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Refillable Propane Tank Debate Rages On

May 12

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn equipment, propane, start a lawn care business, weedeaters | 10 Comments

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Judging by the quantity of email we received last week on our recent post about the viability of propane powered weed trimmers and their taking over the lawn care 2-cycle engine market, we feel we are correct in thinking that propane is making a strong toe-hold into the lawn care market.

There is one question we are continuously asked; “Is it legal to refill and transport 1 lb. propane canisters in the use of my Lawn Care Business.”

To be quite up front and honest, we are not 100% sure of the answer to this question. There is lots of debate to this question and without a clear understanding to the answer, our stance is that you should research the correct answer yourself. If you find a complete and easily understood answer, please let us know.

We have heard differing theories on this law. A commenter on www.Instructables.com posted this information:

There is no federal (U.S.) contraint whatsoever on refilling a tank, nor for that matter on transporting such a tank whereever you want (provided it is not a federally-controlled road with restrictions on hazardous materials, which is a section of the CFR that nobody here has bothered to point out). There could not possibly ever be any such global constraint on your right to do so under the 10th Amendment. The cited regulations and laws deal specifically with transport in commerce, that is, transport across state lines for the purpose of selling the tank or using them in support of a commercial enterprise (and, under several federal court cases dating back to the 1930s, commercial transport on federally controlled roads – the so-called “implied commerce” argument that gave us the FDA and EPA). The second item is this talk about it being illegal to transport, even in commerce, REFILLED tanks. That is nonsense. It is not illegal to transport a refilled tank, it is illegal to commercially transport improperly LABELED tanks – if you read the citation for 49 U.S.C. 5124 (that’s the one with the prison sentences and all) you’ll see that it establishes penalties for violation of 21 U.S.C. 5104. Section 5104, in turn, is not a REFILLING statue, it is a LABELING statue. The moment you refill a tank you may or may not have created a fire hazard, but you a very definitely created a mislabeled product – and that’s what is illegal.

If you are considering refilling 1 lb. propane bottles, using them in weedeaters or other lawn care equipment, and/or transporting them as a due course of your business, our main fallback answer is to tell you to read the label of your 1 lb. propane bottle. It clearly states:

Never Refill This Cylinder. Refilling may cause explosion. Federal law forbids transportation if refilled – penalty up to $500,000 and 5 years imprisonment (49 U.S.C. 5124)

Look at #5 in this picture:

refilling propane bottles is dangerous and against the law if transported

If you are running propane powered lawn care equipment, we would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment.  Also, if you are operating a lawn care business and want to learn about the latest lawn care equipment, check out our lawn care business guidebooks and estimating software located at our main website:

Start A Lawn Care Business

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Celebrate Mother's Day with a Beautiful Lawn

May 5

Posted by Lawn Care Business in advertising, lawn business strategies, start a lawn care business | 1 Comment

If your lawn care customers are tired of buying a potted plant or a pretty scarf for their Mothers on Mother’s Day, tell them to pay for lawn care service for their Mom’s instead.

Mother’s Day is this weekend May 9, 2010. At this very moment, millions of sons and daughters (and husbands) are scrambling in search of ideas for their mothers. You know very well that most of them will buy something lame at the last minute to give to their Moms. “It’s the thought that counts” she will exclaim as yet another figurine gets placed on the shelf as a dust collector.

Instead of buying something silly again this year, tell everyone you know that they should buy a lawn servicing or a landscape project for their Moms this year. When you think about it, lawn care is an ideal present for Mother’s Day. She won’t have to nag her husband about it and the grass will finally look good for a change.

In fact, why stop at one lawn care servicing job. If all the kids pool their money, they can buy lawn care service for the entire year and their Moms will know that they never have to worry about the grass again. If they don’t have big yards or if their husbands insist on doing the grass cutting, landscaping projects such as a large planter installation or a flower bed make over make ideal gifts.

If you operate your own lawn care business, don’t miss out on marketing your business during Mother’s Day weekend. You should be able to pickup quite a few new clients.

Also, if you are still unsure about how to price your jobs and how to make the most money for your lawn care company, check out our lawn care business guidebooks and estimating software at: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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April 15, 2010 Tax Day for your Lawn Care Business

Apr 14

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

If you operate your own lawn care business, you’ve already realized that cutting grass is only part of your work day. Paperwork and administrative duties are constant chores for any lawn care business owner and the Mother of all paperwork days is upon us. If you are like many lawn care business owners, you are probably sweating the deadline of tax day.

“Do I have to depreciate this weedeater?”

“What’s the allowable deduction for milage on my work truck?”

“Where’s my receipt for those lawn mower blades I bought last spring?”

Tax questions are endless. If you are trying to do your taxes yourself and you’re up against the clock you might still be able to get your business taxes finished before midnight.

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A Professional Lawn Care Company Would Never Do This!

Apr 10

Posted by Lawn Care Business in how much to charge, lawn business strategies, start a lawn care business | 2 Comments

Start A Lawn Care Business

There are several attributes of professional lawn care companies that will differentiate them from amateurs.

One big difference between professional and amateur lawn care companies is attention to detail. Amateurs get the job done as quickly as possible, charge a low price, and move onto the next lawn. Sure, the grass is cut and the customer is satisfied (for the price) but the lawn often doesn’t have the finely groomed and finished look of a professionally cut lawn.

Professional yard maintenance companies take a few extra minutes to finish their jobs correctly. As such, commercial landscapers can charge their customers a premium over amateurs. Professionals make more money, in the long run, than amateurs who leave their grass cutting jobs unfinished.

I came across a great example of an imperfectly performed lawn care job today. The grass was cut and the weedeating was done but the lawn care company skipped the detail work. Specifically, instead of properly blowing the grass off the road, the workers left the grass on the road surface.

Blow Grass Off Road for a Professional Lawn Care Appearance

If you want to operate a Professional Lawn Care company and get paid professional prices, pay special attention to the small details. They are the difference between your reputation as a professional landscaper versus an amateur with a lawn mower.

Do you want to run a professional lawn care company and make professional money for your work? If you want to earn more money and gain the reputation of a professional, our lawn care business course is designed to help you. We are running a special price on it right now. Visit our main website for full information.

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

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April 15, 2010 is only a few days away. Prepare your Lawn Care Business taxes.

Apr 6

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

If you haven’t complete your lawn care business taxes yet, time is ticking away.

It’s not fun to think about but taxes are a necessity and the completion date is Thursday April 15, 2010. I am writing this blog posting today because you still have time to collect all your receipts, organize your expenses and revenue, and take the whole mess to your accountant. If you prefer to do your taxes yourself, you still have time to order tax software and spend this upcoming weekend completing your tax forms.

There is lots of free professional advice available online and through your local IRS office. We’re not CPA’s so we can’t offer professional advice but we can show you some of the software products we have used in the past. Maybe they will be helpful to you. I’ll post those links below.

Also, don’t forget, if you buy our Lawn Care Business guidebook and software package for your lawn care business, you might be able to deduct the amount of your purchase. Check with your accountant to make sure.

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What to do for your Lawn Care Business in April, 2010

Apr 1

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, environment, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising, Lawn Care Business Taxes, start a lawn care business, taxes | 1 Comment

This video was made on April 1, 2010.

Right now is a great time to get started with your lawn care business if you haven’t gotten started already. If you have already started and you are not getting the customers you need or making the money you want to make then right now is a great time to ramp up your business. April is not too late to get started. There are still lots and lots of customers who haven’t signed up for lawn care service this year. Likewise, there are many business contracts that still haven’t been bid. So, you still have time to get brand new customers on you roster.

Spring is already getting hot. Our temperatures are forecast to be over 80 degrees this coming weekend. Some of the northern states are still cool but Spring is here and the weather is really going to warm up over the next several weeks. Summer is right around the corner.

April 4, 2010 is Easter. You can pound the pavement this weekend to drum up customers who want their lawns tidied up so they will look nice for family Easter celebrations. Since it is a 3-day weekend, many of your potential customers will be working in their lawns. They will need help and if you can visit them at the right time they may hire you to perform general spring cleanup jobs and grass cutting services.

Clover is an issue this time of year. For lawn care companies with applicator’s licenses you might not be too late to apply post-emergent selective herbicide. A better alternative is to select a taller cutting height for your lawn mower blades. A taller, thicker stand of grass will shade out clover reducing the need for chemical application.

April 15, 2010 is tax day. If you haven’t done your taxes yet, get started early. Organize last years receipts and get your tax forms completed early. Like it or not we are obligated to pay our fair share of taxes. If you have doubts about doing your own taxes, consider hiring a CPA. A qualified CPA who understands small business needs can be invaluable to you.

Wild Garlic or Wild Onion are sprouting in yards this month. Take a few minutes to call your customers to mention about the wild garlic that is sprouting in their lawn. Cutting it down will make their grass look so much better.

April 22, 2010 is Earth Day Your customers are becoming increasingly conscious about taking care of their environment. I believe the lawn care industry should be sensitive to the fact that we should not pollute our planet. There are ways to operate an environmentally conscious lawn care company. Many of our readers and viewers of our blog run their lawn care companies with an environmental slant to their businesses. Propane lawn equipment is becoming increasingly popular. Human powered reel mowers are also becoming the norm again in many communities with very small lawns. Operate an environmentally company and let your customers know how you are being aware in 2010.

Spring Stick Cleanup. April is a month when many pine cones and pine twigs have fallen in lawns across the country. Even if your customers don’t need their grass cut yet, they still need their lawns picked up. On an environmental note, you don’t have to haul all these sticks away or burn them or leave them for the garbage men. Offer your customers the opportunity to have a “natural area” in their lawns. Piling the brush in an unused area give habitat to the birds and other wildlife. It is great fun to watch Cardinals and Robins playing in the twigs. Also, many birds use this material to build their nests. A natural area is a great way to save your customers money while helping their environment.

Once again, if you are trying to Start A Lawn Care Business this year or if you currently own a lawn care business that just isn’t bringing in the money it should, visit our website. We have developed a great lawn care business package that will help you with your lawn care business.

www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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I didn't get anything done today in my Lawn Care Business.

Mar 27

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

Have you ever felt that way?

I think every lawn care business owner has the occasional day when you put the equipment away at the end of the day only to realize that you basically accomplished nothing. It’s disheartening when you feel like you’re wasting time and losing money. Spinning your wheels is especially difficult for newer lawn care business owners. Keep your head up though. The main point to remember early in the game is that you are gaining experience each day you work on your business.

What has kept you from getting work done today?

If we put our minds to it, we could possibly list 100 different things that keep you from getting work done. Instead of making a list so long, we’re going to hone it down to 3 main reasons for a new lawn care business owner not accomplishing anything during a work day.

1) No Lawn Care Customers – Most new lawn care business owners have days where there are no customers lined up. Don’t equate having no customers with having nothing to do. Stop sitting around moping in front of the computer waiting for your phone to ring. The next time you have no customers scheduled, get up early, load your equipment in your vehicle, and set out with the same frame of mind as you would if you had 10 customers. Go to the coffee shop early. Make sure people know you’re the owner of the equipment. If you don’t get bites by the time you’re finished with your coffee, let everyone know that you can’t hang around because you have a busy day (leave a few business cards). Head over to Lowe’s or Home Depot (or the nearest hardware store) and look at weedeater. When the guy comes over to ask if you need help, ask some questions about the best commercial weedeater they sell. Tell him you need it for your lawn care business and that you would love him to refer some new customers his way (hand him a business card). As the day wears on, think of other places you can stop where people congregate who might need your services. Hand out your business card and make contacts all day long. When you get home, even if you didn’t unload your equipment one single time, don’t be discouraged that you didn’t get anything done. You made great contact and pretty soon those contacts will turn into customers.

2) Lawn Care Equipment Failure – This is probably more disheartening than having no customers. Losing money is worse, to many people, than not making money. When all the people at the coffee shop (see above) are ringing your phone off the hook wanting their lawns done, it will madden you if your lawn care equipment is in the shop. Equipment failures happen. This is just a fact of life. There are a couple keys to reducing your downtime due to equipment failure: buy good commercial equipment and maintain that equipment properly. Change oil regularly, lubricate according to schedule, change filters, keep your outer stage air filter clean, sharpen your blades, and keep your belts in check.

3) Time Management of your Lawn Care Work Habits – Strategic planning is vital to increasing your efficiency as a lawn care business owner. Proper route planning is one of the biggest drains on a lawn care business owner’s time. After route planning, improper equipment selection and use of that equipment causes many lawn care businesses to lose the time value in their business. Knowing how reduce these time sappers will allow you work more efficiently an feel like you’ve actually accomplished something during your day.

If you have recently started your own lawn care business and you frequently feel that your just not accomplishing much in your business, we invite you to take a look at our main website. We have developed a great business package specifically designed for new lawn care business owners. Within the business guidebooks there is a tremendous amount of information that will help you attract new customers, select and maintain the proper equipment, and manage your time to work more efficiently and make more money per hour worked.

You can read more about us and check out the program at:

Start A Lawn Care Business 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

Start A Lawn Care Business

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.

Start A Lawn Care Business

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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Today is the first day of spring.

Mar 20

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

Start A Lawn Care Business

Today is the first day of spring. For astronomers, the vernal equinox is the day in the earth’s orbit around the sun when the sun appears to creep back over the equator into the northern hemisphere. For lawn care companies, the first day of spring means warmer weather, vigorous grass growth, and new lawn care customers.

I took a drive through a few local neighborhoods at the crack of dawn this morning. The sunrise was magnificient. Once the weather warms, I like to get an early start. It makes me feel like I have a jump on the rest of the world. Already, I saw several homeowners working their yards and tending their gardens. As early as it was, they had a jump on me.

If you are starting your own lawn care company this year or if you are hoping to expand a lawn care business you owned last year, you can still get an early start in acquiring new customers and lawn care contracts. Right now is the PRIME time of year to go after new customers. Homeowners and business owners want their yards to look great for sping. By self-promoting your business this week, you should be able to fill a few holes in your schedule. Customers are motivated to hire competent lawn care people this time of year.

Getting customers early means you will have them all year long and you will be able to upsell them on many services. Spring cleanup is one of the first add on services you can sell to your customers. Even if your customers’ lawns are in decent shape from last year, you can sell them on a “Spring Cleanup Special.” Spend extra time raking leaves out of their flowerbeds, pickup fallen twigs and limbs, and offer to remulch flower and shrub beds.

If you’re like most lawn care companies, the extra income is needed in the spring after such a long winter. Spring cleanup is only one of the many add ons you can offer.

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Bidding on Government Lawn Mowing Contracts

Mar 17

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, contracts, lawn care videos, start a lawn care business | 4 Comments

March is already half over and if you are thinking about bidding on Government lawn mowing contracts you may have already missed the majority of the contracts that have been let for bid for the upcoming mowing season. Don’t fret because there are likely several contracts that have been delayed or are being rebid for one reason or another.

Before you bid on a Government lawn mowing contract you should be aware that Government contracts follow a different code of conduct than many other requests for proposals. I’ve made a short video for you highlighting a few finer points of an example Code-of-Conduct manual. Understanding and agreeing to this manual is the first step in getting your lawn care company on a Government’s bidding list.

Proposal Forms: I want to highlight a few finer points of this contract bidding instruction booklet. The first point is the Proposal Forms. Most bidding packets come with a series of bidding forms. You must complete the bidding forms that come with the bidding packet. Do not fill in your own forms or simply write your prices on a sheet of paper. Your bids may be rejected if you fill them out on anything but the bidding forms that come with your bidding packet.

Late Bids: Make sure you get your bids in on time. If you are late on a bid, the purchasing agent will, most likely, reject your bid. I have seen lawn care companies attempt to turn their bid packets in 2 minutes after the bid-closing times and the purchasing agents have rejected those bids. 9:00AM means 9:00AM and not 1 minute after 9:00. Acceptance of a bid is a violation of the request for proposal and could cause the job to be rebid. I like to submit time sensitive bids a couple days in advance. Rushing to get your bid in at the last minute will cause you to make mistakes. Taking your time with bid preparation allows you to calculate your prices with a clear head.

Submittal of Bids: Bids must be presented in a special bidding envelope that comes with your bidding packet. The envelope will be time stamped by the Purchasing Agent as proof that your submittal was within time cut off of bid acceptance.

Competency of Bidder: Purchasing agents can reject bids from lawn care companies that are deemed incompetent to complete the work. A company that does not posses proper equipment, skills sets, or manpower can be rejected from the bidding process if they are unable to demonstrate their ability to complete the job. Likewise, if a company does not have proper insurance or if they have defaulted on a previous contract, they might be deemed incompetent and their bid rejected even if they are the low bidder.

Performance Bond: A performance bond is a financial instrument stating that you will complete the work as stated in the contract. If you do not complete the work, you may lose your performance bond. A performance bond is designed to keep lawn care companies from bidding jobs that they do not have intention or capability of completing. Take a performance bond seriously. Also, a performance bond will cost you some money or it will tie up some of your financial resources. So, take the additional cost into consideration and work that into your contract.

Collusive Bidding: Bidders of many government contracts are not allowed to discuss their pricing or estimating strategies with other bidders of the same contract. Price setting is highly frowned upon by purchasing agents. Collusion can cause all bids to be rejected by the purchasing agent. Worse than having your bid rejected; collusion can have you banned from the bidding list and can bring even harsher penalties upon the collusive bidders.

This is just a brief overview of a Code-Of-Conduct example to get your companies name onto a bidding list. It can be nerve-wracking attempting to navigate the bidding process. If you are interested in bidding government contracts, we include an in-depth discussion of the bidding process in our lawn care business guidebooks. We have lots of experience bidding these type jobs and our bidding tutorial as well as our estimating calculators will help you give the best bids for these larger-scale contracts. Take a look at our website for more information on the Start A Lawn Care Business program

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