What Are The Key Factors That Influence Lawn Mowing Charges
Of course, the cost of lawn mowing depends on some key variables, from the type of work required to the condition of the lawn, to the equipment needed to do a good job and beyond. Weve broken down the primary factors into three categories to see how the price of lawn mowing can most often be affected. These factors may then be used to assess and score a lawn to help provide a reasonable price for lawn mowing.
Note that below we are focussed on factors that influence your cost to supply, we are deliberatly not covering factors of the cost from the demand side such as seasonal demand changes and of course very unusual circumstances that might reduce demand such as COVID-19.
Overhead And Equipment Costs
Overhead costs are everything that keeps your business operatingthat includes office space, computers and tablets, liability insurance, fuel costs, and advertising costs.
Many lawn care businesses add an additional 1520% on top of their estimate to account for overhead costs.
You should also budget for equipment and maintenance in your overall lawn service cost estimate. Even after youve paid off your lawn mower, for example, it might still need engine repairs, spark plug replacements, or oil changes.
Some lawn care professionals charge two times the hourly rate of labor just to have their equipment on the site.
How Do You Choose The Right Lawn Care Provider For You
You may never know by looking at someone that they are going to provide high-quality lawn care services, but you can certainly improve your chances in a few easy ways. The first thing you can do is ask for recommendations. Talk to family and friends and other people who hire someone to mow their lawns.
If they like the job they are getting from their lawnmower, then they will be happy to recommend them. Whats more, many lawn care professionals are only too happy to receive referrals from their loyal client base.
If you dont know anyone who hires someone to take care of their lawns, then look online. Check out online reviews for local lawn care companies and find out what people are saying about specific people, companies, and franchises.
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Maximize Your Profits Using The Best Lawn Care Pricing Strategies
Lawn care pricing strategies can make or break your business.
For many lawn care owners, they feel like its a case of trial and error but it doesnt have to be.
When you use the lawn care pricing strategies given to you in this article, you can:
- Get your lawn care pricing right NOW
- Guarantee your lawn care services are as profitable as possible
- Discover which jobs are the most profitable
- Find out how much you should raise your prices on your least profitable clients
Pricing A Job Advicefor New Start
Pricing a job is one of the more difficult things for new start-ups. You don’t want to over-charge, but you don’t want to under-charge either. If your price is too high, people will look to someone else. If it is too low, you may not make enough profit to keep you going. It is hard to raise your prices once they are established without upsetting your customers.
This page is designed to get you to think outside the box and look at the effects of pricing a job incorrectly. It hopefully will show you how to save money on expenses and get the price you need.
The first thing you have probably noticed is that lawn care these days is extremely competitive making pricing a job intimidating at first. Our economy is not helping. What adds to the complexity is that many individuals have started a part-time lawn mowing business to help bring in extra money. They often work under the table just for the cash. Some of these have made a practice of pricing low to get the job. However, while it is great for the customer, a lot of customers are aware of this and understand that people that are not in it for the long haul are often not in business long. You will see why as you read this.
Secondly, it is important to know that times have changed and price really does matters more than ever. People are now geared to look for a low price, especially people on fixed incomes. Who can blame them?
More discriminating customers will want good quality, but still are on the lookout for a decent price.
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Unlike Price Changes Surcharges Are A Temporary Rate Increase
A surcharge is just an extra payment for a standard service. For example, if you order flowers on Mothers Day, you may pay a surcharge. Thats because flowers are in very high demand during that time of year. If you bought flowers on May 25th, on the other hand, youd probably pay a more predictable price.
When you raise your rates, its generally considered a permanent move. A surcharge, on the other hand, is temporary. Its designed to address a short-term change in costs or demand, so you can protect your bottom line.
For example, if gas prices are sky high, you might add a fuel surcharge to cover those costs. Without that fuel surcharge, rising costs can put a dent in your profits. But that extra payment can keep your revenues looking strong. Once gas prices drop, you can drop the surcharge and return to regular rates on your lawn care pricing chart.
Create Your Business Plan
Suppose youre ready to transform your nebulous idea for a lawn care business into a glorious reality. In that case, youre going to need a business plan.
Youll use your plan as a detailed outline to get you where you are right now to where you want to be. Its a must for all business owners who want their company to thrive.
Having a business plan means youll accomplish your entrepreneurial objectives sooner rather than later. Itll help organize every detail of getting your business off the ground, exponentially increasing the chances that your lawn care business will be a smashing success.
If you dont need a bank loan, your business plan can be short, sweet, and to the point.
Just remember:
Your lawn care business plan should accommodate your needs, and not the other way around.
Have it be a reflection of you in all your wonderful uniqueness.
According to the Small Business Administration website, there are two categories of business plans:
- Traditional
- Lean startup
Traditional business plans are what most entrepreneurs use, and they require a ton of detail and work. They can get so convoluted and complicated, that they can be dozens of pages long.
Lean startup business plans are far less structured because they focus like a laser-guided missile on only the most essential facts.
They can be completed in sixty minutes or less, and are usually no longer than a single page. Heres an example of one.
Here are some of the sections you might want to include:
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How Much Does Trugreen Aeration Cost
Aeration certainly gives your lawn a new lease of life, providing the extra CO2 that it needs to produce the thick, lush grass that youve been looking for.
Piercing the surface helps break up thatch, which is the build up of dead grass on your lawn that inhibits new growth.
The removal of thatch allows more water, air and fertilizer to get to the roots of your lawn. This gives your lawn the nutrients that it needs to grow strong and healthy.
The cost of a TruGreen aeration treatment can cost anything from 200 dollars to 450 dollars depending on the size of your lawn, whether fertilizer is applied at the same time and if so what type and how much of it is required. Some lawns dont require aeration at all while others may need one or two aerations each year.
You should definitely consider a TruGreen aeration treatment if you can see a thatch build-up on your lawn or if you notice bare patches, or puddles following a rain shower.
You may still like to consider whether you could rent or buy a lawn aerator for less than the cost of the service.
Labor And Mowing Time
Lawncare pros factor $50 to $75 or more per hour to cover the cost to pay their crew, fuel, equipment upkeep, insurance and other costs.
Commercial riding mowers cut at 8-12 MPH, so they cover an acre of ground in about 20-25 minutes. So, you can see that it takes just a few minutes to mow most suburban lots.
Using a walk-behind mower takes 2-3 times longer.
Primary labor-related cost factors, besides DIY vs Pro, are:
- Distance to your home from their facility or last job
- Whether the company is fully insured
- Length of your grass
- Configuration/complexity of your yard
- Whether they can use riding mowers or must cut with a walk-behind, narrower-width mower
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Lawn Care Insurance Policy Information
Lawn Care Insurance. As a lawn care professional, youre aware of how important your service is to the community. Lawn maintenance services are required for public parks, private homes, and corporate exteriors. Lawn mowing, weeding, fertilizing and seeding are labor-intensive task that primarily involves maintaining the owners yard as per their expectations. And, accidents happen in such a line of work.
You might be having an endless list of clients who clamor to hire you. But, just one unfortunate incident is enough to put you and your startup at risk for significant financial loss, regardless of whether youre a victim of happenstance or youre the one at fault. If youre a sole proprietor, youd be held personally liable for damage or loss if you dont have a lawn care insurance policy. That could imply losing personal property, including your home, in some cases.
Lawn care insurance protects your business from lawsuits with rates as low as $27/mo. Get a fast quote and your certificate of insurance now.
Below are some answers to commonly asked lawn care insurance questions:
Types of Lawn Care Insurance Policies
General Liability Insurance Your services entail working on a property that belongs to other people for the most of your day. As such, its important to ensure your insurance package provides coverage for personal injury or property damages which could arise from the business operations.
Additional Lawncare Insurance Tips
Is It Ok To Mow Every Other Week
Mowing every two weeks instead of weekly and not dousing grass with chemical herbicides and fertilizers, helps the environment and supports the health of bees, which are among the worlds most important pollinators.
Does frequent mowing thicken grass? Mowing actually helps make your grass grow thicker because the tip of each blade contains hormones that suppress horizontal growth. When you cut the lawn, you remove these tips allowing the grass to spread and grow thicker near the roots.
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How Often Do You Want To Have Your Lawn Mowed
There are some instances in which a homeowner only wants to have their lawn mowed every once in a while. They might call on a lawn care service to cut their lawn when theyre away on vacation or when theyve had a long week at work and dont have time to mow.
When this is the case, most lawn care services will extend one price to their customers. But when customers agree to have their lawn mowed by a service on a regular basis throughout the spring and summer seasons, theyll often get access to a differentsee: lowerprice.
Lawn care services are open to charging their regular customers less than their one-time customers to show their appreciation to them. Theyre also able to get into a routine when cutting these lawns so that they take them less time overall.
You might be able to score a great deal on grass cutting services by scheduling regular mows as opposed to only scheduling them every so often.
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So How Much Should I Charge For Lawn Mowing
As you can see, so many different variables go into establishing a cost. Its important to do whats best for you, but having some structure is a good idea. Perhaps create a scoring system for each factor that affects your cost. This way, you can match up a score with an appropriate figure when quoting a client.
There’s some helpful information in the forum of the Independent Lawn Mowing Contractors of Australia, where you can gain hands on advice from other professionals on what to charge specifically. The below video from Lawn Care Life goes into the different factors that go into pricing your lawn mowing services.
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You Perform Specialized Work
If you are a general landscaper who mows lawns, the sheer volume of your competition may drive your prices down. But if you are an expert at eradicating the funguses that threaten regional lawns, that’s a different price potential entirely. Consider taking classes and getting certifications that will give your landscaping company more skills than the competition.
Nailing Your Pricing Strategy For High Margins With Less Mistakes
Youre just about ready to go out there and start growing a thriving new business!
However, this chapter is a critical key to making sure that you succeed. In fact, I can safely say that this is the most important chapter of this blueprint.
Whats that? Ive already said that a few times?
Youre right and thats because all of these chapters are the most important. I called this a blueprint for a reason. When a construction crew puts up a building, they base everything they do off of an engineers blueprint. Every single piece of that plan is required to make sure the building is solid.
Leave out an important support pylon on the ground floor and that 23rd floor will come crashing down.
Thats what these chapters are the support structures that go into making your lawn care company a solid structure thatll last for years to come.
The way that you price your services is absolutely critical to your success.
Price yourself too high and you wont be able to close enough new customer to sustain yourself. Price yourself too low and youll find that youre working your Mean Green off and not making any more than any old dead end job.
The bad news is that there really is no exact formula to figure this out. Even more bad news is that you will make some mistakes. The good news, though, is that this isnt a big deal. Youre going to get good at pricing your services by doing it.
Maybe youll go over or under but with a little experience, youll very quickly develop a feel for it.
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What Influences Lawn Mowing Costs
There are several lawn mowing cost factors to consider when pricing your jobs.
For example, does your lawn mowing service only include lawn mowing, or will you offer other services such as leaf removal and clean-up as part of a package?
Other factors to consider include:
- Size of the yard.
- Location of the job site.
- Local weather conditions.
Its important to note that location plays an important role in determining the cost of lawn care.
As a result, you should price differently for residential and commercial properties. The same goes for warmer climates where grass may grow quicker and colder climates that require winterization.
Find Out The Track Record
Ask how long a lawn care provider has been in business. What level of experience and education does the person or a providers staff have? Also, is the provider properly licensed and insured?
Unfortunately, some providers are fly-by-night operators that havent been in business very long and are interested only in taking your money, not in providing top-notch service. As noted by MarketWatch, providing lawn care requires little more than some equipment and a business license. Almost no training is required.
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Factors That Influence The Cost Of A Lawn Care Service
Your final price of lawn maintenance services relies on several factors. A customer service representative should cover these factors during the quote process to provide you with an accurate estimate. We have listed some of the most crucial factors for you below.
- Lawn size: One of the most significant factors is your lawns size. The larger the lawn, the higher the price.
- Obstacles: Features like trees, fences, rocks, planters, and other obstacles that workers will have to work around will add to your cost.
- Steep hills: If your lawn is hilly or features some steep hills, you should expect some extra cost added to your monthly price due to the challenges they present.
- Labor: Depending on the number of services you require or the size of your lawn, a lawn care company may have to add multiple technicians to your job. The number of workers and hours worked will influence your cost.
- Travel time: In a similar vein to the labor required for the job, if your home is further out for the lawn care service than other homes, then additional charges may be added to your monthly fee.
How Do I Pay Someone To Mow My Lawn
Something that might put many people off hiring someone to take care of their lawns in the payment method. The unknown is a terrifying thing, but you can rest assured that lawn mowing pricing structures and payment methods are straightforward. You just have to ask to find out!
For one-off mows, the lawn mowing contractor will often require a bank transfer or payment once they arrive . For those who will be using a regular lawn mowing service, you are likely to receive a regular invoice with specific terms. Those terms can differ depending on the contractor mower.
When it comes to GST, some lawn mowing workers offer inclusive pricing, but others dont. If you are not sure, or if its not clear, dont be afraid to ask. Not all lawn mowing contractors in your area are GST registered as there is a minimum annual income you need to reach before you are legally required to do so.
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