News from Taylor

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Hey friends.

I don't post near as much as I used to but I do check in most everyday and see what's going on.

Figured I would update on what's been going on for me lately.

Most of you know I work for our local EMS County ran service. I turned 53 in May and have almost 2 years til I am 55. At 55 I can retire and draw the retirement. I will only have 17 years of service at 55 yoa, so that will pay me about 1800 a month. After insurance, and taxes I figure I will have 1000 to 1100 a month.

Last year I bought a new lawnmower for our 5 acres. I bought a commercial Scag 52 inch that cost almost 7k. In my estimation I figured I would buy something that would last for years to come rather than spend a couple grand on something that would be worn out in 3 to 5 years.

I financed the mower for 48 months interest free. After buying it I told the wife that I was going to find 4 or 5 yards to mow to make the mower payment. I got 5 or 6 yards pretty quickly and was making 400 per month or so for the first month and a half. Sitting at home on a Sunday I got a phone call from a friend that has had a lawn service for the last 5 years. He told me he was going to have to get out of the business because of family obligations and asked me if I wanted his lawn care customers. I told him sure I would be glad to have them. From what I understand most of the time people sell them for 3 to 6 months of the revenue they bring in per month so that was a plum deal. He took me around and introduced me to the clients and I took them over in August of last year. There were about 20 solid customers with a few that call when needed since they don't have the money for regular service.

I was making almost 2k per month through last summer into November. These aren't annual contracts, just service during the season. Started back up with almost 100% of the customers I had and have now added quite a few. I am up to about 4.5K per month, which is actually more than I make at my "full-time" job. It keeps me quite busy but the money is great. It is my plan to retire at 55 and keep this going until I am unable to do it anymore. I have bought another Scag in 61 cut as well and hopefully soon I will be buying a large enclosed trailer to haul all my equipment at once.

To put this in perspective- I have had a license to sell life and health insurance since 1997. I made very good money selling medicare insurance the first year, but after that it went down every year afterward and I haven't sold insurance in several years now. I have a Security Officers License and worked security armed and unarmed on the side but that only pays about 10 to 12 per hour. I have a Private Investigator License and worked for a guy for two years as an intern. He paid me $20 per hour but the problem with that is you have to drive your auto and buy the gas and it was never for more than a few hours so I was really not making much at the end of the day.

I charge about $40 per hour for the Lawncare. After gas and equipment it's still probably about the best money I have made on a side job. Once I retire from EMS and can do it full-time I can probably make more than I make annually in EMS, and only work 8 or 9 month's a year to do it.

I don't know what the future holds because plans sometimes have to change to fit circumstances but that's what I am planning.