Gary got on the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum and asked last year was my first year running my lawn care business. I made it through the whole season with only one lawn care client failing to pay. Now that the end of the season is here, I have several (previously prompt paying) customers who have failed to pay their final bill. Is this something out of the ordinary or is it common around the holiday season?

Frank: This happens to me all the time. Last season I had a property manager owe me $1,500.00 and it took him until Feb to finally pay. And as of now I still have some past due accounts but it is just normal and I know that after a few mailings or a phone call it will finally trickle in. The holidays, the economy and peoples ignorance are most likely the causes. Just remember it and either dont work for them next season or just accept the fact they are late payers and you definitely have to keep on them!

Steve: What kinds of things should a lawn care business owner do to get those bills paid that are lagging from last season and how long should they wait before they take further steps?

Frank: Well this is what I do. First send the lawn care customer a copy of your invoice with Past Due stamped on it. If you hear nothing after a few weeks then you go to a letter and remember to include you Past Due invoice (that Past Due really scares people its very powerful so always remember to make that stamp BOLD). If this doesnt work you go to a phone call or stop by the house. Be persistent, thats the key people will get so sick of seeing your face of seeing invoices in the mail that they will pay to get it over with. People are either forgetful or ignorant, sometimes the original gets lost in the mail and they pay by the second notice sometimes they dont have the money and are embarrassed but eventually do get you the money.

Read more about this discussion at my lawn care business blog at http://lawnchat.com/?p=396 or visit the GopherHaul Forum http://www.gopherforum.com/showthread.php?t=7991 We have the largest collection of FREE lawn care marketing material. Free logos, flyers, door hangers, web templates and contracts.
Also download a free 30 day trial of GopherLawn Care Business Software from http://www.gophersoftware.com

Duration : 0:8:19

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What kind of insurance does a lawn care contractor need?

What insurance coverage a contractor needs is dependent on the type of work he or she engages in as well as the risks associated and protection desired. The general purpose of contractor insurance is to provide financial backing for a contractor who is liable to a client who hires the contractor to perform a certain job. The most purchased type of contractors insurance is general liability insurance. As with other types of insurance, contractor general liability offers the widest protection and is most useful to a company or individual engaged any many facets of contract work. There are maximum payouts on the insurance, generally $1 million to $2 million for each type of protection. Contractors protected by a good plan are usually secured against reasonable financial loss due to problems linked to the contractors work. The most complete protection can be found from adding some more specific types of coverage to the general liability protection.

Lets talk about those some of those more specific types of insurance. How about workers compensation. Can you tell us a little about that?

Workers compensation is a common contractor insurance purchased by many contracting companies for their employees. Workers comp insurance is a compulsory type of coverage. This protection helps the employer cover the financial burden of an employee who is injured on a job. The workers compensation insurance generally offers income, medical and rehabilitation benefits for injured employees involved in work related accidents. Some plans also include a death benefit payable to survivors. Business owners/principles may choose to exclude their payroll (and coverage) in some states, with coverage rated only on employee payroll.

How about inland marine insurance? This isnt one we hear about often but it is helpful to know about.

Inland marine insurance is another specialized type of contractor insurance. This contractors insurance protects goods that are in transit over land. Many contractors move materials and goods routinely and this allows them to expect the high costs of those items. Tools, equipment and installation floaters are all considered inland marine insurance and are considered essential types of insurance for contractor.

What about disability insurance?

Disability insurance is another common type of contractors insurance used by contractors and many companies, for that matter. This provides for the income needs of people displaced from work for a period of time due to injury. It is commonly referred to Accident and Health Protection. Health and life insurance are other types of coverage purchased by contractors.

Another common type of protection for contractor is surety bonds. A surety bond is a financial instrument not an insurance policy. A Surety Bond is a financial instrument utilized to guarantee performance. Say for instance a building developer hires a general contractor and the contractor is unable to perform on his obligation to complete a building on time or as agreed. The developer may look to sue contractor for not performing as promised. A performance bond provides protection for this type of exposures. License and permit bonds are required by the cities, municipalities or state. It guarantees compliance with the local, state, or federal codes. Another reason for requiring a license bond is to provide protection to the consumers. Along with contractor workers comp insurance, many states require contractors to have contractor license bonds.

If you are in need of free lawn care marketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at http://www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts, estimate and proposal forms. Download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and invoice more customers in less time, allowing you more time to grow or enjoy your life. Check out my lawn care business blog at http://www.lawnchat.com and my lawn care business forum at http://www.gopherforum.com

Duration : 0:6:21

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1. Q: How does an LCO determine which liability policy should be purchased? What percentage of LCOs have the following coverage? $500,000.00, $1,000,000.00 or $2,000,000.00

Answer: Most all carry $2,000,000 the difference in premium is minimal between 1 & 2 million worth of coverage.

2. Q: What is a reasonable rate for a $500,000.00 / $1,000,000 / $2,000,000 liability insurance policy?

Answer: Rates are based either on number of employees or sales. For an operation with 4 employees an approximate premium would be $2500.

3. Q: How much more on average is a $10 million or $20 million dollar liability policy, what percentage of LCOs have this coverage?

Answer: Most lawn care companies dont carry these high limits.

4. Q: What is the average LCO deductible for liability and theft?

Answer: I recommend carrying deductibles of $1,000

5. Q: How does a LCOs business size effect their liability insurance needs?

Answer: The larger the company the better ability we as insurance agents have to market them and get credits for their insurance.

6. Q: Is it a good idea to get your business liability insurance through your homeowners insurance carrier. Why or why not?

Answer: No, it is better to have your liability insurance separate from your homeowners due to the limits on your homeowners.

7. Q: Does snowplowing effect your insurance needs if so how?

Read more on my Lawn Care Business Blog http://lawnchat.com/?p=340

If you are in need of free lawn care marketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at http://www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts. Also download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and invoice more customers in less time, allowing you more time to grow or enjoy your life. Try Gopher Lawn Care Business Software http://www.gophersoftware.com Visit the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum http://www.gopherforum.com

Duration : 0:7:35

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So how do you go about coming up with a figure to charge per hour for snow plowing? I put together this great snow plowing bid calculator. It asks you a bunch of questions to take into consideration your truck, snowplow, salter, and other overhead costs. Then it takes into account how many snow storms you have on average and how many billable hours you have per storm. After crunching the numbers, it returns a $ figure per hour you must charge to cover your costs and adds a percentage profit for you and your business.

Try out the snow plow business calculator http://lawnchat.com/?page_id=341 and see how it works for you. Play around with the different figures to see how changing them can change how much you should be charging per hour. If you have questions on how to use the snow plowing calculator, visit the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum http://www.gopherforum.com and ask away. Dont forget to check out the free snow plowing flyer templates http://www.gopherforum.com/showthread.php?t=7200.

Join in on the discussion at the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum here. If you would like to join in on this discussion further, visit this post at the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum.
If you are in need of free lawn care marketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at http://www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts. Also download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and invoice more customers in less time, allowing you more time to grow or enjoy your life. Try Gopher Lawn Care Business Software http://www.gophersoftware.com Visit the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum http://www.gopherforum.com and my lawn care business blog at http://www.lawnchat.com

Duration : 0:8:8

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John got on the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum and asked his gutter cleaning question. He wrote I have been asked by a neighbor to do a gutter cleanup. She has gutter shields in place but wants to make sure everything is cleaned out and down spouts are good. Her house is 2200sq. and about half of the home has gutters.

I do not think this job will take over 1.5 hours but have no idea what to charge her. I have never done this for money just on my own and folks house. Any help would be appreciated.

One of our forum members responded by saying I charge $1.00 per foot for a single story and $2.00 per foot on a 2 story. For people I have lawn contracts with I do it free Spring and Fall.

I found that a 2 liter soda bottle (cut down) works well for cleaning the gutters. Its pliable enough to get down into the gutter. Take a bucket with you to but the debris in. If you just dump it on the ground, the mess is harder to clean up than the gutters are.

I have been doing a national survey with those who provide gutter cleaning services and the charge of $1 to $2 per linear ft seems to be standard across the country. You would charge more for gutters that are higher up or more difficult to get to than lower ones.

Here are some common beginner pitfalls lawn care business owners find when offering gutter cleaning.

* On my first job, I just emptied the gutters onto the ground. It took me about 25 minutes to clean the gutters and over an hour to clean the mess from dumping the debris. It was on the walls, the ground, the windows, etc. Since then I have taken a bucket to empty the debris in.
* I used to charge by the hour for gutter cleaning, now I charge around $1 per linear foot.
* If the gutters are easy to reach I charge $1.00 per foot. If the gutters have trees growing out of them, then its $2.00 per foot.
* The first time I ever cleaned gutters, I brought a power washer and blew them all clean.When I went down the ladder, it was a mess, lawn, house windows, screens, everything!!! Lets just say that those people got a free home power-washing!!! Learn from mistakes, right?

Remember to review the job site before you create your estimate. Are the gutters on the first floor or the second? Do they have weeds growing out of them? Are you going to be able to reach them? Use a scoop to clean the gutters and empty the scoop into a bucket. Minimize your cleanup time. Charge between $1 and $2 a ft for gutter cleaning and you should be alright. To join in on this discussion further, visit the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum here.

If you are in need of free lawn care marketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at http://www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts, estimate and proposal forms. Download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and invoice more customers in less time, allowing you more time to grow or enjoy your life. Check out my lawn care business blog at http://www.lawnchat.com and my lawn care business forum at http://www.gopherforum.com

Duration : 0:6:36

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