setting up your own lawn care business
Setting up your own lawn care business is as easy as it sounds. If you own a truck or even just a trailer for a car that could handle clippings, pruning, fertilizers, gas cans and tools, you too can join the trade. Many have done just that, in fact. Another fact is, that is exactly how began my businesses, at first. It does not require a monster amount of money to begin, just an urge and the ability to starve a while and to work harder than heck to get it all going.
In fact, in no way would I go through it again… What you learn in your first year is that so many things complicate matters it’s just not funny. You can go to work on your new gig with your hopes high and a willingness to work just short of killing yourself in order to get it all going, but it can almost do just that. Just the same, in answer to the question of whether or not it can be done, of course it can.
What is so often overlooked are things like the following: Business licenses; licenses of all types including in some places contractor’s licenses; tax compliance forms and papers; insurances, business-wise and vehicular; medical issues and the all-important Workers Compensation issue if you hire anyone; gas and oil for hungry trucks and mowers; tools and their inevitable replacements; an office space and the papers and parts for that; somewhere to store tools safely; advertising issues; networking issues. Tired yet?
And what about the trade-specific issues like plants health, lawn diseases, pruning techniques, fertilizers, aeration and dethatching issues? Have you had any experience at it? Do you have a small bundle of work you can begin with? It is one thing, after all, to declare yourself and independent business man, yet another altogether to actually BE one. It takes jobs and the ability to get more.
Now, being in the field yields more work. Lawn mowing firms are highly visible. They get asked all the time for extra work from neighbors of projects. It is entirely possible to make it work, doing just that – referring and getting referred. But the end analysis means at least a little bit of starvation in my experience unless you can begin capitalized sufficiently.
So, yes, it is entirely possible and requires less to begin than almost any other trade. The fact is, if you take pride in your work, you will find more, too. That’s a no brainer. People who answer their telephones also rake in the clientele, simply by answering.
It’s a great thing to do. Plenty of exercise in a great environment, the working conditions are what drew me to it. But bear all that other stuff in mind, please. It will save the completely deflating discovery of their needs before you lose heart after investing all that sweat.
