Garden Vs Lawn Tractor
Different jobs require different tractors. A garden tractor has different attachments, which makes it versatile. Unlike lawn tractors that can only mow, garden tractors can plow and even tow heavy equipment. A garden tractor also has a more powerful engine and transmission than the lawn tractor.
Yet, the garden tractor also has its drawbacks. Since this riding lawn mower is heavy and has large rear drive wheels, its not able to make tight corners. It also isnt able to move around obstacles with the same ease as a lawn tractor. Lawn tractors have smaller wheels that help them maneuver around obstacles. This is why its important to have a variety of lawn care equipment.
Select A Name For Your Lawn Care Business
Have a great name idea? Before you start marketing and branding your business, youll need to ensure your name is available. Most states prohibit or restrict businesses from adopting names that are already in use. Even if its legally allowed, a copycat name puts your business at risk of a lawsuit.
See if your business name is available in your state with our Free Business Name Search.
Start Your Own Lawn Care Business Today
Homeowners and business owners need reliable lawn care services. Start your own business to win over customers, grow your own small business and create a job you love.
As you build this new business, remember that customer service is key. Show up for your clients, and make sure your team does their best job every time. When your clients are happy, your businesss name will spread like wildfire and youll build a solid client base in no time.
Are you ready to take that first step today? This guide is here to help you on your journey so you can build a thriving business you enjoy.
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Sole Proprietorships & General Partnerships
If you dont file any paperwork to legally form a different kind of businessyou have a sole proprietorship or general partnership. Essentially, these are default business structures. A sole proprietorship has one owner, and a partnership has multiple owners.
These structures have a few initial benefits. Theyre easy, fast and cheap to start and maintain. However, the limitations and risks of these business structures quickly become more apparent as your business grows. In both of these business types, you are your business, legally speaking. Your companys legal business name is YOUR nameso youll need a DBA to operate under any other name. Any business debt is YOUR personal debt. If anyone sues your business, they are suing YOU personally.
Final Thoughts On Lawn Care Business Plans
Starting a lawn care and landscaping company takes a lot of work. However, crafting a detailed lawn care business plan can help you get ahead of your competitors and stand out as an industry leader. Using these tips, you can worry less about how much starting a business will cost you and focus more on high-earning business tactics that will make your hard work pay off!
Take your lawn care business plan to new heights with Method:Field Services!
Image credit: Alvaro Reyes via Unsplash
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Invest In Software To Track Your Time
When talking to lawn care experts, one of the first things they advise new lawn care professionals is to invest in software to track time on the job.
Heres why: Lawn care specialists spend a lot of time on the road, driving around to different customer properties. All that time on the road can really add up – and unless youre tracking the time it takes to get to and from your customers homes, you could end up losing out on money.
Time-tracking software can help you accurately scope out your projects for the day, so you can plan the most optimal route to each job site.
Additionally, time-tracking software can come in handy if you have any employees who might be at other properties.
Finally, time-tracking software can help you accurately invoice your customers for time spent on their properties, especially if you charge an hourly rate.
Create A Lawn Care Business Plan
In order to be able to have a thriving lawn care business, you will need a business plan. Just like any other business, this will serve as your blueprint to guide you towards your goals and will help keep you organized and motivated.
In your business plan, you will need to outline your budget,, how many people you need, and what equipment you have/need to start a business.
Set goals for yourself based on how much youre investing into the business, and how much time you have to dedicate to the work. Is this your side hustle or you main source of income? It could very well start as one and turn into the other, but if so that also includes having an exit strategy from your nine to five.
An LLC or a legit company pays their expenses before taxes. This is a very crucial component to setting-up your business because being an LLC opens up a lot more tax loopholes for you.
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Hire And Train Employees
Quality is key when building a business. Since lawn care is built on manual labor, your first few employees will be the ones who help you perfect your service and model for training going forward.
While there isnt a ton of experience required for lawn care, there are a few qualities to look for when hiring for your business:
- Hard worker: You need to build a team of hard workers that are willing to get their hands dirty and break a sweat.
- Reliable: Punctuality is key since the team will likely meet at your designated headquarters and ride to the job site together.
- Trustworthy: Since your employees will be at your customers homes, you need to make sure they are very respectful and trustworthy. They represent your brand, so it is important that every interaction they have with customers is a pleasant one.
Unless you plan on driving the truck with the equipment yourself, you will need to hire at least one person who has a valid drivers license and a clean driving record. Having the best, most reliable people on your team will help set up your business for success.
Extraneous Factors Affecting Start
When you begin a lawn care service company, its great to look over the equipment list and understand those initial and ongoing expenses. But where do you intend to store your equipment?
A small start-up lawn service may be able to use a small garage to store the equipment. Perhaps you have a garage at home that you intend to use for your machines until your business gets off its feet and can afford to rent a commercial unit.
If you are planning on renting a commercial property from the beginning, the start-up costs could be extremely high comparatively. It would be especially true if you need to renovate the property to make it initially viable for your business model.
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How To Start A Landscaping Or Lawn Care Business
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Anyone with a yard knows that maintaining it is a lot of work. So it’s no surprise that there are so many landscaping businesses out there to help eliminate the need for mowing, weeding, treating and doing more lawn maintenance yourself.
If you, however, are someone who loves to do yard work and the smell of freshly cut grass or a newly mulched garden is your favorite, you may have wondered how to start a landscaping business of your own.
The landscaping business is booming and if you live somewhere with a warm climate, you may be able to work nearly year-round. The landscape services industry makes $93 billion in revenue each year and employs more than 1 million people, according to the National Association of Landscape Professionals.
If this sounds like the right move for you, keep reading to find out how to start a landscaping business of your own.
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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How To Start A Lawn Care Business
Start a BusinessHow to Start a…
For many, having a home with a lawn is part of the American dream. Yet with that comes the need for lawn care, a task more and more homeowners are outsourcing to professionals. If you enjoy being outdoors, working with people and have an inkling to be your own boss, starting a lawn care business could be the perfect fit. Heres where you can learn how to start a lawn care business.
According to IBIS World, the landscaping services industry brought in $93 billion in revenue last year, a 5.9 percent increase over the last five years. Thanks to strong housing and property markets and increasing discretionary income, that number is expected to grow even more over the next five years, making it a very viable industry for aspiring business owners.
But starting a lawn care company takes more than just owning a lawn mower and a rake. You must have in-depth knowledge and experience in landscaping, and be able to set yourself apart from the competition.
Step : Get Business Insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your companys financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If youre unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so its a great place to start for your business.
Learn more about General Liability Insurance.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, its a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Recommended: Learn what business insurance for your Lawn Care Business will cost.
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Choose How To Structure Your Business
Youll need to choose how you want your business structured. There are four main types:
- Sole proprietorship: a business run by a single individual
- Partnership: An agreement between two or more persons who run the business together
- Limited liability company: a hybrid of partnership and corporation
- Corporation: a group of people authorized to act as a single entity
Sole Proprietorships
If youre just starting out, youll probably want to be a sole proprietorship. Most small businesses are sole proprietorships because this is the easiest and cheapest way to start a business.
In a sole proprietorship, you and the business are one and the same. A sole proprietorship is unique among business entities because its the only one that doesnt have to register with a state.
Starting one is easy.
All you have to do is:
- Come up with a name for your lawn company and decide where you want to be located
- File for a business license with city hall
- Set up a business checking account so theres a separation between your business and personal cash
If you plan to sell taxable things, youll need to register with your local taxing authority.
Sole proprietorship advantages include:
- Easy startupno complicated business structure
- Controlsince youre the only owner, youll have total power over every aspect of your company
- Use of lossesbecause youre including your business income and losses on your personal tax return, you can use them to offset personal income
Care And Maintenance Of Your Equipment
The equipment listed in this article needs to be cared for to avoid damage to yourself, your customers, or the yard youre working in. For example, you dont want a string trimmers faulty line to whip a blade of grass into your eye.
Lawn mowers, string trimmers, edgers, leaf blowers, and other lawn care equipment needs to be maintained properly, and that includes winterizing your lawn mower.
Caring for your equipment also means cleaning underneath your mowers and stinger trimmers at the end of a job or making sure your mower batteries are charged and your mower blades are sharp.
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Step : Set Up Your Business Phone System
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. Thats not the only benefit it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. Weve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2022 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
What Kind Of Services Should I Offer
Most lawn care businesses have approximately 25 customers they see each week and offers services like these:
And of course, these old standbys:
- Fertilizer application
As you can see, theres plenty of landscaping services you can offer. Just remember to always provide an superior customer service experience for everyone you do business with.
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Types Of Insurance Coverage A Landscaping Business Should Consider
With the many risks involved in lawn care and landscaping, insurance coverage is really important. Its crucial to set up policies that can protect you as the business owner, your employees, the homeowner youre servicing, and your equipment.
Generally, purchasing a Business Owners Policy will provide you with all the coverage you need however, its important to know what to include. Here are the must-have insurance coverages for your business:
How To Start Lawn Care Business
Do you ever think about starting your own lawn care business?
Russell Jeffcoat, owner of Legends Lawn Care in Blaine, Washington, did more than just dream about owning a business someday. He took decisive action by starting the lawn care business of his dreams, and then, earned $100,000 in his very first year!
Today, he rakes in between $500 and $6000 every time he takes his machines out and works on peoples lawns. Although he started his lawn care business with only $2,000 when he was a senior in high school, its a six-figure business now.
In fact, hes so busy, he often has to turn down work!
In this article, well go through the exact steps youll need to follow to start your own highly lucrative lawn care business. Lawn care is a $102 billion a year industry, and is expected to grow phenomenally with each passing year.
Youll discover everything you need to know on how to run a successful lawn care business. This includes tips like innovative ways to craft a business plan, getting your website ranked on Google, building long-lasting relationships with your customers, and a lot more!
If youre not interested in starting the business from scratch, consider buying an already established business here on UpFlip.
You can watch our two part interview with him here and here.
Without further ado, lets jump right into it.
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Insurance Needed To Start A Lawn Care Business
What if you got hurt and could not work for a while? What if your tools got stolen? What if you damaged your customers house, windows, car or something? There are different kinds of insurance youd need right away, or eventually: that which would cover your property from theft, that which would cover your bodily injury, and that which would protect your customers and their properties. You really should look into it sooner than later.
Some basic physical insurance would be protective gear. The recommended personal wear equipment needed to start a lawn care business would be PPE to protect your body from immediate harm. Personal equipment needed to start a lawn care business should include eye protection , ear protection , hand protection, and foot protection . Dont wear shorts because flying debris could get you, and you really should wear long sleeve shirts for the same reason and for sun protection. Keeping the sun off with cotton garments will actually make you feel cooler than short pants and short sleeve shirts.
I hope this info has been eye opening for you. Wed really like to help you if youre local. If you come and see us, it would be well worth your while and could save you a lot of trouble and money.
