I trapped a skunk from a rental house today, my first paid gig. The landlord was surprised to get an $85 bill. $25 was just in gas and expenses, I only netted 60.

people don't seem to realize the disease rates in skunks'. One thing if its a personal house but he was making money off it!

Oops.

Have you paid taxes on it yet. If you do you may net $20 once you pay Fed Income, State Income, City Income, School Income, Social Security (both employer and employee contribution), Medicare/Medicaid, Unemployment Tax, Workers Comp, Liability Insurance (general and auto), need I go on.

You probably did not charge enough unless it was a dead skunk with no smell and it took you a couple of minutes!

Good luck with your future jobs!!!

BTW, this is not meant to be a slam, just a way to get you thinking as a business owner.

Sincerely,

What Dirk said. If you intend to do this as a business and make a profit, you'll give a price of some sort before you invest time and gas. If at all possible, you do not want to surprise a customer with your price.

If the landlord was surprised you failed, period. In business everything has a price tag and it should be read and understood before the purchase is made.

should have been 385.00

You East Coast guys are pretty smart!

Lol 385 dollars!! Makes a big difference geographically
What one can charge I guess.

Throw Back, don't let these guys kid you. Nearly everyone of us has started out by charging too little and still getting complaints from someone who wanted it done for nothing. As you build confidence in yourself as well as realizing that in many cases you are at least as valuable as the plumber or electrician, your prices will reflect your new found self-worth. ( And customers will start to look at you as a bargain )

Well put, Wink; thanks for the positive note.

What Warrior said but don't worry about what Dirk said you won't have to pay any taxes on 60 bucks because you lost money. Your service was worth much more and the landlord knows it. I couldn't get 385 here but in my poor state I would have gotten 225 plus the exclusion. Hey but where else can you get paid to go to school....your learning. Take your wife to get a hamburger and tell her if she sticks with you she'll be fart'n in silk.

Low prices = crappy customers = price complaints no matter the price.

What we do has value, just because we enjoy it does not mean it has less value.

Not real big on the service area/cost debate. A gallon of gas, milk or a Big mac costs us all about the same. If I could get tires (for example) significantly cheaper by driving 400 or 500 miles I would plan a fishing trip and get it done. So unless you are around a major metropolitan area (where prices are going to be higher)most of us are dealing with the same basic cost of living. Rural versus metro is an issue. Promoting the service and solutions above the act of trapping increases revenue.

Charles has an excellent point. When I got married wedding licenses were a couple of bucks=crappy husband=complaints for 46 tears.

[quote= for 46 tears. [/quote]
Only 46 tears after all these years?

lesson learned. You are right.

I new I was sellin my services short, I was just trying to get a few bucks to get some new supplies and learn on the job.

I always get some money up front, unless they are prior business customers. Landlords will be the first to burn you.

I just noticed that the "t" is right next to the "y".

on most keyboards, unless you have a brail one....Got ya thinking didnt I???

Throw Back,

Don't feel bad. We have all (those of us who are honest:) done it too. You just have a lot more info than some of us had back in the dark ages.

My first paying job was 20 plus years ago. The landscape company I was production manager for put down a whole semi load of sod and the coons had flipped it over and messed it up. Our turf client was having a fit. We re-laid the sod and told him he had to get the coons taken care of. He didn't know who to get so I stepped up and gave him a price. I think it was $20 bucks a head.

Ended up getting paid $600 and I thought I was high on the hog!!!!! Then I got the W-9. If my memory serves me correctly, I had to pay well over $300 in taxes 'cause I hadn't kept any mileage or expense records. LESSON LEARNED BIG TIME!!!!!!! Even if I had kept the records, I would have been too cheap.

Be smart and learn from other folks mistakes every time you can!!! There is a wealth of information here and on other forums. WCT Magazine, WCT Training Seminars, State (California Wildlife Control Operators) and National Trade Associations (NWCOA) will shorten your learning curve and aid in your success tremendously.

Best of luck!

Thank you very much