Archive for category bidding lawn care

Bid Next Year's Lawn Mowing Contracts Right Now

Sep 3

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, estimating, lawn care contracts, lawn care proposals | No Comments

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Bidding Lawn Mowing Contracts

As the Summer lawn mowing season rolls to an end and Autumn creeps along it is time to think about next year’s grass cutting contracts.

Here is something for you to keep in mind: October 1 is the first day of the U.S. Government’s fiscal New Year. Many government lawn care contracts will be bid during the next several weeks for lawn care work to be completed during 2011. Get those bids in NOW guys. You can’t afford to miss this important time of year if you are one of our many readers who operate large lawn care companies who make their money going after Government scale grass cutting contracts.

Not all Government contracts are bid right now but many RFPs (request for proposals) are open right now and will close on, or before, September 30. Other mowing contracts will be bid in the months ahead. Much of the money you plan to make in 2011 will be determined by the contracts you successfully bid during the next few months.

If you are at all interested in bidding larger scale lawn mowing contracts (local and federal government mowing contracts, private industry grass cutting contracts, and local business lawn care work) we have included an excellent “Bidding Tutorial” guidebook in our Lawn Care Business package. It describes how to find these contracts, who to speak with in order to uncover hidden contracts, and how to price and properly bid the contracts.

Also, the estimating software is included with the lawn care business package. Many lawn care business professionals tell us that our estimating software is worth much more than the cost of the entire package.

To learn more about (and order) the lawn care business course, visit our main website at:
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: bidding grass cutting, estimating lawn care, lawn care contracts, mowing proposals

Is September Too Late To Start A Lawn Mowing Business?

Sep 1

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, lawn care estimating, leaf raking, winter | No Comments

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
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

Tags: lawn care, lawn winterizing, leaf raking, money, starting lawn care business, training

Cleaning Foreclosure Properties – Lawn Care Companies Benefit

Aug 16

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, contracts, economy, lawn care business, lawn care estimating, zoning laws | 1 Comment

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Does StartALawnCareBusiness.com offer MILLION DOLLAR ADVICE???

I came across a headline today from Kansas City. Apparently, the city of Kansas City is owed $1.26 million in unpaid Lawn Care bills. With the current state of the economy and the real estate bust, Kansas City is being forced to maintain foreclosed properties and vacant lots. The total bill Kansas City has racked up is over $1.26 million. That’s a lot of money.

Now, not to toot our own horns…but “TOOT TOOT.” The lawn care business training program offered through our website has specific instructions on how to get involved with your city public works department cleaning up and mowing grass on abandoned and foreclosed properties. We have been instructing lawn care business owners on this lucrative segment of the lawn care industry for nearly 10 years.

We show you how to get on the city bidding list, inside secrets on how to increase your chances of winning lawn care bids, and how to estimate the work to be done. Without this information, your lawn care company is twisting in the wind. Without knowing how to properly bid on these city contracts, your lawn care company might be losing out on millions of dollars of lawn care related work.

Now, K.C. might be a peculiar case but most cities across the country are struggling with abandoned properties that need their grass maintained. If you are interested in making money mowing grass on abandoned and foreclosed properties, I urge you to purchase the Start A Lawn Care Business training material and estimating software. You will be leaps ahead of your competition.

For more information, visit our main website at:
Start A Lawn Care Business
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: abandoned properties, bidding lists, city crews, foreclosure, lawn care, mowing grass, public works

How Much Money Can I Earn with a Lawn Care Business

Jun 1

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, estimating, lawn care business, money | No Comments

How much money can I earn with a Lawn Care Business?

Many of our readers wrote to comment about our blog posting from January where we linked to our lawn care “earnings potential” calculator. The posting was designed to give you a goal for 2010. Along with the posting, we linked to the Lawn Care Estimating calculator to help you discover how much money you could make (weekly income) during 2010.

If you took the challenge in January, we would love to hear how you are doing with your goal. Are you making more money than you thought you would make or are you slightly behind schedule? If you are behind schedule with your earnings, there’s nothing to worry about. Though the year is almost 1/2 over, the season has barely begun. June is a PRIME time to gear up your lawn care business and start picking up bigger and better customers. The next few month are the time to really prove yourself. With a bit of motivation, we know you can still reach your earnings goal for this year.

If you want to use the calculator to figure your earnings potential doing lawn care, check out the link here:

Lawn Care Estimating Calculator

We would also like to remind you that our Lawn Care Business Course is currently on sale through our main website. The course will show you how to start and operate a successful lawn care business. With your purchase of the lawn care business course, you will also receive the full set of lawn care estimating software to help you with your estimating and bidding.

Check it out on our main site: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: business, calculator, earnings, estimating, lawn care, money, software

What can your Lawn Care Business learn from Cinco de Mayo?

May 5

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, competition, customers, lawn business strategies | 3 Comments

Your lawn care business can learn a lesson from today’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican defeat of a larger French army on May 5, 1862 at the Battle of Puebla.

New lawn care businesses are often intimidated by larger, well-established landscaping companies. Relegated to small and low-profit customers, new lawn care business owners feel that without the proper equipment and experience they are unable to target large and highly profitable clients. Being pragmatic about equipment capacity and personal ability is a good for a new lawn care business owner. However, abandoning hope of getting the best lawn care customers in town at the very start of a new lawn care & landscaping business is a big mistake.

Being unable (or unwilling) to bid on the best accounts will trap you into forever cutting grass for those lousy customers who pay the minimum amount for their lawn care work.

We believe in knowledgeably and aggressively marketing a lawn care business. Acquiring the best lawn care customers in town is the only way you will make the money you deserve in this business. If you are tired of spending all your time mowing those low paying customers while other lawn care companies are making great money mowing mowing highly profitable clients, just remember Cinco de Mayo and the small Mexican Army’s ability to defeat a much larger competitor.

Do you want to learn how to be competitive on the best lawn care jobs in town. Take a look at our Lawn Care Business Guidebook and Estimating package http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: cinco de mayo, competition, lawn care, money, starting

What to do for your Lawn Care Business in April, 2010

Apr 1

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, environment, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising, Lawn Care Business Taxes, start a lawn care business, taxes | 1 Comment

This video was made on April 1, 2010.

Right now is a great time to get started with your lawn care business if you haven’t gotten started already. If you have already started and you are not getting the customers you need or making the money you want to make then right now is a great time to ramp up your business. April is not too late to get started. There are still lots and lots of customers who haven’t signed up for lawn care service this year. Likewise, there are many business contracts that still haven’t been bid. So, you still have time to get brand new customers on you roster.

Spring is already getting hot. Our temperatures are forecast to be over 80 degrees this coming weekend. Some of the northern states are still cool but Spring is here and the weather is really going to warm up over the next several weeks. Summer is right around the corner.

April 4, 2010 is Easter. You can pound the pavement this weekend to drum up customers who want their lawns tidied up so they will look nice for family Easter celebrations. Since it is a 3-day weekend, many of your potential customers will be working in their lawns. They will need help and if you can visit them at the right time they may hire you to perform general spring cleanup jobs and grass cutting services.

Clover is an issue this time of year. For lawn care companies with applicator’s licenses you might not be too late to apply post-emergent selective herbicide. A better alternative is to select a taller cutting height for your lawn mower blades. A taller, thicker stand of grass will shade out clover reducing the need for chemical application.

April 15, 2010 is tax day. If you haven’t done your taxes yet, get started early. Organize last years receipts and get your tax forms completed early. Like it or not we are obligated to pay our fair share of taxes. If you have doubts about doing your own taxes, consider hiring a CPA. A qualified CPA who understands small business needs can be invaluable to you.

Wild Garlic or Wild Onion are sprouting in yards this month. Take a few minutes to call your customers to mention about the wild garlic that is sprouting in their lawn. Cutting it down will make their grass look so much better.

April 22, 2010 is Earth Day Your customers are becoming increasingly conscious about taking care of their environment. I believe the lawn care industry should be sensitive to the fact that we should not pollute our planet. There are ways to operate an environmentally conscious lawn care company. Many of our readers and viewers of our blog run their lawn care companies with an environmental slant to their businesses. Propane lawn equipment is becoming increasingly popular. Human powered reel mowers are also becoming the norm again in many communities with very small lawns. Operate an environmentally company and let your customers know how you are being aware in 2010.

Spring Stick Cleanup. April is a month when many pine cones and pine twigs have fallen in lawns across the country. Even if your customers don’t need their grass cut yet, they still need their lawns picked up. On an environmental note, you don’t have to haul all these sticks away or burn them or leave them for the garbage men. Offer your customers the opportunity to have a “natural area” in their lawns. Piling the brush in an unused area give habitat to the birds and other wildlife. It is great fun to watch Cardinals and Robins playing in the twigs. Also, many birds use this material to build their nests. A natural area is a great way to save your customers money while helping their environment.

Once again, if you are trying to Start A Lawn Care Business this year or if you currently own a lawn care business that just isn’t bringing in the money it should, visit our website. We have developed a great lawn care business package that will help you with your lawn care business.

www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: 2010, april, earthday, easter, how to make money with lawn care, lawn care, lawn mowing, lawn mowing business, make money, springtime, taxes

Ya' Gotta Start Somewhere

Mar 20

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, lawn care training, start a lawn care business | 1 Comment

Start A Lawn Care Business

I took a picture today I have to share with you because it brought back a flood of memories of when we first started our lawn care business way back in 1992.

I am not sure the driver of this van is operating a lawn care business (and I’m not sure if that lawn mower is properly secured) but I do know a lot of lawn care business owners get their start with a similar setup. I remember the days we first started our lawn care business humping around a push lawn mower in the back of a Chevy hatchback. It wasn’t ideal but is was much better than sitting in the accounting office where I used to work.

Before long, we bought a truck and upgraded to commercial equipment. Better equipment and more knowledge of the lawn care business allowed us to grow and attract better customers that paid more money. We all want brand new trucks and expensive commercial lawn mowers inside fancy enclosed lawn mower trailers. All that comes in due time. But ya’ gotta start somewhere.

The main lesson here is to start with what you have. You don’t need a brand new truck and expensive lawn care equipment to get out there and start making money right away.

What you DO need is knowledge. People who start their lawn care businesses the right way have a better chance of success than those people who buy the wrong equipment and price their customers all wrong.

In our lawn care business program, you will learn how to buy the proper equipment and how to price your customers. Pricing is a difficult strategy but we also include our lawn care estimating software to help you estimate and bid your lawn care customers.

Read more about the complete program at: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: get started, lawn care business, lawn mower, money, start up

Bidding on Government Lawn Mowing Contracts

Mar 17

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, contracts, lawn care videos, start a lawn care business | 4 Comments

March is already half over and if you are thinking about bidding on Government lawn mowing contracts you may have already missed the majority of the contracts that have been let for bid for the upcoming mowing season. Don’t fret because there are likely several contracts that have been delayed or are being rebid for one reason or another.

Before you bid on a Government lawn mowing contract you should be aware that Government contracts follow a different code of conduct than many other requests for proposals. I’ve made a short video for you highlighting a few finer points of an example Code-of-Conduct manual. Understanding and agreeing to this manual is the first step in getting your lawn care company on a Government’s bidding list.

Proposal Forms: I want to highlight a few finer points of this contract bidding instruction booklet. The first point is the Proposal Forms. Most bidding packets come with a series of bidding forms. You must complete the bidding forms that come with the bidding packet. Do not fill in your own forms or simply write your prices on a sheet of paper. Your bids may be rejected if you fill them out on anything but the bidding forms that come with your bidding packet.

Late Bids: Make sure you get your bids in on time. If you are late on a bid, the purchasing agent will, most likely, reject your bid. I have seen lawn care companies attempt to turn their bid packets in 2 minutes after the bid-closing times and the purchasing agents have rejected those bids. 9:00AM means 9:00AM and not 1 minute after 9:00. Acceptance of a bid is a violation of the request for proposal and could cause the job to be rebid. I like to submit time sensitive bids a couple days in advance. Rushing to get your bid in at the last minute will cause you to make mistakes. Taking your time with bid preparation allows you to calculate your prices with a clear head.

Submittal of Bids: Bids must be presented in a special bidding envelope that comes with your bidding packet. The envelope will be time stamped by the Purchasing Agent as proof that your submittal was within time cut off of bid acceptance.

Competency of Bidder: Purchasing agents can reject bids from lawn care companies that are deemed incompetent to complete the work. A company that does not posses proper equipment, skills sets, or manpower can be rejected from the bidding process if they are unable to demonstrate their ability to complete the job. Likewise, if a company does not have proper insurance or if they have defaulted on a previous contract, they might be deemed incompetent and their bid rejected even if they are the low bidder.

Performance Bond: A performance bond is a financial instrument stating that you will complete the work as stated in the contract. If you do not complete the work, you may lose your performance bond. A performance bond is designed to keep lawn care companies from bidding jobs that they do not have intention or capability of completing. Take a performance bond seriously. Also, a performance bond will cost you some money or it will tie up some of your financial resources. So, take the additional cost into consideration and work that into your contract.

Collusive Bidding: Bidders of many government contracts are not allowed to discuss their pricing or estimating strategies with other bidders of the same contract. Price setting is highly frowned upon by purchasing agents. Collusion can cause all bids to be rejected by the purchasing agent. Worse than having your bid rejected; collusion can have you banned from the bidding list and can bring even harsher penalties upon the collusive bidders.

This is just a brief overview of a Code-Of-Conduct example to get your companies name onto a bidding list. It can be nerve-wracking attempting to navigate the bidding process. If you are interested in bidding government contracts, we include an in-depth discussion of the bidding process in our lawn care business guidebooks. We have lots of experience bidding these type jobs and our bidding tutorial as well as our estimating calculators will help you give the best bids for these larger-scale contracts. Take a look at our website for more information on the Start A Lawn Care Business program

Tags: bidders list, bidding, code, contracts, government, lawn mowing, manual, rules

60 degrees in February.

Feb 20

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, lawn care business, start a lawn care business | 3 Comments

2010 has been one of the coldest winters in recent memory in the Southeast. We have experienced about 4 snowfalls and temperatures deep into the teens. Our friends in the northern states probably don’t think that’s too bad a winter but, for us, it’s harsher than normal.

Though it’s far from over, winter’s grip is loosening this weekend. With the temperature above 50 for three days straight and brilliant sunshine beating down today, I’ve observed wild garlic (commonly mistaken for wild onion) sprouts springing up in lawns all over our area. Lowes and Home Depot are selling out of mulch bags and homeowners, working out in their lawns, are experiencing spring fever in unprecedented numbers.

If you are a new lawn care business owner you must feel compelled to pound the pavement and drive the roads in your area this season. Right now is one of the very best times of the year to get new lawn care customer contracts for the upcoming mowing season.

I have a goal for you this week. Do remember my 100 Door Knocks challenge I posed for your lawn care business as an advertising campaign last year? How would you feel about revisiting that challenge this week by attempting to make contact with no less than 49 new customers.

If you start tomorrow by making contact with a minimum of 7 new potential customers each day, you will deepen your reach by 49 new contacts by this time next week.

7 per day? You should be able to speak with seven new people in just a couple hours each day. A couple hours per day in February will reap HUGE rewards once the mowing season actually gets started.

Take advantage of winter’s break by getting out while the sun is shining. Though colder weather is forecast again soon, it will make you feel warm that you have already increased this year’s customer list.

Once you get those customers, what do you do with them??? If you’re having trouble making the most of your existing customers and you want to know how to raise prices and make more money in 2010 than you made in 2009, pick up our Lawn Care Business package. It is jam-packed with information to turn your lawn care business into a success.

To learn more, check out our website: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: 60 degrees, customers, february, lawn care business, money

Start A Lawn Care Business

Make money with a lawn care and landscaping business.

Archive for category bidding lawn care

Bid Next Year's Lawn Mowing Contracts Right Now

Is September Too Late To Start A Lawn Mowing Business?

Cleaning Foreclosure Properties – Lawn Care Companies Benefit

How Much Money Can I Earn with a Lawn Care Business

What can your Lawn Care Business learn from Cinco de Mayo?

What to do for your Lawn Care Business in April, 2010

Ya' Gotta Start Somewhere

Bidding on Government Lawn Mowing Contracts

More lawn mower racing videos.

60 degrees in February.

Leaf Raking Business for Money

How to Start A Lawn Care Business

Lawn Care Articles

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