Start A Lawn Care Business

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A "Successful" Lawn Care Business?

Nov 9

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

by: Start A Lawn Care Business

Too often in the lawn care industry, we think of success in terms of number of jobs per day, number of crews, or number of clients on a roster.  For full-time lawn care companies, these criteria are important to the overall well-being of a company.  However, the industry should never overlook the needs of the small lawn care business owner or the solo part-time guy just looking to make an extra several hundred dollars per week doing a handful of residential and commercial customers.

Though many large-scale lawn care business owners purchase our “Start A Lawn Care Business” training package to gain new ideas how to grow their businesses, the majority of the purchasers of our business program are aspiring entrepreneurs looking to either start a new lawn care business or current small business owners who are looking to expand their business, go full-time, and add employees.

I was speaking with a guy last week who saw on of our Leaf Raking Videos on YouTube.  The video stirred his interest and he is about the take the plunge, purchase a commercial leaf blower, and start finding clients.  The main question he has is how to bid leaf raking and leaf blowing jobs.  We run into these questions very often and this is exactly why we developed the “bidding tutorial and estimating software” sections in our lawn care business program.  There are too many variables to do flat rate pricing on leaf cleanup jobs.  Our estimating tutorial teaches you how to properly bid jobs without overpricing (or underpricing) your work.

If you are a one-man operation wanting to start or grow a successful lawn care business we encourage you to learn how to bid your jobs properly and grow your business correctly.  We believe the strength in the Green Industry lies in the hands of small lawn care business owners.

For more information on the Lawn Care Business training guidebook and software package, visit our main webpage at:

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Instantaneous Profitability with your Lawn Care Business?

Oct 14

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, start a lawn care business, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

by: Start A Lawn Care Business

My good friend Steve with the LawnChat.com lawn care blog recently asked how long it takes before a lawn care business becomes profitable.

I remember taking business classes when I was in school. The professors often lectured that many businesses take up to 5 years before they ever turn a profit. “An entrepreneur should have a minimum of 6 months working capital before starting any small business” they would preach. I remember sitting in those classes thinking that I wanted to be profitable within 6 DAYS of starting my business (whatever it was going to be at that time) not 6 months. “Were they crazy?” I would think to myself, “6 months is an eternity.” Well, as I get older I realize that 6 months is not an eternity but I still believe it is certainly too long to wait to become profitable in a small lawn care business.

When we finally started our lawn care business in 1992, I was lucky that we did, indeed, have 6 months working capital. However, we did not feel that was an excuse to waste time and money trying to become profitable. Listen, we’re talking grass mowing here. We’re not designing the next super computer or building an automotive factory complex with billion dollar financing.

We are big believers in steady controlled growth of a new business concept. We have truly never understood lawn care business owners that borrow $10,000 (or more) to purchase great lawn equipment before they’ve ever even cut their first lawn. There are benefits of starting with $10,000 in business loans but it’s just not our style. Look at the huge success stories in the business world today. Microsoft, Google, Walgreens have never had any significant debt and they are at the top of their industries.

I personally believe lawn care is one of those businesses you can start with practically no debt. A smart LCO can grow his equipment list as his client list grows. Starting small and growing steadily is preferable, to me anyway, than having a constant worry of mortgaged equipment. Starting at this level means you can, practically, be profitable with your first few lawns. “Yeah, well, what about advertising” my professors would say. Do you know what I say to that? Get off the couch, hit the street and start meeting your potential customers face to face. It’s the best advertising you will ever have…and it’s FREE.

Can you imagine starting your own company on Monday and turning your first profit by Thursday? Though this might not be practical for all lawn care business owners, my old business professors’ ears are likely burning when I say such things.

In the Start A Lawn Care Business training course, we show you methods of starting your own lawn care business with the idea of becoming profitable almost immediately. We can’t promise that you will be profitable by Thursday. However, we show you principles of the lawn care industry that will have you up and running, and hopefully profitable, than you would have ever thought possible.

To learn more about the lawn care business training course and estimating software,
please visit our website: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Australia Lawn Care Business Startup Guide

Oct 11

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

While we, in the Northern Hemisphere, are knee deep in leaf raking jobs, our counterparts in Australia and New Zealand are just getting started with their spring lawn care season. I have never been to the land down under but I hope to visit one day in the near future.

When I visit OF COURSE the first thing I’m going to do is visit a bathroom to flush a toilet just to see for myself which way the water swirls. 🙂 Seriously though; when I visit I will be interested in learning more, first hand, about horticultural and business practices south of the equator.

If you are reading this blog posting from Australia, New Zealand, or any country in the Southern Hemisphere and you are thinking of starting your own lawn care business, this blog is for you.

We are asked many times from people in Australia and New Zealand if we ship our lawn care guidebooks and software package internationally. The simple answer is “YES!” Though we developed the lawn care business course specifically for new lawn care business owners in the United States, many of the business principles apply to your country. A large part of the business program is devoted to teaching you: how to do the work properly, how to bid jobs, how to buy equipment, how to acquire the “right” type of customers, how to make money in the winter, and how to beat out your competition.

Since nearly everything within the business course is customizable (including the estimating software) it works perfectly across international boarders. As long as you live in a country that fosters an entrepreneurial spirit this lawn care business package is for you.

The only thing we ask is that you pay a few dollars more for shipping and that you pay via paypal (credit card or paypal account). That’s all we ask and we will ship the entire lawn care business course to you within 1 business day. Normal shipping time is about 7 to 10 business days to most countries.

So, if you are thinking about starting a Lawn Care & Landscaping business, review the entire description on our home page and then return here to make your purchase with the button below.

Thank you and best of luck to you….where ever you are. 🙂





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Quiting the lawn care business?

Sep 16

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

by: Start A Lawn Care Business

We received an email today from a guy who has decided to quit his lawn care business.

“It hasn’t rained in months. The grass has all dried up and I’m not making any money.”

I really feel for this guy. Anyone in the lawn care business (at least in the SouthEast) knows how difficult the last 5 – 6 weeks has been. Rain has been scarce and the only people having their grass cut are the customers who can afford to water their lawns either with a water hose or through an irrigation system.

Late August through early September is always a difficult time of year. Drought is a word weathermen like to use almost incessantly though this time of year is notoriously dry year after year.

Lawn care clients don’t want to pay for you to mow their dirt. Although there are methods of getting paid during the dry weeks of late August through early September (and our lawn care business program tells you how), you need to plan ahead. Though it’s a bit late for that this year, you can be ready for next year’s dry spell by simply taking a bit of advice from our guidebook.

Apart from the dry spell, the email this guy sent us startled me. I can’t figure out why anyone would quit his lawn care business at the END of the very worst time of year. If he was going to quit, he should have done so sometime between August 1 to August 15 immediately before the “drought” started.

So, why should this guy stick it out and continue with his lawn care business? One word…LEAVES!!!! Look outside. Look at your trees. The leaves are turning. If you are anywhere east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida the leaves on your trees are turning color and are about to dump themselves ALL OVER your lawn care clients’ yards.

Leaf fall is going to be HUGE this year. I can just feel it. And when your customers start calling in a panic because they need their yards cleaned, you will be thankful that you are in a position to profit mightily by raking their leaves and cleaning their properties.

So, if you are thinking about giving up the lawn care business since you haven’t made any money in the last few weeks, get that silly idea out of your head. Right now is the time you need to ramp up your business. Get to work making advertising flyers and handing out business cards. The money you make during the next couple months might very well rival the money you made all summer.

Also, if you haven’t started your lawn care business yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? This is a perfect time of year to start. Customers are scrambling all over themselves looking for dependable lawn care professional who will rake their leaves and clean up their yards before winter sets in.

If you don’t have a clue about charging your customers for your leaf raking services, take a look at our Lawn Care Business guidebook training package. It will help you tremendously in your efforts to operate your own successful lawn care business.

Check it out on our main page:
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Start A Lawn Care Business

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Operating a Home-Based Lawn Care Business

Jul 16

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

by: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Although a great percentage of lawn care business owners around the country operate their businesses from their residences, you must pay heed to your local zoning regulations when attempting to operate a home-based lawn care / landscaping business.

We discuss this subject within the pages of our “Start A Lawn Care Business” course. There are definitely steps to take to assure your business operates without disrupting your neighbors. As many landscaping business owners have learned, however, as a business becomes too large or disruptive to the neighborhood, zoning laws will take precedence over a business owner’s entrepreneurial desires. Here is a report of a lawn care business owner facing a zoning challenge.

Operating your lawn care business legally requires understanding and obeying of all local zoning laws.

To learn more about how to properly operate your own lawn care business, read about our “Start A Lawn Care Business” course on our main website:
www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Start A Lawn Care Business

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Start a Lawn Care Business NOW and Be Ready for Leaf Raking Season

Jul 14

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care business, money, start a lawn care business | No Comments

by: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Hi Everyone:

This is Keith with “Start A Lawn Care Business . com”. Honestly, with 100 degree days and very little rain, this is probably my least favorite time of year. However, even with hot and dry weather, there is still money to be made with your own lawn care business this summer. Mowing grass and landscaping yards with your own lawn care business is a great way to make money for the rest of the summer.

If you want to start a small lawn care business like this guy or if you want to grow your business rapidly and add lots of equipment to your trailer like these guys, you should take a look at our lawn care business course. The program includes our equipment reviews. We travel to lawn care trade shows every year so we can give you the latest information on which lawn care equipment you should purchase for your particular lawn care company.

The Lawn Care Business package also includes the lawn care estimating software. These estimating calculators are designed to help you with your estimating. From small residential yards to large industrial lawn mowing contracts, the estimating software will help help you perfect your bidding process.

So, if you are sick of 100 degree days, think about this: autumn weather is not far behind. Once fall arrives there is going to be a ton of money to be made raking leaves and cleaning up lawns.

Right now is a perfect time to get started with your lawn care business and be ready for the leaf raking season and our lawn care business course, training guide, and estimating software will help you get started with your own lawn care business just in time for one of the most profitable times of the year.

You can read more about the business course on our main website:
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Start A Lawn Care Business

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Happy July 4, 2010 from Start A Lawn Care Business

Jul 3

Posted by Lawn Care Business in start a lawn care business, vacation | No Comments

Hi Everyone:

We would just like to take a minute to wish you and your families a very Happy Fourth of July. It is a great weekend to take your mind off your lawn care business, just relax, and reflect on the enjoyments of freedom our nation offers us.

Happy July 4th.

From:
StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Lawn Care Estimating – How To Estimate (Bid) Lawn Care Work

Jun 11

Posted by Lawn Care Business in estimating, how much to charge, lawn business strategies, lawn care estimating, start a lawn care business | No Comments

by: StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Lawn Care Estimating

Our Lawn Care Business program is jam-packed with information about starting and operating a lawn care business. There is tons of information on business startup, how to advertise and acquire customers, how to bid larger jobs, how to purchase lawn mowers, weedeaters, hedge trimmers, & leaf blowers, and there is also information on how to strip lawns and give professional looking cuts.

As informative as all these sections are, one of the most important sections of the lawn care business course deals with knowing how much money to charge your customers. New lawn care entrepreneurs have difficult times telling their customers how much they are going to charge to cut their grass. We dealt with the estimation problem ourselves our first year in business. I still remember some of the first customers I estimated. I would tell them the price and they would almost always balk and say I was too high. Being new in the business and not wanting to lose customers, I would almost always drop my price immediately…sometimes as much as $10 per cut.

When I think back to those early days now, I left a ton of money on the table because I was too inexperienced to know how to give a good estimate and stand firm on my price. I probably lost thousands of dollars the first six month in business because I didn’t know how to give proper estimates.

If you are new to the business and you feel that you are just not making the money you know you should be making, I urge you to get our Lawn Care Business training coursebooks and training videos. The program includes a REALWORLD description teaching you how to price jobs and how to keep from having your customers turn away from reasonable estimates.

We have the lawn care business coursebooks, video training guides, estimating software, and business toolkit on sale right now through our main website. Learning how to estimate lawn care work properly might save you thousands of dollars of lost revenue this year in your lawn care & landscaping business.

You can order the lawn care business program through our main website: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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You've Goat To Start Your Own Lawn Care Business

Jun 2

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, landscaping, Lawn Care Advertising, lawn care business, lawn mowers, start a lawn care business | No Comments

Starting a Lawn Care Business?  Think about alternative and creative services to offer your customers.

Once again, cities around the country are using goats to gain control over weeds and other vegetation in hard to mow areas.

In our city, Chattanooga, Tennessee, goats have been employed for the last 15 years to fight the relentless creep of kudzu vines.  Kudzu was imported many years ago to help fight erosion on the steep mountainous terrain that circles the city.  Kudzu is great at stemming erosion.  The downside is that it grows rapidly and engulfs trees, telephone poles, and roadways.  Since it is often planted in hard to reach areas, there is no practical method of using lawn mowers or trimmers to keep it at bay.

In the 1990’s, our public works department made a contract with a local goat farmer.  He brought his goats to areas of heavy kudzu growth.  The grazing goats worked non-stop at gnawing the tenacious vine.  Though there were several problems with the goats (wandering off, chased by dogs) the goats proved beneficial to the landscaping upkeep of the city.

We are just one of hundreds of communities using goats for various lawn care and landscaping upkeep duties.  There are even many environmentally conscious corporations and small businesses that use goats as their lawn care companies.  This goes to show you that if you are thinking about starting your own lawn care business, you shouldn’t rule out alternative services to offer your customers.

Though we have never used goats in our own lawn care business, we have been involved in the industry for 18 years and we always enjoy learning about new and creative ways to make money mowing grass.  If you are looking to start your own lawn care business or if you are just looking to make some extra money this summer mowing grass, you will benefit from our experience.  We have produced a very helpful lawn care business guidebook and software package. 

The lawn care business guidebook and software package is for sale right now through our main website and you can read more about it here:  http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Protective Landscaping

May 21

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, landscaping, landscaping photography, start a lawn care business | 2 Comments

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness

What are your selection procedures when choosing landscaping plants and materials?

As landscapers, we have great opportunities to make significant positive differences in our customers’ lives.  It goes without saying that one of the differences we make is for the simple aesthetic beauty of their properties.  We also make nature areas for increased wildlife and song birds, properly prune shrubs and trees for better health of the landscape, and clear scrub brush and over grown shrubs to give an open feeling to the yard and better views of surrounding landscapes.

Using pathways, watergardens, and sitting areas, we help our customers enjoy their property with areas to relax after stressful days in their jobs.

You may have never thought of it before but landscapers can also help our customers feel safe within their homes.  There are certain landscaping techniques that can help protect a home and make its occupants feel safe. 

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, homeowners should trim shrubs and trees that might give criminals a place to hide or climb to second stories.  Thieves often hide behind dense or tall landscape plants that hide windows or other entrances to homes.  Lowering the height of and thinning these shrubs reduce the invisibility that robbers seek.   Planting prickly shrubs is also a great idea.  Plants such as this Adam’s Needle will help deter people from snooping close to windows.

Protective Landscaping for your Lawn Care Business

Knowing your landscaping customers’ desires for their landscaping will help you make suggestion on types of landscaping.  The Adam’s Needle pictured above was planted for a single female who was living on her own.  The deterrent offered by the plant makes her feel safer in her home at night as it offers some protection against people trying to spy through her window.

Do you want to make money with your own landscaping and lawn care business? We have developed a very detailed account of how to start and operate a successful lawn care business. You can read more about the course at:

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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