Start A Lawn Care Business

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Archive for category lawn care training

It Sucks For This Guy – Getting a truck stuck on a steep driveway.

Aug 17

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn care customers, lawn care training | No Comments

It Sucks For This Guy - Getting a truck stuck on a steep driveway.

Getting a truck stuck on a steep driveway.

One thing we try to do with our lawn care business blog (and the lawn care business training package) is to help you avoid annoying and costly situations.  With nearly 20 years’ experience in the lawn care industry we have seen many small nusiances turn into large problems simply because lawn care business owners don’t know how to avoid and maneuver obstacles associated with doing the business.

I witnessed one such annoyance today.  Now, while this problem did not involve a lawn care company it did involve a situation that many lawn care companies find themselves in.  If you are driving a large truck with a long wheelbase, pulling a trailer, or have a drop hitch on your vehicle you should be particularly careful transitioning off the roadway and up steep driveways.

I have seen many instances where a lawn care truck’s drop hitch contacts the ground as the truck is beginning to climb the driveway.  The forward momentum of the vehicle causes the drop hitch to dig into the asphalt but not before the rear wheels lose traction.  This is VERY annoying and, practically, the only way to get out of the situation is to call a wrecker and have your vehicle towed out.

So, if you have lawn care customers with steep driveways, keep this in mind before you go barreling up the driveway and cause yourself a ton of grief.

Do you want to avoid even more hassles in your Lawn Care Business?  Take a look at our Lawn Care Business Training Package:

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
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Lawn Mower Problems? Change your air filter.

Sep 28

Posted by Lawn Care Business in equipment, lawn care business, lawn care training, maintenance | No Comments

by: Start A Lawn Care Business

My shoulder hurts. My fingers are blistered. The starter rope just ripped off in my hand.

If you own a pull-start lawn mower, you might have similar complaints when you pull and pull only to have your lawn mower sputter and die after each crank. You depress the primer bulb, spray a couple squirts of starter fluid and crank again. The spark plug is new, the gasoline is fresh, and the oil has recently been changed. All the controls are set correctly yet, still, your lawn mower won’t start.

Well, if you are like lots of lawn care business owners, you have probably been running your lawn mower hard all summer. We all neglect maintenance occasionally and you are paying the price for not taking proper care of your lawn mower. Proper lawn mower air filtermaintenance should be a daily chore to every lawn care business owner.  However, if your last two months have been anything like mine, you have been mowing as much dirt and dust as you have been mowing grass since the weather has been so dry.  Air filters have been the last things on your mind. Now that we are into September and early October, leaves are falling and you are trying to mulch the leaves with your lawn mower blades to avoid having to work the rake on all your customers’ lawns.

Dried out grass, dirt, and leaf dust all put tremendous particulate matter into the air. As your lawn mower operates, it sucks that same dust laden air through the airfilter and into the carburetor. After weeks of mowing in dusty conditions, your air filter is probably clogged with the dust and dirt of a thousand lawns.

Whether or not you believe a clogged air filter is your lawn mower’s problem, take a few minutes to check and perform proper maintenance on your air filter.  If your lawn mower has a multi-stage air filter, be sure to clean or replace both stages.  The benefits of fuel economy and better performance can be amazing.

For many other lawn care equipment tips that will help you have a smoother running lawn care operation, check out our lawn care business training course.  You can read the full description on our main website.  The business package is on sale right now.

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
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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

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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.

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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

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Chemical Application – Additional Regulations

Mar 8

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, fertilizer, lawn care training, lawn chemicals | No Comments

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 

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Raynaud's Syndrome and Lawn Care Workers

Oct 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn care business, lawn care training, lawn care work gloves, leaf blowers, weedeaters | No Comments

As the year draws on and weather gets colder, I want to take a moment to mention a condition that can affect lawn care workers who use weedeaters, edgers, leaf blowers, and other vibration-heavy tools during cool and cold weather months.

I first became aware of the existence of Raynaud’s Syndrome and its risks to lawn care business workers my first year in the lawn care business while reading the instruction manual of a new professional weed eater I had just purchased. I have operated weedeaters for many years and I know proper operating technique. However, as a matter of course, I read the instruction manual and learned of a health risk I had never perceived.

The manual’s caution mentioned that workers enduring several hours of vibration each day (especially during cold weather) from power equipment were at greater risk of effects from Raynaud’s Syndrome.

According to Wikipedia, Raynaud’s syndrome is a hyperactivation of the sympathetic system causing extreme vasoconstriction of the peripheral blood vessels, leading to tissue hypoxia.

I am not a doctor and I don’t exactly know what the above paragraph means. However, I do know, after reading my instruction manual, to be aware of excess vibration from weedeaters, edgers, and blowers during cold weather.

In the “StartALawnCareBusiness.com” lawn care business training materials, we make note that you should keep a close check on your health and you should get regular health checkups from your health care professional. A checkup is also advised before you start your business work simply to understand your general health and diagnose any underlying health concerns.

Of great importance (and the general gist of this blog post) is to always read and follow the instruction manuals for all of your lawn care equipment. You many think instruction manuals are only filled with common sense and you already know how to operate each piece of lawn care equipment. However, there is valuable information within those manuals and it is wise to read them completely so you fully understand proper usage and cautions (known and unknown) of your lawn care equipment. Though I am very familiar with most types of lawn care equipment, I always read the instruction manual thoroughly before operating any new piece of equipment. I advise you to do the same.

You never know what you don’t yet know.

Disclaimer: This blog does not provide medical or professional advice of any sort. You should seek advice from your health care provider for answers to all questions you may have.

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Father's Day June 21, 2009 Lawn Care

May 27

Posted by Lawn Care Business in father's day, lawn business strategies, lawn care training | 1 Comment

Father’s Day is June 21, 2009

If you are like millions of people around the country, you haven’t even begun to think about a gift to buy for your Father this coming Father’s Day. Father’s Day will be here before you know it. Before you drive out to the mall or Wal-Mart and spend an hour shopping for something he probably won’t like anyway (sorry, truth hurts) take a moment to think about buying him something that will truly benefit him and his life.

Earning Money is Important to Fathers

What is important to most Fathers? Money, right? Not just money itself but money as a way to provide for their families, to put food on the table, to pay the rent/mortgage, and to pay for the niceties that make life enjoyable. Especially in these hard economic times, any man with a family is worried about his ability to maintain finances.

Though it might seem unlikely, starting a lawn care and landscaping business can be a quick way to generate almost immediate cash. Lawn care can also be a long-term business that can grow over time. Starting his own business may be a life changing event.

About Men (especially Fathers)

Let me tell you a quick fact about most men (I am one so I should know). There is a reason men don’t want to stop to ask for directions. There’s a reason men are reluctant to ask for help. We want to figure things out on our own. We are explorers and pioneers. We are hunters and gatherers. We are cavemen and Vikings. Armed with only a club we will kill the fiercest beast and drag it home for dinner.

Okay, that would all be well and good if we were living a million years ago. But we’re not living a million years ago. We’re living in the present and there are consequences to trying things on your own. There is help available today and there is no stigma accepting help from others.

Help Him Start a Lawn Care Business

Starting a lawn care business is no different than being a pioneer except for the fact that it doesn’t have to be done alone. There should not be any stigma accepting help in starting a lawn care business. But, men are men and sometimes reluctant to ask for help. This is where you should step in for the Father in your family.

Business Start-Up

The ( www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com ) business program is designed to help in starting your own lawn care business. From the first days of your business plan, learning about licenses, knowing how to advertise and what equipment to buy, the business program takes you through practically every step of operating a successful lawn care and landscaping business. We have been in the business since 1992 and we have done everything from small $20 lawns all the way up to large multi-year government mowing contracts. All our years of knowledge and experience has been poured into the program.

Father’s Day Gift

If you would like to get your Father the best Father’s Day present ever and not make him face starting his own business alone, get him the complete Lawn Care Business program.  It includes a full series of business  manuals, business software, training videos, and estimating & bidding software.   It’s on sale right now in time for Father’s Day.

Visit our homepage at: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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