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my business (midland gardencare) £8 - £15 per hour

Posted by Matt Brown on November 24, 2010 at 8:47pm

i've been posting on pricing rates on your website. i think ive hogged someone elses thread enough, basically ive been charging £8 an hour for 3 years and i have some at £10 an hour

 

my last post was

 

i've built up a customer base i know they arent good earners but it enabled me to leave my previous job and i left it at that for 2 years i intended increasing things last spring but after loosing a very close freiend and relative that i had been close to for many many years it knocked my head around a bit. now i am ready for a fresh think on things and next year will be different, i'm not 100% sure where i'll be making most of my changes but they will be big and well thought out, one that is already in place is all new customers are given a rate of £15 take it or leave it. if regulars dont want me over winter then i will try and fill their slots and if there are no slots for them next year then tough. one customer gets rid of me over winter and then out of the blue she will phone me on a wednesday at 12:30 asking if i'm ok to go round at 1:00 well i aint havin it!

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Replies

  • Matt Brown November 24, 2010 at 8:54pm
    i am doing things a little differently next year i know that i need to charge more but my head has been fuzzy with thoughts and stuff this last year has been unbearable full of disaster
  • Lawncare-4u.co.uk November 24, 2010 at 9:06pm
    well as you say . be positive : new start , new year . things will get better and as long as you are ok thats the main thing. its not all about money , and poorest customers can often be the best / kindest& most helpful.

    sometimes having a cup of hot tea. borrowing ladders to save time/fuel . leaving refuse on site can help a lot.

    but yes for £10 and asking you to come in 1/2 hr after not all winter is taking the piss. (and i dont like it)

    after £20 an hr i get £8 in my pocket i think.........................



    Matt Brown said:
    i am doing things a little differently next year i know that i need to charge more but my head has been fuzzy with thoughts and stuff this last year has been unbearable full of disaster
  • Matt Brown November 24, 2010 at 9:09pm
    thats what i've started to do. all new customers are £15 an hour. it started when i took over from a few gardeners that had been working on a few gardens that are my regulars now and they were paying them £6 an hour so i charged £8 then i heared that a general rate was £11 so i started charging £10. then 12 months ago i met a chap that had been charging £25 an hour so i felt so awful and i've settled on £15 now but i will not be charging less than £15 in the future i will be replacing some lower payers with higher ones.


    The Garden Co said:

    matt regardless of that , im not sure how you have come to charging such rates ! it will be very very difficult to increase your regular existing customers to a more reasonable rate , i would suggest increasing with new customers first , otherwise you may fall flat on your back !
    Matt Brown said:
    i am doing things a little differently next year i know that i need to charge more but my head has been fuzzy with thoughts and stuff this last year has been unbearable full of disaster
  • Matt Brown November 24, 2010 at 9:12pm
    all my life i've been walked on thats what you get from having a name like matt people want to rub their sh**ty shoes all over you. i get cups of tea from most but there are a couple that are moody.
  • Matt Brown November 24, 2010 at 9:19pm
    ive been offered an alliance with http://www.stonecraftsolihull.co.uk/index.php i know them quite well they want a recommended local installer for their products and theyve asked if i'd be interested. they also want a heap of my cards to advertise for me
  • Matt Brown November 24, 2010 at 9:23pm
    by the way i didnt go to here house even though i had the time and i was only over the road as a matter of principle i said i had another customer to go to.


    The Garden Co said:

    40p profit for every £1 , thats worser than mine !!
    Gardens4u.co.uk said:
    well as you say . be positive : new start , new year . things will get better and as long as you are ok thats the main thing. its not all about money , and poorest customers can often be the best / kindest& most helpful.

    sometimes having a cup of hot tea. borrowing ladders to save time/fuel . leaving refuse on site can help a lot.

    but yes for £10 and asking you to come in 1/2 hr after not all winter is taking the piss. (and i dont like it)

    after £20 an hr i get £8 in my pocket i think.........................



    Matt Brown said:
    i am doing things a little differently next year i know that i need to charge more but my head has been fuzzy with thoughts and stuff this last year has been unbearable full of disaster
  • Lawncare-4u.co.uk November 24, 2010 at 9:37pm
    '' i cant get the staff '' :( but now they/he only has about 2 days a week or IF i need him...

    but they 'dont want to get another p/t job - i know for sure at the moment........

    The Garden Co said:

    40p profit for every £1 , thats worser than mine !!
    Gardens4u.co.uk said:
    well as you say . be positive : new start , new year . things will get better and as long as you are ok thats the main thing. its not all about money , and poorest customers can often be the best / kindest& most helpful.

    sometimes having a cup of hot tea. borrowing ladders to save time/fuel . leaving refuse on site can help a lot.

    but yes for £10 and asking you to come in 1/2 hr after not all winter is taking the piss. (and i dont like it)

    after £20 an hr i get £8 in my pocket i think.........................



    Matt Brown said:
    i am doing things a little differently next year i know that i need to charge more but my head has been fuzzy with thoughts and stuff this last year has been unbearable full of disaster
  • Lawncare-4u.co.uk November 24, 2010 at 9:39pm
    i agree 100% ..... my next phonecall / customer may have a Shock (like i do when i buy food /fuel / servicing and insurance / pay bills etc.........................................)

    Pro Gard said:
    This is the wrong way to run a business.

    Forget what anyone else is charging, look at YOUR OWN COSTS then calculate the charge out rate that YOU need in order to make X take out pay peryear.... month or whatever.

    Pulling figures from the air is not the way to run a business.

    Also, forget the hourly rate thing and change to giving quotes per job...... quotes per job are IMO the only way to make proper money from this line of work.



    Matt Brown said:
    thats what I've started to do. all new customers are £15 an hour. it started when i took over from a few gardeners that had been working on a few gardens that are my regulars now and they were paying them £6 an hour so i charged £8 then i heared that a general rate was £11 so i started charging £10. then 12 months ago i met a chap that had been charging £25 an hour so i felt so awful and i've settled on £15 now but i will not be charging less than £15 in the future i will be replacing some lower payers with higher ones.


    The Garden Co said:

    matt regardless of that , im not sure how you have come to charging such rates ! it will be very very difficult to increase your regular existing customers to a more reasonable rate , i would suggest increasing with new customers first , otherwise you may fall flat on your back !
    Matt Brown said:
    i am doing things a little differently next year i know that i need to charge more but my head has been fuzzy with thoughts and stuff this last year has been unbearable full of disaster
  • Matt Brown November 24, 2010 at 9:46pm
    thing is my existing customers get me for x hour slots so it suited me better to charge per hour as its just maintainence. there isnt any fencing tree surgery slabbing etc.
  • Matt Brown November 24, 2010 at 9:54pm
    some of them i could stay there 2 days a week but they wouldnt want to pay for it i am better going for new customers away from existing ones. all my customers know eachother as they all recommended me to eachother.
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