Great opportunity, or really dumb idea?

In reply to T.J.:

In 10 years a significant percentage of the client base will be in a pine box. But that doesn't matter. Myrtle Beach metro is the 2nd fastest growing community in the country, and it won't get younger. It's a retirement meca.

BTW, I'm not afraid of younger people taking over.

I've been in construction for over 30 years. I've always been training my own competition. (Employees leave and become competitors).

All businesss should expect that, and prepare for it.

In reply to bluej:

Or, when the other stuff starts to be more lucrative than the lawncare. I knew a guy that started his own mowing business early in high school. After about 10 years, he had built it up to a point where he was running a few trucks every day and had a dozen or so employees. At some point, he also got into the landscaping and hardscape/patio stuff too. He recently sold off the lawncare business completely because the hardscape business is a more profitable use of his time.

*He does have a social media presence with a decent following for such things, but I'd imagine that's more important for a younger demographic than what SVreX is talking about.

I'm pretty sure "social media" means coffee and a newspaper.

In reply to SVreX:

Don't be so sure about the social media thing. From my limited experience and a sample size of my mother-in-law and her friends, it seems facebook is the thing for the 65+ crowd. I would plan on at least a FB page and asking your clients to like it or follow it or whatever people do with FB pages (I don't really know as I've never had a FB page).

T.J. wrote: In reply to SVreX: Don't be so sure about the social media thing. From my limited experience and a sample size of my mother-in-law and her friends, it seems facebook is the thing for the 65+ crowd. I would plan on at least a FB page and asking your clients to like it or follow it or whatever people do with FB pages (I don't really know as I've never had a FB page).

Plus one to this. They might not know what they're doing or what they're posting, but my mom and her siblings sure know how to share a lot of pages.

I haven't read quite the whole thread, but it sounds like you should do it. The main concern for me would be maintaining the ability to support your family. I don't have a wife or kids yet so I don't have to worry too much about that, but I know it is extremely important. If you can support them and end up being more connected with your kids and be in a happier place job-wise, it sounds really good.

Just don't rush it, and make sure you set things up in such a way that they don't bite you in the butt. Don't wait too long either though...

With winter being here now, would it be conceivable to move and be in place for spring or are you looking at a year out?

I am not saying I would avoid social media. It's as important to have a presence as it used to be a o have a Yellow Pages listing in the pre-internet days.

I just don't think it is the driver of business that everyone thinks it is, especially for this demographic.

I never got a single job from 30+ years of Yellow Pages listings either.

In reply to AWSX1686:

Good question. Not sure about timing.

What do lawn care people in the south do in the winter? Up here they turn into snow removal people, but I never paid attention when I was living down there. With your construction background there may be some things you can offer that the other lawn guys just can't, and that could be huge to your bottom line.

Toyman01 wrote: In reply to Hal: He needs to adjust his rates up some.

ProDarwin wrote: That doesn't sound very retired.

@Toyman01: Doesn't want to do that. Has a long waiting list because of his pricing. As it is he is providing a good bit of extra income for family members.

@ProDarwin: He has his down time in the fall and winter when he wants it to go hunting, skiing, etc.

He reminds me of a neighbor when I was growing up. Fellow had a small shop where he did brake jobs and exhaust systems. He was in the shop at 6am and usually didn't leave until 8pm, 6 days a week from September thru July.

August? Forget about it! He and his family were in France, England, Australia, etc. By the time his sons graduated from high school they had spent at least a couple weeks in ~30 countries.

It sounds like you already have a pretty good gig going. I was at a similar juncture back in the seventies, but at a much younger age than you're at now. I decided to keep my job with corporate America instead of doing the entrepreneurial thing. Now, at this point in my life (retired) I'm sure I made the right decision. I probably would have done OK otherwise. (The guy I would have partnered with developed a pretty good business in the automotive aftermarket business, which I would have been directly involved with). But making the choice I made allowed me to grow tremendously as an individual, I think more so than if I'd been involved with a small, local entrepreneurial business. In my role in corporate America I literally saw the world, was challenged in ways that I never could have imagined, and was reasonably successful. It was a satisfying career, and I'm glad I made the decision I did forty years ago. So, I guess my advice would be to do what would you give you the most satisfaction. The financial aspect matters of course. You need to make a living regardless. The business potential needs to be there in order to make a living at it. I assume you've done the necessary due diligence, business plan, etc. When the day comes when you're done working, you want to look back on what you did with your life hopefully with no regrets. That's what's really important.

I get the sense you're happier when it's your name on the side of the truck instead of someone else's. My folks are snowbirds. They pay for lawn care year-round as well as have a guy on retainer when they are at the northern house. Nearly everyone in their neighborhood does the same - pool maintenance/upkeep is a biggie where they are (Estero). It sounds like a good opportunity, but it depends on the family's input. How well do they like living where you are? Personally, I'd be up for it (same age as you). FYI this is coming from a guy who left a good paying job in October to go out on my own. A little scary right now, but not as bad as the thought of working that hard to make someone else wealthier.

Yeah, pool care is a total moneymaking racket you could tap into as well.