How to get started in lawn care
Starting a lawn care business is a great way to supplement your income and many people make a good living at it. It’s also a good way to get your foot in the door of the home improvement industry. Lawn care is an evergreen industry so it’s a little less risky than other sub industries in home improvement.
If you have always wanted to try your hand at lawn care, now is a great time to get started. Homeowners are always looking for a good, reliable lawn care service and you can make a good living at it.
Setting up your own lawn care business is not an easy task, but the reward is worth it. But to be successful, you must learn what it takes to make it a success. Here are the top seven things you need to know before you start a lawn care business.
#1 Get your equipment together
What will you need to start a lawn care business? The first thing you’ll need is equipment.
The equipment you’ll need to start a lawn care business will vary depending on the size of the business that you open.
Start small, start with a few basic pieces of equipment.
You will need a commercial lawn mower, weed trimmer & trimmer line, dump cart, and a leaf blower as a minimum.
A good lawn mower is the most important piece of equipment that you will need. It is important to find a mower that is right for your needs.
Something that is great to consider is how mowers are rated. There are three categories of mowers, gas, electric, and cordless.
- A gas mower is the most common and is great if you do not want to be bothered with worrying about battery runs out.
- An electric mower makes it easy to work around trees and shrubs, but is not as powerful as a gas mower. However, you want be breathing exhaust fumes all day.
- A cordless mower is great for the lawn and convenience, but not too good for tough jobs.
- Additionally you can opt for a robotic mower in some cases as these will cut the grass for you without having to do the work.
All in all, it is important to find a mower that works well for your needs.
Having one of the best weed trimmers is also very important because they make it easier to get rid of the weeds in your lawn.
#2 Register your business
Once you have the equipment, the next step is to register your business.
There are two ways to register your business. The first is to register with your local government. The second is to register with the state.
Each state has different requirements and regulations for starting a business and filing with the state.
#3 Get liability insurance
Liability insurance is required by law in some states. Liability insurance protects your business and its assets from legal actions in case something goes wrong.
#4 Get permits and licenses
State and local governments require permits and licenses before you can start your business. Some local governments require contractors to have a license, but you will need to check with local authorities.
#5 Find customers
Once you’ve decided on your business type, you need to find customers. To find customers, you may decide to advertise in local publications, on billboards, or on the radio.
You can put up a business sign in your front yard and start a lawn maintenance business. It is a good idea to let your friends and neighbors know that you are starting a lawn care business.
Offer a free lawn care service in your area. It is a good way to get your name out there and to build a customer base.
Join local lawn care business associations. You can also join lawn care business networking groups on the Internet as well. Networking is one of the best ways to find customers. If you have any buddies that have started their own lawn care business, let them know that you are starting yours. It is a good idea to join local lawn care business associations and networking groups.
Consider starting a lawn care business as a franchise. You can start a lawn care business as a franchise. The good thing about starting a lawn care business as a franchise is that you don’t have to start from the bottom. You can start your business with a ready-made clientele and get customers as soon as you open.
Start a lawn care business in a big city. Big cities have a lot of lawn care businesses. People from these cities are more likely to have their lawns serviced by professional lawn care companies.
Start a lawn care business in a rural area. A lot of people in rural areas have lawns. They may not have lawn care service from a professional lawn care company yet as they usually focus on urban areas. Hence, if you start a lawn care business in a rural area, you will have a lot of potential customers who will be interested in your lawn care business’s services.
Start a lawn care business in a resort area. Resort areas have a lot of people. They also have a lot of lawns. If you start a lawn care business in a resort area, you can easily make a lot of money.
#6 Apply for loans and grants
You will want to apply for loans and grants to get all the help in the world that you can.
If you’re going to apply for a loan, make sure you have a business plan. A business plan is a written document describing what the business is about and showing some basic calculations as to how it’s going to make money.
#7 Prepare for seasonality
If you have decided to start your own lawn care business, you’ve probably noticed that the seasons are a big factor that influences your service and the way you market.
The good thing is that there are ways you can adjust your business to make the most of the service you provide and the seasonality of the business.
Here are some tips to help you deal with the seasonality of your business:
- Make sure your lawn care business doesn’t depend on a warm climate
If you’re a lawn care business owner in a warm climate, you may find that you’re not getting the kind of business you’d like to get during the winter months.
If this is the case, you should probably think about changing your business model. Instead of using your lawn care business to make money in the summer, try selling services or products that don’t depend on those warm summer months.
If you are a tree trimmer, for example, you can probably get more business during the winter when people are trimming their trees. Another option would be to get a snowblower and offer snow removal services as well.
If you’re a lawn care business owner who has to rely on the summer months, you can make some adjustments to your marketing.
Use more seasonal marketing tactics, such as seasonal specials, to bring more customers in during the winter.
- Think about having a different business model
If your lawn care business is seasonally dependent, you may find it very hard to make ends meet. You can certainly consider raising prices during the winter months, but you might find that this is not good for your customers’ finances.
If you’re not making enough money, consider changing your business model to include more clients. You could, for example, consider starting a landscaping service or introducing a pool cleaning service. If you have a business that you can easily expand, you should consider doing that.
- Consider hiring a seasonal employee
If you’re not making enough money with your lawn care business and you need more clients to be profitable, you can look into hiring seasonal employees.
One option is to consider hiring a part-time worker. You can have a very profitable lawn care business with part-time workers only.
By Ed Wike
I’ve always been fascinated by plants and animals. From a young age, I would spend hours in the woods and fields observing and trying to figure out how everything worked. My curiosity and desire to learn about nature led me to study biology in college and later on start my own business at Garden Grow Guide.
