Moving to the area (Tampa, Pembroke Pines: rent, daycare, felony)

Bert · 10-15-2006, 07:30 AM

Hey All,
I am moving back to FL. I am hoping to get a little information about the Pembroke Pines area. Like are there many Lawn Services in the area. I have a small one here in Indiana and was hoping to start one once I get there. I was born and raised in the Vero Beach area, lived there till 1992, then I moved to the Tampa area till 2000, then to Indiana. Now I am comming home

. I am also wondering about Dock Construction along the coastal areas. I am not worried about all the critters. I am use to them and my kids are excited about seeing them

. Any and al information will be welcome.
Thanks, Bert

ready2move · 10-15-2006, 11:47 AM

I live in Cooper City which is next to Pembroke Pines. I can tell you there are tons of Lawn services in the area so the competition would be tough. As far as dock construction, I am not sure...If you are moving back, have you brushed up on your spanish skills? Pembroke Pines is not the Pembroke Pines of yesteryear....

Good luck!

ntfeldman · 10-15-2006, 12:12 PM

Hi Bert,

One of the areas larger but private local lawn care companies in Pembroke is De La Rosa Lawn Service. I would recommend that you contact them and without telling them that you plan to be their competition in a few months, you could ask them for a reference for an accountant. Call the CPA and ask for some guidence on licensing requirements for a new lawn care company (you'll also now have an advisor who can give you some guidence - on what your average expenses per account should run and what you can reasonably charge for the most popular services and what they will be) CPA's make great "seeing eye dogs" for businesses. Plan to hire a good one. They are worth their weight in gold.

A list of businesses in the area by the The SIC code (government registration code for that type of primary business) is in the 7299 group (service industries) and a count in the Pembroke Pines area indicates there are but 23 lawncare companies. That doesn't mean that there aren't people providing service without filing the appropriate tax returns to qualify their business. Or that there aren't companies who also do lawn care but don't consider it their primary business. But 23 isn't bad and lawns need attention in Florida all year.

Your best bet for breaking into the business in a new area is to find new home communities that are just getting settled and tapping the new home owners for their business. You can go door to door or use door hangers to get started. People new to an area don't have a resource for such services and they find they need you pretty quickly after they move in. Once you have a few accounts in the neighborhood your business will grow from neighborhood referrals.

Dock repair is a different animal because of the permitting requirments. I would start with the county or the Army Corp of Engineers and contact them as if you were going to go from having no dock to wanting permission for a doc and get the paperwork process. Once you know what one has to do to get permission (there's filing requirements) then you'll know where the public records are for finding those with dock permits. An exisiting dock repair company can answer these questions for you too but they won't help you if they think you're going to compete with them.

Good luck to you, welcome home. Let me know if you need help finding a house to buy or rent when you get here!

Bert · 10-15-2006, 12:16 PM

That bad ehh? Well maybe I should start looking farther up the coast. The thing is My wife is going to Barry University, and she wants to be within an hours drive more or less.
Thanks

ready2move · 10-15-2006, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ntfeldman

,

Your best bet for breaking into the business in a new area is to find new home communities that are just getting settled and tapping the new home owners for their business. You can go door to door or use door hangers to get started. People new to an area don't have a resource for such services and they find they need you pretty quickly after they move in. Once you have a few accounts in the neighborhood your business will grow from neighborhood referrals.

That's a great idea except Pembroke Pines and the surrounding areas do not have any new home communities. They are all pretty much established.

Bert · 10-15-2006, 02:43 PM

Well I was looking in the Pembroke Pines area because the houses were more affordable. Actualy we will be looking from Lake Worth South and West. Lawn service is not all I will be doing. I also know how to Pressure wash tile roof's. Install tile and laminate flooring and many other task as well. My ultilmale goal is to start buying investment properties, but since I have most of the EQ already for a Lawnservice I was going to do that at least till my wife is finished with collage about 2 1/2 years. I am alrteady brushing up for my General Contractors License. The other thing is I have 2 kids. 11 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. The cost of Daycare is outragious so I have to plan my working hours around them.

MrTudo · 10-15-2006, 04:49 PM

Far as dock construction, please note that you absolutely must have a license to do such work. Doing so without one is now a felony in Florida. They claim it's for OUR safety.

Heh

Bert · 10-15-2006, 05:02 PM

Well at least getting money out of you hasn't changed. As far as license go I think a GCL will cover that.

MrTudo · 10-15-2006, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bert

Well at least getting money out of you hasn't changed. As far as license go I think a GCL will cover that.

It should and yes it has changed. They get a LOT more out of us now.

Multiples more

Bert · 10-15-2006, 07:58 PM

LOL least they havent inacted an air tax yet......

Thanks for the Info.