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Growing Fast
Hey all, I have been growing my lawn business fast, and there's so much to still learn. Right now, we are trying to establish our pricing to use along with Jobber. What's the best way to start going about getting these together? It's such a difficult and large task, I'd love some input from other lawn businesses. We own some of our equipment, we have some financed, and I have 4 workers, & 1 in the office. So it definitely gets complicated.Best ways to track material costs?
Tracking material costs in the electrical contracting industry is critical because supply prices (wire, conduit, breakers, panels, etc.) fluctuate frequently due to market demand, copper prices, and supply chain changes. A strong system protects profit margins, improves estimating accuracy, and helps maintain consistent pricing for customers. How does your company keep track?Should I buy new batteries or a whole new tool system?
I have a DeWalt 20V XR drill and impact combo that I have been using for over 10 years, they still work great and are my daily tools. I recently lost a battery and I am down to one 2ah 20V battery to share between both. I don't do a ton of hard work with these tools, maybe 20-30 3/4 fasteners a day and 5-6 masonry tapcons that need drilling first. Switching them back and fourth really sucks but I am managing so far. I have recently been interested in the Milwaukee subcompact M12 impact gun too. I am thinking I'd use this for driving fasteners and use my DeWalt with the one battery for the hammer drill. I wonder though, should I shell out the money to buy new batteries for my DeWalt to get them back up and running or just buy the new Milwaukee subcompact drill/driver as it comes with 2 batteries? Does anyone have any real world experience with the Milwaukee M12? Or longevity of the DeWalt XR tools? Last thing I want to do is buy $300 batteries and my DeWalt tools crap out.
Ego Line of electric tools
Has anyone invested in the Ego line of electric tools? Is it worth it? Batteries cost significantly more than the tool itself. But how long do they last on the job? And how long does it take to get a full charge? I realize this will also depends on the size of the battery, but has anyone compared Ego's battery life to more popular (and expensive) brands like dewalt/milwaukee?Milwaukee vs DeWalt Tools, which one?
We’re Lock Nerds Locksmith, a Buffalo, NY-based company that’s always relied on Milwaukee tools. But we’re curious—what tools do other pros trust? We're looking for honest pros and cons between Milwaukee and DeWalt to see if it's time for us to reconsider our setup.$300+ for a battery powered caulking gun???
I went to look for a battery powered caulking gun and almost fell on the floor when I saw they are upwards of $300!! How can anyone justify purchasing that? I wonder what other expensive tools you all have purchased that you either really wanted or really needed that turned out to be a huge time saver? Body or hand saver? Money maker?Is anyone finding it hard to get a cap cover for their pickup?
I have been looking into getting a cover for the bed of my truck and a lot of places here in Toronto are saying their inventory is gone! And it will likely be a year before any new ones come in. Even used ones are being bought up for resale or even modified to fit the more popular trucks. Has anyone been looking for one and found the same supply issues?New, Used, or Lease? And WHEN?
As a small business owner it has been nothing short of challenging to build a business from nothing. I came from nothing and have built this thing from the ground up. I didn't have a lot of money. When I first started I couldn't afford company vehicles. I eventually bought used vehicles in the $20K-$30K range and financed them and that was fine until I unexpectedly slowed down and had to sell off my trucks just to survive. Once I rebuilt from the slow down I decided to buy used vans around $9K to $10K cash. Right now I have 6 vehicles. One of those vehicles needs major work done. And the others are all 100K miles or more and I feel like they are just ticking time bombs. I want the reliability of newer, or leased vehicles but the risk intimidates me after my struggles in 2022. Is there a formula for when you should go from paying cash for used, to financing newer/new, and to finally leasing? Is there a revenue metric, a number of vehicles in your fleet, or some other sign that going one route over the other is more advantageous or less risky? Thanks for taking the time to read this and share feedback!
