Electrical work, Lawn Care, Banquet Halls, Muffler Shops, and Dry Cleaners

[s.sparkomatic.r09]

Electrical work, Lawn Care, Banquet Halls, Muffler Shops, and Dry Cleaners

If there is so much competition in the Electrical field how does anybody make it?

Does the same kind of low balling go on in lawn care? Example a friend of mine is a Forman/ supervisor for a large lawn care service. They do basic cuts for 15-17!?, but he said that the lawn cutting really isn?t there to make money, all the other services people ask for ?because the guys are there? is how the owners make their money. Might I add that because the owners have the crews when a good opportunity comes along they are ready for the taking.

Banquet Halls, I know of five banquet halls in the same area. All of the halls have basically the same price. From what I understand is that you can make good money on doing weddings, but weddings come along only so often. So to keep the staff going and lights on most of the Halls try to do corporate stuff, and they wine (and cheese) about not making any money on that either.


Muffler shops???? OK I?ll spare you guys.

McD vs. BK Same food same price,almost same business plan. How do they make it?

But with everybody on the form pretty much saying how rough it is to bid jobs, do we really have it any different than anybody else? Cuz you can?t tell me that electrical work is ?hard?. I mean if you have goals and a business plan you should be able to ?make it?.

Am I dumbing this down to much?

What do you guys think?

 

[LarryFine]

McD vs. BK Same food same price,almost same business plan. How do they make it?

In volume?

 

[chris kennedy]

What do you guys think?

I'm thinking about building an oil refinery.

 

[c2500]

Lawn care is a very easy field to enter. Also known as no barriers to entry for those economistical electricians out there. You buy a mower, blower and trimmer and you are in business. Most people make it one season and bail. That is why it is best to buy your equipment in the fall and winter. (I was in the field many years ago)

Electrical on the other hand does have some barriers to entry. You are susposed to be licensed. That presents obstacles. Unfortunately where I live if you are outside of a city, there are few obstacles unless you need a permit. Even then, your specialty card (assuming you are grandfathered) will get you all you need. The ungrandfathered ones at least have to take a test. The cities require you to have taken the test before you can get permits. (All this is residential)


However, a trip to the depot and you can have a nice Klien tool assortment and can claim to be an electrician

Banquet halls, I have not a clue.

Muffler shop, low barriers to entry. However, you gotta have cash I would think.

Dry cleaners, a bit higher. EPA nd all that get involved. Expensive equipment.

Ultimately the key is to educate some portion of the population on the value and quality of your service. Jacklegs will always have business. This is a fact. They may not get repeat business though.

When I was in high school I worked in a clothing store. High quality stuff that was expensive. If you wore a suit everyday, this was a place to "invest" in clothing. I do not buy from there now, because the extra quality I would receive would be wasted because at best I were a suit once or twice a month. However, I still look and dress nicely and wear quality clothing because of my background.

Now we need to teach consumers that might use our services that we are an "investment" in the quality of their house or business.

At the end of the day there will always be someone more expensive than you, and a whole lot that are less expensive than you.

Anyway, there a few cents worth.

c2500

 

[c2500]

McD vs. BK Same food same price,almost same business plan. How do they make it?

I have a friend that used to run a BK. You have specific costs on everything. They know how much a sheet of toilet paper costs. They micromanage food costs. Curtail mayo usage on the burger and you save $10 a month in food costs. Use one leaf of lettuce instead of two. Literally, that is how it is done.

 

[480sparky]

I'm thinking about building an oil refinery.

Gas is 15? in Kuwait. Anyone know where I can rent a couple supertankers? :smile:

I have a friend that used to run a BK. You have specific costs on everything. They know how much a sheet of toilet paper costs. They micromanage food costs. Curtail mayo usage on the burger and you save $10 a month in food costs. Use one leaf of lettuce instead of two. Literally, that is how it is done.

Airlines as well. I think United cut 1 peanut out of every bag once, and saved $thousands annually.

 

[macmikeman]

In 1973-4 there was a "gasoline shortage" in the United States mainland. I missed out on all of that, because at that time I was living on the beach in Puerto Rico. Gas down there at that time was about 20 cents a gallon and they had all they wanted. The local papers every day would question why there was this so called shortage in the States, while there was a whole fleet of oil tankers parked in the San Juan harbor, and loaded down so they were low in the water. The conclusion I reached was that the whole thing was a big farce. Even though the govt. claimed it was an embargo by the oil producing countries, those tankers were full of crude that was already paid for and shipped. Oil companies held up the shipping. I am not one of those people who always scream at "Big Oil" companies, but I do know what I saw. I believe that the cost of gasoline gets manipulated by more than just foreign suppliers and domestic speculators.

 

[brantmacga]

Ultimately the key is to educate some portion of the population on the value and quality of your service. Jacklegs will always have business. This is a fact. They may not get repeat business though.

Nicely put. I started billboard advertising about 3/mo ago. I get a lot of comments from the customers who call saying "well I'm glad to know we have a good electrician in town. . ." and so forth. A lot of them have used the hacks, and won't anymore. About 70% of my business is repeat customers. The other 30% just haven't needed anything done again yet.