Set Up Your Business Contact Information
When your first customer wants to book you, its best to have a dedicated email and phone number for your business.
If youre willing to invest in a website domain, you can create a branded email address that has your businesss name after the @ symbol. It typically costs around $10 to $20 a year for a professional email domain.
If you dont want to invest in a custom domain, then a regular email account will do.
Make sure that your email address still looks professionalcustomers will take a lot more seriously than .
Be careful of which free domain host you use if youre getting a free domain. Gmail tends to be more respected than other domains, such as Yahoo or Hotmail.
Tip #: Evaluate Efficiency
As your business grows, its important to check in every now and then to ensure you are staying efficient by utilizing the most effective equipment and software. For example, when it comes to weed control and fertilization, you might be used to using a push spreader, but as you add more customers to your growing list, consider changing your practices to a ride-on spreader. This will make your business more efficient and effectivegiving you the ability to do more lawns in a day and to take on more customers overall.
Efficiency isnt just about getting the physical part of the job done. If you rely on pen and paper for tasks like invoicing, quoting, and job tracking, it may be time to consider adopting lawn care business software. Using pen and paper to operate is not only inefficient, but may result in duplicate entries and errors. Adopting a software solution for your business can be intimidating, but it doesnt need to be. Look for software that has a reputation for being easy to use and is accessible on any device regardless of where you arein the field, at the office, or working from home.
Sign Up For Lawn Mowing And Landscaping Business Software
Once you decide to go into the lawn maintenance business, you need to have the best lawn maintenance business software and apps you can afford.
Sagenine is the lawn mowing company software I recommend. The application is easy to use, and will help you run your lawn business so much easier.
With Sagenine, you can add your accounts, track your work, track your crews, invoice your accounts, schedule work to be done, and so on.
As you can see, there are just a few, simple steps that you can initially take towards expanding your lawn care company.
These steps are guaranteed to help you succeed even further in growing your company and becoming a profitable lawn care business.
Your company will only be as successful as you make it, so if you work hard and follow the critical steps that make your company stand out from the rest, it will grow and prosper.
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Get The Right Equipment
Just as you wouldnt dare go to a gunfight without a gun, you cant launch your lawn care business without the best tools and right equipment.
After developing your goals, a mission statement, and identifying your target market, its now time to choose your tools. But how do you choose them? By considering your goals and services you plan to offer.
Go for equipment that will help get things done efficiently, faster and professionally. We would also advise you to choose equipment that needs minimal maintenance and are commercial-grade.
Also, talk to peers, dealers, and take advantage of the internet to get an idea of the best equipment.
Dont forget to check the type of guarantee or warranty that comes with the equipment, as well as the availability of replacement parts.
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Design And Distribute Your Brochure
Next, plan your service programs for homes and businesses separately and design two simple brochures. Make sure that you include some of the important keywords that came up in your survey. In particular, mention the issues these people identified as your key offerings, such as excellent trimming.
Knowing a customer/prospects pain points or problems is one of the most valuable pieces of information you can have. The better you understand this, the better your marketing material will be.
Next, do a quick tour of the local neighborhood and deliver your brochures or business cards. You can drop them in mailboxes or even go up to doors and knock. This will help your potential customers to put your face with that of your lawn care business.
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What Do You Think
Which strategies are you currently using to grow your business? Are they working well?
If you have any questions or need help with your marketing feel free to leave a comment below or contact me.
If youre interested in staying up-to-date on reviews of the latest mowers sign up for our newsletter below! I also cover many lawn care business tips you won’t want to miss.
How To Grow Your Lawn Care Business
Posted by Lawn Care | Jan 4, 2018 | Lawn Care Business Advice | 0 |
Being a lawn care provider can be really profitable, but sometimes this is not enough. Lets face it, working on your own isnt that feasible youre always exhausted, you run from A to Z day in, day out and at some point, you realize its not even worth it.
So, what can you do about it? On one hand, you want to make enough money to provide for your family just through landscaping and lawn care services on the other hand, you feel like sooner or later, youll burn out.
In this case, you should seriously consider learning how to grow your lawn care business. As you will see next, growing a lawn care business can be tricky, but it will certainly pay off in the end.
We know that this is by no means an easy process and that is why weve decided to compile this guide for you. In the following, well tell you everything you should know about growing a landscaping business, from how to do it to all the pros and cons you should be aware of.
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Course #: Carsons School: Pricing And Cash Flow
Look, this course by Carsons School is for lawn care professionals that already have a successful lawn care company, and want to improve their cash flow, and set their pricing.
This course is $249.
The course will teach you how-to:
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Find your cost per man-hour
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How to do proper job costing
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How to find your market man-hour rate
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3 non-sales ways to increase your cash flow
The course will also give you access to The Golden Price Sheet and Golden Pitch and a cash-flow positive example sheet.
Who is this course for? This course is great for anyone that already has a lawn care company, but may not be certain on how to set their prices. Its also good for lawn care pros that would like to improve their cash flow and be certain that they are not missing out on opportunities.
Your Own Business Your Way
You will establish a new business concept with a brand name existing for many years and an extensive customer base. You can rely on the complete support of Lawn Care Company in terms of brand recognition and customer contact. The brand has been proven and constantly grows due to its good reputation and solid training standards. These standards ensure high professional skills and consistent quality. Your lawn care company representative will also be able to provide you with growth possibilities via business expansions.
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The Bottom Line On Running A Lawn Care Business
Running a lawn care business can be a rewarding job. People love sitting in their gardens in the summer, kids outside, BBQs friends and family. When your customers sit outside and their lawn is freshly cut and their plants look healthy, they enjoy their outside space and thats because of you. Lawn care is an important job and can change the way people feel about their homes.
Now that you understand all the pros and cons of running your own lawn care business and some dos and donts once its up and running, you are able to go into this venture with both eyes open. Remember that there is a huge opportunity for growth in this industry so you have the power to really customize its ins and outs so that it reflects your desires and needs.
Build Your Email List
Email marketing is a powerful tool for lawn care business owners because its affordable and can yield substantial results. There are many ways you can build your email list, but the two most effective methods are:
- Ask for your customers emails when they sign up for your lawn care services.
- Provide a newsletter to your audience to sign up for on your website.
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Create A Professional Lawn Care Business Website
One very basic, but important step in expanding your lawn company into something greater than just a home operation is to create a professional lawn and landscape company website.
You dont have to even spend any money on creating your website since nowadays there are plenty of free platform options.
On your website you can have an about page where you tell a little bit about yourself and your company and you can update it regularly to reflect any new services that you might be offering.
If you want to create a very good website, you could even write a few articles about lawn care to show potential customers that you know your trade.
Besides an about page you should add a few photos of jobs that you have done, photos of you actually working on someones lawn would also be a nice and personable touch.
Having a website will make your company seem more trust worthy and professional. And will attract clientele that would have never known about you otherwise.
Start Growing Your Lawn Care Business
Growing a landscaping business can be challenging, but you can make it happen with the right strategies in place. Establish good relations with your customers, hire the right people, create a website, and invest in email marketing to get started.
Also, ensure to automate your operations and keep up with industry trends to stay ahead of the competition. Contact our lending experts at Select Funding if you need additional financial assistance. We can help you get the right tools in hand so that you can grow your landscaping business into something truly remarkable.
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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:
Offer Benefits And Incentives
After a hard month working tirelessly, your team may appreciate a day off every other week. You can include a vacation policy in your lawn care business plan. Or offer bonuses when they complete tasks under difficult weather conditions.
These types of incentives can keep employees working hard for more extended periods and will help you build a solid team for the future.
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Find Clients & Advertise
To gain customers, you could go the old-fashioned way and hand out flyers. To entice new customers, you could run a Facebook or Instagram ad which targets your specific audience. In addition, it attracts people in your local area. Remember that having excellent customer service could bring you more customers. If you offer good customer service, those clients may refer you.
Start Upselling And Cross
The key to growing your business is upselling and cross-selling. For example, your landscaping clients may like to add new plants in the spring and summertime. So, keep in touch with them and let them know you can help!
For instance, while catering to a specific client, you might notice that their garden needs a cleanup to enchance curb appeal. Remember that each client is different, so being more observant will help you gain more requests by knowing their needs.
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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
Get The Right Lawn Care Tools And Equipment
Its tempting, but dont buy the most expensive lawn care equipment right off the bat.
Expert Jason Creel explains, We need equipment to have success in the lawn care business. People have different budgets and theres a happy medium when it comes to buying equipment.
Im not going to say you should get the cheapest equipment, says Creel. Im not going to buy a homeowner-grade push mower from the big box store to get started. Thats going to slow down production.
At the same time, you dont necessarily have to go finance the top-of-the-line mower and put that financial burden on your company.
Jason Creel, Lawn Care Life
You can get a used commercial-grade mower for thousands of dollars less than a new one.
To give you a ballpark price range, walk-behind lawn mowers usually cost around $150 to $200, while lawn tractors can be over $4,000.
The key to choosing equipment is to stay within your means. Starting off with cheaper equipment doesnt mean youll be stuck with that equipment forever.
If you work hard and market strategically, its possible to grow your business with just a few inexpensive tools.
Once money starts pouring in, you can start thinking about that $15,000 mower.
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Get Your Business License
While you dont need special industry licenses to start a landscaping company, most states require a business license. Some cities and counties have their own separate licenses.
Getting a landscaping business license is usually a simple process. But you could be turned down if you have a criminal record, fail to pay taxes, violate zoning laws, or fill out the paperwork incorrectly.
Contact your county clerks office to learn which licenses you need and any potential restrictions.
If you plan on transporting plants or other greenery across state lines for your landscaping business, you may need a federal license or permit. If your business may have customers in multiple states, check with the U.S. Department of Agriculture about any specific requirements.
Keep Accurate Business Records
Besides being necessary for tax purposes, maintaining clear lawn care records will help you run your lawn care company more effectively. Keep track of all the lawns you treat each month, how much time it takes to manage them, and your revenue. This information is crucial in helping you make decisions about pricing lawn services, expanding your business, and more.
If youd like to quickly and easily complete your business plan, and complete your business plan and financial model in hours.
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