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A healthy, well-maintained lawn can improve the curb appeal of any home. It gives homeowners a sense of pride and shows their neighbors that they care about the look of their home and the neighborhood as a whole. However, keeping a lawn in tip-top shape requires regular maintenance. As a result, many homeowners hire lawn care professionals to take care of these tasks to ensure they are correctly done. Hiring a pro is convenient and frees up the homeowner’s time.
If you enjoy doing yard work, spending time outdoors, and want to become an entrepreneur, this Balboa Capital blog article is for you. In it, we explain how to start a lawn care business.
What is a lawn care business?
A lawn care business is a type of business that provides lawn care services such as mowing, edging, fertilizing, aerating, and landscaping. It can be a small business run by one person or a larger enterprise with multiple employees. Lawn care businesses have become increasingly popular as more people look for ways to keep their yards neat and attractive. In addition, commercial buildings, apartment complexes, and parks present lawn case businesses with an opportunity to attract commercial clients.
Lawn care can be done full-time or part-time, depending on how many hours you want to work and how much demand there is for your services. It is common for lawn care businesses to start small with a few customers and grow through referrals and word of mouth.
Location, location, location.
Geography plays a big part in horticulture practices. So, make a point to learn and adhere to best practices year-round based on your location and agriculture zone. For example, aerating lawns, applying fertilizer, seeding, and adding a layer of mulch or compost must be done at the optimal times each year to keep lawns thick, healthy, and looking good.
Next, the seasons and climate will dictate your approach to lawn care. The spring and summer months are when grass thrives and has an attractive green hue. As a result, lawns will need to be mowed and watered regularly. Conversely, the fall and winter months are when the grass needs less water, and many turf varieties enter a dormant state.
Write your lawn care business plan.
Creating a successful business plan for your lawn care company can be daunting. It requires careful planning, research, and analysis to ensure that your lawn care services are profitable and sustainable. However, with the right strategies, you can create a winning business plan that will help you start and grow your lawn mowing business.
A typical business plan includes a company description, market overview, competitive analysis, financial plan, marketing plan, and financial projections. There are many business plan templates available online, both free and paid, that can help you get started. Consult a business attorney or accountant if you have any questions or need assistance with your business plan and what it needs to include.
Come up with a business name.
Your lawn care business’s name must accurately convey what your company does. A unique, simple, and catchy name can attract the attention of more clients who need the professional lawn care services you provide. Before you come up with a name, check to see what names other lawn care companies in your area are using. You want to refrain from using a name already being used, as this will create brand confusion and lead to potential legal issues.
You can visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website to see if the name you want to use is trademarked. Many small businesses register their names as DBAs, which stands for ‘doing business as.’ You can contact your county clerk’s office to see if your desired business name is already on the list of DBAs in your county. You can hire an intellectual property attorney or business attorney if you want a professional to assist you with the name registration process.
Obtain a business permit and license.
A business permit and license give you the right to legally operate your lawn care business in your town, city, or state. The necessary permits and licenses vary from place to place, so consult with a business attorney or accountant to ensure everything is done correctly. Some of the most common licenses include the general business license and the ‘doing business as’ license.
Before applying for a business license and permit, you must register your lawn care business as a legal entity, such as a sole proprietorship or a limited liability corporation (LLC). Finally, you will need a tax identification number when filing your business taxes. If you choose to operate as a sole proprietorship, you can use your social security number or an employer identification number (EIN) on your tax return. In addition, you will need an EIN if your lawn care business has more than one owner or employee.
Purchase lawn care equipment and supplies.
It would be best if you had the right equipment and supplies to provide exceptional results for your clients. These include commercial-grade lawnmowers, edgers, leaf blowers, and assorted landscaping tools and supplies. Commonly used tools include rakes, trimmers, pruners, and brooms.
Next, you will need a truck to haul your equipment to and from jobs, with adequate space for bags of grass clippings and leaves when needed. If you don’t have enough capital to purchase equipment or a work truck outright, consider lawn care equipment financing.
Get the word out.
Before the buzz of your lawnmowers and lawn edgers can fill the air, you must have clients. To do this, you need to market your lawn care business. You can increase your client base, boost sales, and grow your lawn care business with the right marketing strategies. Some marketing and advertising ideas include a website, business cards, and social media. Of course, having your company logo, phone number, and business license number on your truck’s doors can be effective, too.
Balboa Capital, a Division of Ameris Bank, is not affiliated with nor endorses the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.