http://www.lawnprocafe.com/ Lawn Care Forum for Professional Lawn Services | Lawn Pro Cafe Forum en Sat, 19 May 2012 16:49:13 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.lawnprocafe.com/images/misc/rss.png http://www.lawnprocafe.com/ http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1349-Send-to-collection&goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 23:32:59 GMT I have a neighbor..... moved in a few years ago....a home I maintained for 25 years......they trashed it. couple years ago they called me to do... I have a neighbor.....

moved in a few years ago....a home I maintained for 25 years......they trashed it.

couple years ago they called me to do a very late May cleanup, remove a small tree from the back and weekly cut for about a month and kill the weeds....

I receive partial payment.....they cancel service.....following year I receive a partial payment on the balance........short while later. I ask for additional payment. Told they can't, don't have it...........I ask when do they intend to pay me in full.............they respond......they don't intend to.

OK......

Another neighbors home sells and low lifes move in........hire a gypsie......I ask this gypsie where his pesticide triangles are for the pesticide he is applying......I get a story.......I tell him.....that I had better see triangles next year. I will turn him in.......Now it is 3 seasons later.........I turn him in for doing a pre-emergent around the corner.........have no idea what the result of turning him in yet.

Back to the neighbor that owes me $......the last couple years he was cutting it himself and often said how much he enjoyed doing it.........I was hearing last fall that his mower was running poorly........So now.......a couple weeks ago........he hires the gypsie from across the street to do a cleanup and is now doing weekly mowing.

I have to send a check to the collection agency for getting payment from another lost cause from last year........I am including the info for this neighbor.......I can place a collection within 5 years of monies owed.

The way I see it........they can afford to hire.......they can afford to pay me ]]> GLAN http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1349-Send-to-collection http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1348-Define-Successful&goto=newpost Thu, 10 May 2012 22:20:35 GMT What is your idea of being a successful Lawn Care Operator? What kind of goals do you have for your business? What is your idea of being a successful Lawn Care Operator? What kind of goals do you have for your business? ]]> Fireman Gus http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1348-Define-Successful http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1347-Out-with-the-OLD-in-with-the-NEW&goto=newpost Sat, 05 May 2012 15:25:28 GMT I spent a little over 10k in the last 12 months on yellow pages and didn't get more than 20-30 jobs that probably amounted to 8-10k in revenue but when you consider all costs, I lost a lot of money and time.


I recently launched a website and now I'm accumulating a ton more leads. I paid a decent bit of money on the site and to get it optimized, but it's already paid itself off after 3 months and I'm getting 30+ calls a month from it (we are tracking the leads through a different phone number). Of course it's growing season now, but I can't stress how great it's been moving to the internet and away from Yellow pages. Woot! http://www.grasscarebatonrouge.com and now starting up the same gig in Plano with http://www.grasscareplano.com ]]> JesseN http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1347-Out-with-the-OLD-in-with-the-NEW http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1346-Irrigation-Money&goto=newpost Sat, 05 May 2012 15:17:02 GMT I've really pushed the irrigation services since last year and have realized I make much more money keeping my irrigation team busy than any other lawn care services. I want to make this a bigger part of my business but there only seems to be so much work. Any other niches you guys find to be as good of money makers as this? It sure beats the lawn care accounts ]]> Irrigation Install and Maintenance JesseN http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1346-Irrigation-Money http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1345-New-Around-Here&goto=newpost Sat, 05 May 2012 15:14:24 GMT Hello, my name is Jesse. I started cutting grass several years ago and now getting into the landscaping side. Recently launched an internet... Hello, my name is Jesse.

I started cutting grass several years ago and now getting into the landscaping side. Recently launched an internet campaign that was quite successful and now getting online more. Glad to see these lawn communities and look forward to getting more involved. ]]> Introduce Yourself JesseN http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1345-New-Around-Here http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1344-Spring-Status&goto=newpost Sat, 05 May 2012 01:45:13 GMT How's everyone doing so far this spring.

Signs of economic recovery ?

Leads, estimates ?


we're fairing quite well so far this spring......much better than expected, considering the beating I took last season and this past winter. ]]> GLAN http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1344-Spring-Status http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1343-Crushed-Red-Stone-on-Hill&goto=newpost Tue, 01 May 2012 13:20:31 GMT Anyone ever put 3/4 crushed red stone on a hill before? If so did it work well? How thick did you have to make it to keep from sliding off? Here... Anyone ever put 3/4 crushed red stone on a hill before? If so did it work well? How thick did you have to make it to keep from sliding off?

Here is a link to the stone I am talking about.

http://www.thestonestore.com/picture...h-RedBrown.jpg ]]> Landscape Lighting Forums plantman http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1343-Crushed-Red-Stone-on-Hill http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1342-unloyal-customer!&goto=newpost Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:39:43 GMT ive just recently started a lawn business, and one of my customers never wants to pay, and pretty much wants "something, for nothing" if you know what i mean.
BUT i do NOT want to put a bad rep. on my business, so how do i respectively, and nicely get rid of this guy. just up charge and let him drop me or what? ]]> Daltonmulk http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1342-unloyal-customer! http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1341-Rookie-question-of-the-day&goto=newpost Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:05:22 GMT So on the other site the question was raised. Mow trim blow or trim mow blow. Heres how naive I am. I thought all professionals did trim... So on the other site the question was raised.


Mow trim blow or trim mow blow.



Heres how naive I am. I thought all professionals did trim mow blow. Hell I've already done trim blow mow blow if the yard
is badly over grown for the first cut for my company. It does happen. Folks wait until way too late to call, or they've fired their
other lawn service and procrastinated on calling some one new. In situations like this there can be a lot of trimmings left if
not blowing them back into the grass to get picked up.


A lot of the so called professionals claimed the reason they trim second is that they don't know how close they can get to the
landscaping etc with their mower and the earth would end if they trimmed first and then weren't able to mow up to the trim line
and had to go back and get the trimmer. Seriously???????????????????? They didn't care for me saying that only a rookie would
make that mistake because a seasoned maintenance guy is going to know what his equipment can do and will trim accordingly.
I always way over trim this allows the mower to have plenty of maneuvering options.

So it got me to thinking and wondering how the REAL professionals do it. Maybe my thinking of what a professional does is flawed.


Post up guys, thanks. ]]> Brickman http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1341-Rookie-question-of-the-day http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1340-Competition-goes-under&goto=newpost Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:18:00 GMT We have three significant spray companies in our town. One just went under apparently. I have about as much work as I want, but could probably triple... We have three significant spray companies in our town. One just went under apparently. I have about as much work as I want, but could probably triple it. I like the size I'm at and am not sure I want to get bigger. I think I'll cherry pick customers at least, but I hate refusing work, too. This could be a wild summer. ]]> windmill http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1340-Competition-goes-under http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1338-Hello-old-friends-FREE-coffee-for-my-Cafe-folks&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:42:05 GMT http://www.iteminfo.com/ItemInfoFile...offeetrial.pdf

Here's the deal, if you have an office (company name) you can get up to $200 worth of free coffee (after rebate). You must buy at least 3 cases, and you can buy up to $200 worth. I bought $193.50 worth from Staples.com and it came in 2 days with free shipping. The types of coffees in the promo are on the rebate form, mostly pre-packaged, but who cares, open them up and use them as you normally would.

Bottoms up!

( Hope everyone's doing well! ) ]]> Cafe Chat Forum ElephantNest http://www.lawnprocafe.com/showthread.php?1338-Hello-old-friends-FREE-coffee-for-my-Cafe-folks