Do you participate in these types of events? I think lawn mower racing is fascinating and I would love to give it a try. Also, I would love to hear from any lawn care business owners who also participate in the events and use lawn mower racing as a promotion for their lawn care businesses. Let us know if it has helped your business as a marketing tool and if people recognize you around town. You you incorporate your lawn mower racing in your business name or in your logo?

Enjoy the video. We may have more for you later this spring.

Oh, that reminds me; spring is basically here and I hope everyone is pounding the pavement hard drumming up new customers and contracts. Contracts are still being bid for the upcoming lawn mowing season. If you need some help finding customers and bidding contract, be sure to check out our lawn care business program. It includes the estimating software. This will really help you bidding jobs and giving prices to your customers.

Start A Lawn Care Business
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

As I watched the races, I couldn’t help think how a lawn care company could take advantage of the marketing aspects of lawn mower racing. There are a few options, I suppose. A lawn care company could sponsor a team and have their logo affixed to the lawn mower and on the sleeves of the race crew. OR (and I think this would be the most fun) a lawn care company could run their own mower in the race and give out free tee-shirts to all the spectators. I think this would be a huge marketing tool to get their name into the community.

There’s a downside to this though, I spoke with a few of the racers. They say they spend way more money on their sport than they make in sponsorships from advertisers.

Still, I think it would be great fun and an interesting way to advertise your lawn care business.

After yesterday’s blog posting on new lawn care business owners’ need to carefully consider applicator’s licenses before applying chemicals to their customers’ lawns, we received several emails from large national lawn care companies.  

At first, we thought the emails were going to complain that we were overly cautious in telling new lawn care businesses to be cautious about risking stepping afoul of applicator’s guidelines.  To the contrary, the overwhelming majority applauded the fact that we told new companies of the risks they take when applying chemicals without proper permits.  In fact, a few emailers said we didn’t go far enough in warning of the perils of operating an illegitimate chemical application business.  They wanted us to mention a few additional regulations.  We will mention them below.

Before you think we’re siding with the large lawn care companies, we’re not.  This blog is dedicated to the small-time lawn care operator.  We are all for the guys who are starting small and trying to grow their businesses customer-by-customer.  It’s a tough business but it you do it right you can make a lot of money cutting grass and doing small landscaping job.  We have to give the big guys credit though.  When it comes to chemical application, regulations are designed to protect the environment, your customers, and yourselves from improper use of lawn care chemicals. 

In the process of obtaining your applicator’s license you will learn a tremendous amount about proper mixture, storage, transportation, and application of chemicals.  You will learn to protect yourself and your customers (and their children and pets) from dangerous chemicals.  Not-the-least you will learn proper application techniques.  

Anyone reading this who does not have an applicator’s license should make a goal of speaking to their local county extension office and making plans to start their course work.

Before I end this blog, I wanted to share a couple ancillary items lawn care companies must consider when handling chemicals.  Though I was aware of these items, a couple readers wanted me to point them out specifically.

1)  Many states (Illinois included) have containment regulations.  “These regulations are designed to prevent environmental contamination from pesticides and/or fertilizers.  Illinois law mandates that a containment area must be used for the loading of lawn-care products for distribution to a customer.  The purpose of the containment area is to intercept, retain, recover, and reuse pesticide spills, wash water, and rinse water from application equipment or other items used for the storage, handling, preparation for use, transport, or application of pesticides to turf areas.  Any application or handling of fertilizers only, application to trees and shrubs only, land areas located within a public or private rights-of-way, or land areas utilized for turf research or commercial turf production are exempt from these regulations.”   http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ipr/i4147_829.html

2)  Do you know (quite honestly we were not aware of this) that in many states (Massachusetts included) it is against the law for a homeowner to hire an unlicensed applicator “even if it is a well known over-the-counter product that anyone can purchase?”  In states where this statute exists not only will you get in trouble but the homeowner who hires you will get in trouble too.  That can’t be good for public relations and word-of-mouth advertising.    http://www.malcp.org/faqs.htm

Okay guys; take care of yourselves and make sure you are properly licensed.  We’ve upset a good many people who thought they weren’t doing anything wrong applying Monsanto’s Round-Up to their customers’ lawns. 

This blog has taken a serious turn the last few days.  We’ve got some fun stuff coming up for you later this week so be sure to subscribe and check back with us.

Take care:

Start A Lawn Care Business 

For new and small lawn care business owners, the question of proper licensing often arises as to the use of over-the-counter products such as Monsanto’s Round-Up herbicide. If you are a new or small lawn care business owner, do not be lulled into complacency by the fact that you are using a general purpose store-bought chemical. The regulatory agencies in most states make little distinction between general use chemicals and restricted use chemicals when they are applied by a commercial operation.

If you are reading this blog, you obviously want to grow your lawn care business and make the best money possible from your customers. It is difficult to turn down a customers who want you to spray round up on the weeds in the cracks of their driveways. However, before you touch that spray bottle (or even begin to consider applying any chemical) you owe it to yourself to check your local laws and follow guidelines within the licensing regulations of your state and community.

Seriously, guys; if you think that enforcement agents are too busy to worry about one person lawn care operators or small lawn care companies then you need to think again. There were a bunch of cases in our area last year where lawn care operators were given $5,000 fines for violating applicator’s licensing requirements. A $5,000 fine is enough to put many small lawn care companies out of business. I would hate that to happen to you.

For more information and help starting (and expanding) your lawn care business, check out our main website at: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

If you operate or work for a lawn care company (or if you are just a casual gardener) you owe it to yourself to purchase a professional pair of lawn care work boots or work shoes. I wish people wouldn’t wear old ratty tennis shoes during their lawn care work. Your feet are important and commercial quality footware is worth the added cost to protect your feet.

This is a “first impression” video on the Lawn Grips 6″ Steel-Toe Work shoe. You may have already seen my review on the Lawn Grips Brutus Work Boot. I have been impressed with those boots and I want to give their work shoes a test. The shoes are significantly lighter than the work boot. If your work does not require the added protection of an over-the-ankle work boot, you may like the relative light weight of the work shoe.

I will give these shoes a rigorous field test the next several weeks. After I break them in and give them a workout, I will let you know how I like them as an everyday work shoe for the lawn care industry.

If you’ve ever wanted to start your own lawn care business or if you’re not making enough money with your current lawn care business, take a look at our website. We offer a business package that will help you become more efficient and successful with your own lawn care business. (StartALawnCareBusiness.com)