Are you tired of working in some dirty factory or warehouse making peanuts for you efforts and time? Do you feel like your job is going nowhere soon or have you recently been laid off? If you love the outdoors and the idea of working for yourself and building a business of your very own, then maybe it is time to start a lawn care company!
Essential Equipment
The type of equipment you will need to start your own lawn care company will depend upon the type of services you intend to offer. The absolute bare essentials would be: riding and push lawn mowers, trimmers, rakes, shovels, and hand tools. Plus, you will need a pick-up or a trailer to haul around your equipment and a cell phone and some basic office supplies like a computer, printer, and fax machine. In fact, you probably already have most of the supplies and equipment you need to get started. But, if you had to lease the truck and buy the equipment-you could still start a legitimate lawn care company for $5,000-$10,000. It really depends on what you need and what you intend to offer in the way of services.
Skills and Experience
Most of us have mowed lawns and done the basics of any lawn care service since we were kids. However, many states require a license in order to apply pesticides and chemical treatments. This usually involves reading over a manual that goes over the uses and dangers associated with the various chemicals that you might be using in your lawn care business. There will be an exam to take also and the cost of the test and training manual will average $100-$200, depending on the state and the type of certification you are seeking.
In addition, you will definitely want some sort of sales and marketing training or experience. Growing a business ultimately means building a customer base so you will want to have the some sort of background in sales and marketing. Plus, as accurate record keeping is essential to any company, some bookkeeping or accounting experience is also a great idea if you hope to succeed and build upon your hard work down the road.
Charges and Earnings
Commercial accounts can be very lucrative with some paying $250-$1,000 per month to maintain the grounds-and that figure can be much higher depending on the complexity of the account. However, most lawn care businesses grow through residential accounts and then expand into the more lucrative commercial jobs once they buy better equipment, establish a good reputation, and land that first major account. Until that day arrives, expect $20 or so per hour on residential accounts. However, depending on the type of work you are offering, that rate can easily go to $40 or more per hour of service. A typical lawn care business will average less than $50,000 the first year but can easily reach six figures by the second or third year.
Marketing
Taking out an ad in the classified of a local paper under the “Business Services” section is how many lawn care businesses market their services in the beginning. Ultimately, however, you will want advertising space in the Yellow Pages and may even consider opening a website when time and finances permit. Word-of-mouth advertising is definitely your best bet at securing new business so be sure to do a great job every time when you first start out-otherwise, your company is bound to fail! However, a lawn care business can definitely grow into a multi-million dollar enterprise if you have the dedication, tenacity, and work ethic to stick it out until you start landing those commercial accounts and charging top dollar for your services and expertise!
