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STARTING A LAWN CAREBUSINESS
CONTENTSINTRODUCTION .4ADVANTAGES OF A LAWN CARE BUSINESS: . 4DISADVANTAGES OF A LAWN CARE BUSINESS . 5QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SELF: . 61 STARTING UP .9GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. 9LOCATION . 10EQUIPMENT . 13SUPPLIES . 16FINANCES . 172 THE BUSINESS PLAN .19COMPANY INFORMATION. 20SERVICES. 20MARKET ANALYSIS . 21MARKETING STRATEGY . 22MANAGEMENT PLAN . 23FINANCIAL DATA . 243 MARKETING YOUR SERVICES: .29STRATEGIES FOR MAKING SALES. 30FINDING THE RIGHT NAME FOR YOU AND YOUR COMPANY . 30TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING . 31NON-TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING . 32CREATIVE ADVERTISING. 33OTHER FORMS. 34CONCLUSION . 34
4 GROWTH .36GROWING PAINS: TYPOLOGY AND CHARACTERISTICS. . 36PERSONAL LIMITATIONS: . 38EMPLOYEES. 39EXPENSES . 39EQUIPMENT AND SPACE. 40GROWING PAINS: THE RESULTS . 415 SHOULD I SELL?.42CONCLUSION .45
INTRODUCTIONDo you want to be your own employer? Do you think you could run your ownbusiness? Moreover, are you interested in building a business you can then sell formore than what you paid into it? If so, you should consider starting a lawn carebusiness.A lawn care business offers you an opportunity to become financially successfulthrough self-employment. In fact, there are many advantages to becoming involvedin this type of business. They range from independence to low cash input to easyentry.ADVANTAGES OF A LAWN CARE BUSINESS:1. There is an easy entry to the trade. A boy with a lawnmower is a lawn careprovider. So, too, is someone with a stenciled cube van or pickup truck andseveral employees.2. You are your own boss.3. The hours are flexible. Within reason, you can set your own hours.4. You can work out of your own home, cutting down on costs associated with amore complex business start-up.5. It is outdoor work.
6. If you offer top quality service you will always have plenty of work.7. There is room to grow.8. To start up your business requires little financial outlay or investment.9. Usually, you do not have to have a license.10. Any specific or specialist knowledge you may require for a job, you can learn.DISADVANTAGES OF A LAWN CARE BUSINESS
1. The hours are flexible within reason.2. The winter months are slack. Little work is required up to and followingthe advent of the cold season when grass becomes dormant.3. The work is heavy. It requires lifting, lugging and hauling machinery ofvarious types.4. Depending upon what type of lawn care services you offer, you may behandling toxic substances.5. You may be working with potentially dangerous machinery.You need to consider both advantages and disadvantages carefully beforeyou decide to start-up in this business. You also need to look at your owncharacter. Are you capable of running a small business?QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SELF: Can you work alone?If you are fond of company and/or require a push to get going, do notconsider any form of self-employment let alone starting up a lawn carebusiness. The same applies if you spend more time procrastinatingthan actually working. You need to set a schedule. You may even haveto lay out other schedules for employees. Furthermore, this type of
business sometimes demands you do the job now before the grassgrows any higher or the crab grass problem becomes worse. Are you a self-starter?You have to be able to put together a business plan. You mustconsider all the angles. You need to be confident in your own qualitiesand character to start and move on the project. Can you initiate the project and maintain high levels ofinvolvement from start to finish?It is not simply good enough to start out at a high level of enthusiasmand commitment. You need to maintain a high level of energy andinvolvement throughout all aspects over the duration. If you do notsee to the running of all aspects of your company/business, it will notbe a success. Every business requires tweaking and ongoingmaintenance. You have to be fully engaged in the process from theinitial decision to the final move to sell the company. If you cannotcommit yourself to a set period-of-time, do not begin to open abusiness. Are you good at sales?Can you sell yourself and your work? You will need to do this. At thebeginning, you will need to sell both yourself and your work. You arenew in a field where there is already competition. You have to sellyourself to clients as being the best for the job. You have to presentyourself and your business as professional, reliable, apt and more thanacceptable. If you are a one-person-show, you will also have to sellyour business on paper, on the net and in other forms of media. Youmay even end up doing cable TV shows or radio talk shows to improveor garner business. Can you handle needing to be a sales person?
Are you a people-person?If not you are wasting your time. The lawn care business is a serviceindustry. By its very definition, this means you are serving otherpeople. Therefore, your daily work and business involves publicrelations as much as it does lawn care. You must deal with people on aday-to-day basis to ensure your company is doing the right job. Youhave to talk to people to obtain more customers. You have to set up ameans of communicating with possible customers. You also have todeal with employees. You will need to train and instruct them. In theprocess, you also have enough self-awareness to know who todelegate to and when. This also requires the psychological ability tounderstand the employees and their needs. Being aware will also helpyou in hiring the right people for your business and firing the wrongtypes. Hiring refers to not only the people you employ to work in thecompany but those you need to ensure you have the right logo onyour vehicles, to print the business cards, to advertise your businesson their web site or in print and to handle your accounts.Throughout the analysis process provided above, be honest in your answers.Be truthful in your assessment of your character. If you believe theadvantages outweigh the disadvantages, then consider it a step in the rightdirection. If you are a self-start, self-motivator and determined, this is apositive. If you are also a conscientious people-person, this is also a goodindicator you may be successful. Yet, before you let yourself become tooexcited, launching yourself into the work immediately, you need to take stopand do what every sane and practical businessperson does. You need to sitdown with pen and paper, or computer and printer, and set out your goals.You also need to formulate at least an elementary business plan. These twosteps are an integral part of starting up.
1STARTING UPStarting a lawn care business requires you take into consideration multiplefactors. You need to be clear on several matters and understand specificaspects of the business. You have to be aware that, even to set up thesmallest of businesses, you need to have more than a glimmer of what youwant to do. You need to formulate goals and objectives. You also need tolook at the location – of your clients. This means deciding to whom you wishto appeal. It also means branding yourself within a specific market:residential or non-residential, pesticide, organic and/or integrated. You alsohave to consider such things as equipment requirements. What type will Ineed and amount. There are also other considerations such as finances andlegal issuesGOALS AND OBJECTIVESAnyone who runs a business, any business, must have an objective or goal.It is up to you to decide what your goal is in starting your own business. Doyou have one? Is it short or long term? Is your current goal predicated onthe here-and-now or is it directed towards the future?Approach your goals realistically. Initially, you will probably be looking atshort-term goals. You want to set up a business so you can be independent.You want to support yourself. You want to support your future, existent or
growing family. In other words, your initial goal is immediate. You may nothave any long-term objectives.There is nothing wrong with this type of approach when you first start out. Infact, the initial simplicity of this objective allows you to think clearly. You arenot befuddled by conflicting goals. This places the onus on immediate andcareful action in setting up your lawn care business. In your goals andobjectives for the lawn care business, you need first to look at the presentbefore you can focus on the future.Do not, however, lock yourself into a specific time frame or only one goal.What may seem to be your goal when you start your business can andprobably will change. Goals are malleable. They will alter as the businessdevelops. You will probably need to reconsider your objectives after only oneyear. With a year’s experience behind you, you can then sit down andevaluate what you have accomplished. Then, you can reassess what you wishto do with the business.LOCATIONThere is some truth in the old real estate rant of “location, location, location.”Starting a business in an area that cannot support it is the kiss of death. Ifyou do not find the right market for your services, you will not be successful.You need to decide two basic things: Who are your possible clients? Whereare they located? Only then can you plan a marketing strategy.There are two basic types of market: residential and non-residential. If youlive in an area where home ownership is popular and increasing, you have aready-made market. Owners of homes, particularly new homes, require theservices of lawn care services. In these new residences, two things mayoccur. The owners want an expansive lawn to replace the make-do one of the
developer. If they are a two-income family, the owners may not have time tospend on the daily, weekly or even monthly upkeep of their lawns. They willrequire someone to ensure the lawn maintains the pristine character of thenearby homes. This can sometimes end up in a snowball effect. If one personis content with how you do their lawn, their neighbor or neighbors may wantto sign on.In older homes, in areas of a stable population, people often want their lawnsrefreshed and renovated. They may want the old grass removed. They maydesire native grasses to replace the lawn sod. The residents of these homestend to be older. They also frequently have higher incomes. Because of theirage, they may want someone else to take care of the demandingrequirements of lawn maintenance.If you are looking at apartment areas, it is also possible to obtain some work.While often the work, for residential apartments is usually handled by asubsidiary, you may be able to obtain some contract work. The same is truefor condominium complexes. They may want someone to handle the lawncare for the grounds or the inner courtyard. Another option in a similar areais real estate properties. Some firms may want a company to spruce up ormaintain the properties they currently own and are in the process of selling.The non-residential market is also a possible target for your market. There isplenty of opportunity for you to obtain a contract to maintain the grounds oflight and high industrial properties. It has become fashionable to green thegrounds of more than just the corporate headquarters of companies. Manymanufacturing concerns want to have a pleasing presence in the community.They require the greens of their property be maintained in excellentcondition.While the opportunity is less frequent, there is also a chance you obtain workfrom the municipality or other levels of government. Although local
governments often have their own employees to maintain the public propertyand grounds, spending cuts and tightened budgets are an opening. You maybe able to bid on one or more contracts. If you want the work, and have theequipment to take on larger scale jobs, there is not reason why you cannotplace your bid.Another factor tied closely to your selected target market is services. Whattype of services do you plan to offer? Lawn care, after all, can cover a varietyof different goods. You may want to stick to a niche product, be more generalor try to be all things to all customers and possible customers. Each of theseapproaches has their advantages and disadvantages.A lawn care business may focus solely on cutting and trimming lawns. This isa good way to start. It is also a simplistic approach guaranteed to help youdecide whether the business is feasible for you and your needs. Yet, lawncare companies, specifically the ones who want to grow, do more than cutthe lawn. They offer other related services. They plant different types ofgrasses and replace sod. The larger and more versified businesses removepests and treat the lawns with organic or non-organic herbicides andpesticides. A lawn company that wants to become more than a one-trickpony and a single person operation provides all these services.If you opt for the chemical route, you may have to obtain some licenses forthe handling of toxic substances. It depends upon the requirements of yourmunicipality as well as higher legislative restrictions. There will also be anincrease in cost outlay. Be sure it does not increase your client base at thecost of your profit margin. Also be prepared to take a course on chemicalusage, storage, handling and toxicity. Always be aware of any negativeeffects. Do try to attend seminars on the subject. It will help you provide amore informed opinion to offer your clients. It may also help you decide whattype of service – organic or non-organic, to recommend to your clients.
When you take on the responsibility of treating lawns for pests, eitherorganically or chemically, you up the ante for your business becoming asuccess. This is true for many different sectors of the population. They areconcerned with the environment. As a result, they will try to select servicesthat reflect their own philosophy.Are you capable of understanding and handling the increased workload thismay incur? Do you have the patience and the skills to learn this alternativeapproach? It may require more than reading of articles. You may have toattend classes, lectures or workshops on the subject. In the end, you maybecome the local expert. This could play into you increasing your client baseas well as income potential.Yet, in the end, do you need to decide whether the type of approach to takeis organic or non-organic? Are you going to occupy the organic or naturalniche in the marketplace? Would you rather stick to traditional lawn caremethods? You could be flexible. You could offer an integrated pestmanagement system (IPMS). This incorporates aspects of both methods. Inthis way, you may be able to satisfy all types of customers. But, do not besurprised if the chemical free individuals express an interest in dealing withlawn care specialist who only deal with organic means. In the end, yourchoice may be a personal or moral option or one based on the perceived andactual needs of your market.EQUIPMENTBefore you embark on your business venture, you have to figure out whatequipment and supplies you will need. These could be the very basicsrequired to mow lawns, trim grass, and rake and haul away the waste.Initially, you might simply have a truck, a lawn mower, a pair of clippers, a
rake and a wheelbarrow. If this is all you have and all you need to beginwith, it is fine for going along with. Lawn businesses have started out withless than this before moving on to acquire material and machinery as thegrowth and the need demanded.If you do not have a truck, you will probably have to purchase one. This is anecessary capital expense. Do not buy one, however, if you are not seriousabout making this work. Do not purchase a truck if the indicators of yourdecision-making process reveal a lawn care business is not feasible at thistime. Fortunately, you can always turn a truck to other advantages. It canhaul away debris and junk. In winter, you can use it for ploughing snow.A brand new truck is not always the way to go. It must, however, lookcapable of doing the job. The truck must be reliable. It has to be able to haulthe equipment you require around from job-to-job. Nothing will work againstyou more than failure to show up or complete a job because of unreliabletransportation.The truck must also fit into your new professional image. If you can afford alogo or deco on the truck, do so. It will heighten your visibility. It also acts asan inexpensive form of advertising. Make sure everything is spelled correctly.Include the name of your lawn care business, phone number, web site and/ore-mail.As you expand, you may want another vehicle. It is not a good decision,unless you can make an extremely good deal, to purchase immediately alarger truck or van. Instead, you can rent one temporarily to see if yourcustomer base is actually growing or if it is simply a glitch. You can alsomake the more practical decision to buy a trailer. Remember, for everyvehicle you purchase, you will have to increase business liability insurance. Acommercial vehicle license is also required.Other capital expenses involve the actual lawn maintenance equipment. Ifyou have a lawnmower, you must consider such things as power source. This
relates to fuel efficiency and your clientele. If you have an energy efficientmachine, it will reduce your costs. If you use a cordless, electric mower, itwill help you maintain good relations with your customers in a number ofways. The quieter lawn mower will not upset neighbors or disrupt sleepingchildren or adults. An energy efficient lawnmower may also help you gainenvironmentally conscious clients. A push mower is also a possibility. Theproblem with this type of machine, however, is it is impractical for larger lots.It is not advisable to purchase a large rider mower immediately. If youalready have one, use it when applicable. If you do not have one, do notpurchase one unless it proves to be necessary. If you are doing the lawns ofestates or large commercial properties, such a machine is requisite. If youare mowing the average lawn, it is not. Save its purchase until you require itas you grow.If you decide to increase the customer base, you will need to hire people tocarry out the work. Keep this in mind when you purchase new equipment.Not only will you need to understand how to operate the equipment safely,you will need to teach them how to use it wisely and carefully. Be aware, aswell, your liability may also increase with the purchase of new equipment.You will require different types of equipment for your business. Some willmake it easier for you to keep up with the customers’ needs. You can findfurther information in various literature on the subject. Periodicals andinternet sources can provide you with further information on make, style,performance and suitability for your requirements.One thing you should not neglect is maintenance. You need to treat yourtools with care. Do not neglect them or they will not serve the purpose forwhich you intend them. Take good care of your equipment and your businesswill benefit from it. It also means that you will be able to resell or trade in toyour own benefit.
There is one further point for you to consider before ending the basics onequipment. Always research thoroughly before you make a decision topurchase any piece of equipment. Talk to others in the business. Read thetrades. Look at the specs and analysis the pros and cons of the gear. Youalso need to consider several factors. These include your financial situation,your current needs, close future requirements and the necessities of yourclients, present and future. Do not buy frivolously. Make sure you arefocusing not on the hottest new lawn toy, but are looking at the realities andnear future business needs.SUPPLIESBesides equipment, you will have to purchase a variety of supplies. Theseinclude office materials, a computer - if you do not already have one,stationary and a separate telephone line or cell phone. To facilitate such things as billing and accounting, make sure you havethe right programs for your computer. There are several goodprograms out there capable of handling your accounting. Computersalso make your letter writing and book keeping easier and moreprofessional. In these early stages, a quality computer with the rightprograms will save you time and money. Make sure your computer iscapable of expanding as you grow. If you need to upgrade yourcurrent computer to handle the extra tasks, do so. Save hiring anaccountant for the future. You will require business cards and other promotional material. Youcan have these designed and printed by a professional. You can alsorun the material off on your computer. It depends upon your skills,
your computer and your printer. In many instances, is just asinexpensive and convenient to present a simple design to a printer andhave them run it off. A separate telephone is essential. You can choose either a landline or amore flexible cell phone. This will prevent your children, roommates orsignificant other forgetting or losing messages. It is also far moreprofessional for you and not your 3-year-old child to answer thephone. Always keep records of these calls for personal and businessreasons for a year. It will help you show the amount of interestannually. It will also help jog a finite memory. Other business supplies such as paper, envelopes and similar materialrequire less thought. If you do send material out, make sure it looksprofessional. Also, ensure it is not on cheap paper or in cheap-lookingenvelopes. Store these and all other equipment in a separate room orspace. If you are working out of your home - which in the early stagesmost small lawn care business do, make sure this space or room is notutilized for anything else. You need to keep all records and materialpertaining to the business separate from your mundane life.In your vehicle, you can carry your cell phone. If it is programmable, youmay be able to keep all records on the specific job on this. A day planner paper or computerized is also a possibility. If you have somethingcomparable to a Blackberry already, it will come in handy for storing andrecording required material. If you do not currently own one, do notpurchase it. Wait until it becomes a necessary investment. Until then, youcan manage the old-fashioned way - clipboard and papers.FINANCES
You need to consider you finances on a number of levels. You must take intoaccount the amount of money your have currently. You must look at suchthings as immediate outlay or capital expenditures as well as maintenancecosts and general upkeep and wear and tear. At the beginning, you will haveto project what you need and what you will spend. The above sections willhave provided you with some idea of what you need. You may need toconsider a bank loan, a line of credit, an investor or even a partner. Beprepared to fully disclose all financial sources, estimated costs includingcapital and day-to-day costs.To ensure the process is thorough and complete, you need to prepare arough business plan. Even though your first plan will consist of a bunch of“guesstimates,” it is essential for you to create it. If you plan to run yourbusiness successfully, you need to start out on the right financial foot.Preparing a business plan will help ensure you are completely aware of allthe aspects of setting up and running a successful lawn care business.
2THE BUSINESS PLANDescription:Former American president and military leader, Dwight D. Eisenhower, oncewrote, “The plan is nothing; planning is everything.” You need to follow hisadvice. You need to create a business plan and utilize it, changing the plan asnew information and experience dictate. The business plan is a mainstay ofany business. It helps you, particularly at this early stage to accomplish thefollowing things:1. It makes you analyze the entire business financially2. It lets you manage and check your results against the initial andsubsequent plans3. It helps other interested parties, such as lenders, bankers, andpossible partners, understand the objectives, financial standing,potential earnings and other pertinent information.A business plan is a detailed blueprint of your goals and objectives. Itincludes every aspect of your company from proposed name to location tomarketing to financing and accounting. The more complex the business, themore intricate the business plan. In fact, you will need to up-date, the planas your company goes into business. This is the initial reality check. You thenneed other updates as you expand.
When you start out creating your business, the plan may be simple anddirect. It will expand and alter as you and your company come to learn therestraints and realities of your business. Your first business plan andsubsequent ones are reflections of the world in which you are operating.They reveal growth and decline. A business plan is ever changing to meetwith your current and future situation. It will help you grow and reflect thatgrowth. It will help prove your company’s worth when you decide to expandand when you want to cash out.COMPANY INFORMATIONYour first business plan does not need to be elaborate. It should contain,however, such information as the name of your company, its address,telephone number and a basic description. Other required information is theproducts and service you offer, the projected market and possible or actualcompetition. List all these facts under the title “Company Information.”Company Information should also provide the basic details on the goals ofthe business, the financial requirements and currently available funds orfunding. You need to list the projections of earnings for the month, year andsubsequent years. You can provide a graph for the first year and a 1-5 yearprojection. If you are talking to or considering investors, you also need toprovide them with the potential return of the outlay.SERVICESThe next major section is on services. You need to provide an ampledescription of what the company does. List all commodities you plan to offer.
Provide a complete list. Include current and future offerings. Disclose andupdate all possibilities. This will indicate whether you have done adequateand accurate research into your market potential.The next part of this section focuses on your competition. A thoroughbusiness plan has scouted the location. You will already know who you willneed to go up against in establishing and maintaining your lawn carebusiness. List and describe them. Show why you can successfully compete orreveal why they are not actually in competition against you.Describe clearly any unique services you plan to offer. This will help you andany possible investors distinguish your company from any others in the lawncare business. This will indicate the direction toward which your company isheading. List any niche products or services you are planning to (or already)offer. This may include Integrated Pest Management (IPM) or organic grasstreatments. Stress how such services differentiate you from your competitionand will help you succeed.MARKET ANALYSISThe section on marketing analysis is an essential part of selling your businessand yourself. This applies to you, possible investors, customers and apossible future buyer of your company. You need to provide information onsuch things as the marketplace, your competition, the current lawn careindustry and future trends in the business. You also need to include any dataon your purposed target or niche market.Obtaining material requires research. You need to be aware of the conditionsof the current marketplace. What are the actual demands? What is thepotential for growth? Will a recession affect the market? Will it influence yourproposed entry? In doing the research, you will clarify your goals and add atouch of reality to what you plan to do.
A thorough market analysis will help you narrow or broaden your focus. Youmay find i
If so, you should consider starting a lawn care business. A lawn care business offers you an opportunity to become financially successful through self-employment. In fact, there are many advantages to becoming involved in this type of business. They range from independence to low cash input to easy entry. ADVANTAGES OF A LAWN CARE BUSINESS: 1.
