this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
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I am 21 years old, still live with my parents, currently studying Computer Science, and need some sort of income because I'm nearly out of money (mostly because I never had a job and I need bus fare to basically get around anywhere and I would like to have some money for hobbies).

Tried getting a job, going over my resume multiple times and handing in my resume in person, but that has not been working so far - I've been handing out like hundreds of resumes since January this year and got only 1 interview with no follow up (and I even tried places such as McDonalds, TimHortons, and Starbucks and also various programming jobs).

I have recently come up with the idea of mowing other people's lawns for money. However, when I suggested this to my parents, they said it was just inappropriate for me because if an adult were to do it, they'd do it with tools such as a proper gas powered mower, a weedwacker and possibly even a van, but all we have is an electric mower that doesn't even have batteries (don't know if there are any with batteries), so I'd have to take electricity from my customers. I also don't have enough money for a weedwacker or a new lawn mower.

Anyhow, they think it's a stupid idea, but I personally think that even if it doesn't work out and I don't get any customers, then I have nothing to lose from it, and if it does work, then I get cash, and actual work experience to put on my resume (because right now I basically only have my mandatory high school volunteer hours).

I personally do think that there is a chance that they might be correct, but I personally think that I'd have to actually try it before I could be totally sure.

Plus, I believe one of the main reasons why I'm in this situation now is because in High School they always told me things like that I was stupid, and too slow and clumsy to work in fast food or grocery stores (and other jobs that high schoolers normally take) and should just focus on getting A+ grades to get accepted into the best universities and get a job as a programmer, and I fully believed them and instead of trying to get a job during the summers, I took summer school courses which just ended up in me filling up the resulting empty spots with elective courses and so I graduated high school at the same time as everyone else - and so looking back I do think that I should have just ignored my parents and got myself a job during the summer in high school. During my first few years in university, I was also under the impression that getting a job was not too hard and didn't take really that long as it's actually taking for me and that I could just get a programming job right now or when I graduate - and turns out I was wrong.

By the way, I also live in Durham Region, Ontario (which is in the GTA on the east side).

Any advice on this? Do you think that this may actually work?

Also, if I do end up mowing lawns for money with the equipment I have, would a price of around 20 - 25 CAD per mow be reasonable?

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[–] cyborganism 3 points 1 week ago
  • Write a business plan for a lanscaping company.
  • Register a number company under your name (eg. 1958574 Inc.)
  • Get a loan to buy your starter equipment and a beater Ford Ranger pick up truck to haul your gear.
  • Advertise with door to door flyers in your target neighborhood.
  • Start getting customers
  • Pay off loans
  • ???
  • PROFITS!
  • Put those profits in your parents' face to show them how much money you can do with a job that's supposedly inappropriate for your age
  • Hire employees to do the work for you
  • Start buying heavy machinery for digging and large trucks to carry them around.
  • Expand your services
  • Expand your customer base
  • ???
  • MOAR PROFITS!
  • Start buying other landscaping businesses
  • ???
  • EVEN MOAR PROFITS!
  • Buy more businesses
  • Become a landscaping baron in your city
  • Start to threaten any other landscaping company that starts working on your turf
  • Set fire to a competitor's business that refuses to fuck off.
  • Get arrested
  • No proof of arson
  • Get released
  • Get investigated by the municipal/provincial government for unfair practices
  • Sell business before the investigation has a chance to progress
  • Retire and live off your business money at 45.