Get Helpers for When You're Gone | Part 2 - Preparing and Paying Helpers

Welcome to Teen Lawn Care's very first series post! I wrote a post about "Getting Helpers for When You're Gone", and it turned out to be too long for one writing. So, here's the second in a four part series about getting helpers when you're gone. View Part 1 here. Enjoy!

Preparing your Helpers

Once you have found some good people to help you with your yard service, you have to prepare them for the work they are going to be performing. To begin, have a training session on your lawn to show them all the techniques you have acquired while mowing peoples' yards. Teach them the ins and outs of working both the lawn mower as well as the weed eater. They don't have to become lawn artists, but you should have them using the mower and weed eater proficiently by the time you are done.

Next, take your helpers to each of your customers' yards, and show them the ins and outs of mowing them. If you want, you can also introduce your new employees to your customers. However, this isn't completely necessary.

How to Pay your Helpers

When figuring out how much you will pay your helpers, there are a few things you have to keep in mind:

1. Your employees could be making steady income flipping burgers. To prevent them from having negative thoughts about sweating in the sun, give them a competitive wage. I try to pay my helpers about $15 for what amounts to an hour of work. I know that sounds like a lot, but it keeps them interested, and I still get to take a healthy cut of it for myself.
2. When using the paying by the hour method, first figure out how long it takes you to finish a job. Then, do the necessary calculations to figure out how much that would be to make $15 for an hour of work, keeping in mind the fact that it's either less or more than an hour. Round the number you get to the nearest dollar. However, if the number goes below $7 or $8, you are going to have to round up to one of those numbers. I doubt your employees will be willing to take the effort to go out and mow if you plan on giving them less than that.
3. Before ever having your helpers mow one of your customers' lawns, tell them how much they will be paid. You don't have to be too detailed. A simple, "You'll be making $8-$15 a mow, is that good with you?" is fine. Make sure they are alright with the rate. You don't want to have messy arguments after they have performed a job. You could lose not only an employee, but also a friend.
4. Deciding actually when to pay your helpers is also important. If they are actually mowing/weed eating with you, then I would pay them on the job. However, if you aren't going to actually be there, you should talk to your employee about what would be best for you and for them. It really depends on the situation, so you should just come to an agreement together.

In short, pay your helper a competitive wage that makes sense for both of you. You should be able to make a bit of money for yourself (without doing any manual labor, NICE!), so the arrangement is mutually beneficial.

This is the second in a four part series. View the rest of the series: Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4

Labels: business