Lawn care has always been a great opportunity for a successful business model for small start-up types. It can be easily started on your own with a little bit of knowledge and a sprinkle of elbow grease, you can start mowing the lawn of your neighbors earning you cash! It's the perfect side business that with proper knowledge and skills, can be your full-time source of income!
Lawn care is back and is in huge demand!
During the height of the pandemic in mid-2019, the lawn care industries are one of the many businesses that suffered greatly but now that the restrictions ease, people are going back to their daily jobs and families go out and travel a lot as the pandemic eases, more households are going to be needing a proper lawn care maintenance.
Like any other business, starting your own lawn care service seems like a daunting task but in reality, it's really quite simple!
Starting your own lawn care business can be done with just a lawn mower! You can start small around your neighborhood if your budget is tight. You can simply start by just taking care of a few of your neighbor's lawns then you might not even recognize that your lawn care business is growing
All you need to know is that with the right mindset, proper research, and dedication you can be a successful lawn care business owner!
With those already in mind, we can now dive into how we can start your very own lawn care business!
So to kickstart your business you’ll need these pieces of equipment but not necessarily all of these:
Equipment
- Trailer
- Mower
- Trimmers, Edgers, Blowers
- Spreaders and Sprayers
- Landscaping Tools
- Safety Equipment
- Pick-up Truck
Naturally, this profession/business is heavily dependent on the season, if you’re in a region where it is sunny, then you won't need winter equipment, saving you a lot of expense that you can now invest in other equipment. Keep in mind that for the right job, you will need the right tools!
As stated earlier, starting your own lawn care business is easy all you need is a lawn mower and you're good to go! And as your business is clicking, you can now move up and expand and allow you to grow and give services that your company offers like gardening and maybe even landscaping
Now if you're ready to move up from just mowing lawns around your local neighborhood, you’ll need to evolve and expand your business by making it look professional and start making your services available in a wider range:
- Proper knowledge and sufficient skills
- Naming your Business and Securing License
- Effective Marketing for Growth
- Pricing
- Invoicing
Proper knowledge and sufficient skills
Now that you have decided to start your own lawn care business, you’ll need the right information and the proper skills that will ensure you of a job well done, because when you do a great job in this industry, you are ensured of repeat customers and a solid reputation that will propel your business into greater heights! These days, knowledge and skills are easily accessible thru the power of the internet.
With a few clicks away and the proper research skills, you can further your business by learning different techniques and trends and do’s and don't when starting your own lawn care business
Naming your Business and Securing License
So now you have the proper equipment to get started, the next thing to do is to name your business. Think of a unique business name and avoid using hard-to-spell names. Keep it simple yet catchy
You might think that it is silly to even put any effort into your business name, then you are gravely mistaken for your business name will be at the forefront of your marketing. By making it simple yet catchy, its name will spread like a wildfire making sure that your business grows to its maximum potential
For licensing, if the service you will offer is just mowing service, you may not need a license however, if pesticides are to be used, your city will require a permit. Decide on what type of lawn service you will be offering and consult your local government on how you can proceed.
Growing your Business thru Effective Marketing
With the technology today, you may want to establish an online presence. Social media will be the best and cheapest way to reach your potential clients. But one of the most important marketing tools you can use is the good old word-of-mouth advertisement, and it is totally free! By doing an excellent service word will fly around the neighborhood about your job and the rest will follow!
Pricing
Who will be your target clients? Residential? Commercial or both? Pricing depends on what type of client you will be dealing with. Understand the market, you may do research on how much your competitors are charging for the same service you will be offering. You need to make sure your pricing is not too far away from your competitors. Charge too low and your client will be skeptical of your output.
Remember, we are starting/establishing a business not to break even. The goal is to be profitable to expand the business over time so proper research and knowledge will ensure that we are making profits not losses
Now that we covered almost all the basics to start your own lawn care service, let’s check the pros and cons of the lawn care industry:
PROS
1. You can start small
You don't need a huge amount of investment to start your business, with just a lawn mower you can start around your neighborhood and it is totally up to you if you want to upscale or stay small
2. Great Service = Repeat Customers
Having rendered a great job setting up, cleaning, and maintaining a lawn, surely will land you repeat customers. Remember, repeat customers are very important in this industry, they are the cornerstones of a successful business
3. Services You Offer Are Not Just One-Time Purchases Only
Clients will require your services for a long time after setting up their lawn. It will need a lot of maintenance for the grass, the right fertilizers for the plants and flowers, and treatment chemicals against pesky bugs and unwanted weeds that’ll sprout along the course of the season making repeat customers abundant.
CONS
1. Seasonal Work
The lawn care business is heavily dependent on the season, for each season demands a different kind of equipment, so for your business to run all year round, you will need to diversify and offer different services whenever the season changes
2. Hiring skilled labor
As your business grows, hiring skilled workers will make or break your business in this industry, and hiring skills will always come with a hefty price. Remember that your business will grow with the right set of workers will result in repeat customers.
3. Heavy Competition
As stated earlier in our PROS, getting into the lawn care business is pretty easy for it only requires so little to start, thus the difference between your quality in service and competitive rates will be a huge differential against your competitors. Doing research on your location and learning what is heavily demanded by your repeat customers will dictate how you can improve your business moving forward.
Invoicing
Giving great service will not be just your benchmark for great customer service, a simple invoice can give you a headstart your business will greatly appreciate. A good invoice will not only make your business more organized, but it will also look professional and pleasing to your customers assuring them that you take your job seriously
But now in the age of technology, you can easily avail of invoicing services that will make your job look professional without the hassle and stress of doing it manually! We suggest Blinksale. Blinksale not only makes your business look professional, but you can also use it anywhere all it needs is an internet connection and you’re good to send an invoice to your potential clients
And that's it! you can now start your own lawn care business, no need to be intimidated by the great unknown for you now have the initial knowledge needed to help your neighborhood’s lawn shine and be well maintained!
