EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I'm sort of thinking this is a joke, but for the sake of others who might have the same question, I'm gonna answer it.
Before you start any business, you need to research your market. How much is the competition charging and can you do it for the same price or less? As a new, start up company, you will have to offer something to your clients that the people they currently have doing it are not offering. Will it be faster service, better quality or for less money?
Then you have to determine how many clients it will take to pay your bills and operating expenses. What will the equpment cost, what does it cost to keep it running and what feels will you have to pay, such as taxes, insurance and licensing.
It's all a numbers game and to be successful, you have to know your numbers.
Buying used equipment will save you upfront money, but in most cases, it's worn out and unreliable. Will you find enough clients to keep you busy and profitable running something that will need repairs and a lot of maintenance? Probably not.
How will you find your clients? Are you a good enough salesman that you can cold call people and get them to hire you? Walking up to a stranger and convincing them that you are better then who they already have takes talent. Being able to do it over and over again after being rejected takes a lot of time and determination. If you decide to advertise, then that means more money without any gurantee of return. How much will you spend to get a job? Classifieds work if you have a good ad. It's how I got started and what I hope will work again if I need to advertise some time in the future. Determining what advertising will work for your market and what is a waste of money is a huge challenge. Some things are just a waste of money for some business's, other things work great. You will have to spend money to figure that out. Either hire a consultant, or go through it trial and error.
How deep are your pockets and how long can you lose money building your business? Most will cost you more to run at first then you will make in proffit. If you have a trator payment, impliment payment, transportation bills, fuel bills and government fees to pay, it will take a certain amount of time to get enough clients to have enough work to pay those bills. Can you go a year?
My guess by the questions you have asked, is that you are not ready for this type of business. Being alergic to grass means that this is something that you are physically not capable of doing. Requireing a cab tractor is an extra expense that you don't have the money to spend on, or the contracts to pay for.
I've made money mowing and bush hogging, but it's a side thing at best. I don't care for it, and don't want to do it for a living, but sometimes people need it done and I'm willing for a price. If they pay it, I'll do it. I've built up a name and clientel. People know me and come to me for work. It took years to get to this point, and I put in my time working for a little better then minimum wage. You have to start at the bottom and work your way up and realize that you are just another guy out there trying to do the same thing that so many others are doing. If you are going to make money at it, you have to be better then everyone else and your clients are going to have to want to have you come back and tell their friends about you.
Run your numbers, look at your market and determine what your selling point will be. If you can do this and it all adds up to a profitable idea, then go for it. There is always room for a new business out there, and especially for one that's better then the others that are already out there.
Good luck
Eddie
Before you start any business, you need to research your market. How much is the competition charging and can you do it for the same price or less? As a new, start up company, you will have to offer something to your clients that the people they currently have doing it are not offering. Will it be faster service, better quality or for less money?
Then you have to determine how many clients it will take to pay your bills and operating expenses. What will the equpment cost, what does it cost to keep it running and what feels will you have to pay, such as taxes, insurance and licensing.
It's all a numbers game and to be successful, you have to know your numbers.
Buying used equipment will save you upfront money, but in most cases, it's worn out and unreliable. Will you find enough clients to keep you busy and profitable running something that will need repairs and a lot of maintenance? Probably not.
How will you find your clients? Are you a good enough salesman that you can cold call people and get them to hire you? Walking up to a stranger and convincing them that you are better then who they already have takes talent. Being able to do it over and over again after being rejected takes a lot of time and determination. If you decide to advertise, then that means more money without any gurantee of return. How much will you spend to get a job? Classifieds work if you have a good ad. It's how I got started and what I hope will work again if I need to advertise some time in the future. Determining what advertising will work for your market and what is a waste of money is a huge challenge. Some things are just a waste of money for some business's, other things work great. You will have to spend money to figure that out. Either hire a consultant, or go through it trial and error.
How deep are your pockets and how long can you lose money building your business? Most will cost you more to run at first then you will make in proffit. If you have a trator payment, impliment payment, transportation bills, fuel bills and government fees to pay, it will take a certain amount of time to get enough clients to have enough work to pay those bills. Can you go a year?
My guess by the questions you have asked, is that you are not ready for this type of business. Being alergic to grass means that this is something that you are physically not capable of doing. Requireing a cab tractor is an extra expense that you don't have the money to spend on, or the contracts to pay for.
I've made money mowing and bush hogging, but it's a side thing at best. I don't care for it, and don't want to do it for a living, but sometimes people need it done and I'm willing for a price. If they pay it, I'll do it. I've built up a name and clientel. People know me and come to me for work. It took years to get to this point, and I put in my time working for a little better then minimum wage. You have to start at the bottom and work your way up and realize that you are just another guy out there trying to do the same thing that so many others are doing. If you are going to make money at it, you have to be better then everyone else and your clients are going to have to want to have you come back and tell their friends about you.
Run your numbers, look at your market and determine what your selling point will be. If you can do this and it all adds up to a profitable idea, then go for it. There is always room for a new business out there, and especially for one that's better then the others that are already out there.
Good luck
Eddie
