Starting a Lawn Business

August 28, 2010 by admin

Starting a Lawn Business

Several times a year I meet someone who is sick and tired or their corporate job, and longs to earn their living amongst the fresh air and sunshine. These folks are looking to start their own lawn business.

Before starting your lawn business, you need to decide which type you will operate; a mowing service, or fertilizing and weed control service.

The mowing service

This is the primary lawn business people think of when striking out into the green industry. There are no specific licenses needed to cut grass, and very little if any outside training is required. The initial investment for this type of lawn service is fairly high, considering you will need a truck and trailer, as well as commercial lawn cutting equipment, trimmers and a blower. A quality commercial walk-behind mower can cost as little as 00 for a 22″ cut, and up to 00 for a 54″ cut. Keep in mind the wider cutting area mower will save you time and allow you to cut more acres per day, bringing in more revenue.

The lawn spraying service

Treating lawns with fertilizer and weed control is a more involved process and requires training, licensing and permits, as well as quite a bit of experience spanning seasonal changes. It is best that entrepreneurs interested in starting this type of business work for one of the large commercial outfits like TruGreen or Scott’s to get some good training and experience.

One positive to starting this type of lawn business is that you can begin with just a truck, a fertilizer spreader, hand can and a few bags of fertilizer.

Starting a lawn business is a difficult job, but also a simple one.

The difficult part:

Once you decide between the above, you now begin the hard part; getting customers. The lawn game is saturated with companies doing the same thing you will do, and all have their individual niche as well. Some offer bagging, others mulching. Still others take pride in striping the lawns like a baseball outfield. Needless to say, marketing and creating brand awareness will be a difficult task. Whatever you do, don’t go out as the “cheapest game in town.” You will regret that as your business grows and costs rise.

The simple part:

The good news is that lawn businesses are simple. You basically do the same thing for each customer, each time and on a consistent basis, creating predictable revenue. Predictable revenue means you can forecast your growth and control your expenses, thus keeping your business in the black.

The drawbacks

Your customers will be your greatest asset and your biggest headache all at the same time. No matter what you do, you will run across people who are never satisfied. In addition, you will find those who won’t pay their bills on time, creating a collection problem for you. This can sink a new business that has limited cash flow.

One strategy that works well to combat this is to ask your customers to pre-pay for services. Give them a hefty discount for paying up front. Another idea is to utilize computer software that stores credit card or checking account information and automatically bills customers on a monthly basis. This will offer a nice convenience to them as well because they don’t have to chase down invoices and stamps.

Whatever you decide to do, realize that the green industry is full of tradesmen professionals who take pride in caring for green spaces. You never know, that guy you see pushing a lawn mower across your neighbor’s lawn could be a former accountant who just got fed up with life in a cubical. Just remember to keep your business honest!

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1-1/4 inch diameter cutting capacity
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Extra strong oval steel handles with cushioned grips
Replaceable anvil

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Hardened and tempered, precision ground steel blade with non-stick coating
Extra strong oval steel handles with cushioned tgrips
Replaceable anvil
27″ overall length

Rating: (out of reviews)

List Price: $ 15.99

Price: $ 15.99

Hello everyone and welcome to GopherHaul. GopherHaul is a show for entrepreneurs and new business owners. In it we discuss business tips and tricks we have learned over the years and share with you some real world experiences on how to help your lawn care business or any other business grow. In this episode we are going to be talking about: – Tiger Time Bikini Lawn Care gets new uniforms for their staff. Check this out! – We see a new business start up success story. We see how an Army Veteran started his business called Landscape Warrior without even owning a lawn mower! – We have free postcard and door hangers to give away. – Also we have Free Fluid Film samples. – We talk about how you can use an autodialer to market your business. This is a device that makes outgoing calls from a computer while you are out working. Then when you get back you can listen to the messages of people who want an estimate. – We talk about the difference between an ‘estimate’ and a ‘21 point lawn care analysis.’ If you are going to be in business, don’t ever give up. If you are in need of freemarketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts. Also download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Starting a Lawn Business

Gilmour Anvil Lopper 1-1/4 Inch Cutting Capacity 49 Teal

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