VERY EXPENSIVE Shop Tour | $300k Business in 30 days (8)

I'm traveling 3,000 miles across the country to build a $300,000 lawn care business in just 30 days. This Augusta lawn care location needs to be making $1,500 per day before I can hand it off to a general manager and go back home.

That side's important. Being a self starter, not afraid to talk to people, and getting out and doing those things.

Today is day.

The game plan for today is to pick up our new general manager. He's flying in from out of town to get set up this week. And then we're going to head to the shop space at the storage facility and just make sure everything's organized and we're ready to roll for next week when the jobs really start.

Door hangers is where it's at for us right now. We're not getting nothing on Google. So, yeah, the update on yesterday's door hangers was, so far we have three leads. One has already been sold and is on the schedule for like a 700 cleanup and some mulch. We got a mowing quote as well as another mulch quote that have just been sent out. So three in one day. Not bad. We're finally rolling. I kind of feel like this is almost kind of day one or day two of the challenge because we're finally actually focused on marketing with Jonathan out in the field being able to do door hangers.

All right, I think that's all I got for now. I will probably email you this evening with some more questions, though. I appreciate your time and best of luck to you. You know, ultimately, if someone didn' some financial issues or things like that, you know, and his business would have done really, really well a few years ago and would just continue to grow. There's not going to be these issues. But he would therefore not be a general manager. He'd be out doing his own thing. So taking someone like that that might have gone through some trouble financially and maybe the business side thing didn't work out, but then plugging them into the systems of Augusta and having the support, having a regional manager to keep you accountable and keep you on track and keep you motivated, I think he'll do great. So it's one of those things, like Chuck was telling me this morning, is like, hey, sometimes the people that check all the boxes when they come in, they don't work out. And the people who kind of. They'll surprise you. So I'm actually going to get Chuck to look at his zoom call and I sent him his recording because Chuck is going to be his direct Report. And so I'm not going to make this hiring decision without consulting Chuck. Because when I leave here, this business has to be ran by somebody. And that somebody is going to report directly to Chuck. So I feel it's right that he has some sort of say in who that person is. So I'm going to send him the recording of a zoom call, see what he thinks.

So here's my thoughts. I am learning.

The biggest strengths that I am seeing in general managers across the board for all of our locations is time management and being a self starter. If I had a position and I interviewed him and he did his research on P4P and all those things, Thumbs up. I'd hire him.

You're hired. Welcome to Augusta Nation.

So this is the $300,000 reason we're.

Gonna do it too, Elmer. The day of small beginnings.

You know, kind of like the main reason I'm even here for this month is just to help other owners when they're getting started, because they're doing the same thing. They are going into a shop. It's not. It's not fun. Super exciting. Like, it's the grind. It's the grind. And, you know, like, last week we ran a bunch of ads and. No. Right. That's what happens to people when they start. We're really doing this 100% for the guy getting started. Okay. Okay. So they don't feel low because, like, I've made videos. How long have you been watching videos?

I've been watching videos for years.

Long time. Okay. So everyone sees those. They're like, okay, he has like all these locations and big stuff where they watch like Corey Ballard or even like Keith Kalfis or Brian Lawn Maintenance. And it's like they're established, they have leads coming in organically and a bunch of referrals. This is for the guy just getting started. And I don't even care if we hit the challenge of fifteen hundred dollars a day. I want to show how hard it is and for that person to hopefully realize they're not alone. It's normal. And even for someone like myself, getting started, you're going to hit the same challenges. Did Command center get over the doc you signed to you?

Yeah, I got all that signed. I sent all that in yesterday.

All right, so what's really cool is when I hire someone, I don't have to go through all their paperwork or submit a job offer or anything like that. I just get to submit this one form on our franchisee's website, what we call the dashboard and command center takes it over from there. So they're going to send them a docusign with his job offer, employee handbook, all his payroll documents and it takes me just a few minutes.

All right, so we're going to try to organize this place, get looking good so that next week when we start doing work, it's efficient, running good. We got a whiteboard up keyboard, a board for the keys to hang on. It'll be great.

Just so everyone knows we're all on the same page, these gas cans, they stay empty. We don't store fuel inside the storage pan facility.

Okay, now I have to say I don't understand exactly the point of written manuals with the Internet where like I can search the standards specifications and how to fix things on the Internet. Control F. Well, things have changed. We have organized the shop space very elaborate, very expensive. It's a 20ft by 10ft storage unit. And so let me walk you through a very detailed shop tour. This could be a title on YouTube. Shop tour, $300,000 business. I can see it now. Alright, so this is what it is. We got extra large and large uniforms. Very nice. We have all this other stuff and don't worry, these will be empty and we will not store them here. We got an extra blower, hedge trimmer, sprayer hole saw, edge trimmer thing, an edge, a straight edge edger. We got other equipment on the P1 which is the mowing setup. So that's already all fully geared up and ready to roll. And here we got all this other stuff which is what? A ladder, a pole saw, a push mower, a wheelbarrow, the tailgate because we use the ramp rack. So we gotta take that off.

We got bins, we got tarps, and we already have a shovel. All the other hand tools are on P1. So that's how we're rolling get started. We gotta get some whiteboards so we can get everything hanging up on the wall in terms of the keys, pay for performance information and it's going to be great. Never despise the day of small beginnings. All right, so I'm going to make a quick video of the unit and make a WhatsApp group for the local team. Now that we have Jonathan kind of part time doing the door hangers.

We got Tarrant jumping on board later this week and he'll be starting to do work. I want everyone on the same page as well as knowing where we're doing door hangers throughout the territory. So this is our home for the next little bit. And now we're just trying to create the team, bring it together, start putting jobs in the schedule. And like I said earlier this morning, I feel like we're just starting now, so let's hit it hard.

C Max is very happy because tires that are inflated work much better than flat tires. All right, we're back in business.

All right, so this property I'm showing you on screen right now is actually a customer. We just got on the schedule and booked. But there's quite the story behind it, because yesterday, Jonathan put the door hanger out on the person's property. They emailed command center with their information like they're supposed to from the back of the door hanger. However, they didn't actually send the picture. They just sent us information, and they said, well, we are willing to pay $55 for. For a bi weekly cut. Well, typically our minimum in this market is $39 for weekly or $59 for bi weekly. So right off the bat, I basically knew they were kind of trying to play the game. And I could tell by the wording they were like, that's what we are willing to pay. So typically, I would have nothing to do with that kind of customer. And the fact that you're just trying to shave off a few bucks just doesn't leave a good taste in the mouth. However, we are simply trying to fill the schedule. My number one priority and only thing that I'm focused on in my objective right now is putting 30 budgeted hours on the schedule. About 30 budget hours will give someone 40 hours worth of work. That'll get someone full time working in the field. The faster I can get Terence doing that, the sooner I'm able to get a second employee and actually scale this location up. So, yes, we accepted the job even though it's a few dollars less than I would like. And yes, those prices are cheap. It hurts my soul because I'm used to the Bellingham shop that's been in business for years, where that property would probably be out 80 to $100 per cut, not no $55. But we gotta fill the schedule. Then we can switch it into profit mode potentially next spring by raising the prices.

Okay, so yesterday, Jonathan was out doing door hangers. He talked to somebody and they wanted a mulch install. He got their phone number, but he could not get. He. He forgot to get their address. So I'm gonna give the customer a call, try to set up an in person estimate where I can take a look at their property. Cause the big mulch job, their entire backyard is just A bunch of mulch. So I'm gonna call them and try to set up an estimate.

Hello, this is Fred.

Hey, Fred. This is Mike over to Augusta Lawn Care. How you doing?

Yes, how are you?

Good, good. I know yesterday you had talked with Jonathan, and he had sent me some pictures and things, and I was just gonna see if I could drop by sometime today and just kind of confirm the quote for that backyard mulch install.

Well, we don't really need it yet. We just got this installed this year. Spring.

Okay.

And so.

What we. I'm looking forward to next year not.

Having to do it.

And. And so I was just trying to hear a little bit more about what you guys are doing.

So.

Yeah, so that. That.

That.

That was. That was my interest.

So.

Yeah, so this just got put in this year, but I don't want to do it again.

You still feeling the pain?

I don't know what I'm doing.

That's the other thing. Like, I. I get you.

I don't know what I'm doing.

Well, do you? What about this? What if I. What I can do is, I can get the quote put together so that next spring you just have it, and then whenever you're ready for it, you can just let us know, and then they can get you on the schedule.

Yeah, I don't even need your quote.

I saw.

I saw, I saw.

What? The.

You know.

Oh, perfect thing.

His handout.

Okay.

And. And so I think you just get ready to get a call next Sprint.

Okay.

That's the long and short of it.

Okay, cool. All right. Sounds good, Fred. I appreciate your time. You.

Yeah. Hang in there.

Will do. Take care. All right. Bye. Bye.

All right.

Bye. Bye.

I want you to quote.

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