Posts Tagged lawn care

Stolen Weedeaters, Trimmers, and other Lawn Care Equipment

May 25

Posted by Lawn Care Business in enclosed trailer, equipment, lawn business strategies, lawn equipment, lawn mowers, leaf blowers | No Comments

by: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

As you begin to acquire new lawn care business equipment, take into consideration that your equipment needs to be protected not only from the weather but it also needs to be protected from thieves.

One of our readers sent us an article on a lawn care equipment company that was targeted by thieves earlier this month. This article makes me want to remind you to keep and eye on your equipment while you are servicing your lawn care customers. I have heard many stories of string trimmers mysteriously vanishing while the lawn care business owners are in the back yard cutting grass or blowing off the back deck.

If you can’t keep your equipment within eyesight, consider buying locks for the equipment, keeping it in a locked van, or use and enclosed trailer to keep your equipment safe.

It is very disappointing to work hard making money, pouring that money back into your business by buying expensive and reliable equipment, and having that equipment stolen. Not only is the equipment expensive but it takes time and effort to buy the correct equipment. Being without your lawn mower, trimmer, or blower can cost you a lot of money in down time and you might even lose customers as a result of not being able to service them properly and in a timely manner.

So, do yourself a favor and lock your equipment when it is not in use at your job site. Also, lock it at night when it is stored at your home or place of business.

Be safe out there.

Be a Professional. Our “Start A Lawn Care Business” training manuals and business software will help you develop a professional lawn care business strategy for your business. Want to make more money this year with your lawn care business…check our our course: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: equipment, lawn care, stolen, theft, trimmers, weedeaters

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.

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

Tags: customers, landscaping, lawn care, protection, shrubs

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

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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:

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

Tags: business, lawn care, propane, weedeaters

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

Tags: advertising, lawn care, money, mother's day, presents

What can your Lawn Care Business learn from Cinco de Mayo?

May 5

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, competition, customers, lawn business strategies | 3 Comments

Your lawn care business can learn a lesson from today’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican defeat of a larger French army on May 5, 1862 at the Battle of Puebla.

New lawn care businesses are often intimidated by larger, well-established landscaping companies. Relegated to small and low-profit customers, new lawn care business owners feel that without the proper equipment and experience they are unable to target large and highly profitable clients. Being pragmatic about equipment capacity and personal ability is a good for a new lawn care business owner. However, abandoning hope of getting the best lawn care customers in town at the very start of a new lawn care & landscaping business is a big mistake.

Being unable (or unwilling) to bid on the best accounts will trap you into forever cutting grass for those lousy customers who pay the minimum amount for their lawn care work.

We believe in knowledgeably and aggressively marketing a lawn care business. Acquiring the best lawn care customers in town is the only way you will make the money you deserve in this business. If you are tired of spending all your time mowing those low paying customers while other lawn care companies are making great money mowing mowing highly profitable clients, just remember Cinco de Mayo and the small Mexican Army’s ability to defeat a much larger competitor.

Do you want to learn how to be competitive on the best lawn care jobs in town. Take a look at our Lawn Care Business Guidebook and Estimating package http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: cinco de mayo, competition, lawn care, money, starting

Lawn Care Business Owners Face Alien Invaders

Apr 19

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, landscaping, questions | No Comments

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Today’s Trivia Question: What’s on this leaf?

I love coming across new information in the field of lawn care and landscaping. The challenge of a new discovery keeps the lawn care business interesting. Anytime you are working in a customer’s lawn, I challenge you to be on the lookout for new discoveries.

Last weekend, during a mountain bike ride and hike on a local mountain trail, I was surveying the trees and plants as I rode by. I came across this interesting leaf and I though it would be fun to see if the readers of this blog know what is growing on (out of) this leaf.

Is it alien invaders?

Homicidal Spores?

A fungus never before seen by man?

We would love to hear your guesses. Comment on this post or send it to your favorite landscaper to see if he/she knows the answer.

Tags: aliens, fungus, landscaping, lawn care, leaf, reproduction, shrubs, spores, trees, trivia question

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.

Tags: april 15, business taxes, depreciation, lawn care, tax day

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.

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

Tags: business, detail, lawn care, lawn mower, money, professional

25% Off Landscaping and Lawn Care Safety Supplies

Apr 8

Posted by Lawn Care Business in equipment, lawn care safety, lawn care videos, lawn equipment, work boots | 1 Comment

Amazon.com contacted us this morning to let us know they are offering 25% off lawn care and landscaping safety supplies. We want to share the link they sent us. This is a great opportunity to buy all your safety equipment at a great sale price. Hearing protection, eye protection, gloves, safety boots, high-vis protective clothing, safety boots, and more are important protection in your lawn care business.

We hope you will make your own safety, as well as the safety of your employees, a top priority this year. I was speaking with someone just the other day who doesn’t believe in wearing protective footware when mowing the grass. “I’ve mowed for years in nothing but shorts and sneakers and nothing’s happened to me yet.” Our thoughts on this is that millions of people mow in shorts and tennis shoes each year without incident. However, it only takes on slip-up for a lawn mower blade to sever a foot or a weedeater line to cause a nasty gash in your shin.

Since you will be mowing hundreds or thousands of lawns this year, your chance of a slip-up increases over that of a typical homeowner. Please wear proper safety equipment during your lawn care work.

If you need safety supplies this year, please use the link above.

Tags: gloves, hearing protection, lawn care, protective clothing, safety glasses, safety supplies, work boots

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.

Tags: 2010, april 15, business taxes, expenses, lawn care, money, receipts, software

Start A Lawn Care Business

Make money with a lawn care and landscaping business.