Lawn Landscaping Industry Outlook Positive For 2022
Despite issues, the landscape industry is open for business as many homeowners rethink and prioritize their outdoor space.
Heading into 2021, landscapers were optimistic. The industry worked hard in 2020 to become labeled essential and things started to look promising. Approaching the second half of 2021, it seemed like the economy and daily life would start to fall back into place. But then the variants started showing upnot just of COVID-19, but the Great Resignation and deeper supply chain issuescreating havoc throughout the end of the year.
In a recent reader survey respondents were asked how they felt about the landscape industry overall going into 2022. Positive on demand for services, says Andy Sykes, CLP, PCH, owner of Garrett Churchill in Willow Grove, Penn. Supply chain issues are across the board with every industry, so that has become a common expectation. Labor continues to be a struggle with no end in sight.
The good news is the pandemic is causing homeowners and commercial companies to rethink their yards and campuses. Homeowners see their outdoor space as a new sanctuary that gets them out of the house and are willing to use professionals for maintenance and major upgrades. As commercial properties rethink the indoor office space, theyre also turning some attention on the outdoor campus to encourage staff to get away from their desks and safely interact.
There Is A Good Earning Potential
This first reason often does surprise folks who are looking for landscape and lawn care industry careers. They have always heard in the past that these types of jobs dont pay very much. But this can be a viable career with good earning potential.
Of course, thats not to say that all lawn care and landscape jobs pay well. It comes down to finding the best companies. The organizations that pay well are those that are truly invested in having the best team members so that they can offer the best service and results to their clients.
While we cant speak exactly to what other companies are doing, we can say that team members with Kingstowne definitely have good earning potential.
We also offer our employees benefits including health insurance, life insurance, a retirement plan , and the ability to earn paid vacations.
Not only do we pay more than many other companies, but we also offer a lot of growth opportunities to rise through the ranks here, which well cover in the next point.
Is Landscaping Considered Agriculture
Landscaping is one of the easiest ways to add appeal to your home or business.
Through the use of landscaping, you can make your property look more attractive by adding plants, flowers, shrubs, or other decorative and ornamental features.
But since landscaping involves digging, altering the terrain, developing watering solutions, and planting, is landscaping considered agriculture?
There are certain aspects of landscaping that are shared with agriculture and some areas where they differ.
When considering those who work in landscaping, there are some instances where they are considered to be agricultural workers.
In this article, we will explore the characteristics of landscaping and agriculture, look at examples of each, and discuss their similarities and differences.
Contents
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How To Start A Lawn Care Business
78% of Americans reported having their own lawn or landscaping a large chunk of these homeowners 4 out of every ten hired professionals to do their lawn care. That was the result of a survey in 2016, and recent figures show that Americans continue to love a green yard but tend to leave care and maintenance to someone else.
So if you know a thing or two about lawn care and maintenance, love working outdoors, and are looking for an opportunity to start your own business, you should read on to find out what it takes to set up a lawn care company.
Have The Challenges Of The Pandemic Created Any Business Opportunities For Landscape Contractors If So What Are Those Opportunities
OPEI: Landscapers have really been working with homeowners to tailor their outdoor spaces as a true extension of their home. Those spaces have needed to become classrooms, offices, play spaces, campgrounds sometimes all at once as backyarding become more and more common. Landscapers have helped homeowners customize those spaces to be purposeful for their customers.
SingleOps: Savvy landscapers did a few things very well and came out ahead over the last two years. One, they positioned themselves to deliver an exceptional experience that was different from the traditional landscape sales process. Companies that embraced digital solutions for estimating and proposing work benefited greatly here.
The second thing smart companies have done was to ramp up their marketing efforts. The tea leaves are indicating that the economy will return to pre-pandemic spending levels for our industry in the near future, and those that took advantage of massive demand to fine-tune their messaging efforts will come out on the other side of the pandemic in an extremely strong position.
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Cities With The Highest Concentration Of Lawn Care Businesses
Looking at the top 10 cities with the highest concentration of lawn care businesses gives us yet another picture of the lawn care industry. The same goes for the bottom 10 cities.
The city with the highest concentration of businesses is Middletown, Delaware, with a concentration score of 131.66
The city with the lowest concentration of businesses is New York City, with a concentration score of 0.24.
Again, this data is a bit surprising, and in some ways it is difficult to interpret why some cities have such a high concentration of businesses. Middletown, Delaware, for example, isnt located near any particularly large cities. Nor is Smyrna, Delaware.
Wheeling, West Virginia makes more sense as its a slightly larger town and also serves as a destination of sorts for tourists. With more tourism comes a greater need for lawn care. Rockville, Maryland makes much more sense given that it sits relatively close to Washington, D.C. and is located in an area that is more populated in general.
At the bottom of the scale are many large cities, such as New York and Houston. Given that large cities tend to have dense populations and much more pavement, this data makes a bit more sense. The density of the population compared to the overall amount of lawn care needed skews the concentration score lower.
What About Hawaii And Alaska
Hawaii and Alaska aren’t necessarily ideal for starting a lawn care business. Alaska’s average temperatures are often below zero, and Hawaii is an island full of sand, surrounded by water. In addition to sandy beaches, there are also pebble and lava rock beaches, limiting the amount of land with grass available to mow.
There are many commercial landscapers in Hawaii due to the resorts and tourist attractions that someone must keep up throughout the year. It may be challenging to compete in a marketplace already overflowing with lawns there are green and well-kept. Hawaii’s minimum wage is only $10.10, which is $2.90 less than California’s state minimum wage and $3.82 less than the average minimum paid to lawn care workers nationwide. Alaska and Hawaii are the least likely places to experience growth as the owner of a lawn care company.
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Winning New Business Means Being Responsive And Building Trust
If a customer wants a lawn care service, its not hard for them to find a provider. As a business owner, if youre not responding to service inquiries, youre going to lose ground in this age of technology. If youre not answering a customer inquiry within a few hours, youre probably going to lose that customer because theyve moved on to the next company. Brian Fullerton, Brians Lawn Maintenance YouTube Channel
In 2018, dont be an estimator or order taker. Be an educator. Be a partner. Take the time to answer questions, explain what it all means, what needs to happen, and exactly what the outcomes are that can be expected. Stanley Genadek, Dirt Monkey University
People are busier than ever and have more demands on their time and attention. Find ways to make better use of your clients time and they will remember you for it. Dont make them wait a week for your estimate because you have to take your handwritten notes back to the office and have someone else put it into the system. Dawne Leaney Davidson, Owner, Freelife Accounting and Bookkeeping
Sprinkler & Hoses To Be The Most Popular Product
Sprinkler & hoses product segment is estimated to witness over 4% CAGR through 2027. Convenience and innovation are major driving forces complementing the increased demand for sprinklers. Sprinklers offer water-saving features, such as variable timing & valve opening and even water spread, contributing to the plant health and leading to increased adoption rates. Several steps from the government agencies have also supported improvements in sprinklers. In August 2019, the Government of California announced the adoption of new regulations mandating the sale of sprinklers with specialized components, restricting water flow to 30 pounds per square inch.
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Landscaping Industry Statistics By Residential Landscaping
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62% of Americans who do not hire a professional landscaping company say they chose not to hire one because the cost is too high.
Other reasons people have given for why they chose to not hire a professional company is that they enjoy caring for their yard themselves, or they believe their yard is fine the way it is.
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Landscaping can add as much as 14% to the resale value of your home.
Research has shown that spending as little as 5% of your homes value on landscaping can give you a 150% return on investment. Another way to receive an ROI for landscaping is by planting trees properly placed trees have the ability to lower your homes heating and cooling costs by as much as 20%.
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There is a growing demand from younger consumers for residential landscaping services.
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83.3% of consumers sought native plants
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72.4% sought water-efficient irrigation
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70.5% sought vegetable gardens
This growing inclination from millennials towards gardening and lawn care maintenance is going to drive the landscaping industry in the U.S.
There Are Opportunities For Everyone
Another aspect that can be really appealing about this industry is the diversity, not only ethnically, but related to gender, as well. At Kingstowne, we have team members with all different backgrounds and we also employ many women and people of different ages.
In fact, two-thirds of our management positions are held by women including our Operations Manager, our COO, our CFO, and our Director of Client Satisfaction. While we recognize that not all landscape companies are quite this diversified, we do see the industry as a whole headed in that direction and were committed to helping lead the way.
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States With The Most Lawn Care Businesses
First, lets take a look at the states with the overall most lawn care businesses. This will give us a sense of where the lawn care industry is thriving and where it may be slacking a bit.
The state with the most lawn care businesses is Colorado, with 191.
The state with the least lawn care businesses is North Dakota, with 6.
In some ways, this data is a bit surprising. Its not immediately clear why Colorado, followed by Illinois, have the most lawn care businesses. Texas, which ranks third, makes a bit more sense as it has a large population and thus a large amount of lawn care needs.
North Dakota, on the other hand, makes much more sense given that it has an extremely low population related to the other states. A lower population implies fewer lawns to maintain, which then means fewer lawn care businesses.
We can make interpret this data in several different ways. First, a higher number of lawn care businesses can mean that the
is higher. You may have success starting a lawn care business in Colorado or Illinois for this reason.
Landscaping Lawn Care Services Saw Record Growth In 2020
Landscaping, lawn care, and other outdoor services the Green segment were the only home services that saw year-over-year growth in median revenue every month during 2020, according to Jobbers recently released Home Service Economic Report: 2020 Review. Green segment growth accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2020, hitting a record 32% year-over-year growth in December.
Although Home Service experienced a significant decline in year-over-year growth in March and April when stay-at-home directives were implemented across the U.S. in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the category ended the year exceeding pre-pandemic growth levels, according to the report, which showcases market trends and insights pertaining to the performance of the Home Service category throughout 2020.
Median revenue in Home Service saw consistent positive growth beginning in June, and reached a record high for the year in December with 23% growth year-over-year. New work scheduled, an early indicator of the health of Home Service businesses, peaked in June with 17% growth year-over-year, then continued to see consistent positive growth throughout the second half of the year, according to the report.
Key findings from the report include:
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Threats To The Landscaping And Lawn Care Industry
Some industry trends can create obstacles for your business. Watch out for these trends that are threatening the landscaping industry:
Why Lawn Care Businesses Are Primed For Market Consolidation
While growth may be the case for a number of lawn care companies, its not necessarily the future of every lawn care business. In fact, more so than perhaps most other industries, lawn care is primed for market consolidation.
Demand for home improvement and lawn care services have spiked as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and according to a recent report, landscapers specifically saw a nearly 46% increase. And while demand shows no sign of slowing down, especially as we near the start of lawn care season in February and March, a primary conversation driver is how business owners within this industry are prepared to scale and grow.
While growth may be the case for a number of these companies, its not necessarily the future of every lawn care business. In fact, more so than perhaps most other industries, lawn care is primed for market consolidation.
Most Businesses In The Space See Return Customers
There is a longstanding misconception that lawn care maintenance should only take place in spring. Ensuring a healthy, green lawn beyond just the spring and summer months requires consistent maintenance and essential services such as aeration and overseeding timed throughout the course of the year, every year.
Essential Businesses Always Have A Flow Of Customers
With a greater focus on home improvements, coupled with the ongoing maintenance required by homeowners, businesses experienced a slew of return customers who not only wanted services, but needed them.
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The Number Of Green Industry Entrepreneurs Will Keep Growing
The number of lawn care companies in the industry increases every year. Its the greatest thing to not be working for somebody else. The lawn care business is a great industry because of recurring and predictable income. Jason Creel, Owner, Alabama Lawn Care Pros
More people are getting into the lawn business all the time and from all sorts of backgrounds. I get just as many questions from 30-50 year olds who are burnt out from corporate America as I do questions from 16-25 year olds who are just starting their careers. I see a lot of guys 30-55 who are established and successful but still want to make that entrepreneurial leap. Brian Fullerton, Brians Lawn Maintenance YouTube Channel
How To Start A Lawn Care Or Landscaping Business
Cutting the grass isn’t for teenagers anymore. Put your landscaping and lawn-care skills to work by starting a lucrative business.
Entrepreneur
Editor’s note: This article was excerpted from our Lawn Care/Landscaping start-up guide, available from the Entrepreneur Bookstore.
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When you think back to the long, lazy summers of your youth, chances are some time was spent trudging along behind a lawn mower, pushing with all your might and sweating profusely, just so you could make a few bucks to buy some baseball cards or a really cool bike. You may have occasionally mowed down a few pansies or zebra-striped a lawn, but you sure were proud when the homeowner came to the door, surveyed your handiwork, and forked over the agreed-upon fee.
Mowing lawns or landscaping residential or commercial properties for a living will give you that same sense of pride-while earning you some pretty serious cash.
The ProsThere are many advantages to running a homebased lawn care or landscaping service. You’re master of your own destiny, and you can devote as much or as little time to the business as you want. You have a short commute to work if you’re based in your own community. You can work at your own pace and at virtually any time during regular daylight hours. You also can enjoy the fresh air, get a good cardiovascular workout, and bulk up your muscles.
Landscaping:
Lawn maintenance:
- Lawn mowing/maintenance
- Landscape architecture services
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