Start A Lawn Care Business

Make money with a lawn care and landscaping business.

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Tips for Starting a Lawn Care Business

Apr 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, how much to charge, lawn business strategies | No Comments

by: Start A Lawn Care Business

The lawn care business program available from our website: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com is packed with information about how to operate a lawn care business.  Sometimes we are asked: “What is your number one piece of advice for someone brand new to the lawn care business?”

No individual tip can sum up all you need to know about running your own business, knowing how to price your services is a tremendously important lesson to learn about running your business.

Pricing is subjective in the lawn care industry.  No one can tell you exactly how much to price each job.  Therefore, it is very important for you to develop a strong pricing strategy. Know your costs, know how much your time is worth, and know what price the market will bear. If the market won’t bear the amount you need to cover your costs then don’t do the job. You can’t make money by losing money. DUH…right? You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that basic concept.  Companies go out-of-business everyday because they can’t cover costs.

Additionally, don’t let customers talk you down in price or intimidate you because you’re new to the business…they’ll do that, trust me. If a lawn care or landscaping job is worth $30 hold firm to that price. If the customer won’t pay, walk away and find someone who will. Don’t sacrifice your rightful profit just to get a lawn care customer.

Our lawn care business package has a huge section on how to bid and estimate lawn care and landscaping jobs.  Estimating calculator software is also included with the package.  The lawn care estimator will help you estimate your lawn care jobs.

You can purchase the lawn care business package, on sale right now, from:

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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How to stripe a lawn with your lawn care business.

Apr 21

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, lawn equipment, lawn striping | No Comments

by:Lawn Care Business

Striping grass gives a professional look to your customer’s lawn.

With the simple addition of a striping kit to your commercial lawn mower (and a little practice), you can turn your customer’s lawn into a visual masterpiece.


A basic "back and forth" striping pattern.
 

After the addition of a striping kit to your lawn mower, striping is attained with directional cutting.  Directional cutting allows the striping kit on your lawn mower to bend each blade of grass in the direction of the cut.  Grass bent toward the viewer appears darker than grass bent away from the viewer.  Stripes are solely dependent on direction of the bend.  Individual stripes have nothing to do with length of cut, different types of grass on each cut, or fertilizer applied in a pattern.  However, length of cut and type of grass will change the intensity of the stripes.   Striping gives a visual appeal to a lawn that is unattainable with concentric perimeter cutting.

Striping lawns as part of a commercial lawn care business makes your lawns look professionally manicured.  Some lawn Care customers have been known to pay as much as an additional 50% to 100% of a basic grass cutting job for a striped lawn depending on the complexity of the striping pattern. Your results will vary but it shouldn’t hurt your company’s reputation to add striping services for those customers who are willing to pay extra for it. Additionally, you should notice more potential clients stopping to ask you for estimates (and advice) when they see the spectacular job you’ve done on their neighbor’s lawns. 

To learn more about how to professionally stripe lawns and increase profits for your lawn care business, visit our website at: 
www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

 

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Sub-contracting (independent contracting) your lawn care work.

Apr 18

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, lawn equipment | No Comments

Questions about the "Start
A Lawn Care Business" training material.

We recently received an email question concerning the feasibility of starting a lawn care company and hiring out all the work to independent contractors.  The initial email question follows with our response further below.

Hello,

I bought your Lawn Care Business
Program in February and I am trying to start a lawn care business (on the side).  I seek your feedback. I do not intend to do the work, but to be the owner/manager/promotion mgr/dispatcher… I intend to set it up where I pay lawn care workers as Independent Contractors with them using their own yard equipment. Would it work better if I bought some some lawn care equipment and rented a storage unit?

Thank you.
 

Our response is below.

Hi:

Many LCOs transition from lawn care workers to full-time managers. If you intend to manage a lawn care business without first doing the work yourself, don’t underestimate the hands-on efforts needed to keep your business running smoothly. I’m sure you can understand the infinite possibilities of things going wrong if you are not on job sites or in constant communication with your workers and your customers. Poor quality mowing jobs by your crews, equipment break downs through rough handling, payment skimming, and bad treatment of customers and/or their property, will adversely affect your lawn care business. If you are a hands-on manager, you can quickly abate these problems. However, if these problems get ahead of you, they can quickly derail your efforts of running your lawn care company.

Additionally, before you decide to hire your lawn care workers as sub-contractors, please check the laws on what a "sub-contractor" really is. If you control their timeline, their equipment, and how the work is performed, there might be legal accounting rules which disallow the workers from being considered anything other than employees. We are not experts with accounting laws so you will need to check with your CPA.

Thank you and good luck:

Keith
Start A Lawn Care Business


Support after your purchase of
our Lawn Care Business training materials

When you purchase our lawn care business program, you are welcome to ask specific questions which may not be fully covered in our training material. Our team of lawn care professionals will do our best to answer your questions. The Lawn Care Business package is a full series of manuals and software which will most all questions you have about starting your own lawn care business. www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Lawn Care Applicator's License

Apr 14

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, landscaping, lawn chemicals, mulching | 6 Comments

by:
Start A Lawn Care Business

Does a lawn care business
need an applicator’s license to spray RoundUp?

If a customer asks you to spray any sort of lawn chemical, you should seriously consider calling your local Agricultural Extension office to check licensing requirements in your area. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is becoming more diligent in verifying the qualifications of commercial application of chemicals by lawn care and landscaping companies.

Landscaping and Lawn Chemicals

In addition to laws governing actual application, other laws restrict storage and transportation of certain commercial chemicals.  For instance, if you are transporting a chemical to be used for commercial application you likely need to carry a MSDS within your vehicle along with proper personal safety gear and, possibly, a placard on your vehicle.

I’m really not trying to be preachy here but I have literally observed companies receiving $1500 fines for improper commercial application and/or transportation of lawn chemicals as innocuous as RoundUp.

Alternatives to RoundUp

For many chemicals, there are easy and cheap alternatives.  For instance, many landscapers use roundup to spray grass before starting a new flower bed or before putting down mulch. 
RoundUp is a short-term solution to protect a mulch bed from weeds. 
RoundUp only works on existing weeds.  New weed growth which will appear within weeks will not be killed and will invade your garden beds quickly. 
A three-pronged approach of landscape fabric, proper mulch selection, and proper mulch depth is a much better solution.

Stay safe and protect your lawn care business by knowing your local laws.

Learn more about the lawn care business:

Start A Lawn Care Business

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KISS Advertising for lawn care

Apr 9

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, landscaping, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising, mulching | No Comments

KISS Advertising: 
Keep it simple, stupid!

If you are anything like me in the early days of my lawn care business advertising, you over-think yourself with your flyers, newspaper ads, and other advertising.  It took me a couple years to realize the beauty of simplicity. 
A potential customer only needs to know two things before they call you:
1) What service do you provide? 
2) How do they contact you?

I recently came across a sign tacked to a telephone pole which, in two words, summed up an entire business concept.

lawn care advertising sign

NEED MULCH?  Two words
sum up an entire business concept.

Your potential customers are smarter than you might think:

Customers do not require overly complicated advertising to explain your offer.  Two words "lawn care" or "gutter
cleaning" or "leaf raking" are all you need to say along with your phone number or website address.  Your potential customers can figure out the rest.

Legibility is important:

How many times have you seen a sign taped to a telephone pole written on a piece of notebook paper with magic marker that has faded or run from the rain?  I have seen many flyers like this.  If potential customers cannot read your sign, they are not going to call you.  A professional sign gives your customers an immediate favorable opinion of you.  Look at the "NEED MULCH" sign.  It is professionally printed and easy to read with bold, black lettering.  I did not need to slow my truck down to be able to read the numbers and make a mental not of them.
 

Professional printing of your lawn care flyers:

How much did the "Need Mulch" sign cost? 
If you buy signs like this in quantity, you can buy them for just a few dollars each.  A professionally designed and printed sign will bring you many more customers than a flimsy piece of paper printed from you home computer.  If you are tempted to print your lawn care signs on a piece of paper think again. 
Pony up a few dollars and have a professional sign company make your signs.
 

No need for area code or additional information:

If your target lawn care customers are in the same area code as you, there is no need to include the zip code. Two pieces of information will satisfy your customers desire for information before they contact you. 
1) The service you offer.
2) A way to contact you.

Professional placement:

I only have one issue with the "Need Mulch" sign.  Sometimes, signs tacked to telephone poles are considered eyesores by residents of the neighborhood.  In many cases, it may also be illegal to tack your sign to a utility pole.  Be discreet in placement of flyers and signs.  Get authorization before you put advertising on public or private land.  Do not let your signs become torn or worn out.  If they weather, replace them.

Advertising for your lawn care business can be much more successful if you follow a few SIMPLE rules.

The Lawn Care Business Program available from
www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
includes a large marketing guidebook to help you get the best results using the latest advertising methods.  The program covers old school advertising such as flyers and newspaper ads.  It also covers the latest in advertising strategies such as MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook. 

STARTALAWNCAREBUSINESS.COM

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How to get lawn care customers: a view from the other side.

Apr 8

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising | 2 Comments

by:
Lawn Care Business

How to get lawn care customers: a view from the other side.

Do you miss out on lawn care jobs and wonder why your customers pick your competitors?  This article will show you a view from a residential customer’s eyes.

Being associated with the lawn care industry for over 17 years and developing lawn care business software, I don’t often have the opportunity to hire green industry companies in a retail type setting.  When I do hire companies it is mainly for sub-contract work.  Sub-contractors work on a professional level.  Hiring and working with them, I don’t gain a full understanding of a residential relationship.

What can lawn care companies learn from a tree service?

Last week, I had the opportunity to search out and hire a tree service to cut down a tree that was threatening a neighbor’s house.  I called several companies to judge their price, estimating skills, and delivery of service.  Although this was not a lawn care company, I approached this process with the mindset of a residential customer trying to find a lawn care service. Hiring the tree company gave me good insight to our lawn care customers.

Your customers are excited to call you.

I have watched this tree lean at an ever increasing angle for the last two years.  During this year’s spring storms, I have had nightmares about awakening to a knock on my door from an angry neighbor with a tree on his house.  Though I wish I could do this job myself, I was excited to find a company able to handle the work so I wouldn’t have to do the heavy lifting and risk destroying a house.
Lawn care customer are equally excited about hiring a professional company. When doing your initial estimates, approach your client with the same enthusiasm you expect from the companies you hire.

Lawn customers employ a variety of advertising media to find you.

In my search for a tree service, I employed word-of-mouth advertising, business cards, internet search, flyers, and those signs you see on telephone polls.

lawn care companies can learn from tree service
Dangerous tree leaning toward a neighbor’s house

Your lawn care business can avoid complaints.

My biggest complaint with companies I called was their failure to return my call.  Generally, if I call a service company, I expect a return phone call within one business day.  If you really want to impress me, return my call within an hour.

Tree Service Company #1 and #2

I found the first company by seeing their phone number on their truck about 5 miles from my house.  I called and spoke to the owner of the company who assured me he would come by the same afternoon to give an estimate.  Two days later, he had still not showed up. 
The second company was found through a web search.  This company did not return the message I left on their answering machine.

Tree Service Company #3

I found this company through a business card pinned to a grocery store bulletin board.  The business card caught my eye by being bright green with bold black type on the front and back of the card.  The business card mentioned several services offered but it did not specify if they carried insurance.  Knowing that one misstep could bring a tree down on a house, I needed a company with insurance.  The business card listed a gmail address but did not mention a website.  I googled the company name and found a positive article in a local newspaper speaking about environmental consciousness of this company.  I called them.  The owner was friendly and talkative.  He said he would call back to schedule a time when he and the climber could review the tree.  Two days later, he called back to say that he had out-of-town guests and would not be able to estimate the job for another two days.  Two days later, he called and said he would be over in 15 minutes.  He showed up as scheduled and gave an estimate of $350.  I asked him about business liability insurance.  He said they were insured but he answered in such a way that I questioned whether he really had coverage or not.  He was not ready to work and said he needed a 2 day lead to get the tree down.  I thanked him and he was on his way. 
Almost one week had passed since I first called him.

Tree Service Company #4

I saw a sign on a telephone pole with a phone number.  I also had a flyer left on my mailbox with a number.  I asked a friend if she knew of a reliable tree company and she gave me a phone number.  All three numbers where the same company.  I called this telephone number on  Friday morning about 11:30 and left a message. 
By 12:30, the owner of the company called to ask for my address.  At 1:00 a 4 man crew showed up at my property.  The lead tree climber surveyed the tree and gave an estimate of $300.  I told them I was looking to spend about $200.  They called the owner and he refused to budge from their price since the tree needed to be pieced down to guard against it damaging a house.

lawn care tree care knowledge and ability sell jobs
Knowledgeable tree climbers can teach a lawn care businesses how to successfully bid and estimate lawn care jobs.

Your lawn customers seek your confidence.

This crew was confident, knowledgeable, and ready to work immediately.  Knowing a storm was brewing that evening and knowing that I wanted my weekend time off to clean any mess left by the tree cutters, I gave them the green light to proceed with the work.  Within 5 minutes, the climber fitted his harness and was making his way up the tree.  Branches were falling 10 minutes after the workers had arrived at my property.

A dogwood tree, a fence, shrubbery, and a house all risked being damaged by falling branches.  All items were safe as this crew expertly dropped each branch and each section of tree exactly where needed to protect my property.  Within an hour this four man crew had performed their work and were loading up their equipment, $300 richer.  I am happy with their work and I will likely call them back if there is ever a tree I cannot handle myself.

bring lawn equipment to your estimates
Show up for you lawn care estimate with your lawn mower and other equipment. 
These guys got the job because they came ready to work.

Your lawn care / landscaping company can learn a few pointers from my experience.

1)  Your customers are excited to call you.  They have thought hard about finding a lawn service.  They wish
they could do the work themselves but they are pleased with their decisions to hire a knowledgeable and professional company to perform the work.  Once they make that call, they expect you to be responsive and quick to show up for an estimate.  If you drag the estimating process out too long, they will find another company.

2)  Your prospective customers have a general idea what they will pay for their lawn care work.  If your price is a few dollars over their expectations and you can prove to them why the estimate is fair, they will likely hire you.  However, if you are significantly over their expected price and you are not professional in your presentation, they will look elsewhere for a better estimate on the lawn care or landscaping job.

3)  Your lawn customers expect to be treated with respect.  When you give a date or time for your estimate, keep
to your time table.  Making a customer wait is disrespectful.  Also, your customers are proud of their yards and they want their property treated with respect.  In addition to giving a professional cut, do your best to avoid impacting any property, such as lawn furniture, which may obstruct your cutting path.

4)  Show up ready to cut the grass or do the landscape work.  Once a customer calls you to do their work, they
are ready to have it done immediately.  This isn’t true in all cases but normally if a customer agrees on your price you can count on them letting you do the work right away.

Next time you hire someone to perform a service (oil change for your car or having your hair cut) analyze how you are treated to see what you can learn.

Our Lawn Care Business package contains our complete manuals teaching you how to operate a professional and profitable lawn care business.  The package also includes a full software suite, video tutorials, and estimating calculator software.

Visit our site at: 

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

 

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