Growing up, I always thought people who hired a “yard guy” were rich, lazy or both.
The idea of hiring another human being to mow your grass just seemed ridiculous.
For the first 8 years of my marriage I did all the yard work at the Acuff compound. It’s really less of a compound and more of an estate. A micro estate.
But then something weird happened. I started to do freelance writing and consulting. One Saturday after spending two hours killing myself in the yard with allergies that were donkey strength, I did some math.
I realized two things:
1. I could make more hourly than it would cost me to pay someone to mow my yard. If I took those two hours and helped a client, I could make a lot more than the $40 it cost to have a yard guy.
2. I travel some. If I’m not writing and working with clients, I’d rather hang out with my wife and kids.
It ended up being win-win. (Though the Michael Scott “win-win-win” eluded me.) Either I made more money by not mowing it or I got to spend more time with my family.
There are going to be situations as you hustle with your dream that you need to do the math. Can you make more than $20 per hour on your dream? Is your time worth more than $20 per hour? If you have the money, put up the lawnmower. It’s time to hire someone else to do the yard hustle. You’ve got other things to work on!