Courage
ArboristSite Lurker
Hey guys, I'm looking some business advice. I have owned my own landscape maintenance company for the last 3 years.
My bread and butter in weekly lawn service (mowing, trimming, and blowing), but I'm looking to add another service...
Here's my reasoning.
Currently I have 3 days of mowing a week, enough power raking/dethatching, aeration, and spring cleanup to keep me busy from as soon as the snow leaves till mowing starts, and enough sprinkler blowouts and fall cleanups to keep me busy from the end of mowing till we have snow... most of the time. I technically could still be working weather wise this year, but normally we'd have 2' of snow by now.
Anyway, I'm looking for a service to kinda fill 1 or 2 more days each week through the mow season. I don't want to add a day or two of mowing, because I like being able to bump things back and forward enough to not have to skip a week, but still have 6 consecutive days off for trips in the summer...
So I'm looking to add 1 off job type stuff to what I offer. I'm hoping to do more mid season aeration this next year, as I bought a Stinger Dual Aer this summer. But, I'm looking to add something else too.
Now that I've kinda explained what I'm looking for, any thoughts owhich I should buy a stump grinder, and add that to my list of services?
I already have trucks, insurance a trailer, chainsaw, that kinda thing, so really all I'd need would be a grinder, and marketing... How much is your minimum to show up with your Grinder? I like to make $100 an hour of on the job time (with my other work, when I facter in driving into town, driving between jobs, and stopping for a 40 minute lunch break, I average $70-80 an hour for a whole day). Is this reasonable with stump grinding?
What size of grinder would you recommend for starting out?
I've found a Toro STX26 for $7,500, a Vemeer SC292 for $10,500, and a Barretto E30SG for $13,800. Are any of these good starter machines?
I live in North Eastern Washington, so we have a pretty broad mix of trees as far as hardness goes.
Do y'all think stump grinding might be good service to add, or should I keep looking?
Thanks in advance!
Courage
My bread and butter in weekly lawn service (mowing, trimming, and blowing), but I'm looking to add another service...
Here's my reasoning.
Currently I have 3 days of mowing a week, enough power raking/dethatching, aeration, and spring cleanup to keep me busy from as soon as the snow leaves till mowing starts, and enough sprinkler blowouts and fall cleanups to keep me busy from the end of mowing till we have snow... most of the time. I technically could still be working weather wise this year, but normally we'd have 2' of snow by now.
Anyway, I'm looking for a service to kinda fill 1 or 2 more days each week through the mow season. I don't want to add a day or two of mowing, because I like being able to bump things back and forward enough to not have to skip a week, but still have 6 consecutive days off for trips in the summer...
So I'm looking to add 1 off job type stuff to what I offer. I'm hoping to do more mid season aeration this next year, as I bought a Stinger Dual Aer this summer. But, I'm looking to add something else too.
Now that I've kinda explained what I'm looking for, any thoughts owhich I should buy a stump grinder, and add that to my list of services?
I already have trucks, insurance a trailer, chainsaw, that kinda thing, so really all I'd need would be a grinder, and marketing... How much is your minimum to show up with your Grinder? I like to make $100 an hour of on the job time (with my other work, when I facter in driving into town, driving between jobs, and stopping for a 40 minute lunch break, I average $70-80 an hour for a whole day). Is this reasonable with stump grinding?
What size of grinder would you recommend for starting out?
I've found a Toro STX26 for $7,500, a Vemeer SC292 for $10,500, and a Barretto E30SG for $13,800. Are any of these good starter machines?
I live in North Eastern Washington, so we have a pretty broad mix of trees as far as hardness goes.
Do y'all think stump grinding might be good service to add, or should I keep looking?
Thanks in advance!
Courage
