Lawn Maintenance & Snow Removal?

greystreet11 · January 5, 2014

So...I am kind of thinking about a career switch (I have been a teacher for 9 years, and just kind of bored with it, and sick and tired of all the political bs!)...

I would love to get into the field of golf somehow, but I am sure that is damn near impossible. I truly enjoy being outdoors and have the recent thought that I would enjoy starting my own lawn maintenance and snow removal business. I honestly have no idea what kind of success these companies have, thus I am looking for any feedback/advice from those who may have experience in this career.

Thanks & stay warm---wind chills will be -40 here!

highergr0und · January 5, 2014

So you want to take a job that allows for golf during the summer and swap it for a job that if successful will have you working 60+ hours a week during prime golfing season at least for the first few years?

Have you ever worked on a lawn crew? I have and it's not terrible but not the most fun. I worked 10-12 hour days, often 6 days a week. The thing is you have a list of X places to cut and they always have to get done. If it rains, you've got to use weekends to catch up, or if equipment is down, people call off, etc. You basically don't have time to do hardly anything when the sun is up. If you haven't, I would get a job on a crew to see how it is. You'll be cutting a lot at least in the beginning.

Have you ever plowed? Now that can be a nightmare. My dad did while I was growing up. Snow on Christmas? Unwrap fast kids cuz dad has to leave. Pushing snow more than 24 hours straight? I think his record is in the 40s. That's no sleep, no breaks, just going back and forth with the truck. I used to go with him sometimes and feed the salt into the machine or use the hand snowblower on sidewalks. It's grueling work and the insurance and wear and tear on the vehicles can be expensive. Again, I would suggest getting onto a crew before going full bore. Pricing can be very tough with unpredictable weather. You either sell a season contract that includes unlimited pushes for a price or you sell people on a cost per push.

The success rate on lawn care companies is spotty. The money is in commercial contracts since they actually care about stuff like insurance, but those contracts are hard to get for someone new. A lot of the guys you see doing residential are using consumer grade equipment and aren't necessarily carrying the right insurance which enables them to charge very little. You'll have a lot of competition from fellow teachers and firefighters who often have lawn care businesses on the side. I know a few guys that have solidly successful businesses in lawn care, and I've known a lot more who struggled and ended up shutting down.

Are they building a lot of houses around your area? A fence company is another option. It's not that hard and is a bit more specialized.

greystreet11 · January 5, 2014

Thanks for all the insight in regards to my post. A lot of things I never thought of---maybe the best idea would be to try and start small (part-time with just a few residential contracts).

Agent Jim · January 6, 2014

Does your current job have benefits such as retirement and health care? I am in law enforcement, we have the same complaints. I know nurses, teachers and many other folks in public service; we all have the same complaints. It's just something you have to overcome and deal with. I suggest getting involved on the good side of things. Have you tried after school opportunities such as coaching and or helping some group. Those kids are there for a reason and generally appreciate what you do.
How about getting involved at some level with the local golf team?
I see a lot of people change work and no find the grass is greener on the other side. I did tree and lawn service while I was in college and high school. Its hard work and I liked it for that, but I didn't have time for anything else. If I did, I was just too tired to get motivated.

I suggest you try and improve your life with your current job before making drastic changes, if you haven't already.

Falang_Golfer · January 6, 2014

I don't think a golf career is near impossible. You already have a teaching degree so becoming an instructor is kind of a natural progression. Sure it's hard work but all the golf pros started somewhere. You could do course maintenance too, they have turf management schools. But first really look at your current job. There are very few like teachers that allow as much golf on the off days and nights an summers. And id invite you to my work if you want some political BS. I don't care anymore but if I did it would drive me nuts. Any job has some of it. Snow removal I would think you would get those customers where if the snow stopped at 5:00 and it's 5:02 they're calling you wondering why you haven't done their driveway yet.

greystreet11 · January 6, 2014

Thanks for the advice y'all---I started a Wiffle Ball five years ago, I coach our conference basketball teams (have done so for 7 years), I organize and run our Toys 4 Tots Dodgeball Tournaments, and I have been our Athletic Director for three years now---pretty fair to say that I reach out beyond my "normal duties."

Summers off is nice, but I also run basketball camps both thru our school and at the high school level.

Maybe the grass isn't always greener on the other side:)

Tmiller72 · January 6, 2014

I've had a lawn care business since 2005. I was in the golf business for 3 years prior to that. I was losing interest in golf because of the long boring hours of being in a golf shop. I had no idea what I was going to do after leaving the golf business, but I knew I could cut grass. I bought some entry level equipment and ran an ad for a month in the local paper. I've never advertised since then. Word of mouth from happy customers is better than any advertising. Once I started getting customers, I upgraded my equipment. Cheap equipment WILL breakdown. I pretty much work alone and occasionally hire friends for tough jobs like fall and spring cleanups. I chose not to get into snow removal. I have a snow blower for my house and I sometimes clear small driveways with it. The uncertainty of snowfall each year makes it not worth the headache to get into. (its 8 degrees and snowing now. haha) I do handyman type work and ski during the winter. Overall, lawn care is a pretty good business to get into. Where else am I going to make $50+ an hour at times? It's not my dream job, but I like being outside and setting my own hours. Be friendly and do good work, you can be successful.

Drive4shoPutt4Dough · January 8, 2014

I am a landscaper and it sucks at times I will admit. But I cant be stuck inside behind a desk when its 80 and sunny out. If youre working for yourself you can have all the time in the world minus the winter months. During the winter youre a slave to mother nature. Either your moving snow or trying to fix equipment and scramble for the next storm. Also depends on if you have residential accounts or commercial. We have a few 55 and older communities. Stay away from them. Not fun. Everyone else's advice is pretty much spot on. Buy quality machines and be ready to work. Try to get in with a local developer. You get in good with them they wont even put jobs out for bid, theyll call you. Good luck!

ZAP · January 8, 2014

As a fellow teacher I am sitting here on our third snow day wondering why anyone would want to leave. I totally understand the politics being tough to deal with at times. At the end of the day I would say you need to follow your passion. It might seem corny to say it but life is short. When I stop having fun teaching I will move on.

greystreet11 · January 8, 2014

I love hearing all the positive and negative feedback---teaching will certainly allow me to spend the most quality time with our first child (born just four months ago).

We haven't had any snow days quite YET, but just had two COLD days where school was cancelled because of wind chills reaching -40!

ZAP · January 8, 2014

[quote name='greystreet11' timestamp='1389224646' post='8424841']
I love hearing all the positive and negative feedback---teaching will certainly allow me to spend the most quality time with our first child (born just four months ago).

We haven't had any snow days quite YET, but just had two COLD days where school was cancelled because of wind chills reaching -40!
[/quote]

One of the reasons I went into teaching was so my schedule would mesh with my kids' schedules. I worked in Physical Therapy for 6 years after college.
It is so nice to have the same days off as they do and to be able to spend evenings at home with them(see homework and afterschool activities).

Tmiller72 · January 9, 2014

Oh, I forgot to mention that I got several accounts through real estate agents. Sometimes they are one time clean up jobs and some became permanent jobs. When I drive around and see a property for sale that needs some yard work, I'll call or email the agent and let them know how bad it looks. Typically they want it cleaned up and get me in touch with the owner.