Start up help from the pros

[Lawnshark]

I need help with starting a lawn care service. I would like to start with just mowing lawns and work my way up to landscaping. I am a part time college student and i feel like this maybe a good business for me to get into. First off i am not sure what to charge. I grew up in california and now i live in Arkansas. The wages are much lower in Arkansas. The houses in Arkansas are spread apart usually in 1 acre lots and have an approximent mowing space of an 1/2 acre. Rightnow i have 2 accounts and i charge 35 bucks to mow and edge every other week. Does that sound about right? I would aslo need to know how many accounts i would need to make a decent profit? I have read most of the forum and i am still unsure on how i should condust my business. Please help.

[alpine692003]

don't worry, I'm new too ..

I have 0 accounts, I will be starting soon though.

search for more topics about this!

lol..

[maddog22]

I think a good investment for you would be to purchase Phil Nilsson's pricing & labor time study books rite here on this website's book store. I use them they are an invaluable reference tool. At face value it sounds like you are short changing yourself on price. A 1/2 acre plot should be able to get you more money, with edging and trimming, especially if your only doing it every other week. But read up on the variables involved so you get the right price. As for the size of your business if you are a 1 man crew you can probably do up to 40 houses or so a week at the size property you mention. Join a landscape gardeners association:
Arkansas Turfgrass Association
P.O. Box 22221
Little Rock, AK 72221
Have them assist you or your college in getting your pesticide applicators license, offer a fertilization/weed management program to your customers to improve your profits and keep their lawns looking professionally groomed. Also since you already have the customer, offer a fall clean-up and spring prep-up, you do have a change of season in Arkansas right? Once you have the customer think of all the services you can offer and maximize the revenue from each customer. Trimming shrubs, weeding & mulching garden beds, tilling and fertilizing their vegetable gardens, etc.. the list goes on and on and it all starts with MOWING the lawn. hope this helps

[maddog22]

Arkansas Turfgrass Association
P.O. Box 22221
Little Rock, AK 72221
USA
Phone: 501/224-4840

call them for more information regarding lawn care business in your area.

http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/associations/

[Phil Nilsson]

Lawnshark,

I believe the place to start is with doing a little "eyeballing" of your market. Do a drive around, have a look at the comp, have a look at new housing areas, affluent neighborhoods. If you're around Little Rock, then I know you have a market and you'll get a share of it. Do I have a large enough market? What sales can I expect from it? What will my market buy, what does it want? Given those sales (market share) and expenses of delivering services, what profit can I expect and will that offer an adequate income? The fancy word for this is feasibility. It's like looking at want ads ... dishwashers $5.00 an hour ... truck drivers $15.00 an hour ... rocket scientists $250,000 salary plus benefits ... where will you fit into the picture?

Also cash flow is important because just about everybody starts at the bottom and works their way up. Can you last that long? How much money do you need to live on let's say during the first 3 years ... how much will you bring in during that time frame? ... what resources ... cash and credit, loans are available?

Still in college? ... if you haven't done so, take accounting 101 and 102 ... cost accounting 101 ... business law 101 ... marketing 101 and 102 ... economics 101 ... psychology 101 ... business management 101

Phil

[Lawnshark]

I live in Northern Arkansas. In this part of the state we tend to get the run off from Branson Mo. Tract housing is booming in my area and comercial development is catching up. Ive been working for a landscape company for the past 2 years and everytime we leave a job they neeed a gardener after we leave. I could never figure it out why my boss never offered a maintnence plan. So with old customers and the growing population of retirees moving to my area i would think my servises are in demand. I also sell feel good items at the local farmers market on tuesday mornings. When spring warms up i make about 150 to 250 a week from farmers market and another 300 a week from landscaping. Just to live i need to make about 300 to 400 a week. I have a lot of contact with the locals through farmers market and past landscaping jobs. Do you think it is possible to make 300 a week just starting off? Or do you think it would be wise to keep landscaping for another company and get accounts after jobs and work on the weekends?

[maddog22]

Depending on your market, and the potential you describe, if you price out the jobs correctly you should be able to net the $300 without a problem. You should be able to make much more then that with just 10 - 15 customers. It sounds like with minimal effort you can obtain these customers. Perhaps you work out a deal with your boss on the maintenance end, keep your job with him and do the maintenance on the side?
On another note--Why do you do lawn maintenance every other week? Weekly maintenance would probably be a better money maker for you. See if you can get some kind of agreement with the customers.

[maddog22]

lets do some practical math:
15 customers @ avg $35 per account = $525 Revenue
lets say costs of operation are 35% of Revenue. Costs considered (gas, oils, insurance, auto, etc..)

$525 - $184 = $341 net or what you walk away with

this is just an example, you would have to figure out what your costs are, but it seems like getting the additional customers would be relatively easy for you. You have access to them- just do it.

[Lawnshark]

I only do lawns every other week because i only have 2 accounts and the home owners only want my services every other week. Now is it best to collect after the service is preformed or have them sign a monthly contract? Rightnow the customers pay me when i finish the job.

[jfishenter]

Mowing every other week is common in my area. Most customers have centipede lawns that really need it about every two weeks ( although I do mine every week to keep it looking good). Most of my customers are willing to pay pretty good for 2 week service. I started from scratch last year and was doing 2500.00 a month. by May. I plan to add 1 man this year and at least double that. This is just routine lawn care.