running into customers now that want work done into these Winter months like having their leaves mulched. I may go hard on it next year. I think there might be some money to be made.
+Jordan Robinson Oh yeah you must go at hard next year. You will make some.
Thanks!! That was real cool!
+Kevin Dewitt Thanks
hey Curtis I love your videos keep up the good work I've also learned a lot thank you for all you do if you have time give me a shout out
I am definitely doing the check thing because I always be forgetting when I got paid last. from particular customers I'll be away from me a back crack
+Triple-D's Lawn Care & Services You must get your money.
Thanks for this very helpful
Handsome! Merry Christmas! Great video, hope your fingers are all healed up! lol
+Judy Watren Thanks, Lol
Merry Christmas, Curtis! Hope you have a great 2016.
+Uncle Gus Lawn Service Thanks
appreciate you brother
Glad you re uploaded the vid to protect yourself
+mls_dell Thanks
Have you tried yardbook.com? or do you really like that program that you have??
Yes, I have tried yardbook. It's a good software. I like the program that I have.
I may have missed it what business program do you use?
+Sowing Seeds Lawn Care GroundsKeeper Pro
what type of equipment and how many do you feel is needed to start a business
+Gabriel ben Israel Now if you are serious about getting into lawn care business. Then you need to have one good mower,weed eater and blower. This will get started in a business. Now if you can afford to get some high end equipment. I would get me commercial mower 21" Honda, Echo weed eater and Stihl backpack blower Br600. As your business grows then you can branch out and get other equipment as needed.
thanks, how often should grass be cut
+Gabriel ben Israel Well some grass should be cut weekly are bi weekly. This will depend up the environment.
+Weed Whacker Lawn Care thanks im in orlando
i like this video prob the most of the ones i have seen, its very helpful, thank you, can u make a marketing video?
+EC-Services landscaping & property maintenance Thanks, Sure I will make a video on marketing .
What merchant service do you use?
I use PayPal.
what do think of comodo dragon
+dick sdan I think Comodo Dragon is a good browser. It has a good security and speed.
Thanks Curtis see you in 2016
+Renaldo Robinson Thanks
I subscribed a while back but just discovered you are a fellow Texan. Is your service area limited to Humble or do you go into Houston? Just curious. I am in Abilene.
+Barry Camarillo I go into Houston. Hey my first job out of college was in Abilene at Dyess Air Force Base. I worked on C-130 flight simulator. My Abilene bring back some memories. I had some good time there back in days.
good for you sir we all get burnt in this business but like you said you just gotta weed out the ones that aren't doing you right
+Christopher Banks That's right. You have to get those weeds out of your grass. Your bank account will much better.
Curtis a suggestion have your the ones that be slow paying start paying in advance are you tell them have some one else to cut the yard.
Great video. You don't make your customer give you credit card #?
+Dom Storey Thanks, I had some problems with customer giving me their card #. They were renter and gave me a stolen credit card#. I may try the credit cards again.
I appreciate it
+Triple-D's Lawn Care & Services Thanks
Great tips. Thanks!
Lawn Care Business Are Good
Would you be able to set me up with a basic set up for my business
Sure
sucks about the $4000 you got burned on. you seem like a good guy too. sorry man. keep on going tho. there are still good people out there tho.
Great video..You are dropping some gold nuggets..thanks
Thanks
good video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks
okay I see you at the end of the video. swagged out from head to toe lol......
+Triple-D's Lawn Care & Services Time to have some fun. Time to get that party on.
You scrub up well Curtis....
Thanks
that's real talk
Thanks
LMAO, those numbers been on that board so long he had to break out the cleaner.
Yes, time for some new numbers
man you really broke it down
+Triple-D's Lawn Care & Services Thanks
Where's Gary?
Like geek to freak used to say "slow pay is like no pay!"
Nice illustration Curtis! I have my lawn service in Houston also..we service West U, River Oaks and The Museum District...check out DB's Landscaping Services on Facebook:)
+713skywalker Yes, I checked out. You have some good looking Landscaping work there.
+Weed Whacker Lawn Care, Thanks Curtis...I look forward to more of your videos!
I think all in this industry have taken a loss at some point. My policy for lawn service has now become pay per cut if you are bi weekly and if you are a weekly customer you must pay every two cuts. I don't mow if you don't pay me my doh. Another thing that I personally do is any job over $100 requires a 50% up front pay if not I am not moving. As for jobs that require materials , well customer has to also pay that upfront fully because I sure ain't. At first I struggled with these ideas , I thought the customers would say no and drop me, but little by little I began to implement this strategy and to this day only 2 customers dropped me because of it and i don't miss them at all.
+orlando B That is a good strategy to have. I have learned a lot dealing with deadbeat customers. No more will I be taken like that again.
Mr. Curtis rough them up a little bit that will stop the dragging when you go to the door to get paid and they open the door and you don't see your money in their hands just grab them in the calla with hands shake them a little bit, and say where is my money I want it now .
wow burned $4 K in 2015. Im blessed to only get burned for $60. in the last 15 yrs. by a real estate agent and property manager. I do have acouple of people that have been real slow paying. I will purge them in 2016
+mowguy fudd Yes, They got me this year.
they stay dragging..lol.
anybody heard from Curtis
I was running a successful lawn care business until one fateful day. I’ll never forget it. The homeowner was a short and slight man of weak and feeble body. I performed the lawn services at a discount because he was living off of a modest income and his twiggy arms and legs couldn’t handle the raw power of gas powered lawn machinery and his budget certainly couldn’t afford the latest electric stuff. I was chugging along and not paying attention and then I felt my mower big and stutter....and then it cleared up. When I looked back all I saw was the homeowner tossed up into a tree after being chewed up by the mower. Needless to say it took weeks for his estate to pay the final bill and that was the final straw. I closed down right after I cashed the check.
Wow that is something. I would have done the same thing.
Hahaha we got a story teller over here
Maybe you should turn off whatever is making the constant beeping in the background
+TheWTFMatt Well, the only thing could that have been beeping was the camera. If the battery is low are the memory is approaching full. There was nothing else in the room at the time of this video. Thanks for letting me about this.
you know what time it is!!! haha
ah shit thats permanent..
Make the new customers pre-pay. It's an easy way to weed out who's serious! If they have the $$, are honest, and really intend to pay you, they will have no problem with it IMHO. If someone balks at pre-paying even after I explain why I do that for new customers, I forget them and let them try to find another sucker to rip off. Once they pre-pay a few times and I'm comfortable with them, I'd consider going to monthly billing or whatever. That's my plan anyway......
Thanks
Hey the door swings both ways on not getting pay and paying up front, the person never shows up to do the job. So don't think your alone when some stiff you on the payment. People get taken everyday by per pay up front. Like I said the door swings both ways. Take care.
👍5⭐
+507podaprof Yes
im posting this to facebook haha
YES i 360p vid
+James Plays Games And Other Vids Thanks for letting me know there was problem with 360p vid
I didn't get paid..... I got burnt!! lol
+RLCGLCAGC All that is not good. You must get your money. New year is coming . New rules get paid in 2016. lol
+Weed Whacker Lawn Care My apologies! I meant no disrespect. I thought you were trying to be comical about it. It does suck! I have been there many times. I cut in the south/southeast part of Houston (Clear Lake, Deer Park, La Porte)
+RLCGLCAGC It's all good. I'm not going for that in 2016. When service is complete I need to get paid. I have learnt my lesson in 2015. Those are some good area to cut in. The paying behaviour is better .
two minutes into the video, all you said the phone information isn't real, been modified etc over and over again.
+David Vollandt Yes, That was to let everyone know that the phone number were not correct if someone was thinking about trying to call the number. And To keep everyone happy that is why I said over and over again. Somebody though the number were real
haha