How To Register My Business
Getting set up right away with the DOL is a crucial step in getting started and one that many people overlook. This first step gives you all the information youll need to get employees, trucks and equipment. You have two options when it comes to registering your business, you can register as a LLC or a Sole Proprietorship.
Should I get an LLC or Sole Proprietorship
We highly recommend you set up an LLC especially if you want to grow your business. A Limited Liability Company or LLC allows you to have separation between your personal assets and those of the company. This means if your company gets sued then it only affects the business assets and not your own personal assets.
We highly recommend you set up an LLC especially if you want to grow your business. A Limited Liability Company or LLC allows you to have separation between your personal assets and those of the company. This means if your company gets sued then it only affects the business assets and not your own personal assets.
How much does an LLC Cost
The cost of registering an LLC varies by state however on average filling costs about $100 while recurring fees vary drastically. They can range from $0 a month in states such as Arizona, to $500 a month in Massachusetts. The average recurring fee tends to be about $60 a month and many require your business to file annual reports to keep in good standing.
How to Register an EIN
Try Lawn Care Business Software For Free
Create professional-looking estimates, win new work, and get paid faster when the jobs done.
Set up your business banking and accounting
Once your lawn business is registered, you need to set up a business bank account.
This account doesnt just keep your personal and professional finances separate. It also ensures youre taxed properly and helps you build a credit profile for your business.
To stay on top of your cash flow, cloud accounting tools can save you hours of filing and manual entry when its time to review your financial records.
QuickBooks Online is the affordable go-to for many small business owners, with low-priced plans that you can scale up easily as your business grows.
When you connect your business information from Jobber with a QuickBooks Online account, you can sync your timesheets, payroll, and accounts receivable from Jobber to QuickBooks.
Start an equipment maintenance plan
Edward Ramsden, Owner of Enviromasters Lawn Care
Ed Ramsden highly recommends starting your equipment maintenance plan early to avoid last minute setbacks. Tracking the condition of your tools is essential for your teams success.
Ultimately, servicing equipment is the business owners responsibility. You paid for it!
Ive found that my employees dont care as much as I do about the condition of the equipment. But, the crews use the equipment every day. They will notice things about the equipment that you might not.
How Do I Start My Own Lawn Care Business
I think part of the attraction is that most people see lawn maintenance as being a pretty uncomplicated job. Turn up, mow the grass, cut edges, done. Well, unfortunately for the new lawn care entrepreneur, theres a whole lot more to it than that.
Ive been working in grass care for over 35 years and Im still learning about grass its a living organism, and as such, grass is a complicated beast to care for. At one end, mowing a lawn isnt too complicated, and the right techniques can be mastered pretty quickly. But, going beyond that, you need to become an expert in grass management.
- You need to be able to diagnose a grass problem whether pest, disease or weed and know how to fix it quick, through supplements or otherwise.
- You need to know exactly what type of grass youre looking at, and match it to its soil environment. Only then can you apply the right supplements to enhance growth.
- You need to know what to do if you have to start over. Sometimes its easier to remove the existing lawn and create a new one are you good with seed and establishment?
And thats just the tip of the iceberg.
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Customizable Models For Lawn Care And Lawn Care Services
The lawn maintenance business is adaptable to many different models. From the simple model of sole proprietorship that calls upon you to perform all aspects of the business, to the entrepreneurial model where you choose to run several garden care teams and complete employee scheduling from the comfort of your office.
You can target residential contracts or commercial contracts, depending upon the job sites available and your own business profile.
Start Mowing And Growing
Make your first lawn care hire
When your business has taken off and youre overbooked and desperate for help, youll need to hire lawn care technicians.
A bigger team will give you the freedom to focus on higher-level dutiesmarketing, customer service, and operational efficiencythat will help you grow the business.
There will be plenty of eager job-seekers out there itching to get their hands dirty and join your team.
Or, if youre swamped with scheduling and paperwork, consider hiring an administrative assistant.
Invest in efficiencyand do it early
Lots of experienced business owners have serious efficiency problems, even several years into running their company. They most commonly struggle with:
- Making crew schedules and keeping track of job progress
- Staying on top of unpaid invoices
- Running the business while always on the go
You can avoid those issues before you even start your business. Jobbers lawn care business software is designed to keep job and customer info organized as you move through each stage of a job.
We have a new customer completely set up for the season before we are off the phone with them, says Chris Senger, owner of Mow Town Edmonton.
In less than two minutes, we are set up to run on autopilot for the year. Customers have been impressed by this because the organization on our side translates to assurance for them that we are professionals.
Expand your marketing efforts
- Create ads for Send marketing emails through Mailchimp
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How Do I Start A Lawn Mowing Business Uk
Buy Or Rent Equipment And Supplies
In order to offer your services, you will need some basic equipment. This may include lawnmowers, weed eaters, edgers, blowers, and other tools. You may be able to buy or rent this equipment from local suppliers, or you may want to consider purchasing it outright if you plan to start a lawn care business full-time. The supplies that you will need include lawnmower gas, lawn care spray chemicals, and lawn care bags.
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Start Marketing Your Lawn Care Service Online And Offline
The best way to market your business online is through a mix of social media and review sites. But before you dive into the marketing game, invest in a decent looking website. There are several hosting services out there that offer a simple, all-in-one website building platform, such as Squarespace and Wix. You should also make sure your site follows best practices for SEO so it will show up in Google and other search engines.
Once you have an online presence, Facebook and Twitter are a great way to connect with existing customers and potentially generate new leads, but they shouldnt be your sole source of new business. Instead, spend some of your marketing dollars on review sites such as Yelp or Angies List. Both sites receive millions of homeowners and business owners every day, a sizable proportion of which are looking for professional landscapers and lawn care specialists.
While getting your lawn care business up and running online, make sure you are also getting out there and meeting your target audience. Whether its walking from door to door or meeting potential clients in person, youll gain a lot of insight into the types of services and qualities your customers desire in a lawn care service. If youre having trouble getting customers, offer to do some work for discounted prices, or even for free, in order to build your reputation and referrals.
Formulating An Initial Plan
While planning to start a landscaping business, the formulation of all ideas should be in a proper format. A business plan includes many elements, viz. company description, market analysis, marketing techniques, financial data, key strategies, etc. Vision and mission are also parts of a business plan.
Jotting down all the thoughts in hard or soft copy can help in organizing the thoughts. Structured writing helps in clearing the haywire in mind. A clear plan is also essential for ruling out irrelevant ideas. Also, you can discover new ideas while screening the plan.
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Market Your Lawn Care Business To Find Clients
You may find it challenging to get people to trust your business and service during the first year. You should start by offering services to friends and family, who can then help you find more clients through word-of-mouth marketing.
To promote your business, you should:
- Build a business website for your lawn care company.
- List your lawn mowing business on Google My Business. Manage your business and contact information such as the name of your business, email address, hours of operation, and contact number.
- Create profiles on service websites and local-specific channels such as Yelp, Thumbtack, and Facebook.
- Create social media profiles for your business and publish content related to the lawn care industry.
- Showcase your service to potential clients using paid ads.
Step : Obtain Necessary Permits And Licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
In most states, it is necessary to obtain a Lawn Service license. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBAs reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
In addition, certain local licensing or regulatory requirements may apply. For more information about local licenses and permits:
- Check with your town, city or county clerks office
- Get assistance from one of the local associations listed in US Small Business Associations directory of local business resources.
Services Contract
Lawn care businesses should require clients to sign a services agreement before starting a new project. This agreement should clarify client expectations and minimize risk of legal disputes by setting out payment terms and conditions. Here is an example service agreement.
Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional service agreement for your lawn care business when you sign up for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive access to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get complimentary legal advice.
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Find A Business Mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
I Wanted To Go Out Into The World And Be My Own Man
The only problem was that I quickly found that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I had to work hard and earn little and my life was pretty much dictated by my boss. I mean if I wanted a paycheck, I had to work when I was told, right?
So after a few years of this, I began re-thinking my decision not to go to college. Maybe I should’ve just done it and then I’d get a degree and a real job
That is until I started really looking around at some of my friends and acquaintances who had gone the college route!
Were they any better off? Not really. They worked long hours and were probably more tied to their corporate jobs than I was.
Yeah, they got to sit at a desk in an office in cubicle hell rather than do some of the jobs I did landscaping, bartending, laying sod, driving a forklift you know the drill yet they weren’t’ any happier and often weren’t making any more money, either.
And hey, at least when I went home after work I was done with work. I shut off the forklift and went home. I mixed the last drink, clocked out and was done with it. On the other hand, my corporate friends were always talking about “being on call” or having to go in on Saturday or were even kind of proud of the fact that they’d hang out at Starbuck’s for a few hours on Sunday morning so they could use the WIFI and do some work
What the hell? No thanks!
Sound crazy?
As the Navy SEALs say, “Plan your dive and dive your plan.”
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Cost Effective Business Structure For A Lawn Care Business
You have to choose a business structure for your lawn care business. The options include sole proprietorship, a partnership, corporation, limited liability corporation , or more complex structures. Most small startup businesses choose sole proprietorships because theyre the most simple. In this type of business, the owners personal and business assets are considered the same, and any debts can be charged against them.
Partnerships work the same way, but the debts are allocated based on the partnership percentage. If one partner owns 10%, he or she is only responsible for 10% of any debts or liabilities. Corporate structure can protect your personal assets as separate from corporate assets. You should consult an attorney for help in choosing the best legal structure for you in addition to helping set up your business, but you can do this yourself if youre good with paperwork.
What Will You Be Doing For The Customer
This is where you include all the lawn services – from mowing to mulching – youll be providing the customer. Its super important to be clear during this portion of a lawn care contract. If the service is going to be done in a specific area of the property, then that detail should be noted. For example, your contract might include something like edging front sidewalk.
Grouping your services by their frequency is one way to help the customer better understand whats going to be done and when. That means the services that are involved in the weekly maintenance of their lawn should be in the same section. Its also a good idea to state whats not included in this regular visit when appropriate.
Next, youll want to go over any service that has its own frequency. For example you might offer a Turf Fertilization Program thats administered three times during the term of the agreement. If youre not into the whole brevity thing, you can even include services that arent.
Lastly, even though it might be included more towards the end of the contract, its a good idea to explain how any missed – agreed upon – service will be communicated to the customer and not billed.
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How To Write A Lawn Care Business Plan
A lot of people want to start a lawn care business, but very few understand the groundwork thats actually needed to get fully operational. Of course, you dont need to write out a business plan but doing so can help guide your business and uncover any inefficiencies or lapses in judgement before its too late.
Find The Right Equipment For Your Services
Owning a lawn care and landscaping business means owning a variety of lawn care tools and equipment that fit the services you offer. You can significantly reduce your startup costs by buying used tools from auctions and sites like Craigslist or eBay. Dont make the mistake of buying every kind of tool at once this is a quick way to dig yourself into debt before you even have a solid customer base. Instead, focus on purchasing the essentials below:
- Lawn Mower: Invest in a commercial walk-behind mower instead of models built for homeowners. Once the profits start rolling in, you can upgrade to a riding mower for larger lawns.
- Edger: Used for cutting grass along the edges of sidewalks and driveways, and also works as a weed whacker.
- Shovels, Rakes and Weed Pullers: A decent set of gardening tools will make every job easier.
- Safety Gear: Work gloves, earplugs and safety glasses will keep you and workers safe around powered equipment.
- Reliable Transportation: Your lawn business isnt going anywhere if you cant move your equipment around. Lawn care startups usually rely on pickup trucks and trailers to haul their tools.
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How To Market A Lawn Care Or Landscaping Business
Whether you are cutting grass in Lebanon, Tennessee or landscaping in Marietta, Georgia, doing the work is the easy part. Getting and obtaining the customers is the hard part. In the early days, I recommend handing out as many flyers as possible. You should be able to acquire at least 1 new customer for every 1,000 flyers you pass out. It is a cheap and effective way to grind it out and get new customers. Focus on density with your flyers, passing them out in a tight geographical area. This way you wont be driving all over town when you start getting clients. Once you start getting initial customers I recommend treating them like gold, as referrals will be your most valuable method of getting new business. As you grow your business, I recommend investing in basic online marketing. Here is our tutorial on how to promote your business with flyers.
