Watched my neighbor go from $20 landscaping jobs to $400 a yard in 8 months

Tbh I used to think you just had to charge what everyone else charges for first gigs. But last spring I helped my neighbor Jim with his first few mowing jobs. He started at $20 a yard just to get clients. After 3 months he had like 15 regular yards. Then he bought a trimmer and started edging and blowing. By month 6 he raised to $35 and nobody complained. Then he added mulching and pruning as add ons. By August he was charging $80 for basic yards and $150 for full service with weeding. I saw his books and he pulled $400 on one big yard last month. The difference was he proved his quality first then raised prices. Has anyone else seen new freelancers start too low and get stuck there for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jessica10d ago

My buddy started at $15 a yard and took two years to get to $30.

schmidt.iris9d ago

Can't believe he let it sit at fifteen for two years, that's painful to read.

aaronroberts9d ago

Is that the one where the guy was mowing the same strip of grass for two years straight? That's brutal, I feel for him since he clearly wanted it done right but the system just didn't let him. Honestly, watching something stall out like that for that long is rough, especially when you're doing the work.