How To Start A Lawn Care Business

Lawn care is a growing business, as people become busier but still want their lawns to look great. According to statistics, the lawn care industry is worth approximately $48.219 billion and growing at a rate of 5% per year. It is also relatively easy to access, with limited startup costs and you don’t need staff. So in this article, we will discuss how to start a Lawn Care Business.

Why Start a Lawn Care Business

There are numerous reasons why you might be interested in starting a lawn care business. If you’re someone who enjoys working outside and not having any two days the same, then it is certainly a business that you might enjoy.

However, here are some reasons for you to consider starting a lawn care business.

You’re the boss - One of the most important reasons is that you’re the boss. You can control what days, what time, who, and where you work. There is no reporting to another person and therefore, you can control your work-life balance.
Low overheads - Compared to some businesses, like eCommerce stores, restaurants, and other large outlets, there are relatively few costs that you can be expected to pay upfront. As long as you have transport and equipment, you’re good to go.
Expandable - In addition, you can expand your business easily. You can hire employees, or expand the services that you offer to customers.
Regular work - Lawn care can be done on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Therefore, you can get regular work that allows you to build a business without the need to continuously look for new clients.

Lawn Care Business Statistics

Here are some of the key statistics that might interest you about starting a lawn care business:

• On average, each household spends $503 on lawn care and gardening a year.
• The top 50 lawn care maintenance companies generate 15% of the industry’s revenue.
• No landscaping company owns more than a 5% market share.
• Landscaping for commercial properties is worth approximately 50% of the industry’s revenue.
• There are more than one million people employed in lawn care within 600,000 companies.
• The average landscaping company has two employees, and the industry is expected to need a 10% increase in workers within the next 5 years.

How to Start a Lawn Care Business

Several steps are required for you to start a lawn care business. Follow these steps to help you get your new business off to the right start.

Step 1 - Create a Business Plan

The first thing that you need to do is to create a business plan for your venture. You need to include elements such as who is your target audience, where are you going to work and what days. You might also want to include elements such as marketing strategies and pricing for your customers.

It is key to remember that a plan is a rough guide. You might need to make changes as you go to reflect on new circumstances. However, you can reduce the number of changes that are going to be made by researching before you write a business plan. You can also use free business plan templates to help you get all the right details into the plan.

Step 2 - Create a Brand

Now you need to create a brand. With the business plan, you can try to create a brand name that will help attract audiences to you. There are lots of ways that you can develop a business name, though using a company name generator is the easiest. You can try to tool here, all you need to do is enter a keyword and see what names are generated.

You should also consider how you’re going to market your brand. What are the key values of your brand? What do you want to be remembered for? Is the brand name unique?

Think about registering your business as an LLC. There are tax advantages and protections in place when you register as an LLC, for instance, personal property is protected from business debts.

Step 3 - Plan your Costs

Now you need to think about the costs of your business. It can be tough to work out your costs and if you have a limited startup budget, it might seem overwhelming. However, it is fairly easy to start a business with limited funds.

There are certainly ways that you can save money when starting a business. For example, you might need to consider:

• Getting a second-hand vehicle.
• Using gardening equipment you already have.
• Marketing on social media like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
• Use free email marketing services like MailChimp.

You will also need to plan your regular costs. There are going to be costs like licenses, LLC fees, permits, insurance, trade memberships, and other business. You should also think about equipment repair/replacement, vehicle repair/replacement, and other details.

Step 4 - Marketing

Now you need to market your business. There are several ways that you need to market your business. Social media is going to be a great way to get free exposure for your website. However, you can only rely on so much for your website. You will need to consider SEO, registering on local business listings, and perhaps door-to-door sales.

When you get a sale, you need to think about how you can build a business that customers are going to want to hire again. Lawn care is often a weekly or fortnightly job, which allows you to build a strong set of clients that you can continually visit on a schedule.

And customer retention can be a great way to improve your business’s profitability. Research has shown that a 5% increase in retention can improve profitability by about 95%.

Email marketing can be a great way for you to build a reliable customer base, and improve the sales funnel. It is going to be short of work when you start because you won’t have the client list. However, by utilizing work time for sales when you don’t have clients can help you find them.

Final Word: How to Start a Lawn Care Business

Lawn care is a growing market, especially with the demand for perfect gardens in the US for display. Above are the steps for you to follow for those who want to know how to start a lawn care business. It will help you get the best business going straight away. Good luck with your new venture.