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I had worked in construction through union jobs for several years. I wanted to find local employment to avoid travel and being away from my wife. Boom!! I found what I thought to be permanent employment at a local tire building plant in maintenance. I felt so lucky! After a year or so, my wife and I decided to have a child. We built our first new home. We each purchased new vehicles. After four years of hard work and putting myself in debt, I received notice the plant would be closing in 6 months. I became concerned about our financial circumstances. We were questioning as to what we should do. I knew I was sick of looking for employment and worrying about how long it would last. Would it pay me enough to support my family decently? One day, returning home from the plant, I passed by a bank. There was a man working on the banks grounds. He had a big smile on his face. He appeared to be about my age, was in a truck just like mine, getting on his riding mower. But what really got my attention was that he had the biggest smile on his face. I could tell by the expression on his face he was happy. He had a very nice clean looking trailer, quite a bit of equipment and several employees. It all looked good to me. I began thinking, perhaps I could try something like that. It just may be my way out. It is something I know a little about. I already have the truck and most of the equipment. At least enough to get started. You can begin this business with minimal start up cost and very little overhead. This seemed a good solution to me. It sure beat chasing construction jobs all over the country and continuous layoff worries. This could be my chance to be my own boss and have my own business. It was then and there that I decided to go into business for myself. I had never been self employed before. I needed something that would be profitable, with low overhead and something that I could start out of in my home. The decision was made to "go for it". I needed all the input I could get, because I had no idea of practical working knowledge and experience or how to price my work. I needed to know what kind of equipment the majority of the pros were using. Now, let me tell you what I did and what I learned in the Lawn Servicing business. I can save you years of mistakes. My knowledge can enable you to take a lot of shortcuts and make yourself very successful. Take for yourself the information I have put together on this web site along with ideas of your own. As you have an idea, make note of it. Put together the ideas that best suit your needs and situation. In this case, two heads are better than one. These pages are full of good ideas, whether you work for others, or just want to know faster and better ways to handle your own lawn maintenance company. Make a goal to establish a good business plan. Stick to your plan no matter what happens. I built up from scratch a business and I sold it for $60,000. I had over $20,000 in my bank account, another $10,000 + in accounts receivable, kept over $10,000 in equipment, and less than a year before I sold the business, built a very nice shop in my backyard worth over $20,000 not bad for a little over 5 years work, I did it and you can too. You are there thinking it can't be done, I did it in a town in south Georgia with a population of 100,000 people starting in 1986 where several large manufacturing plants had massive layoffs and the place I worked at 2,300 people lost their jobs. I had all the odds against me, I did the impossible and you can too.
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