Archive for category lawn care business

Occupy Wall Street and Lawn Care Equipment (Occupy Lawn Care)

Leaf cleanup hampered by Occupy Wall Street

Leaf Cleanup Hampered by Occupy Wall Street

If you live in any major city in America, you probably have an “Occupy Wall Street” movement in your hometown. Whether you agree with the movement or not, there is something we can learn, as lawn care professionals, about the encampments that sprung up around America during October and November.

I visited our local courthouse this morning to survey leaf cleanup, lawn care, and landscaping needs that the city is experiencing. Though I had heard about our local “Occupy” movement, I had not realized the grounds of the courthouse had become so populated with protesters. Strewn across the grassy (and leaf covered) court house grounds are 30 to 40 tents acting as temporary housing for “Occupy” residents.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a lawn care customer walks around the lawn when I am trying to cut the grass or blow the leaves. Lawn care equipment is dangerous enough without my having to be distracted by customers wandering all over their lawns while I am trying to work. Can you imagine mowing grass and blowing leaves while Occupiers strolling around the grounds holding signs and chanting protest songs? Can you imagine operating a 200 mph commercial backpack leaf blower while attempting to keep their tents and belongings from blowing off the grass and onto the street?

Occupy Lawn Care

Occupy Lawn Care

Anyway, my main point is that when you are performing your lawn care jobs for your customers, you need to keep your head about you and be cautious of the damage your lawn care equipment can inflict.

Do you want to learn more about starting your own lawn care company? Visit our main website and consider purchasing our professionally produced lawn care business guidebook, tutorial, and estimating software….and watch out for those protesters.





http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Occupy Wall Street and The Lawn Care Industry

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Lawn Care Estimates – Get Your Pricing Right

Mowing Grass for Minimum Wage - Make More Money

Mowing Grass for Minimum Wage? Make More Money.

Do you own a lawn care business? Are you undercharging for your lawn care services?

I am continually surprised at the number of new business owners who start doing lawn care and have absolutely no idea how much money to charge for the services they provide. Pricing is a tricky subject and if you are operating a lawn care business without a proper understanding of the estimating process, you are likely going to lose thousands of dollars. We received a comment recently in response to one of our free videos that we have on YouTube.

The commentor wrote:

I get paid $25 for a house with a huge hill that takes me 2 hours to mow. It takes me 30 minutes to get there and I have to mow around a bunch of stuff and trim alot and use my own gas.

I must point out that I do not know anything about this person’s business or why he is charging this price. However, on the surface, it seems to me that he is VASTLY undercharging for his lawn care services. According to his comment he is working for 2 hours and driving for 1 hour round trip. Additionally, he is providing his own gasoline and, I assume, using his own lawn mowing equipment. For his time, he is only getting paid $8.33 per hour. Subtract his gasoline and equipment expense and he is probably making less than minimum wage for this lawn care job.

YIKES!!!!

If you own a lawn care business you MUST get your pricing right. There is very little point in setting prices so low that you are working for close to minimum wage when, with a quick lesson in proper price estimation, you can learn how to make great money in your lawn care business.

Our lawn care business program is dedicated to teaching you proper strategies in lawn care estimation. If you are tired of mowing grass for less money than you should, visit our main website and consider purchasing our lawn care business strategy guidebook and estimating sofware.





Visit the link below:

Lawn Care Estimating Software
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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First Aid Kit for your Lawn Care Business

First Aid Kit for Lawn Care Business Owners

First Aid Kits are needed for Lawn Care Business Owners

Bee stings, insect bites, cuts, scrapes, and abrasions are all part of the teritorry when you run your own lawn care business. Lawn care can be dangerous work and it behooves you, as a business owner, to have an adequate first aid kit on the ready when minor injuries occur.

I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and noticed they had a large display of First-Aid kits on sale for $9.97. These kits include 170 first aid items such as band-aids, gauze, antibiotic ointment, reflective blanket, medical tape, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, gloves, and a handy first-aid guide.

Though they are not all-inclusive, these kits contain many items needed for treatment of minor injuries that can happen on a day-to-day basis running a lawn care business. Medical experts warn that quick treatment of small wounds can help prevent more serious complications.

We are in the midst of summer now and your lawn care business is probably running hard every single day. It is vitally important that you maintain your health and take care of medical issues as they present themselves. An adequate first aid kit is only one step in helping you maintain your health.

If you would like to learn more about how to properly start and operate a successful lawn care business, we would like to invite you to visit our main webpage and learn about our lawn care business program. The book and software is jam-packed with information and business tools specifically designed to help you with your small and medium sized lawn care business.

For more information, visit our main page: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Make more money offering environmentally correct lawn care techniques.

A healthy lawn and green grass

Proper mowing leads to a healthier lawn.

Mow it low and go.

Arghhh…how many customers do you have that want you to show up to their property every two weeks, mow their grass as low as your blades will allow, and go away for another two weeks until the grass is, once again, two feet high? 

While the money is often good with these types of basic lawn care customers, there is something unfulfilling about performing the lowest form of lawn care services demanded by some customers…mow it low, and go.

It is springtime right now and many of you who are just getting started with your lawn care companies are looking for any customers you can find.  I understand that you probably don’t care if you have 100 “mow it low and go” customers…you just want to be mowing grass and making money.

However, as you are acquiring customers this spring, I want to challenge each of you to attract as many customers as you can who want to care for their lawns in a proper, environmentally responsible fashion.  We’re not talking about customers who want to apply lots of fertilizers and pesticides and expect a perfectly manicured lawn each week.  We are talking about customers who will let you raise your blade to a proper height, practice integrated pest management, install water gardens & natural areas, and build good soil by leaving well-mulched clippings on the lawn.

Attracting a few customers who are keenly interested in having healthy lawns will teach you a tremendous amount about proper lawn care and they will give you tons of ideas and healthy lawn care management practices that you can spread to your other lawn care customers.

The benefits of building beautiful lawns with environmentally correct lawn care techniques are far reaching.  Yes, you will be proud of the lawns and landscaping (and make great money from those customers) but also, great lawns generate amazing referrals.  And if you acquire the right customers and bid your jobs correctly, you should be able to build a list of top-notch customers who are willing to pay you handsomely to maintain their lawns and landscapes.

Do you want to learn how to operate a successful lawn care and landscaping business? Visit our main webpage to learn more about our “Start A Lawn Care Business” guidebook and software business package.  This is a HUGE business toolkit which is perfect for anyone just starting in the business or anyone who is looking to expand a lawn care business.

Make More Money With Your Lawn Care Business
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Mowing Grass for Foreclosure Homes

Make money mowing grass on foreclosures.

Learn how to make money mowing grass on foreclosures. This sign is advertising a free foreclosure list at a local real-estate office.

Can your Lawn Care Company make money mowing foreclosure lawns?

Lawn care business owners have faced a tough business climate since the housing bubble burst. We (StartALawnCareBusiness.com) have been guiding many business owners on methods of making money during this economic downturn. We get to speak with lots of Lawn Care Business owners and we have seen increased opportunities for the past several months.

Now that we’re coming out of the winter season, spring cleanup jobs are in abundance. Our financial winter is also coming to an end and the housing market is beginning to see new signs of life. Just this morning, I was reading a report that states foreclosure filings dropped 27% from February of last year.

Since the foreclosure market has been so big in recent years, we have become experts in tracking down foreclosures and making money upkeeping their lawns. The fact that foreclosure filings are dropping means that real-estate is moving again and real estate agents are becoming even more willing to spend big money fixing up lawns of foreclosed homes and businesses.

We believe the opportunity to make lots of money providing lawn care and landscaping services on foreclosure properties will remain strong all this year and into next year.

If you are just starting your lawn care business or if you are looking to expand an existing lawn care business, our guidebook will help you understand how to bid these properties and how to make great money doing foreclosure cleanup.

For more information on the business program, visit our main website:

Make Money Mowing Foreclosure Lawns
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Lawn Care Business and the Price of Gasoline

Lawn Care and the Price of Gasoline

Gas prices and your Lawn Care Business

Once again, the lawn care season is starting out during a period of rising gas prices. If you are new to the lawn care industry then you probably don’t remember a time when you could fill your van, the crew truck, all the lawn mowers, and the extra gas canisters for under $100. Filling all those tanks today costs over $200. Yikes.

Are you looking for ways to reduce the cost of gasoline for your lawn care business?  We have written many articles dealing with high gas prices and we would like to share a few gas saving techniques with you.

1) Maintain proper inflation in all your tires. Check tire pressure daily in the tires on your vehicles, equipment trailers, and equipment. Proper inflation will increase your miles per gallon.

2) Properly maintain your equipment. Oil changes, filter changes, tune-ups, and sharp lawn mower blades will greatly increase the amount of grass you can cut per gallon of gasoline.

3) Plan your routes carefully. Using careful routing strategies not only saves you gasoline but also save you time on the roads.

4) Store your gasoline canisters properly with lids closed to avoid spillage.

5) Close gasoline valves on your equipment during transport and storage.

These are just a few tips on how you can save gasoline in your lawn care business. Our lawn care business program contains much more advice such as how to properly develop grass cutting patterns on your customer’s lawns to reduce time and reduce costs.

To learn more, visit our main website:

  • Reduce Gasoline in your Lawn Care Business
    http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
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    Lawn Care Business and the Recent Unemployment Numbers.

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

    Economists are so funny.  First, they make up forecasts based on their best guess estimates.  Then, when the numbers don’t come in as expected, they claim the unemployment numbers are disappointing.  Everyone gnashes their teeth and the stock market plummets as the television news stations make us common folk feel like the world is coming to {yet another} end.

    Maybe the numbers themselves aren’t “disappointing.”  Maybe it was the economic unemployment forecast that was “disappointing” to begin with.

    My formal education is in finance and economics.  I earned my degree long before I broke free of the cubicle and started my own lawn care business.  I will alway remember one professor who told me, as I was trying to analyze an economic report, “the numbers can be good or bad, it all depends on what kind of spin you put on them.”

    Yuck.

    Anyway, what do you guys think about the latest unemployment numbers?  Do you think that they are good or bad for the economy.  How do you think they will affect your lawn care business.  I will tell you what I think.  I think a lowering of the unemployment rate to under 9% is a huge step in the right direction.  As more people are put back to work, more people will have less time at home.  And they will have more money in their pockets to hire out their lawn care services.

    One other benefit of more people going back to work is that many guys who were cutting grass as extra income while they were out of work will stop mowing grass.  Less competition in the lawn care industry is good for the guys  who are still doing it and for the guys who are starting their lawn care businesses this year.

    So, if these talking heads on TV are getting you down and making you feel there is no hope for your life, turn off the TV and take your destiny into your own hands.  Someone is always going to have a bleak story to tell.  However, we (www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com) speak with LOTS of lawn care industry insiders and we feel we have a pretty good idea of what is going on within the industry.  Lawn care is going to be strong again and we think this year is going to be one of the best years in recent memory for anyone with a lawn care company.

    So, wether you are wanting to grow an existing lawn care business or you are wanting to start a brand new lawn care business of your very own, we hope you will stop dreaming and start doing.  Right now is a great time to get started.

    We would also like to tell you that if you don’t know where to start and you don’t know how to acquire customers and price your jobs, we have developed an EXCELLENT series of guidebooks and ESTIMATING SOFTWARE to help you start your own successful Lawn Care Business. Maybe by using our Lawn Care Business Estimating Software, you will be able to give better estimates than the economists. 🙂

    For more information, read more about the business program on our main website.  Click the link below:

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

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    Spring’s In Bloom, Start A Lawn Care Business!

    Spring is time to start a lawn care business

    The first daffodil of the mowing season.

    YAY!!! Spring is in bloom over much of the United States. Yes, I know as soon as I get excited about this we will get a foot of snow to squelch my enthusiasm. But still, as I look outside and see the first colors of the season, I can’t help to look forward to another great mowing season.

    As pretty as the daffodils are, they are not the only thing blooming and they are not the only sign of spring. While you probably won’t get many lawn care customers if you advertise that you will neatly mow down their daffodil, there is another form of green growth in springs that many customers will pay you good money to keep cut.

    This time of the year, throughout much of the eastern half of the country, wild garlic sprigs are popping up in lawns everywhere. Wild garlic is commonly called wild onions. Wild onions do grow in lawns but it is a bit early for them to be popping up.

    Wild Garlic and Wild Onions need to be cut.  Start a lawn care business.

    Can you guess which? Wild Garlic or Wild Onion.

    The greenery this time of year is (most likely) wild garlic. Actually, it doesn’t matter what you or your customers call it, this greenery needs to be trimmed and this early need to tidy customers’ lawns make for a tremendous opportunity for you to get an early start on your lawn care business.

    Listen, we know you are excited about the possibility of starting your own lawn care business. If you don’t know where to turn or how to get stared, we have developed a comprehensive business guidebook and software package that will GREATLY help you get started. We have been associated with the lawn care industry (started our lawn care business in 1992) for almost 20 years. We cover a tremendous amount of information and help you avoid a tremendous number of obstacles when you are first getting started. Don’t waste your time and money trying to figure it out yourself when we’ve already done that for you.

    Our package also includes support. So, if you have any questions after your purchase, just let us know and we will do our best to give you specific information or share ideas with you.

    Learn more about the guidebooks and estimating software business program on our main website:

    START A LAWN CARE BUSINESS
    http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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    Lawn Care Leaf Question – Whut Iz It?

    We occasionally post pictures and asked our readers if they can recognize the type of plant depicted. 

    I was just going through some of our lawn care pictures from 2010 and realized we never received a correct answer for this picture.  Can you correctly answer the question of what is going on in this picture?  If you are a lawn care business owner and want to take a stab at a guess please be sure to list your lawn care related website.

    Good luck on your guesses.  Here’s the picture:

    what is growing on this leaf?

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    Happy Thanksgiving from Start A Lawn Care Business

    Hi Everyone:

    I just want to take a minute to post on here and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

    I hope everyone is taking a few days off of this busy time of year to relax and spend time with family and friends.  There is still much work to be done on your lawn care customer’s lawns.  Leaves still need to be raked and lawn winterizing needs to be performed before harsh winter weather sets it.

    Have a nice long weekend.

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING

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