Summer Job Mowing Lawns - Can you Earn a Laptop?
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We get people telling us they don’t have money for a laptop just about as often as we get people asking us which laptop to buy, so we figured.. why not answer that other question for a change?? Can you earn enough mowing lawns in the summer to afford some sweet tech? Join Dollar Shave Club: dollarshaveclub.com Feenix Vitesse Amazon Link: geni.us Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com Affiliates, referral programs, & sponsors: linustechtips.com Join our community forum: bit.ly twitter.com @LinusTech Intro Screen Music Credit: Title: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High youtube.com Sound effects provided by freesfx.co.uk
This video follows a duo attempting to earn a back-to-school laptop by mowing lawns during the summer, effectively turning a door-to-door service into a small startup experiment. It begins with a practical setup: choosing a mower type, weed whackers, bags, and safety gear, while outlining the plan to visit homes and pitch lawn care services for a flat rate of 30 dollars. Early on, they discuss targeting the right kind of customers, suggesting avoidant strategies for homes with immaculate lawns or obvious indifference, and emphasize professionalism through gear like a clipboard and safety glasses. The team faces challenges from the start, including empty driveways and rejection, which underscores the uncertainty of door-to-door sales and the need for quick adjustments and optimism. They adjust tactics between houses, remarking on the importance of preparation, a ready-to-go setup, and the value of following up to convert leads into booked jobs. By midday, they reflect on the day’s progress, balancing discouragement with small wins, and discuss the cost structure and how much time would be required to recoup startup costs and reach the laptop goal. The episode closes with a frank assessment of the day’s earnings, lessons learned about quoting, and the potential for recurring work, while considering the feasibility of a longer-term summer business to hit the laptop target. They wrap up with a nod to future possibilities, suggesting that a more scalable approach or more promising neighborhoods could improve earnings, and inviting viewer feedback on the concept of Laptop or Bust as a project exploring youth entrepreneurship and budgeting.
Topics · entrepreneurship · budgeting · summer job · lawn care · education · small business · practical skills · reality TV
Questions answered
- What is the main goal of the video series Laptop or Bust?
- The main goal is to explore whether a student can earn enough money during the summer mowing lawns to buy a laptop, effectively testing a small business idea.
- What strategy do the presenters use to find customers?
- They use door-to-door canvassing, assess each house for suitability, quote a fixed price, and attempt to convert leads into actionable jobs.
- What factors influence whether a house is a good candidate for mowing?
- Factors include the lawn size, the presence of weeds, whether the owner is already using a service, and how well the house’s upkeep signals openness to outsourcing.
- What lessons about pricing and quoting do they highlight?
- They learn that quoting before seeing the full backyard can be risky, and that on-site assessment helps calibrate price and effort to avoid underbidding.