View Single Post
Old April 7, 2018   #10
GoDawgs
Tomatovillian™
 
GoDawgs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b
Posts: 1,685
Default

You've reached that tipping point, my friend. It's that point where you start needing help but sales can't support it yet. That's a hard hump to get over and you end up working a ton of hours until you can. Been there, done that. Most every bootstrap business goes through that phase.

If HS help isn't an option due to age or liability, are there any college ag students who could help?

If there is a nearby technical college with a hort program, maybe you could talk to the instructor about setting up a work/study program where a reliable student or two could help you for free as part of an "independent study" they'd get graded on. Tech students are fairly local folks so more readily available. Just a thought.

One more thing about tipping points and that's their relative, the "sweet spot" . Once your sales can support paid help, the next decision would likely be finding that point where profit vs costs are maximized before that old law of diminishing returns sets in. A landscaper I worked for many moons ago exceeded that by accepting too many jobs. More money! BUT...More jobs meant hiring more hands, then buying more equipment for them to use, then paying more insurance, on and on in an upward spiral that eventually collapsed.
GoDawgs is offline   Reply With Quote