This was really cool I had to make a thread about it..

12 replies
Some guy just knocked on my door and I WISH I had my camera as what he was doing was just brilliant.

You know how you see landscapers driving around with a trailer, then on the trailer they have their mowers/whipper/rakes etc?

This guy was actually driving around a bike, pulling a tiny little trailer. Thing was about 3 feet long and a couple of feet wide. But it was designed in a way where the ENTIRE TRAILER was absolutely JAMPACKED with tools.

I could NOT get over how many tools this guy managed to fit on this small little trailer. He had a tiny push mower, a whipper, gas, a rake, a shovel, a hoe and a whole bunch of other tools all fastened around the side. On his bike he had this huge clown horn that was very obvious to see.

So he goes biking up and down the block. He parks his bike and trailer RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR DOOR so you can see it. Showing he is definitely not embarassed, and moreso that this thing is quite the conversation starter when you see it.

The second I opened the door, hes got this funny crocodile dundee hat on, I see the clown horn on the bike and a trailer packed to the brim and start laughing hysterically. Guy asks can you use any lawn work? I ask him how much do you charge?

He says $12 an hour. I say "sure what the hell". My yard was a mess, he found me, might as well pretty up my yard a bit.

In only 3 hours this guy cuts my grass, whips, rakes all the twig/leaves off my yard, and actually edged around my entire yard and within the mulch beds.

All this work for $36, so I throw him a $20 on top of it.
Just goes to show if you're a bit desperate and creative, ANYONE can really make money in this economy.

You won't get rich, but in another 2 years I see this guy buying his own truck and trailer, and outsourcing all this work. Not a bad idea when you look at it from that perspective.

-Red
#cool #make #thread
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Dunson
    I agree 100%!!! If you want to make money doing anything you must be creative.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hobo82
    Great story Red, Thanks for sharing. Yes as both you guys said, you must be creative to make money in any type of economy especially the one we have now.

    Unfortunatley too many of us think too much and say " nah that won't work, its stupid", but many times it is not stupid, you just have to give it a try.

    Thanks again.
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  • Profile picture of the author ksimedia
    Thanks for the inspiration, with this post. I agree with Hobo82 that too many times we're afraid of failure so we never start.

    If this guy had planned to fail he would not have made $56 hours in 3 hours. If he got another gig like that then he would have made $112 for the day, and this is just minimum. If he's good he can then go back to his previous customers and ask for $15 an hour, and I’m pretty sure they would not mind paying him that because they know his work ethics and the value he brings!

    The ball is in our court, it’s just for us to get out there and play ball! So what we suck at times, so what we miss the rim! Just play ball!!

    Good luck to everyone out there, and hopefully this post will inspire someone who’s been around for awhile on the forum to take action!
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  • Profile picture of the author rugman
    The guy might actually be on the something here! Maybe a whole crew of guys out on bikes (kinda eco friendly) cutting lawns!
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    Growing older but not up!

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  • Profile picture of the author shockwave
    That it.....tomorrow, I'm going out to buy one of those big 10 gallon foam cowboy hats and walk into some local businesses with it on.

    "Hi Mr, Business owner, I just wanted to stop by to see if you would have a need for a real "Internet Cowboy" to "round up" some customers for ya?"

    (yeah it's lame, but I couldn't help myself)
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    • Profile picture of the author Mobileguru
      Originally Posted by shockwave View Post

      That it.....tomorrow, I'm going out to buy one of those big 10 gallon foam cowboy hats and walk into some local businesses with it on.

      "Hi Mr, Business owner, I just wanted to stop by to see if you would have a need for a real "Internet Cowboy" to "round up" some customers for ya?"

      (yeah it's lame, but I couldn't help myself)
      I'm off out to buy a cowboy hat. If you go into local businesses, more often than not they will allow you to leave your business card too. Great in local coffee shops or restaurants where you will find business people. I hope my two daughters learn more from me than school and get into this stuff too.
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  • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
    Red,

    I love reading stories like yours, so thanks for sharing it.

    When the guy was done, did he give you a business card or ask if you had any referals for him?

    Thanks,

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author af7850
    /you know I've seen a kid in our neighborhood do something like that, but a grown man? Gotta give him credit.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    Great story and that is awesome how he approaches his business! Thanks for sharing that, and it was nice of you to tip him the 20 spot.
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  • Profile picture of the author TWalker
    Originally Posted by RedShifted View Post

    Some guy just knocked on my door and I WISH I had my camera as what he was doing was just brilliant.

    You know how you see landscapers driving around with a trailer, then on the trailer they have their mowers/whipper/rakes etc?

    This guy was actually driving around a bike, pulling a tiny little trailer. Thing was about 3 feet long and a couple of feet wide. But it was designed in a way where the ENTIRE TRAILER was absolutely JAMPACKED with tools.
    -Red
    I appreciate this story because I build motorized bikes and trailers. I could easily do this but I'm getting maybe too old.

    I built a 200 MPG super light weight Cannondale for Police, Parks and Recreation and other government agencies and it never took off due to my lack of follow through.

    In fact just yesterday, I finally pulled out my propane kit and started the little Honda engine on propane. Theres a green idea for you: propane is super clean...
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  • Profile picture of the author JoeRockefeller
    Great story. I used to have an uncle who was a well into his 70's. He would always wear a straw hat and a suit wherever he went. He always put either a feather in his hat or a special pin on or something different. When I asked him about it he told me that it was his conversational piece. People would ask him why he has it on and he would be able to talk to them about it. Before you know it they were having a real conversation. My Uncle was quite a character.

    In business that could be looked at in the same way as "getting your foot in the door".

    Definitely something to remember him by that would give him a Unique Selling Position. It's branding at its finest.
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  • Profile picture of the author scottsdaleins
    hahaha, thanks for giving me a good laugh this morning reading about his drive, effort and hard work! Hope he makes it big then has his own crew of bicycle riding landscapers =D
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