Start A Lawn Care Business

Make money with a lawn care and landscaping business.

RFPs for your LCB

Jan 31

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

Hidden in reams of papers, buried deep within a website’s menu hierarchy, or ambiguated by legal jargon in rarely seen publications, RFPs can bring great profits to your lawn care business.

RFP are “Requests For Proposals” that are sometimes less-than-adequately advertised by businesses, public entities (such as libraries or schools), and government agencies.

Requests For Proposals are voluminous toward the beginning of the year and often cover work to be completed during the upcoming year’s mowing season. Many of these RFP are not heavily advertised. Sometimes, an agency is happy with their current lawn care maintenance company and they refuse to advertise more than is required by their charter for bids to upcoming contracts. Other times, a purchasing manager may not have a large enough budget to properly advertise for bids. For whatever reason they are not correctly advertised, you cannot bid on a contract unless you know it exists.

As a lawn care business owner, your duty is to be a sleuth in searching for RFPs. If you are attempting to grow your business by pursuing contracts, uncovering RFPs should be as large a part of your business as all your other advertising efforts combined.

Knowledge on where to look for RFPs and how to chip away at layers of corporate and government bureaucracy will greatly enhance your ability to successfully bid large-scale mowing, lawn care, and landscaping contracts.

Are you ready to start bidding big lawn care contracts this year?

Our lawn care business guidebook, video training, and estimating software will help you search out these hard-to-find contracts and bid them successfully.

We have years of experience bidding these types of contracts and there is a section in our program devoted to bidding larger scale contracts.

If you are interested in growing your lawn care business and making more money than you ever expected, look at our website for more information. We have a special sale price on the program right now.

Visit our website:

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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2010 is 1/12 over.

Jan 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, contracts, equipment | No Comments

Remembering back 1 month ago, 2009 seemed to fly by and was ended long before I though it would. 30 days later I see that the first page of 2010’s calendar is ready to be flipped.

Where does the time go?

February 2010 is upon us. Although February is the shortest month of the year (and often the most wintery), this is the month where you need to work harder than most any other month getting contracts and lining up new customers for your lawn care business.

Municipalities, small businesses, government agencies, and homeowners alike are all beginning the search for this year’s lawn cutters. If you are not out right now pounding the pavement and getting your name in front of these customers, you are missing a potentially huge market of new customers.

Getting customers right now can make the difference between a great year and a financially misserable year.

Early customers are important for a number of reasons. First, you want long term customer for your business. Clients who start with you today have the potential of having their grass cut for the entire mowing season. Secondly, customers refer other customer via word-of-mouth. If you hump it right now, you may very-well be able to fill your roster by the end of February. Can you imagine having a full client list before March arrives. The third reason why you should get busy now is because lawn mower dealers are running early-bird specials this time of year. They want your business early and if you already have money coming in (or, at least, guaranteed contracts) you will be able to get some great deals on commercial lawn mowers and other equipment.

Are you at a loss on how to get customers and lawn care contracts? We have developed a lawn care business guidebook and training package which will help you Start and Expand your lawn care business this year.

Learn more about our business package at our website:
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Tax Day – January 15, 2010

Jan 15

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Business Taxes | No Comments

This is a quick heads-up for all lawn care business owners that pay their taxes quarterly; today is January 15, 20010 and it’s time to make your last quarterly payment for the 2009 fiscal year.

If you’re unsure of your tax liabilities for 2009, pay a quick visit to your accountant today. You don’t want to be surprised on April 15 by paying too little today.

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That’s Hot!

Jan 10

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

Like me, one of the things you probably love about operating a lawn care business is your ability to buy new toys and gadgets.

Toys and gadgets can be expensive lawn mowers and 4 wheelers to pull a spray tank. Or the toys can be less expensive tools that are fun to use while still providing a beneficial service for your company.

I received a neat device this morning that is sure to come in handy for your lawn care business. I want to quickly pass along the information in blog format. Check out our YouTube Lawn Care Business channel for an upcoming video.

Today’s neat device is the Ryobi IR001 Infra Red Thermometer.

This “non-contact thermometer” remotely measures the temperature of any object. Quite simply, you point the device at an object you want to measure, pull the tigger, and you are giving the object’s temperature to within 5 degrees.

Now, you might wonder how this non-contact thermometer can be useful to a lawn care business. I’ve already found two uses.

1) Checking the spindle temperature helps determine if lawn mower blade spindles are lubricated and functioning correctly. This will be especially handy on lawn mowers with multiple spindles. Comparing temperatures between spindles will help you determine if one spindle is functioning better than the other. If one spindle is significantly hotter than the others, the hot spindle may be misaligned or undergreased. A hotter spindle mean more friction. More frictions means harder work performed by your engine and more wear and tear on your components.

2) Engine temperature. Abnormally high operating temperatures can cause premature engine damage. The IR temperature gun can give you an indication of high engine and/or exhaust temperatures which may lead to discovery (and repair) of an existing problem.

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The Meaning of Being A Consultant.

Jan 7

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

No business runs so smoothly that a consultant can’t screw it up.

We received a funny email the other day from a guy who wants to buy our lawn care business strategy guidebooks and software package. However, he’s a bit skeptical of our “expertise.”

He said:

“What makes you people think you know so much about the lawn care business and why should I pay you $50 for your help?”

HAHA! Well, in spite of it’s negative tone, the email really did make us laugh a little. I suppose I really do understand this guy’s skepticism. I’ve always been skeptical of so-called “EXPERTS” too. I remember working my way through college in the accounting department of a local bank. It seemed that every time our department was running smoothly and doing everything we were supposed to be doing, some new expert would come in, tell us we were doing everything wrong, and implement changes to the point where no one knew what was going on. Then, the expert would move on after upsetting the whole department…happened over and over.

Let’s get back to the guy’s email. First off, we do not claim to be “EXPERTS.” However, we started our lawn care business in 1992 and have been associated with the industry ever since. We have seen lots and lots of new lawn care operators fail at the business and we are tired of seeing so many people make mistakes that are easily avoided.

Our 17+ years’ experience gives us a certain seasoned knowledge about the lawn care business that you can only gain by actually doing this business for a number of years. Knowing how much money to charge, knowing how to negotiate with customers, and knowing how to bid on lawn mowing contracts are only three of the many, many concepts we pass along to you in the strategy guidebooks.

The business manuals, the estimating calculators, the training tutorials, and the business tool-kit are all jam-packed with information to help you operate a successful lawn care business. If only one of these training tools makes your business more profitable, then don’t you think $50 is well worth the cost?

Once again, we’re not experts. We’re simply lawn care business owners who have spent years learning what works in running a lawn care business. We are always open to new ideas and we hope you can gain a better understanding of how to run your lawn care business with our business practices and make more money than you were making before.

If you have questions, you can always reach us through our contact form at the top of this page. We are always happy to help.

Good luck.

If you would like to purchase our lawn care business strategy guidebooks and software package, you can find it through our main webpage: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com we’re running a special price on it right now so please order quickly.

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RedMax Leaf Blower Video Review

Jan 6

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn care videos, lawn equipment, leaf blowers | No Comments

Hi Everyone:

This is Keith from www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com. Today, I am reviewing the RedMax EBZ8001 Commercial backpack blower.

My brand new 8001 arrived well boxed in sturdy corrugated packaging. Apart from the blower tubes, the unit itself was fully assembled. A standard wrench, a hex wrench, and a sparkplug wrench were included for quick assembly of the blower tubes and standard maintenance.

With my order, the folks at RedMax were kind enough to include 6 bottles of 50:1 2 cycle oil.

The first thing I noticed about the RedMax was its considerable heavy duty construction. Its size over normal consumer model backpack blowers is impressive.

The RedMax 8001 is powered by an air cooled 2-cycle engine. The engine size is a massive 71.9cc’s capable of moving 915 cubic feet per minute at over 200 mph. It has a digital ignition for easy start and uninterrupted operation.

I was very impressed with the construction of the air filter chamber. Poor air filter design shortens the life of many consumer model blowers. The RedMax 8001 relies on a 2 stage air filter. The first stage is a foam filter. This is a dry filter and RedMax does not recommend oiling the foam stage before use. The second stage is a paper filter. This filter system is vital to long life of engines subject to dusty environments. Access to the filter chamber is made easy by two red oversized tightening knobs at the top of the unit. After mixing 1 bottle of 2 cycle oil with 1 gallon of gasoline, I was ready to fuel my blower. RedMax recommends the use of non-ethonal enhanced fuels as Gasohol can cause deterioration of rubber and/or plastic parts. This made finding gasoline difficult since all gas stations in my area sell E-10 fuel. With a fuel tank capacity of 77.7 fluid ounces and a fuel consumption rate of 64.3 fluid ounces per hour, the RedMax 8001 should be able to operate for well over one hour of continuous use between refuelings.

Engine throttle is adjusted during use by the operator via a control arm. The control arm swivels into position for easy access during use. A red stop button on the control arm allows the operator to switch the engine off when work is completed.

Airflow is directed by use of a swivel tube, a flex tube, and extended blower tubes. A grip assembly allows the operator to direct airflow to the desired area.

Starting procedure is the same as most two cycle lawn equipment engines. Throttle is set and a primer bulb is depressed approximately 6 times. The engine cranks with a pull rope. My engine normally cranks by the 1st or 2nd pull.

With a 200 mph stream of air, the Redmax makes quick work of heavy leaf cover. Moving 915 CFM of air, leaves that would otherwise be able to hide around the corners of this picnic table are quickly done away with.

When my work was complete, I decided to have some fun while learning more about the Redmax. Stepping on a scale with the throttle on low, my weight was 194 lbs. Opening the throttle all the way and pointing the blower tube straight down, the Redmax provided 7 lbs of thrust reducing my weight to 187 lbs.

Next, I did the brick test. Placing a standard brick on a concrete patio surface, the redmax was able to blow the brick over 63 inches.

Lastly, I put the Redmax’s 7 lbs of thrust to use on a blower powered lawn cart. I don’t recommend you try this as I almost fell out of the cart.

Warning: Follow all safety precautions included in your blower’s instruction manual.

I would like to thank Redmax as well as lawn and garden webvision.

Please visit our website at: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com for more product reviews and help in starting and operating your lawn care business.

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More digital cameras for your lawn care company.

Jan 6

Posted by Lawn Care Business in landscaping photography, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising, money | 2 Comments

After yesterday’s blog posting extolling the virtues of having a high-quality digital SLR camera to take marketing pictures for your lawn care business, I received a number of emails asking if there are less expensive options available that give equivilant results to the Canon T1i.

At current writing, the T1i costs just over $700 through Amazon.com. $700 certainly is a lot of money right now but if you are looking for a dSLR that also takes HD video, the 15 megapixel Canon T1i is one of the best options under $1000.

If you are looking to spend under $500, I have a great option for you. The XS and the XSi are near equivilant models that offer similar professional results. Though the XS and the XSi offer lower resolutions and no video, their feature set includes liveview and full manual controls for $100’s less than the T1i.

Canon XSi

The Canon XSi features 12 megapixel, liveview, complete manual overrides, and an 18mm – 55mm. At its current pricing, it saves you about $160 from the T1i.

Canon XS

If you want to save even more money, take a hard look at the Canon XS. At its current price of $449 it saves you $270 from the T1i’s price. At 10.1 megapixels, this camera is no slouch. I’ve read that the higher megapixel cameras are limited by the lens that comes with the camera body. If you have no intention of buying additional lenses and if you don’t need HD video, I think this camera is the one to buy if you are on a budget.

Additionally, with the $270 you save buying the XS, you can easily buy a fairly decent video camera to make short presentations of your lawn care and landscaping work.

If you own any of these cameras, let us know your reviews. Or, if you have a different high quality camera you want to tell us about, please let us know.

As always, if you are looking to improve your lawn care business, check out our training materials located at our main website: StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Canon Rebel T1i DSLR Camera for Your Lawn Care Business.

Jan 5

Posted by Lawn Care Business in landscaping photography, Lawn Care Advertising, lawn care business, lawn care videos | No Comments

The more I think about advertising and marketing for your lawn care business, the more I realize that you must make extra effort to stand above the crowd and bring attention to your business.

As websites and online marketing take precedence over newspaper and other print advertising, the visual quality of your marketing campaign becomes ever more important.

Digital cameras are priced to the point where everyone who wants a digital camera now has one. I’ve recommended for years that lawn care business operators keep a digital camera in their work vehicles for “before and after” documentation of special jobs and for pictures of special circumstances that may arise. For example, if a homeowner isn’t home when you finish a leaf raking job, you can take a picture to prove all leaves were removed from the lawn at the completion of your work. If leaves are on the lawn after the homeowner arrives home, those leaves fell after your leaf raking was complete.

As higher quality digital cameras become more affordable, professional quality photography becomes available even to small lawn care operators. Professional photography equipment can turn an otherwise ordinary looking picture of an outstanding lawn care job into a vibrant masterpiece that screams for the view to call your number and hire you to do their lawn care work during the upcoming season.

If you are looking for a high quality semi-professional digital SLR camera, Amazon.com has one of the best-priced affordable cameras we have seen in a long time.

The Canon D-500 (T1i) features 15 megapixel, liveview mode, and full HD video (use the 720 for best performance).

While I don’t recommend throwing this camera in your work truck, buy this camera to keep in your office and only take it out when you want professional quality shots of your best lawns. If you want marketing shots of your landscaping designs or your lawn striping, this camera will give you amazingly vibrant shots at an affordable price.

The link below will allow you to purchase from Amazon.com at their recently reduced price:

For for information on starting your own lawn care business, visit our website: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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I Never Even Heard of It.

Jan 5

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

I was reminded today how difficult it is to keep your business name in front of potential customers who may want to hire you for your lawn care services.

A friend and I decided we wanted to get some Jiffy-Pop after dinner. Jiffy-Pop has been around as long and I remember. When I was a kid I used to love listening to the popcorn kernals shaking around inside the foil pan and watching the aluminum top carefully unfold as the crazy explosion of popcorn inside caused the container to expand.

Walgreens did not have any Jiffy-Pop so my friend asked if she had missed it on the shelf. The clerk’s response was “I Never Even Heard of It.” It took me a couple seconds to realize the clerk was being sincere and had actually never heard of Jiffy-Pop.

Jiffy-Pop has likely spent 10’s of millions of dollars on advertising over the years. To me, it’s one of those products that has always been around and always will be around. It’s a staple to American society.

However, as ubiquitous as it is to our culture, there are still people who don’t know what Jiffy-Pop is. This makes me think about the difficulty of keeping our lawn care brand names in front of our prospective customers. If a multi-million dollar company has difficulty reaching a retail store’s stocking clerk, what hope do our puny lawn care companies have in making sure all the residents in our lawn care service area know our names.

If you are attempting to market your lawn care company and are finding it difficult to keep your name in front of your prospective customers, our lawn care business strategy guidebook and software package will help you with professional business marketing and advertising strategies.

You can read more about the business package by visiting our main website located at: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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A Lawn Care Owner's Epiphany

Jan 4

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, equipment, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, money | 1 Comment

As a new lawn care business owner back in 1992, I remember the day when things started to change for my lawn care business.

My partner and I had been mowing residential lawns for almost 6 months. We were continuously picking up customers and were beginning to make decent money. However, we just weren’t growing the business to the extent I knew we were capable.

An epiphany happened to me that first summer. As I mowed a customer’s lawn, I saw two Navy fighter jets fly overhead. They were practicing for an upcoming air show and were flying low and fast. Even through my hearing protection the noise of their engines made me jump. I stopped my work long enough to watch them make several passes overhead. It was an impressive sight.

For the rest of the day, two words kept going through my mind; performance and efficiency.

Jet fighters scream performance. It is thrilling to watch a jet blaze by at 600 mph 2,000 feet above the ground. This is performance at its utmost. Fighter pilots’ lives depend on their jets.

Fighter pilots also demonstrate the ultimate in efficiency. Every move must be accounted for and no move is wasted. If a pilot needs to steer 15 degrees to the right, he moves his controls only enough to make the turn…no more, no less.

I used these ideas to analyze my lawn care jobs. I quickly discovered that I was being tremendously inefficient in my business. My route planning was inefficient and my mowing patterns on customer’s lawns was inefficient. I was wasting effort at every level of my business and the reasons behind my inability to grow my business became clear to me.

Additionally, I took serious looks at my equipment. It did not scream performance the way a fighter jet screams performance. We started our lawn care business on a shoestring budget. Because of this budget, we purchased inexpensive, slow, non-powerful equipment because it was all we could afford. After taking hard looks at my budget and my equipment, I took swift action of a systematic upgrade of all equipment.

By the end of that first year, I was operating an efficient lawn care business. My routes were well planned. My mowing patterns were designed in such a way that no move was wasted. And, my lawn equipment? Yes, my lawn equipment was hard-core commercial equipment that screamed “PERFORMANCE.”

If you are struggling with your lawn care business because of similar issues that plagued my first year then you should take a look at our Lawn Care Business strategy guidebooks.

We developed this program after 17 years in the business to help newbies and those that need help getting more customers and making more money.

As indicated above, we spend considerable time in the program helping you learn how to be more efficient with your lawn care business. Route planning and mowing patterns are only two of the concepts we discuss.

We also show you which type of equipment to buy. Purchasing the wrong equipment can hobble your business and prevent you from growing as you should. With our guidance, you will be able to purchase mowers that will propel you in your business and scream performance.

The lawn care business strategy guidebook and software program is available from our main website. www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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