Your area your rates

[Curly Cleanup]

Blimey Andy, a very thoughtful reply! Some very useful calcs there, and yes I'll check out HoldenHead's grass length method.

It's possible for course I could have been a little quicker than 6 hours on this particular job had I been more experienced. (And with better equipment, which I'll shortly have.

Thanks mate!

John

[Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden]

Hi guys. I'm a 'Prebie'. (Won't purchase my equipment and start leafletting for another two weeks). I'm in Heidelberg, Vic. I'm finding these forums extremely useful, so thank you to all the old and not-so-old hands for being so open and encouraging.

It sounds like a lot of you guys don't work on an hourly rate as such, but rather jobs classifications/sizes, which does make sense. Wot then for average size nature strip, front an back lawn (back very overgrown) and trimming shrubs/pulling weeds - job took nearly six hours? (I've done a couple of 'trial jobs' with borrowed equipment)

Cheers, JOHN

Six hours seems like a very long time where you cutting it with scissors. Mate i try to work out how long it will take to do the job so say 3 hours x2 people thats 6 hours then i times that by my hourly rate i want. If it is a big job add another hour for any bigger than 3 so if you think six go seven if you have a job where your thinking bigger than 10 add 2 extra hours always somtething comes along and stuffs you up.

[Curly Cleanup]

Six hours seems like a very long time where you cutting it with scissors. Mate i try to work out how long it will take to do the job so say 3 hours x2 people thats 6 hours then i times that by my hourly rate i want. If it is a big job add another hour for any bigger than 3 so if you think six go seven if you have a job where your thinking bigger than 10 add 2 extra hours always somtething comes along and stuffs you up.

Yes! I was using scissors, how'd you know? Nah I'm sure I'll get faster with both more experience and (a lot!) better equipment. The 'add extra time' tip definitely makes sense, thanks.

[Andy B]

Yes! I was using scissors, how'd you know? Nah I'm sure I'll get faster with both more experience and (a lot!) better equipment. The 'add extra time' tip definitely makes sense, thanks.

If your like me the weeding can slow you down, so where I can, poison before hand or if they are going to be a regular poison on clean up and clean up dead weeds on next mow, or do fast weed and poison anything that comes back on next mow. Always more than one way to skin a cat (so to speak.)

[Curly Cleanup]

If your like me the weeding can slow you down, so where I can, poison before hand or if they are going to be a regular poison on clean up and clean up dead weeds on next mow, or do fast weed and poison anything that comes back on next mow. Always more than one way to skin a cat (so to speak.)

Cat skinning? I'll add that to my list of Services.

[Cranbourne Lawnmowing]

Blimey Andy, a very thoughtful reply! Some very useful calcs there, and yes I'll check out HoldenHead's grass length method.

It's possible for course I could have been a little quicker than 6 hours on this particular job had I been more experienced. (And with better equipment, which I'll shortly have.

Thanks mate!

John

G'day John

Holdenheads method works very well. When I started out Rick was nice enough to ask if I would like to come out with him a couple of times. Get to to know the competition as Rick once said. All jokes aside I got to learn the trade a bit and Rick got some help while he needed it. His method is very good and I now use it when I'm quoting jobs. We only live a stones throw away from each other and talk business quite often. If you can find someone nearby who is willing to see you as a fellow lawny and help you out to get started then grab it with both hands. Never know might just help your business get started with a kick and might make a friend at the same time

[Curly Cleanup]

G'day John

Holdenheads method works very well. When I started out Rick was nice enough to ask if I would like to come out with him a couple of times. Get to to know the competition as Rick once said. All jokes aside I got to learn the trade a bit and Rick got some help while he needed it. His method is very good and I now use it when I'm quoting jobs. We only live a stones throw away from each other and talk business quite often. If you can find someone nearby who is willing to see you as a fellow lawny and help you out to get started then grab it with both hands. Never know might just help your business get started with a kick and might make a friend at the same time

That's a really good idea. I'm actually quite blown away by the open-ness and sense of co-operation you guys in these forums seem to have, especially when there must at times some of you must be rivals for overlapping turf. If anyone's around or nearby to the Heidelberg/Viewbank/Ivanhoe etc area, I'd love to hear from them!

[Cranbourne Lawnmowing]

That's a really good idea. I'm actually quite blown away by the open-ness and sense of co-operation you guys in these forums seem to have, especially when there must at times some of you must be rivals for overlapping turf. If anyone's around or nearby to the Heidelberg/Viewbank/Ivanhoe etc area, I'd love to hear from them!

John..there is more work out there than there is us guys and girls doing it. Its just a matter of going out and getting it

[Curly Cleanup]

John..there is more work out there than there is us guys and girls doing it. Its just a matter of going out and getting it

Logic tells me this. When Curly (she's a dog) and I go for our nightly wander just around our own neighbourhood, there are so many places that could do with a little tender loving, and others that are tenderly loved but hey, might well be glad for someone else to do the tending.

John

[Cranbourne Lawnmowing]

Logic tells me this. When Curly (she's a dog) and I go for our nightly wander just around our own neighbourhood, there are so many places that could do with a little tender loving, and others that are tenderly loved but hey, might well be glad for someone else to do the tending.

John

Mate. I would stick a flyer in everyone of their letter boxes. Never know????????

[Curly Cleanup]

Mate. I would stick a flyer in everyone of their letter boxes. Never know????????

I'm actually thinking of attaching quotes to some of the flyers as an experiment, based on what I can see from the road. (Front strip, front lawn).

[Cranbourne Lawnmowing]

I'm actually thinking of attaching quotes to some of the flyers as an experiment, based on what I can see from the road. (Front strip, front lawn).

I did that with business cards. Got some good customers out of it.

[Curly Cleanup]

I did that with business cards. Got some good customers out of it.

Beauty! Well that's part of my plan then.

[Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden]

I'm actually thinking of attaching quotes to some of the flyers as an experiment, based on what I can see from the road. (Front strip, front lawn).

Too bad though if you get there and get out the back and find it is 4 foot high. I would maesure you date it to as people may ring you in the middle of the wet with it really high saying well you said in quote this much.

[Curly Cleanup]

Too bad though if you get there and get out the back and find it is 4 foot high. I would maesure you date it to as people may ring you in the middle of the wet with it really high saying well you said in quote this much.

No, quote would be based only on the lawns I could see, in other words nature strip and front lawn. But good point re dating it!