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View Full Version : greetings from a newbie, brisbane



GreenGoblin
08-07-2011, 09:07 PM
hey folks

just a quick introduction - i'm starting out a lil garden maintenance business and came across this great forum.

i've got experience in the horticulture field including nursery work, gardening, growing food and a bit of landscaping. i'm planning to start work offered at an hourly rate of $25 and see how it goes (i haven't got all my own gear yet so will borrow sometimes), i know most probably quote per job but i'm not feeling so confident with that part yet :P

i'm quite interested in permaculture, organic growing and am a compost fanatic, so hope to maybe incorporate this more into my business down the line too.

look forward to contributing and learning more from you lot !

****
08-07-2011, 09:16 PM
Geebuz....must be cheap to live up north......
I just started and aim for $75 Per hour. Dont get it but not far off.

AYM
08-07-2011, 09:18 PM
Welcome Green Goblin.
I just started myself late last year, so the early days of my learning curve are still pretty fresh in my mind.
By all means, charge $25/hr at the start, but also consider that you should have a higher rate if you're using powered equipment to cover fuel and maintenance. I started charging $20/hr for non-equipment work like weeding and such. As soon as I started using anything with petrol in it, my fee went up to $30/hr. I am now charging $30/hr, regardless, and have had no complaints.
After being a member on here for a bit, I suspect I'm still under-charging, but I'm not yet confident that my work is efficient enough to charge more.

Good luck, and may the forum be with you.

Cheers - Dwayne

Bgs
08-07-2011, 09:20 PM
G'day Green Goblin,

Welcome aboard I'm in north west brisbane as well at Mitchelton, I wouldn't sell your self short by charging $25 an hour ,most lawns around here start from $45 and would take 30 - 40 min and gardening starts at 40-45 an hour more if you quote per job.

All the best with your new venture might see you out there.

GreenGoblin
08-07-2011, 10:30 PM
thanks for the welcome and feedback guys

Aido not cheap to live up here imo, but $25ph sounds more attractive than the $18 you get as a nurseryhand, or $20 as a labourer - which is what i was comparing to. also when asking locally for feedback i've been told "there's a guy that charges $30ph, he brings all his own gear" - but i guess it's silly to ask the customer for price advice :P

i figured you guys might consider it too cheap, but remember i wont be turning up with a ride on and a trailer full of tools. like AYM, most my current work is hand weeding, mluching, etc, and a bit of acreage mowing using the owners ride ons.

believe me, i'd like to charge more, but don't want to get too big for my boots straight up :) i am most open to all suggestions and input tho, really appreciate it

ian
09-07-2011, 12:04 AM
$20 p/h as a labourer then add 9% super then add sick pay then add holiday pay and it's to late at night to get any further into it :)

Beaj
09-07-2011, 12:15 AM
$25 p/h is ok if your getting 8 hours work a day everyday as a labourer. But buggered if I would drive 10 min or so, work an hour, drive 10 min back for $25. Don't sell yourself short, I charge my time at $45 ph plus any fees. That is probably not enough but I'm also just starting out.
Brad.

fairdinkum
09-07-2011, 04:24 AM
Mate when I first started a little over a year ago I thought $25 per hour was good money compared to what i was getting before. But I soon found that $25 per hour will pretty much only cover your expenses. If you want to be making $25 per hour you need to charge around $50. I still have a few jobs that I do at $30 per hour and I hate doing them. Now I don't even mention an hourly rate usually but I aim for around $70. Just starting out you might be a bit slower, as I know I was, and I found it a bit unfair to charge premium rates for my work. But you should sit down and work out all your expenses first and then find a rate that will make you enough to start growing your business. Now is a great time to start with spring just around the corner. But you better learn quickly or you will find yourself hating this business.

Bluey
09-07-2011, 06:47 AM
Fairdinkum is right. You need to get out of the mindset of being a worker and get into one of being a business owner. You need to know exactly how much running your business costs you so that you can take that into account when quoting. Charging $25 per hr is way too low in my opinion. Most offsiders in this industry get $20 to $25 per hr
Also for labour intensive work such as hand weeding and mulching charge a lot more. It is hard work. Honestly if you are charging $25 per hr I would subby you and charge you out at $60 an hour and make $35 an hr for nothing

Shepparton Lawn Care
09-07-2011, 07:05 AM
x 2 Bluey. What any new business should remember when starting out in this game is that EVERY machine that you purchase is a CONSUMABLE!. It has a limited life, that will need replacing sooner rather than later!. WHilst a mowing business may be cheap to start off with just the basics, i know that after 6 years, in this game our business has the same overheads as any other.Don't forget-Insurance, Superannuation, Registrations, Uniforms,Repairs and Maintenance, some form of advertising-whether it be yellow pages, paper, website or just a great signage package for your vehicle/trailer. I know we all had to start somewhere- and i do remember ourselves starting out!-But you NEED to charge well in order to stay in business and grow your new business. I have found that you will never have enough specialised gear if the opportunity arises to introduce a new service (and maybe new clientel), so to do this you need to have money. I agree that you should purchase the hand book, but as well you need to seriously look at some type of business plan. Take the emotion out of it, and look at the hard facts of figures on paper-what you will need to earn to pay yourself a wage as well as run your business and grow your business.

simo
09-07-2011, 09:08 AM
:eek: $25 per hr ....Now I know What a guy that quoted $28 for pressure cleaning a double drive was doing STARTING OUT, I quoted $110.. First time i`ve been beat by more than $80, he got the job did a great job too..thinking i should sub contract him to do my work ..Then i can go surfing..

simo
09-07-2011, 09:13 AM
Come on fella`s $25 lift ya game thats pricing for starting out over a decade ago...

Back to Basics
09-07-2011, 09:45 AM
Goblin, what areas are you in. I may at times have some extra work for you!

GreenGoblin
09-07-2011, 11:03 AM
ok thanks again all i have taken this all on board and will do some more thinking.

this was more of a 'transitional plan', keeping some of my good customers that have hired me as a labourer for 6-8hrs a day on a regular basis, and slowly working towards actually making a living from my hard work.

i don't want to undercut myself nor do a dis-service to the industry by charging too little, but again i emphasise that i don't have all the gear and a trailer yet (nor do i have space for a trailer where i live) so i'm not exactly going for the same market as you guys.

back to basics, mt nebo/samford area generally - thanks for the offer for extra work, would that be at a fair $40+ an hour? hehe

ian
09-07-2011, 11:06 AM
i would suggest instead of quoting $25 p/h (pre 2000 rates) that you look at the job estimate how many hours it will take you and give a quote worked out at say $45-$50p/h that way if your wrong and do it faster you make really good money but if it takes you longer you should still make at least your $25p/h

also don't forget that as a labourer if you damage property it is your bosses problem now it will be yours and these are things you need to consider when pricing your time ie:you bump a bird bath and it breaks there goes 4hours work for nothing or brushcutting and you hit a PVC mains water pipe or smash a window of a car even with insurance this could cost you heaps and even if you deny responsibility and refuse to pay good luck getting any money for the work you have done
as for equipment if your thinking it's tax deductible this is true but remember that a $600 purchase after deduction is still going to leave you about$400 out of pocket and this needs to be factored into your pricing

GreenGoblin
09-07-2011, 11:29 AM
thanks ian. i guess i've got to be more confident in asking for more, talking money is where i lack the experience

what if you were offered an 8hr day a fortnight, general maintenance plus laying irrigation, establishing garden beds, etc with the rest of the time. what doesn't get done one day gets done next fortnight. i think if i quoted $400-$500 per day i'd get a see-ya-lata

fairdinkum
09-07-2011, 01:34 PM
I sometimes think of it like this when quoting big jobs....and I am by no means expert at it. .....On a good day, with the equipment I mentioned earlier and with a bit of experience, you can easily knock over 8-10 $45 lawns in a day. That is $360-$450 for pretty easy work. So assuming you are using your own equipment, $400+ for a day of back breaking labour is more than reasonable. But saying that, if you really need the work, as long as you will be better off than sitting at home twiding your thumbs, a lesser amount may be reasonable for you. And it is REALLY important that you work out what it will cost you first. Otherwise it can be seriously depressing for you and your family.

Bgs
09-07-2011, 03:37 PM
thanks ian. i guess i've got to be more confident in asking for more, talking money is where i lack the experience

what if you were offered an 8hr day a fortnight, general maintenance plus laying irrigation, establishing garden beds, etc with the rest of the time. what doesn't get done one day gets done next fortnight. i think if i quoted $400-$500 per day i'd get a see-ya-lata

Beautiful part of the world out that way Green Goblin I started in similar circumstances to you and ended up with regular work on 6 properties around the Samford area,

I would show up for the day with minimal equipment have a yarn for half an hour do some work stop for the morning tea spread the owners had put on have a chat do some more work stop again for the lunch spread provided, do some more work stop for another chat and coffee then leave with arms full of vegies, eggs, honey and jars of jam.

Very hard jobs to price correctly trust me I know lol

As you get more establish might be worth your while to drive to the burbs like the Gap or Ashgrove and knock over 4-5 lawns for the same money and half the time.

ian
09-07-2011, 05:42 PM
thanks ian. i guess i've got to be more confident in asking for more, talking money is where i lack the experience

what if you were offered an 8hr day a fortnight, general maintenance plus laying irrigation, establishing garden beds, etc with the rest of the time. what doesn't get done one day gets done next fortnight. i think if i quoted $400-$500 per day i'd get a see-ya-lata

in an 8 hr day i would expect to be able to knock over at least 10 $40-50 lawns so why would i want to work for less

Back to Basics
10-07-2011, 02:10 AM
8 hr day at leat 40 an hour! Anything less beat it. If smaller job fingers crossed better rate, depending on work. Quote what you think and if accepted win. Quote too high and lose.

Fickle game this stuff but do what you want and need and perhaps it is win win. Worst case win for you lose for client!