Editorial: The Numbers Sure Are Nice
By Daniel Pepper
"Opportunity is missed by most people, because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
inventor, salesman, frequently worked
more than 40 hours straight
It doesn't take long for someone to start calculating how much
money they can make with their lawn care business. And there
is nothing wrong with doing that.
Why don't we do that right now?
Take an average lawn and attach a $35/cut price to mow it in
your neighborhood. If you can mow one average lawn in one
hour that's $35 in one hour.
(Don't charge by the hour. Only charge per cut. I explain
why in "The Formula".)
Let's stop here for a second.
$35 in one hour! That ain't bad at all. Sure beats $5, $10, or
even $25/hr doesn't it?
Okay...moving along...if you mow 8 average lawns in a day that's
a $280 pay day, $1400/5-day week, and $5600/month.
But since some people say it's more accurate to say there are 4.3
weeks in a month, we'll need to adjust your monthly income.
$1400/5-day week x 4.3 weeks in a month = $6020!
Now in this basic example I am not taking into consideration
any expenses but you can sure see that the numbers look good.
Really, my hope, is that you make what you set
out as a goal to make.
WORK SMART
No doubt about it, running a lawn care business can be a fast
paced experience. Well, it can be if you want to make good money
at it. You're not just making one lawn look good. You may have
up to 7, 15, 20 or more a day to mow. You've got to keep moving.
Thomas Edison said, 'Everything comes to him who hustles while he
waits.'
Grab a hold of that truth with both hands and keep working 'smart'.
Look to not waste time. Arrive at a customer's lawn, carry out your
services above their expectations, and then move onto the next one.
Use your your time wisely.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS A SMOOTH RIDE
You're going to have to face challenges. All of us in the lawn
industry have and some have come out on the other side victorious.
For one, it's not easy to mow several lawns every day if your body
is not used to that. Eventually, it will become accustomed to the
daily demands.
Meeting new people and closing quotes is not always easy for some
of us. It certainly wasn't for me when I first started. I was scared and
found my ringing phone a bitter sweet thing.
On one hand I wanted the business but on the other I was nervous to
meet people.
Well, I faced my fear and look where my lawn care business is today.
If I can do it, so can you.
Even with challenges, it is possible to get rich with a lawn care
business and as you take one step after another, I am going to show
you how.
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AN EXTRA PIECE OF MARKETING ADVICE...
Want To Market Your Lawn Business To The Super-Rich?
At the top of the ladder of success, there will always be room. More and more people are becoming millionaires every single year.
There will always be the super-rich who have more money than they know what to do with. Truth is, they will pay outrageous prices for even your lawn care business services.
I once visited the country of Jamaica. I had a chance to stop in to a luxury hotel that charged $1500 a night. $1500 a night!?
Now that may not sound like much to some reading this issue but at the age of 17 that was too much to me.
My point is, are there any creative ways you can use to create a "luxury level" lawn care service that markets to the super-rich?
The only catch is that at the high-end of lawn care, the super-rich customers show up via word-of-mouth much more than advertising. The great news is, once you're in the "circle", you're in!
_____________________________________________________________
It's In Your Hand
By Daniel Pepper
If there is one thing that I absolutely believe with everything that is within me is that you can have any life you design. You can live the life you have always dreamed of if you're willing to pay the price.
We live in a time of such opportunity. It is everywhere.
Think about it.
Just one hundred years ago, most people really only had five or six options when it came to deciding what they would do with their lives. For most, they didn't even have the knowledge that they could do anything other than take over their father's farm when they turned eighteen.
But today a person living in the western world (and many other areas of the world as well) can choose to do virtually anything they want to! The key is the word "choose."
You see, the world is within your reach. Any job you want can be yours if you decide. All of the opportunities are there for the taking. The question is whether or not you will take.
You say, "But Daniel, you just don't understand. I'm 35 years old with two kids and I have bills to pay. I make $36,000 a year. I can't just go become a a business owner and make big money!"
And I say, "Yes you can! If you decide to. If you will take action, you can become a doctor or anything else you want to. We live in a day and age when virtually anything is possible."
For the sake of highlighting this principle, let's look at the above example. How would this person change careers? Simple. Here is the process in specific action steps:
1. Find out from a medical school what classes you would need to take to get in. Chances are your college major would need some rounding out or if you didn't go to college, you would need to do so. Maximum time to do this: 3 days.
2. Now, go to school. Maximum time to do this: 4 years.
3. Now, medical school and residency. Maximum time to do this: 6 years.
4. Begin practicing medicine.
At this point you would be 48 years old. That leaves you 17 years to practice. Now, let's see the impact it has on your life:
1. You get to pursue your dream, making you and your family MUCH happier.
2. You will make, on average, $100,000 more per year. The difference here is manifold! If you stayed where you were, you would have earned $28,000 a year for 27 years and would earn $756,000. If you left and pursued your dream, you would earn $128,000 for 17 years (that's if you took 10 years to make the transition; most would be less.) and your earnings would be $2,176,000! This is a difference of $1,420,000! And this doesn't even take into consideration the amounts you would earn on investments with the difference in incomes.
So is it possible? Yes. Does it take time? Yes. Is it hard? Yes. Is it scary? Yes, and that is why most people won't do it.
It isn't for lack of opportunity. It is usually because of one of the following:
- Lack of vision
- Lack of tenacity
- Fear
The truth is that you can do anything you want to. Stop telling yourself excuses! Go to battle against a lack of vision! Pick yourself up and get tenacious! Look fear in the face and stand up to it! Your whole life depends on it, my friend!
The choice is yours. Will you continue to limp along in life because you don't have the courage to run for your dream? Will you continue to allow the fear of poverty keep you from pursuing the riches, both materially and emotionally, that lay within the vision you have of what your life could be?
You CAN live the life you have always dreamed of. All you want is within your reach. But to pick it up, you must first empty your hands of what they already hold. Then you must reach for it, take a hold of it, and possess it!
Until next time!
Derek Touchette has trained 16 first-round NFL draft picks, coached college basketball players in preparation for the NBA draft, assisted MLB, NFL, and NBA veterans prepare for upcoming seasons, and worked with the MLS and WUSA national teams as well as the U-17 Men’s National Soccer Team.
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