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Your Lawn Care Business and Code Orange Days

Nov 6

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, lawn equipment, propane | 3 Comments

Air quality issues increasingly impact Lawn Care Business owners.

I am writing this blog post looking through my window on a crystal clear November morning. The sky is colbalt blue and distant Tennessee mountains appear close enough to touch. There is a slight breeze and the frosty morning air is brisk and fresh.

Though crisp November mornings distance me from the thoughts of smoggy Summers days, a billboard I saw this morning forced me to realize the effects air pollution has on our industry.

code_orange

Billboards and other Public Service Announcements have popped up in recent months throughout the southeast. These announcements encourage us to drive less and mow less on Code Orange days.

A Code Orange alert is announced when air pollution is predicted to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups. Typically, code orange levels are between 101 and 150 on the air quality index.

Lawn care equipment produce high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides. Two-cycle equipment such as weedeaters and leaf blowers are particularly high polluters. Oil mixed with gasoline causes very high levels of particulates released in exhaust fumes.

As air quality regulations begin to restrict our movements as an industry, opportunities are created which allow us to become an environmentally sensitive industry.

At recent lawn care trade shows, I am continually impressed to see equipment manufacturers furthering their research into low-polluting machines. The largest progress is being made with propane powered string trimmers and lawn mowers.

Propane powered lawn equipment dramatically reduces the air quality lowering effects of traditional commercial lawn mowers and two-cycled weedeaters and leaf blowers. As manufacturers produce higher quality and lower priced propane powered lawn equipment, our jobs of remaining EPA compliant will become easier.

Lawn care companies that begin the process of upgrading their equipment to propane power will find themselves in unique positions of being able to continue to operate their businesses during code orange days.

Next time you see a billboard reminding you not to mow on Code Orange days, think of it not as a restriction to your lawn care business but as an opportunity for you to distance yourself from your competition.

The “Start A Lawn Care Business” guidebooks, estimating software, and training videos will help you run a better lawn care business.
Order your copy at: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Lawn Care Business and the U.S. Economy

Oct 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care business, leaf raking | No Comments

Lawn Care Business is expected to increase in 2010.

The staff at Start A Lawn Care Business keep very close eyes on the U.S. economy. There is no doubt 2008 and 2009 were tough years to be involved with a lawn care business. However, as the U.S. economy begins to rebound, lawn care business should enjoy great rewards.

According to a Bloomberg, October 2009 report, the U.S. economy expanded at a 3.5 percent rate from July to September 2009. More interesting for lawn care business owners is that residential construction increased 23 percent and household purchases climbed 3.4 percent.

We think 2010 is shaping up to become a boom year for lawn care businesses. Homeowners who have curtailed spending the past two years will have to dump lots of money into their lawns to get them looking good again. This signal expected growth in leaf raking this fall and winter.

Not only are the last months of the year expected to be great for lawn care business owners, in the spring of 2010 homeowners are forcast to have unprecedented need for seeding, aerating, and general spring cleanup services.

If you haven’t started your lawn care business yet or if you didn’t make the money you hoped for in 2009, right now is a perfect time to get started planning for a huge 2010.

To help you start (and expand) a professional lawn care business, we have developed a lawn care business package fill with tools to help you succeed in 2010. RIGH NOW is the time to get started.

The lawn care business package is on sale right now through our website:
www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Starting a Small Lawn Care Business

Oct 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care business, leaf raking | No Comments

Is it okay to start a small lawn care business with very little equipment?

It’s funny to think about the different ways people start their businesses. In helping hundreds of people start their own lawn care businesses, I have seen almost every method of business start-up imaginable.

I have seen people start with $100,000 in business loans emailing me for urgent help because they weren’t making enough money to pay back their monthly loan payment. They had beautiful equipment and a brand new truck and trailer but they had no idea how to run a successful lawn care business.

I remember one gentleman emailing me with only $20 in his pocket. I convinced him to buy a rake and start out doing nothing but raking leaves. He bought a rake and some work gloves. That same day, he walked around his neighborhood knocking on doors. He got rejections from the first 10 homeowners but the 11th gave him a $60 raking job. By the end of the day he had done 4 leaf jobs and had enough money to buy a small push lawn mower. He also purchased our Lawn Care Business package to help him learn how to properly estimate lawn mowing jobs.

I dare say $100,000 worth of equipment is no more a guarantee of success than a $20 rake is a guarantee of failure. In fact, I bet the guy with the $20 rake ran a more successful operation than the company with all the stresses of $100,000 in loans to repay.

Start small, estimate properly, and grow where you can.

Good luck:

Keith
[URL=”http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com”]Lawn Care Business[/URL]

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Chain saw time is here.

Oct 23

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care work gloves, lawn equipment, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

If you have run a lawn care business for a number of years, you know that early winter is a great time to tune-up the chain saw, sharpen your chains, don your protective gear, cut damaged limbs, and clear fallen trees.

This can be a very profitable time for lawn care business owners with chain saw skills.  Cutting wood is not for everyone.  However, woodcutting knowledge and chain saw competence can lead to lots of additional cash.

Firewood

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Your customers will gladly pay you to chop fallen or unwanted trees.  If the wood is good, you can spilt and season this wood.  Once cold weather is in the forcast, people with fireplaces or wood burning stoves will pay you for the wood.  We’ve even heard stories of Lawn Care Businesses who sell wood to the same customers who paid them to haul off the same tree.  Making double money on the same customer is SWEET BUSINESS!

Chain Sharpening

Time is money and sharp chains mean even more money.  If you do lots of chain sawing, consider purchasing a professional chain sharpener.

You don’t have to spend $300 for a professional chain sharpener if you only need to sharpen the occasional chain. This sharpener is only $35. It does a decent job and can be used in the field from your truck’s battery.

Safety is ALWAYS a strong consideration when you do chain saw work. Here are a few safety items. This list is incomplete but it is a good start to being in full compliance when you are providing tree cutting services for your customers.

Chain Saw Chaps

Chain Saw Safety Helmet

Chain Saw Boots

Chain Saw Gloves

Chain saw work can be a good add-on for your lawn care business. If you want to learn more about starting and running a successful lawn care business, check out our training information at:

Start A Lawn Care Business.com

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Are you operating an illegal home-based Lawn Care Business?

Oct 22

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care business, zoning laws | No Comments

All around the country, there are probably thousands of people running illegal lawn care businesses…and they don’t even know they are in violation.

There are many intracacies in running any business.  But, when that business is run out of a home residence, a business owner faces compliance of a slew of zoning laws.

Zoning laws can be tricky.  For instance, a Madison, Wisconsin, a gentleman who built a backyard workshop for his business later discovered that running a business from an accessory building violates local zoning laws.

The article notes that outbuildings used to house lawn equipment (lawn mowers, weedeaters, edgers, and miscellaneous equipment)  used in a lawn care business may also violate local zoning laws.  There are various technicalities in local zoning laws and each community has slightly different codes. 

In many cases, lawn care business owners can legally operate their lawn care and landscaping businesses from their places of residence.  However, if you are operating your lawn care business from your home, it will pay you, in the long term, to know your local zoning laws.  Before you take steps to operate your business from your home (or any building or location on your property) take time to visit your local zoning office to learn how you can comply with their guidelines.

If you want to know how more about operating a successful landscaping business check our our lawn care business material located at:

Start A Lawn Care Business

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Lawn Care and Halloween Promotions

Oct 18

Posted by Lawn Care Business in estimate, holidays, lawn business strategies | No Comments

Hi Everyone:

I just want to let you know that you have 10 days before Halloween.

Many communities around the country are offering Halloween block parties.  This is where an entire block of houses or an entire neighborhood decorate their homes in a Halloween theme and invite each other to view their decorations.  Communities, as a whole, are often invited to join the festivities in a combination of Halloween/Fall Festival.  Bands play for entertainment, cotton candy is served, and bobbing for apples is a game everyone can play.

As a lawn care business owner, these activities present special opportunities.   Offer decoration services to your customers.  You are in a special position to deliver bales of hay or straw and arrange them as a holiday decoration.  If you have an open trailer, you can fill it with straw and offer hay rides.  After the parties are over, use your leaf blowers and rakes to clean the mess.  Offer these services to individual home owners within the block parties or hire out your services to block party organizers.

There are lots of unique jobs you can offer with your lawn care business.

If you are interested in learning how to price jobs more effectively and run your lawn care business through the winter months, check out our lawn care business guidebook available at:  Start A Lawn Care Business

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The Paradox of Choice

Aug 2

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

[podcast]http://www.startalawncarebusiness.com/podcasts/paradox_of_choice.mp3[/podcast]Have you ever walked into a restaurant and been overwhelmed by the menu?

Too Many Menu Items

When it comes to food, I am mostly easy going.  I am not picky with food.  Therefore, I can easily find a lunch or dinner I will enjoy on any basic menu.  Some restaurants try to overwhelm their customers with food choices.  When I visit a restaurant that has a million choices on their menus, I get confused and want to leave for a more simple eating establishment.

Some customers of lawn care businesses suffer from a similar paradox of choice.

Paradox of Choice – Definition

Paradox of choice is defined as an overwhelming abundance of items  leading to a non-decision and loss of sale.

Mistakes of a New Lawn Care Business Owner

Time and again I have seen new lawn care business owners offer a staggering array of services.  They will cut grass, trim, edge, blow off driveways, rake leaves, pull weeds, trim hedges, prune trees, fill holes, mulch beds, clean gutters, aerate, seed, fertilize, plant shrubs, plant flowers, install water gardens, install landscape lighting, pressure wash, pressure seal, exterminate, landscape, etc., etc., etc.

All these jobs are great services for a lawn care company to offer.  However, when your company is new it should focus on a few primary services.  As it’s customer base grows and as its number of employees grow it can begin to offer additional service.

Core Services

I believe cutting, trimming, blowing, and raking are the basic services you should offer when you are new.  Don’t overwhelm your customers with choices early in your business start up.  Otherwise one of three things will happen.

1) Your customers will get confused by your offerings thinking you are trying to be everything to everyone.  They will either walk away to find someone who simply does grass cutting or they will hire you for services for which you are not qualified and do not have the equipment.  You will have to spend all your time learning how to do those job correctly and all your money attempting to acquire the necessary equipment.

2)  You will become a Jack of all trades and a master of none.  This is bad news for your business.  When it comes to business, I would rather be really good at one service than mediocre at many.

3)  You will lose focus on your cash cow (the core of your business) trying to do non productive jobs and your business will suffer.

How Much Is Enough

You don’t have to offer a million services to become a successful lawn care business.  Find a few services at which you are really good  (and customers will pay for) and build your business around those core offerings.

Start A Successful Lawn Care Business

Do you want to operate a successful lawn care business?  Check out our lawn care business program on our main webpage.   It’s on sale right now.

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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How to Proceed? Take the Lead!

Aug 2

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, estimate, lawn business strategies | No Comments

I’ve said many times; the estimating process is one of the more tricky aspects of runing your own lawn care business.  This article helps you put your customers at ease when they request free lawn care estimates.

Unsure Customers

Customers who have never hired a lawn care company before may find it a bit frighening to call a stranger on the phone and request that person come to their homes and look at their lawns.

Likewise, new lawn care business owners may find it intimidating to mosey around a strangers lawn looking for imperfections.  As a business owner, you must realize customers look for you to be the professional and take the lead in the estimating process. 

I have done thousands of estimates.  Most customers have a general idea what needs to be done in their lawn and how much money they are willing to pay within $5 to $10 for weekly service.  But, they are unsure of how to go about getting everything set up to their satisfaction.  It is up to you, as a business owner, to lead the sales call.

Here are a few methods to help you take the lead during your sales calls:

1)  Practice your script.

You do not want to be fumbling for words or wondering what to say to a new or prospective customer.  Using our lawn care business material develop a script of what to say.  You want to be friendly with your customer but you don’t want to be best friend.  Keep chit chat to no more than a few minutes and get to the reasons why you’re there.  Your script needs to, at least, cover the basics: What work do they need performed? How often do they want the  work performed. How much are they willing to pay?  It’s good to listen to your customers but you must direct the conversation.

Once you develop your script, practice it.  I remember giving my first customer estimate when I started my lawn care business.  I didn’t want to make a fool of myself so I developed a script.  I would even close the door to my room and practice in front of a mirror.  Silly, right?  Maybe but it helped me build confidence and gave me the ability to speak with customers and get the jobs.

2)  Know your line of work.

Most  prospects know a few things.
A) The grass looks bad. 
B) I want the grass to not look this bad.
C) I don’t want to pay much to have it not look this bad. 

Ha Ha. Yep, that will sum up about 80% of all your free estimates.  If you know your subject (grass for this purpose) you can lead the discussion to explain why they should hire you.

3) Remove their guess work.

Until you show for the estimate, new customers have little idea what your proceedures are.  Once they are comfortable with the services you offer and accept your price.  They may not know what comes next.  If you’ve already read our lawn care guidebook you know to bring your equipment to every estimate.  Take your customers guess work away. 
Recommend a mowing schedule (example: Wednesday about 10:00).  Recommend a payment plan (example: Leave check under the welcome mat).
Recommend additional work (example: Flower beds need more mulch)

By taking the lead you will instill confidence in your customers making they feel good about having you as their lawn care person.

If you are thinking about starting a lawn care business or if you want to make an existing business even more successful, get a copy of our Lawn Care Business guidebook.  It’s on sale right now!  Visit our main site:  www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Start A Lawn Care Business, August 2009

Jul 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, fertilizer, gutter cleaning, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, leaf raking | No Comments

As August wears on shadows get a bit longer and leaves begin to change color and drop.

[podcast]http://www.startalawncarebusiness.com/podcasts/August.mp3[/podcast][podcast]http://www.startalawncarebusiness.com/podcasts/August.mp3[/podcast]  Anyone who hasn’t yet started their own lawn care business might think they have missed the boat this year and will just have to wait until 2010 to start their lawn care business.

If you have ever wanted to start a lawn care business, right now may be one of the best times of the year to take the plunge and get started.

1)  August is the time when kids head back to school.  Because of homework and extra curricular activities, kids may not want to mow grass anymore.  They drop customers leaving them looking for someone else to cut the grass.

2)  If the summer’s been hot and dry (like this summer) many lawn care operators quit the business since there wasn’t much grass to cut during the last few very hot and dry weeks.  Right now is your chance to take advantage of their shortsightedness.  Rains often return in mid to late August. There are lots of people looking for someone to cut their grass.

3)  Autumn is a HUGELY profitable time for many lawn care business owners.  Leaf cleanup time is only a few weeks away.  There are lawns to be raked and gutters to be cleaned.  Aerating, overseeding, and fertilizing need to be performed on your customer’s lawns too.

A LCO can often make more money the last several months of the year than during spring and summer.  There is HUGE potential right now.

If you have ever wanted to start your own lawn care business or if you have just not made enough money this year you need to step up your game right now.

The StartALawnCareBusiness.com business package tells you how to price autumn clean up jobs and seeding jobs.  There is so much more to owning a lawn care business than cutting grass during the summer.

Right now is your time to get started.

The StartALawnCareBusiness.com business package is on sale right now.  Visit our website:  StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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People Who Don't Respect Your Time

Jul 24

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, employees, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, time | No Comments

I’ve written a couple posts lately on the concept of time valuation.

The-Law-of-Scarcity

and

Distractions-of-a-Lawn-Care-Business-Owner

These posts don’t speak to a dollar amount per minute for your time (there’s plenty discussion of pricing in our lawn care manuals).

More philosophically, these posts explore the concept of general valuation of your time as a business owner and the perceived value placed on your time by yourself and others.

Time Value

I am quickly coming to a strong realization.  You become the sole controller of your time only when you take a strong stance to protect it. Anything less than continued diligence will see your time completely absorbed and abused.

Three methods of protecting your time are listed below.

1)  Surround yourself with people who respect your time. Whether you are dealing with business acquaintances, customers, or employees the people around you must respect your time as a business owner.  If people around you don’t value your time they will waste it for you.  Do your best to distance yourself from time sappers.  Instead, surround yourself with those who allow you the time you need to make your business a success and enhance your productivity during your time with them.

2) Be proactive when allocating your time. When you know someone is a time sapper be ultra-defensive in agreeing to give them time for their activities.   Customer relations are very important for a lawn care business.  However, we all know customers who talk and talk, non productively, when you come to the door.  They tap you on the shoulder and try to talk to you over the roar of your lawn mower.  They never have your check ready when you have completed their lawn and they want to chat endlessly about their grand kids or the weather.

DON’T BE RUDE!!! but be proactive with time sappers.   Let them know you have work to do.  Let them know your business is important to you and, more importantly, all your customers are important to you and you don’t want to keep your next appointment waiting.  Act with a sense of urgency and be on your way.

3)  Resort to being a jerk if needed. Be as friendly and hospitable as possible to all your customers (and friends and other relationships).  However, there are just some people who do not take a hint.  When gentle reminders do not work, occasionally resort to strong reassurances that you don’t have time to devote endless hours of non-productive time to their needs.  Other, more productive, customers will come along and as you fill your client list with good customers, cull the time wasters from your roster.

Start and Expand Your Own Lawn Care Business

Do you have difficult customers?  Learn how to handle them with the Lawn Care Business Program available, and on sale now, through:

StartALawnCareBusiness.com