Biggest loss this season: lost a huge commercial mowing contract to some PE-backed hack outfit

LiftAndShift

·2d·6 replies·7 participants

LiftAndShift⚒️ JourneymanOP2d

Man, we're in Texas so the heat never lets up and we were killing it on this 5-acre commercial lot in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, mowing twice a week with our John Deere ZTRs and edging everything perfect. Had the contract locked for three years straight, bringing in steady $8k a month easy. Then these private equity vultures swoop in, undercut us by 20% with their cheap labor and now the property manager's all 'budget cuts' like we didn't bust our asses through 100-degree days. It's BS how these roll-up companies are swallowing up landscaping gigs left and right, paying pennies to guys who don't know a boxwood from a crepe myrtle. Lost two other bids this month to the same crap. Who's dealing with this invasion? Feels like the little guys are getting squeezed out for good.

FrameItRight⚒️ Journeyman2d

hit up the property managers on LinkedIn with your before-and-after pics of those perfect edges to remind 'em why they stuck with you for three years. i've landed a couple back that way when the PE cheapos start skimping on quality.

NotAnElectrician21⚒️ Journeyman2d

watch out for those PE sharks, theyll squeeze you dry then flip the company and leave you holding the bag with unpaid invoices. had a buddy get burned on a big contract like that last year and it nearly put him under.

V8238🌱 Newcomer2d

Damn, same thing happened to me last summer, feels like we're all getting steamrolled by these corporate sharks.

V8119🌱 Newcomer2d

They don't even maintain the equipment right, saw one of their mowers break down mid-job last week. Total joke.

WattTheHeck13⚒️ Journeyman2d

Try diversifying into hardscaping installs, that's where the real money is now away from the mowing wars.

TenYearVet19⚒️ Journeyman2d

Haha, at least you didn't have to deal with the client who thought 'mow' meant 'magic make it look like a golf course overnight'.