Archive for category winter

Is September Too Late To Start A Lawn Mowing Business?

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Start A Lawn Care Business

September is here and we are finally due for some relief from the blistering hot weather and the dry grass that August brought us. August is typically a difficult time of year for many lawn care companies. Lawn care customers who pay by-the-mow will often ask for their lawn service to be curtailed to every two weeks. Additionally, the weather is so miserably hot that it makes working outside a less-than-desirable experience. Many fly-by-night lawn care operators drop out during August thinking that the lawn care season is over for the year.

If you are a lawn care business owner or if you are thinking about starting your own lawn care business, I want to challenge you to step up to the plate right now and make a huge push forward in your lawn care business.

First off, grass in much of the country is about to surge. The cooler weather and, hopefully, rain that will come in September will cause grass to green up. In my part of the country we often mow grass all the way into December. Many customers have “one last cutting” right before Christmas. If you are in the north you probably won’t mow that long but if you are in the southern states you are going to be mowing deep into winter.

Secondly, right now is the time you better be selling core aeration, fertilizing, and overseeding. It’s a bit too early as I’m writing this to do the actual work but you should be lining up customers for those jobs right now. Customers who want beautiful lawns next spring should be made aware of the importance of work that needs to take place before winter.

Lastly, leaf raking season is in its very beginning days. There is no time like the present to ramp up your lawn care business to handle the influx of customers demanding your services over the next few months. I feel sorry for the guys who quit their lawn care businesses in August because they weren’t making money. September, October, and November is going to MORE than make up for any money lost in August.

So, if you are struggling with your lawn care business or if you thinking about starting a new lawn care business, it is a great time to get off your butt and get to work. The money and the customers are yours for the asking over the next three months.

Now, as lucrative as Autumn is, you still need to use some common sense and business smarts when doing these leaf jobs and pre-winter lawn care work. It is hyperimportant for you to know how to estimate and bid your lawn care jobs. Underbidding a leaf job will kill you.

So, if you are going to be making money raking leaves this season, I urge you to look at our Lawn Care Business startup guidebook and training package. We have developed this training package after 18 years in the industry. It will train you how to do the work, get customers, and most importantly correctly bid and price your lawn care services.

For more information about the business package visit our main website at: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Leaf Relief – Leaf Raking Season Is Upon Us

Lawn Care is a seasonal business.  Luckily for us, there’s money to be made all seasons of the year.

We are in peak leaf raking season.  Leaves are still falling off the trees and customers who vowed to wait for all the leaves to fall before doing their raking are calling urgently to get their yards cleaned up before winter sets in.

leafrelief

I have been associated with the lawn care industry since 1992 and it never ceases to amaze me how much money can be made the last two months of the year dealing with customer’s leaves.

I love when prospective customers try to rake their own leaves.  Sure, in a small yard the homeowner can deal with the leaves.  But, in yards with several sweet gum trees, the volume of leaves can be overwhelming and they call us in as a last attempt to get the leaves handled.

Since they already know what hard work leaf raking is, they don’t put up too much of a fight to pay a premium price to clear their yards once and for all.

Leaf raking season between Thanksgiving and the end of the year is a blessing also because it gives a great chance to boost your bottom line for the year and put some extra spending money in your pocket before Christmas.

We’ve put a video on YouTube giving a couple leaf raking tips if you are using a tarp to haul and dump your leaves, check our video below:

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Buy Clearance Commercial Lawn Mowers

2009 is dragging to a close and 2010 is barely a month away. 

Wait!!!  WHAT??? 

2010 is just a month away, I can’t believe we’re already at 2010.

Anyway, this year is no different than any other year in that lawn mower dealers are trying to blow out their old models in preparation for next years crop of commercial lawn mowers.

I see this every year.  If you have the storage capacity and can afford to let a new lawn mower sit idle until next mowing season, right now is a great time to get a good deal on a brand new lawn mower.  If you can’t afford to buy a lawn mower and let it sit all winter, dealers will often give you great deals on financing and start payments in the spring of next year.

2009 Lawn Mower Clearance

You can often save 10% to 20% on old model lawn mower.

As the grass growth is slowing down, take some time to visit your local commercial lawn mower dealers.  You may be able to make a deal on a perfectly new (though slightly outdated) commercial lawn mower.

If you find a lawn mower you want to buy, ask the deal to service it before the sale is complete.  Though oil and other fluids haven’t been used much, get the deal to replace all fluids, check all bolts and fasteners, lubricate all lubrication points, and replace the battery with a fresh one.  If your new lawn mower will be sitting for the rest of this winter, have your dealer add a recommended fuel stabilizer.

If you want to learn more about purchasing commercial lawn equipment for your lawn care business, our guidebook has an entire chapter dedicated to buying new and used equipment.

Check our website for complete information: 

Start A Lawn Care Business

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Lawn Care Equipment – Winter Maintenance

As lawn care business owners we should all be super picky about continued maintenance of our lawn care equipment.  Engine oil and oil filter changes, multi-stage air filter maintenance, fuel filter maintenance, lubrication, and hydrolic fluid maintenance should constantly be on your mind to keep your equipment running in peak condition.  Though your equipment might stand stagnant during the winter months, you should not neglect a pre-winter maintenance schedule.  We cover both summer and off-season lawn equipment maintenance in our lawn care business guidebook.

As autumn draws to a close and colder days of winter arrive, we begin our winter maintenance proceedure.  Winter maintenance will leave our equipment in perfect condition and ready for springtime one February and March roll around.

When doing maintenance on your lawn care equipment (commercial lawn mowers, weedeaters, edgers, and leaf blowers), you should not forget vehicle winter maintenance.  Keeping your vehicle in top running condition is important to your business but is sometimes overlooked as you spend so much time maintaning your lawn equipment.

Though I will still drive my truck almost everyday, I have performed my pre-winter checklist and maintenance schedule which will allow for confident driving during the snowy months ahead.

My maintenance routine includes:

Change Oil and Oil Filter
Check Fuel Filter
Check Air Filter
Flush and Change Antifreeze
Check Brake and Power Steering Fluid
Fill Windshield Washer Fluid
Rotate Tires and Check Air Pressure and Check For Wear
Check Brakes While Wheels Are Off
Check hoses and Belts
Check All Lights and Blinkers
Equip My Winter Survival Kit

We are amateurs at vehicle maintenance so if you want to learn from the best check out the car maintenance pros at Motortrend.

However, if you want to learn more about running your own lawn care business, check us out at:  Start A Lawn Care Business dot Com

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