How To Start A Lawn Cutting Service

How to Start a Lawn Intendance Business: The Consummate Guide

In the lawn intendance manufacture, you could grow from a 1-mower operation to a million-dollar business organization.

But first, you'll need to learn how to start a lawn care business organisation legally and run it properly so yous can start mowing lawns and turning a profit.

This guide will walk you through how to go your lawn care business set up, running, and growing so you can make proficient money and do what you love.

Larn how to start a lawn care business:

1. Get ready up: registration, concern license, and insurance

To offset a lawn business that really stays in business, you'll want to make certain you're doing it legally. Follow the steps below to legally set up and operate your lawn care business.

? Choose a concern structure and register your visitor name

You'll need to choose a business structure earlier you register your business. The construction you lot option affects how your business organisation gets registered.

Here'south a quick guide to choosing the right structure:

Sole proprietorship — Y'all're automatically registered as this type of business if you lot run your operations lonely and want complete control over your business organisation.
Partnership — Choose this structure if yous run your business concern with two or more people, who are still legally considered self-employed.
Limited liability company (LLC) — Medium- to high-risk businesses typically choose LLCs, as they mostly protect you from personal liability.

If you take employees or operate your concern as a partnership, you'll need to utilize for an employer identification number (EIN). This is a unique ID for your business organisation that's used for reporting taxes.

Pro Tip: If you're starting a backyard mowing business in Canada, we recommend using Ownr to make business registration easier.

And then, you'll need to register your company proper name with your regional government. This procedure looks different depending on where you live:

U.s.: You can trademark your business concern name and register your domain proper name if no other business organization in your state is using the same proper noun.
Canada: If it's the same every bit your personal proper noun, yous don't need to annals your business name. Otherwise, annals the trade name and trademark it to protect your brand.
United Kingdom: Choose whether you lot're a sole trader or business organisation partnership. Then, cheque your name availability, search for a trademark, and register your company proper name and business.
Australia: If your business doesn't utilise your personal name, you'll need to register your business organisation name through the Business Registration Service, ASIC, or a individual service provider.

Pro Tip: Type "YOUR CITY NAME + business laws" into Google to find your local regulations for backyard care businesses.

? Become a business license

A business license is absolutely necessary to start your lawn care company. To detect out what kind of business license you need, contact your local Chamber of Commerce or the Small Business organization Administration (SBA).

Typical business licensing and registration can cost betwixt $75 and $400 USD per year, depending on your region.

In all states, y'all need a license to apply any product registered as a pesticide with the U.S. Ecology Protection Agency (EPA). Some states crave you to go certified through a pesticide prophylactic education program.

To observe out if you need a license for a certain production or service you plan to offering, check with your local Department of Agriculture to learn about your state'due south specific restrictions.

? Go backyard care business concern insurance

Lawn intendance business insurance protects y'all, your business, and your hereafter employees from losses caused by injury, property damage, or other unexpected incidents.

There are dissimilar types of insurance you tin choose from, depending on the coverage you lot need:

General liability insurance
Health insurance
Vehicle insurance
Workers' compensation
Business owner policy
Employment practices liability

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? Set upwardly your business organization banking and accounting

Set up a concern bank account to go on your personal and professional person finances separate. You'll also need this bank business relationship so you tin:

Ensure you're taxed properly
Build a credit profile for your business concern
Monitor your business organisation's cash flow
Brand bookkeeping easier

Once you set up upwards your checking account, create a monthly budget for any expenses. This should include your paycheck, insurance, overhead, supplies, and marketing. You tin can always arrange this budget over fourth dimension.

Keep track of your income and expenses throughout the year so you can file your taxes accurately. Be enlightened of who y'all're filing taxes with in your country:

Internal Revenue Service (U.S.)
Canada Revenue Agency (Canada)
Companies House (U.k.)
Australian Taxation Office (Australia)

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two. Make up one's mind what backyard intendance services to offer

Yous'll need to decide what lawn care services your business offers so you can purchase the correct equipment, set up your pricing, and market your services.

Kickoff small and offer basic lawn maintenance services similar mowing and trimming. That way, you tin can get your commencement lawn care customers and first bringing in acquirement without spending thousands of dollars on new equipment.

You lot should offer these essential lawn care services when you're starting out:

Mowing and bones lawn maintenance. This should include grass trimming, weeding, and edging for driveways and walkways. All yous'll need is a mower and trimmer to get started with basic lawn maintenance.
Fertilization. Offer fertilizer application and weed command to continue your clients' lawns salubrious and greenish. Considering fertilizer doesn't cost very much, it's a great service for new residential lawn care businesses to offering.
Seasonal services. Y'all tin market your lawn care services as special spring cleaning and fall cleaning during those seasons. When there's snowfall on the ground, offering snowfall removal and winter landscaping services to your lawn care customers.

In one case y'all have a few recurring customers and positive cash flow, you tin can start offering more specialized services that need new equipment and supplies, including:

Leaf bravado
Dethatching or power raking
Backyard aeration
Grading
Mulch installation and garden work
Sod installation
Backyard returfing
Lawn pest control and insect command
Tree trimming and pruning
Shrub intendance

To determine what services to add to your list, pay attention to what your clients ask for—and what your competitors are offering.

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3. Go the right lawn intendance equipment and tools

To start a lawn mowing business, y'all need a lawn mower and a van or truck for transportation. With plenty skill and expertise, 1 mower is all yous need to offer loftier-quality mowing that brings you echo business and referrals.

Here are the bones types of lawn mower you can choose from:

A push mower is the best option for new backyard intendance professionals. They're cheap, easy to use and maintain, and they work bully for smaller yards.
A walk-behind mower or self-propelled mower tin can motion on its ain, cutting through thicker grass, and cover more ground in less fourth dimension. They're larger and more powerful than button mowers, then they cost quite a scrap more than than push mowers.
A riding backyard mower lets y'all sit down and drive with a steering wheel while you lot mow. These heavy-duty machines are ideal for large-scale jobs. You might besides consider a lawn tractor, which unremarkably has more power and can cut widths of upwards to 48 inches.

Consider buying a string trimmer to exercise more precise mowing. These trim the grass in tight spots where your backyard mower tin't reach. You tin can as well buy an edger to sculpt the edges of lawns where they run into patios, curbs, and driveways.

When you're prepared to offer more backyard care and landscaping services, you can invest in:

A foliage blower
A spreader
A lawn aerator
A ability rake
Wheelbarrows
Pruning shears
Shovels

READ More than: seven types of grants you can use for your backyard intendance business organization

How much does backyard intendance and landscaping equipment cost?

In total, your lawn intendance and landscaping equipment can price between $715 and $one,515.

Hither's what you lot can expect to spend for new lawn intendance and landscaping tools:

Gas-powered push mower (new): $170–350
Corded electrical string trimmer: $20–80
Electrical edger: $100–175
Handheld leafage blower: $xx–130
Lawn aerator: $200–300
Power rake: $100–300
Plastic wheelbarrow: $80–130
3-pack of pruning shears: $25–50

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4. Cost your lawn care services

Y'all need to price your lawn care services adequately and profitably to attract paying customers and profit from every chore.

To set the correct lawn care service prices, yous should:

Check lawn intendance rates in your area
Summate your labor costs
Add your overhead, equipment, and material costs
Decide on your profit margins

READ More: How to cost backyard care services [pricing chart and formula]

To profit enough from each task, you'll need to use dissimilar pricing models for sure backyard care services. Here are the most common pricing models y'all can utilise:

Square footage rates are common for lawn care services, and they're a nifty way to price mowing jobs. (E.g., $0.01–0.05 per square foot.)
Hourly charge per unit includes your labor price per hour, plus overhead. Hourly rates are most assisting for large commercial lawn care contracts, packages like spring cleanups, or when you're unsure how long a job will accept. (East.g., $55 per worker per hour.)
Flat rate pricing provides one anticipated lawn intendance cost for the entire chore. This method works well when y'all know exactly how much time it'll have to complete the chore. (East.g., $150 for dethatching.)

One time you've decided on your service prices, create a lawn care pricing chart that lists your service costs per foursquare foot, per 60 minutes, or with flat rate pricing. A pricing chart will help you easily provide authentic and consistent lawn intendance estimates to clients.

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5. Market place your backyard care business organisation

Promoting your backyard care services with thoughtful marketing volition aid you go your showtime customers faster.

Many lawn care entrepreneurs start by knocking on their neighbors' doors and leaving mowing business flyers behind. Y'all might desire to experiment with tearaway flyers, door hanger advertising, and other traditional advertising methods before you lot beginning marketing online.

READ More: How to get your first 100 backyard care customers

Here's what you need to commencement digital marketing for your lawn care business:

Make your business. Company branding gives your concern a await and personality—and it helps form every customer's showtime impression of your business. Create a logo and choose company colors for your business organisation cards, website, uniform, and all your marketing materials.
Prepare an online presence. Having an online presence means potential customers can easily find your business on the cyberspace. The more your business shows upwards online—on social media, Google, and directories—the more likely people are to book your services.
Create a small business digital marketing plan. This programme should include a clarification of your target customers, your budget, and the platforms you'll employ. A marketing programme will assistance you focus your efforts and choose advertising methods that will attract the customers y'all want.

READ More than: The best marketing ideas for your lawn intendance business concern

vi. Hire lawn care employees

Eventually, y'all'll need to hire lawn care technicians to aid yous take on more jobs—and bigger ones.

Having a team will besides give you more fourth dimension to focus on sales, marketing, scheduling, and everything involved in running and growing your business organisation.

Hither's how to observe and hire backyard care employees:

Decide whether y'all want to rent employees or subcontractors
Write a lawn care job description that lists your employee's responsibilities
Create a chore posting and share information technology on job search websites
Ready questions to ask a new employee earlier you hire them
Check references and enquire for constabulary background checks
Gear up to train your employees once they're hired

READ More: How to hire lawn intendance employees: 5 steps

✅ What you lot need to know before starting a lawn intendance business

Do I need lots of experience to start a lawn care concern?

Y'all don't need lots of experience to start a lawn intendance business organization. Even so, you'll demand to learn how to properly mow, trim, aerate, and consummate other backyard care tasks before you go your first customers.

Easily-on experience is the best manner to acquire. Ask friends, family, and neighbors if you can practice by doing their yard work at a discounted rate. Or, you could work for some other lawn care visitor for i or 2 years to learn and fine-tune your skills.

You lot can also use these online resources to get advice from other lawn care professionals:

LawnSite
Reddit: /r/lawncare
Backyard and Landscape Mag

READ More: 22 lawn care apps to help you abound your business organization

The more expertise y'all have in lawn care and maintenance, y'all're more likely to become echo business and glowing recommendations.

How much exercise lawn care businesses make?

Some lawn care business owners make $10,000 a year while others make $100,000. It all depends on your squad size, efficiency, the services you offer, and your profit margins.

READ MORE: How to write a lawn care business concern plan [free template]

How much does it cost to start a lawn intendance business?

Starting a lawn care business tin can cost between $755 and $ane,360. That number depends on the equipment you have and the services you'll provide.

If you don't already accept a reliable truck or trailer, it could cost you at least an boosted $30,000 to commencement your lawn care business.

Many lawn care business startups begin as a unproblematic mowing and grass cutting business with:

A push backyard mower ($170–350)
Business registration costs ($75–400)
Liability insurance ($500–$600 per year)
Bones flyer or sandwich lath marketing ($ten)

Is it worth starting a lawn care business concern?

Starting a lawn intendance business organisation is worthwhile if you're ready to put your sweat into it. Once you get this business organization off the ground, you'll get to do what you love for a living—on your own schedule.

Come back to this guide when yous need aid, and check out our lawn care business organisation resources for more communication.

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Originally published in February 2020. Last updated on April 21, 2022.