I spent a chunk of childhood living on the 12th floor of a building that had 13, near Antwerp yet far from the sea. There was nothing better than seeing a rainbow across the old fa... moreI spent a chunk of childhood living on the 12th floor of a building that had 13, near Antwerp yet far from the sea. There was nothing better than seeing a rainbow across the old factories and brick storehouses - if that is indeed what they were, for I never seemed to venture that way on street level. It was only ever a backdrop, with no people in sight.
knocked on people's doors and asked if they wanted their grass cut. My going rate was $5 per yard, regardless of size (there wasn't a wide nor extreme range in yard size then, the ... moreknocked on people's doors and asked if they wanted their grass cut. My going rate was $5 per yard, regardless of size (there wasn't a wide nor extreme range in yard size then, the neighborhood had a lot of cookie-cutter development to it). Satisfying demand was simple to the point of being foolproof: go to the houses where the grass was badly in need of being cut, the person would see me standing there with my own lawn mower, the acceptance rate was about 80%. I carried the gas can with me so that I could extend my potential range of work area with stopping. My number one customer base was the elderly people, because they were so glad and grateful to have someone offer to do it rather than having to ask someone or look for someone. In a few short weeks, I had an actual route of repeat customers, some of whom I'd cut their grass so regularly that after a while, I didn't even need to knock on the door each time. We had an arrangement, and I'd collect later if they were not home. I never got stiffed b... less
