10 Easy Steps for Starting a Lawn Care Business. Lawn care business startup

Easy Steps for Starting a Lawn Care Business

Starting a lawn care business can be exciting yet daunting at the same time. From registering your new business to acquiring a lawn care business license, finding customers, and managing finances, there are many things involved.

However, you’ll be glad to know that starting a lawn care business is a lucrative business idea. The United States landscaping industry size is estimated to be 115.6 billion in 2022 and it has grown at a CAGR of 4.2% during 2017-2022.

Millennial consumers are becoming more health-conscious and are more inclined towards gardening, landscaping, and lawn care activities. This has led to an increase in demand for lawn mowing and lawn care service providers.

You must, however, understand the pros and cons of starting a lawn care business before your start one.

The Pros and Cons of Starting a Lawn Care Business

When starting a lawn care business, you need to know about market demand and competition. You should also find out the benefits you’ll get and the challenges you may face as a lawn care business owner.

Pros of Starting a Lawn Care Business

Lawn care services are in demand in the United States and this demand will continue to grow according to the report mentioned above.

If you start a lawn care business, you will be able to enjoy a number of benefits, which include:

• Consistent work: Many people emphasize the importance of green spaces for healthy living and are inclined towards gardening and landscaping. You can easily turn these people into your customers by pitching your lawn care services and providing a good experience. Your potential customers may need your lawn mowing services 2-4 times a month, depending on the size and type of their lawn.

• Upselling and cross-selling opportunities: You can start by offering one service such as mowing and then upsell other relevant lawn care services. You can ask your existing customers if they would also like to have you do gardening, bug and weed treatment, and trim trees.
• Scalable business: If you provide a good experience and customer service to your existing clients, you can grow your lawn care company significantly.

Clearly, starting a lawn care business is not only a viable option but also a lucrative one. You should, however, remember that there are also some downsides to starting a lawn care business.

Cons of Starting a Lawn Care Business

Every business idea comes with its own set of challenges and the landscaping industry is no different.

When starting a lawn care business, be prepared to face the challenges mentioned below.

• Seasonal dip in demand: The demand for lawn care services sees a dip during the winter season. You may not receive new business inquiries during this period. However, you can FOCUS on generating consistent revenue by mowing lawns for your existing customers.

• Increased competition: Starting new lawn care companies doesn’t require any major investment, except for the cost of necessary equipment. Although the demand for lawn care services is increasing with a rise in the health consciousness of people, you may have to experience and fight high competition.

• Training needs: If you want to start a lawn care business, you will need to train with someone competent to acquire basic knowledge about lawn care. It may take up to three weeks for you to learn about lawn mowing, equipment maintenance and operation, pricing work, and maintaining quality standards.

As such, starting a lawn care business has its own set of pros and cons, but the benefits are enough to outweigh the cons.

With that cleared, let’s understand how to go about starting a lawn care business.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Lawn Care Business

Starting a lawn care business is not really difficult if you know exactly how to do it. That’s why we’ve created this guide to starting a lawn care business to help you out.

We have listed the step-by-step process that you can follow for starting your own lawn care business.

Without further ado, let us tell you what you need to do to start a lawn care business. Here are the steps you need to follow:

Step #1: Choose Your Business Location

Location is quite important when starting a lawn care business as you need enough clients in an area for your business to be profitable.

As such, a lawn care business is a local business, at least until you build a strong brand and expand to multiple locations.

So, it’s important to choose a location where most homes tend to have gardens that need tending all year round. This, obviously, rules out crowded metropolitan areas with skyscrapers and apartment complexes instead of row houses with gardens.

If you already live in such an area, then that’s the best as you won’t have to work too hard to promote your lawn care business. over, you can practically run the business out of your house.

Step #2: Conduct Market Research

This is an essential step for starting a lawn care business or any other business as you need to understand the market and its key players.

Get on the ground and collect information about how many houses in your preferred location have a garden and how they take care of them.

Are there any big lawn care companies that are serving that location? If yes, then how can you compete with them?

Do people just hire local service providers or their neighborhood kids to give them a chance to earn some money in exchange for their services? In that case, they may not really be interested in hiring lawn care professionals.

Assess the market need and size, and then try to estimate how much of that market you can realistically capture. If the idea seems feasible, move to the next step in this guide to starting a lawn care business.

Step #3: Find the Current for Lawn Care Services

When conducting your market research for starting a lawn care business you should also survey the market to find the for different types of lawn care services.

This will help you set your right and stay competitive.

It’s especially important to survey the if there are other businesses serving the location and you have to compete with them. You can, of course, choose to compete by offering a better service, but you still need to set competitive as well.

So, get a rough estimate of how much you can charge for each service, even if you don’t decide exactly which services you want to offer at this stage.

Step #4: Create a Business Plan for Your Lawn Care Business

Starting a lawn care business is not expensive and requires little initial investment, but such businesses do face high competition. If you want to build a successful lawn care business, you should start with a solid business plan in place.

• Set clear goals about what you want to achieve, by when, and how.
• Identify your target market and location.
• Understand the needs of your potential customers.
• Keep a check on your competitors.
• Create a marketing plan to get customers and long-term work opportunities.
• Buy business insurance to protect your business from financial losses due to property damage or injuries.
• Set standards to provide high-quality services and good customer experiences.
• Streamline customer service operations to satisfy and retain your clients.

A business plan is a must for starting a lawn care business as it gives you a sense of direction and sets out a way forward.

Step #5: Name Your Lawn Care Business

A good business name is short, crisp, and unique. It should give people a clear idea about the services you provide and help you stand out from your competitors. Many lawn care businesses include the term, “lawn care,” in their business name to help customers find them.

When naming your lawn care business, you should also make sure that the name is available as a domain and has not been trademarked by someone else.

You also have the option to change your name later by filing a doing business as (DBA). Still, be careful with picking your business name and do it right the first time.

Step #6: Register Your Lawn Care Business

One of the most important steps for starting a lawn care business legally is to register your business with the federal and state governments.

To get started, you should choose a business structure that meets the ownership, taxation, and operational needs of your lawn care business.

Should You Start A Lawncare Business?

If you’re starting as a solopreneur, you can choose to form a Sole Proprietorship or a Single-Member LLC (Limited Liability Company). If you want to start a lawn care business in partnership with someone else, you can form a Partnership or a Multi-Member LLC.

Here’s a quick guide to choosing the right business entity:

• Start a Sole Proprietorship if you want complete control over your business and are willing to risk your personal assets if the business fails.
• Create a Partnership firm if you want to share the burden of managing the business and are willing to split profits with a few partners.
• Form an LLC to mitigate personal liability and choose how you want your business to be taxed. It is also easier to scale your business with an LLC.
• There’s no need to form a Corporation for starting a lawn care business and it’s not recommended.

Starting a lawn care business requires that you complete state filings, acquire an EIN/Tax ID, and submit necessary documents. Doing it all by yourself may be challenging but we have made it easier with our unique business formation packages. With these packages, we will register your lawn care business for you.

Step #7: Acquire Lawn Care Business Licenses and Permits

Lawn care licensing requirements vary from state to state. They also depend on the type of lawn care services that you want to offer.

You should check with the state to see if you will need a business license to operate your lawn care business. If needed, you should submit the required documents and acquire a license.

When starting a lawn care business, you would need to use herbicides and pesticides, for which you’d need approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Step #8: Decide on the Types of Services You Want to Offer

Lawn care businesses offer many services. You should decide on the types of services you want to provide to your customers when starting a lawn care business.

Some of the services you can choose include:

• Lawn mowing
• Edging
• Trimming
• Fertilization
• Irrigation
• Weed treatment
• Bugs treatment
• Planting
• Landscaping
• Cleaning

Regardless of the services you choose, you should make sure that you know how to do them the right way. Or, you can hire employees who are experts in a particular service area.

Once you’ve decided the types of services you want to offer, set the right based on the research you conducted at the start of this process for starting a lawn care business. Make sure that your are competitive and people are willing to pay that much for your services.

Step #9: Purchase the Right Lawn Care Equipment

When starting your lawn care business, you should not buy too much equipment too soon. You should start small and buy the essentials first. As your business grows, you can add more equipment to your arsenal.

Here’s a list of equipment you’ll need for starting a lawn care business:

• A service truck
• Commercial lawn mower
• Lawn care equipment such as a string trimmer, an edger, and a leaf blower
• Spreaders and sprayers
• Safety equipment such as face masks, eye goggles, and gloves
• Landscaping equipment for digging, cutting, grading

When starting a lawn care business, buy only the essential equipment first and then purchase more as you grow your business.

Step #10: Market Your Lawn Care Business to Find Clients

You may find it challenging to get people to trust your business and service during the first year. You should start by offering services to friends and family, who can then help you find more clients through word-of-mouth marketing.

To promote your lawn care company, you should:

• Build a business website for your lawn care company.
• List your lawn mowing business on Google My Business. Manage your business and contact information such as the name of your business, email address, hours of operation, and contact number.
• Create profiles on service websites and local-specific channels such as Yelp, Thumbtack, and
• Create social media profiles for your business and publish content related to the lawn care industry.
• Showcase your service to potential clients using paid ads.
• Ask your current clients, family, and friends to promote your new lawn care business using word of mouth.
• Leave flyers and business cards with the prospective customers, for promoting your lawn care company.
• Ask your customers to review and rate your services on Google to attract more clients from the GMB listing for your lawn care business.

FAQs

How to start a lawn care business?

You can easily start a lawn care business by following these steps:

• Choose a location for your lawn care business.
• Conduct market research before starting a lawn care business.
• Choose a name for your landscaping business.
• Decide on the business structure – whether you want to work as a Sole Proprietor or form a Partnership with other people.
• Register your business, acquire the licenses you need to work, and buy business insurance.
• Determine the service you’ll offer – lawn mowing, insect and weed treatment, landscaping, trimming trees, etc.
• Buy the necessary equipment you’ll need to work.
• Hire employees who are experts in a particular service.
• Set a pricing plan and look for an opportunity to upsell or cross-sell your service to existing clients.
• Set up a payment method – PayPal, credit card, cash, etc.
• Build a web and social media presence to get more clients.

How to start a lawn care business with no money?

Wondering how much start-up costs you’ll need to start a lawn care business? Not too much.

You should start small and grow your small business gradually. When starting out, you just need to take care of the registration fees for your business and the cost of basic equipment.

You can promote your business on social media without any additional cost to attract your first few clients. Once you start earning money, invest a part of the revenue into upgrading equipment, building a website, and hiring employees.

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

To start a business from scratch, you’ll need at least 500 to buy lawn mowing equipment (lawn mower, trimmer, leaf blower).

Also, you’ll have to register your business. If you want to form a Sole Proprietorship or Partnership, it will cost 195 for state and federal filing fees. However, forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC) will cost you 345 or even higher in a few states.

This cost estimate is for business owners who want to work themselves and start a one-person business in the beginning. If you want to hire other people to work for you, the cost will increase depending on their wages.

Is lawn care a profitable business?

You can charge 30/hour to 120/hour for lawn mowing. In fact, you can charge up to 220/hour for mowing large lawn areas, especially those with a sloping landscape.

With the increase in popularity of green spaces, the opportunity and demand for lawn care service providers have also increased. If you provide your clients with good services and experiences, you can definitely make it big in this industry.

Success only depends on your quality of service, hard work, and dedication.

What licenses are needed for starting a lawn care business?

The license you need for starting a lawn care business will vary from state to state. If you want to get proper licenses, you should check with the state to see if you will need a business license and how to acquire it. When starting a lawn care business, you would also need approvals from EPA for pesticide use.

Ready to Start Your Lawn Care Business?

We’ve covered the basics of starting a lawn care business and the step-by-step plan that can help you get started. Now it’s your turn to work on it to start your lawn care business from scratch.

Don’t forget to conduct thorough market research and feasibility check before starting a lawn care business. Use this to form a solid business plan that will help you with starting a successful lawn care business.

While it can be a lot of work, it’s important to start your business legally and set it up for long-term success. If you want help registering your business, feel free to contact us.

Do you have questions about starting a lawn care business? Leave them in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев below.

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How to Start a Lawn Care Business That Grows Steadily

Do you enjoy mowing the lawns at your home? Interested in being an entrepreneur and working for yourself? If you answered yes, then a lawn mowing business could be for you!

There are plenty of opportunities to start your own company in this area. By starting your own business, you can choose what you want to do according to what you like to do. You can be your own boss.

Starting a lawn care business is more than just mowing lawns. Services provided often include edge trimming, grass maintenance, weed control, and rubbish removal. Many grass cutting businesses offer their services to clients regularly. This may be monthly, every second week or weekly, depending on the client’s needs. Remember to think bigger than residential services – you could also offer services to other businesses. If you’re interested in learning about how to start a lawn care business, then you’re in luck. Read on for a guide on how to do it in this article created by our team at Trafft.

Is a Lawn Care Business Right for You?

When considering whether you’re interested in starting a lawn care business, you need to have a good reason. Those who don’t have the motivation will find it hard to succeed at starting their own company. Those who’ve found success in the lawn care business are ones who’ve always dreamed of working outside. You need a clear concept and a dream to make this business work for you.

People who enjoy lawn care are those who like to be outside, no matter the weather. Remember that you’ll be working all year round, so you need to be prepared for anything. This includes both freezing temperatures and the hot summer months. Of course, the weather will depend on your location, too.

If you do decide to start your own lawn care business, there are many benefits to this. You get to work for yourself and choose how much time you spend on your business. You get to make all the decisions – for example, you could cut down travel time by only accepting jobs near you. You can choose to work at any time that suits you as long as the sun is still out, and you can choose to work weekends or not, it’s all up to you!

As with anything, there are downsides as well. One would be that in winter you could have trouble finding work. Another is that if there are already a lot of lawn mowing businesses in your area, it could be tough to break into the market.

You need to be determined and a real people person to make your business thrive. Those who are good at talking to people are likely to attract and retain more customers. Another important trait to have is to be detail-oriented – do every job thoroughly and to the best of your ability. This will increase repeat customers.

Does It Cost a Lot?

One of the questions that people ask when finding out how to start a lawn care business is whether it’s expensive or not. Out of all the startups you could create, a lawn care business is relatively low cost. Your main costs will come from a truck and trailer for transporting your equipment. Then you’ll need a commercial lawn mower and other smaller equipment. Keep in mind that these costs depend largely on whether you can access second-hand equipment and what’s available at the time.

Here’s a table summarizing the cost estimates of the equipment:

Truck	5,000
Trailer	1,000
Commercial Lawn Mower	8,000
Other Equipment	1,000
Estimated Total	15,000

Some other costs you’ll want to factor into your lawn care business plan come from advertisements. This includes signs, flyers and business cards. Then you have website and internet costs, as well as insurance. These costs are highly variable, but you should expect to spend anywhere from350 upwards. This doesn’t include insurance, which could be between 50 – 200 each month.

Pro tip: Purchase brand new equipment. It may be tempting to buy second-hand to save money. However, this could end up costing you more in the long run as second-hand equipment is likely to break down faster. If you expect to get some second-hand items and replace them within three months, this is a reasonable expectation. It will save you in upfront costs if you’re trying to start the company with very little funds.

What Permits and Licenses Will You Need?

If you want to start a lawn care business, you have to know how to do it legally. In most areas, you won’t need a permit. However, you will probably need a business license, just like any other business.

You’ll need to select a business structure and then register your business. Generally, if you’re a small business, it’s a simple process. You just register your company name with the state and local government.

As part of your business, you may decide to offer weedkilling sprays for flower beds and pathways. Be aware that in most areas this requires another license.

Once you’ve registered, you should get insurance for your company. This is important for if something goes wrong, so you don’t have to shell out all the money yourself.

How Should You Advertise Your Services?

For those who are new to owning a business, advertising can be an overwhelming proposition. To know where to start, you will need to create a marketing plan. This will give you concrete steps that you can tackle one at a time. You can find many template plans online.

Putting signs for your company on your truck is a great way to start advertising. When you’re not driving it, try to park your truck on the road in high-traffic areas. Make sure you have your phone number or website on the truck as well so people can contact you. You could also try distributing flyers in the area to get your name out there.

Another must is creating a website for your business. These days, the first place people look for a company is online. So, your website should detail the services you provide and any other information that you think is important. You can also start a social media presence to let people know about your company. Another useful action would be to claim your business listing on Google and request customer reviews on there or on

Word-of-mouth is crucial to any lawn care company. People will trust companies that their friends or colleagues trust. Encourage your customers to refer your services by offering a discount if a friend books your services. Another great business tip is up-selling. For example, you may have been booked to mow someone’s lawn and notice a lot of weeds on their path. You could suggest that you do some weed spraying in addition to the work you were already hired to do.

When you’re starting to learn how to set up a lawn mowing business, offer some loss leaders. Don’t know what that is? It’s a service you make a loss on with the hopes of attaining repeat customers. This way you will make money off them in the future. For example, you could offer a deal where the client’s first lawn mowing is free or half price. This means you won’t earn a lot at first, but hopefully, you’ll get some loyal clients in the process. This is more important to your long-term success.

What’s the Best Way to Manage Appointments?

We know that handling appointments can be a challenge for small business owners. You spend so much time providing services and doing paperwork that the importance of appointment scheduling can pass you buy. It’s a factor of business that many people struggle with.

Plus, accidentally double-booking (a common mistake) makes you appear unprofessional and unorganized. It can cause you to lose money and customers. A great way to avoid all the admin of appointment management is by using great appointment software. Amelia is a WordPress appointment booking plugin that will save you a lot of time.

Amelia makes spreadsheets and hours spent on the admin a thing of the past.

It can manage an array of appointment types, whether it’s a multi-day job, recurring mowing or a one-off appointment. Amelia gives you the power to easily manage any kind of appointment that comes your way.

Another great software option is Trafft. It’s a SaaS tool from the same makers as Amelia. It’s an exceptional booking tool that gives you total control over your schedule. With Trafft, when customers book their appointments online, you receive a notification. If they make changes to a set appointment, you’ll get notified of that too. Appointment scheduling has never been easier!

Will I Need Staff?

Most people starting a lawn care business start out with just themselves doing the work. As you get more customers, you may consider adding an assistant. If you have larger jobs or a lot more work to do, that’s when you might think about hiring more people. Remember, you’ll need more equipment, too, if you do this. Expanding your lawn care business means needing more equipment, workers and better scheduling techniques. However, it also means being able to take on more clients.

If you do need more employees, you don’t necessarily need to look for people with formal qualifications. This industry is more ‘learn as you go’ than most. It’s great because you won’t need to send them on training courses. You will find that these kinds of workers usually have a high turnover rate though.

To mitigate this, pay your employees well, treat them well, and manage them with empathy. You need to treat your workers like you would want to be treated to get them to stick around.

What Kind of Clients Are the Best?

The biggest demographic for lawn mowing services are baby boomers, and there are 77 million of them. They enjoy having a property that is kept looking nice. They may not have the time or ability to take care of their lawns themselves but love to have a beautiful looking yard.

You’ll also find that local businesses could be a big source of income for you. Generally, they will pay more and book recurring appointments for your services than residential clients. Large companies with many lawns are the ideal customer. This could include office buildings, schools, and hospitals. Many of these businesses have their own lawn mowing teams, however. This makes getting their contract tough as it’s a highly competitive market.

That’s where customer service comes in. Let’s be honest, practically anyone can mow their own lawn. What people are really looking for in a lawn care service is a smooth booking process and a friendly staff. If a client stops to chat with you, always take the time to make conversation with them.

How Much Should You Charge?

When looking at how to start a lawn care business, you need to think about how much other companies charge. Unfortunately, in this industry, there are many undocumented companies and workers. These people will charge cut-rate and undercut legitimate business owners. They can do this by underpaying staff and not paying their taxes.

Legal companies usually charge 1.5x minimum wage at least for the time the work takes. For example, if the minimum wage is 12 per hour, you might charge 18 per hour for your services. You may consider a fixed monthly charge for mowing residential lawns as they usually take less than two hours to cut. Commercial businesses should pay more as they likely have more lawns to mow, and this will take longer.

Entrepreneur.com has released its findings on how much lawn care business owners could earn. The numbers came out as 5,000 – 50,000 in the first year of business. It could increase to 160,000 – 250,000 after a few years of business.

FAQs about starting a lawn care business

What are the necessary steps to legally start a lawn care business?

You must adhere to certain legal requirements in order to launch a lawn care service. Choose a business structure first, then register your company with the secretary of state’s office in your state. Second, get any licenses and permits required to operate a lawn care business in your region. Lastly, secure insurance protection to shield your company from tort lawsuits. Last but not least, follow federal and state tax regulations to stay out of trouble.

What are the startup costs associated with starting a lawn care business?

Based on the size of your operation and the equipment required, there are different startup expenses for a lawn care service. Typically, a lawnmower, trimmer, blower, edger, and conveyance vehicle are needed as basic tools. In addition to the equipment cost, budget an additional 5,000 to 10,000 for advertising, licensing, and insurance.

What equipment is essential for a lawn care business, and how much does it cost?

A lawnmower, trimmer, blower, edger, and transfer vehicle are necessary pieces of equipment for a lawn care company. Depending on the brand and quality, this equipment might range in price considerably. Trimmers and blowers can cost anywhere from 200 to 500 each, while a good-quality commercial lawn mower can run you over 2,000. In total, plan to spend between 5,000 and 10,000 on the equipment required to launch a lawn care service.

How do I price my lawn care services competitively?

If you want to charge a fair price for your lawn care services, take overhead, labor, and equipment costs into account. over, look into your area’s rivals to find out what average are for services similar to yours. Calculate your hourly rate and take into account how long it will take to accomplish each project. Don’t forget to account for extra services like landscaping, pest control, and fertilization.

How can I market my lawn care business to attract customers?

A multifaceted strategy is necessary for efficient marketing of your lawn care company. Make a decent website first to display your offerings, costs, and contact details. Second, establish an internet presence using search engine optimization, social media, and regional business directories. Lastly, to reach potential customers in your neighborhood, think about door-to-door marketing and direct mail campaigns.

What are some effective methods for scheduling and managing appointments?

Appointment scheduling and management are essential for managing a successful lawn care business. Make use of an internet application or scheduling program to make appointments and remind clients. To satisfy consumer needs, take into account providing several scheduling possibilities. To avoid missing out on opportunities, implement a mechanism for rescheduling or canceling appointments.

How can I ensure high-quality work and customer satisfaction?

Always maintain your equipment and carry out routine maintenance inspections to guarantee high-quality work and customer satisfaction. Employ competent, dependable workers that can consistently produce high-quality work. Ensure that your clients’ demands are being satisfied by communicating with them, and take feedback seriously to raise the bar on your services.

How can I scale my lawn care business to increase revenue and profitability?

Strategic strategy and execution are necessary for growing a lawn care business. Think about adding more landscaping or lawn care services to your list of available services. Spend money on marketing and advertising initiatives to attract new clients and raise brand recognition. To increase productivity and profitability, expand your workforce and streamline your business procedures.

What types of insurance and permits are necessary for a lawn care business?

Many types of insurance are needed by lawn care services to guard against liability and damage. In the event that you cause harm or property damage to a third party, liability insurance will cover your company. Employee injuries sustained while working are covered by workers’ compensation insurance. over, speak with your local government to find out what licenses are required to run a lawn care company.

How can I differentiate my lawn care business from competitors and stand out in the market?

To separate your lawn care firm from the competition and stand out in the market, consider offering unique services, pricing structures, or value propositions. You may, for instance, provide eco-friendly lawn care services, a pricing structure based on subscriptions, or a satisfaction guarantee. Spend money on branding and marketing initiatives that emphasize the excellence of your services and your unique selling propositions. To cultivate a loyal customer base, prioritize providing excellent customer service and concentrate on creating lasting relationships with your clients.

Ending thoughts on how to start a lawn care business

As mentioned, lawn mowing can be seasonal. It will be hard to get work in winter, depending on the climate where you live. The main months for your business will be from April to the start of October. Your main marketing should occur in spring in anticipation of the summer months.

If you don’t want to learn how to start a lawn care business from scratch, you could become a franchisee. This will give you an existing model to work with. There are plenty of companies that already have their name out there, which would cut down on your marketing needs. Alternatively, you could look into buying an existing business. This would mean you already have both equipment and customers.

If you enjoyed reading this article about how to start a lawn care business, you should read these as well:

How to Start a Lawn Care Business With No Money

For your best business protection and savings, we recommend bundling GL with some other important coverages on one Business Owners Policy!

Homepage Business Insurance How to Start a Lawn Care Business With No Money

Property owners highly value lawn mowing services. Professional lawn care ensures the lawn is cut, watered, and weeded at the right time. A lawn mowing company is a noble venture, but many people find themselves lost when figuring out how to start a lawn care business. Establishing a venture requires capital to purchase equipment and meet administrative costs, but sometimes the money isn’t available. Worry not; this article provides valuable tips on how to start a lawn care business without money.

The pandemic caused a decline in business in the landscaping sector, but that shouldn’t deter you from learning how to start a lawn mowing business. The federal government recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to cushion industry operators from financial losses. That promises a stable business environment in the industry and incentivizes many people to establish their own startups.

How to Start a Lawn Mowing Business as a Teenager?

Many factors play to your advantage when you’re a teenager. You’re young and energetic, and the business has the potential to grow exponentially as compared to when a middle-aged person who’s just learning how to start a small lawn care business is running things.

You need to be equipped for the job because you can’t cut grass without a mower. Besides the lawnmower, other equipment and tools you need include:

• Blower
• Pair of secateurs
• String trimmer (to access tight spaces where the lawnmower can’t)
• Lawn spreader (to distribute fertilizer)
• Lawn aerator
• Sprayer

Doing the Job

Once you’ve gotten over the “how to start your own lawn care business ” stage and invested in the equipment, it’s time to do the job. Using a mower to trim grass is pretty easy, but it still requires some degree of skill and knowledge. You can learn the ins and outs by experience or research how to start a grass-cutting business to gather more insights into mowing techniques.

Pricing

A normal lawn mowing company charges 29 to 65 for grass cutting, depending on the scale of the job. As a teenager, it would be best to charge 25. 40 per hour based on your operational costs and expertise.

Below is a table showing how other companies quote their lawn mowing services.

Lawn Care Service Average Cost

Mowing	25. 60
Aeration	65. 240
Dethatching	175 per hour
Fertilizing	20. 60 per hour
Leaf removal	80. 465
Weeding	65. 120
Seeding	340. 1,000

How Much to Start a Lawn Care Business?

Most adults start lawn mowing companies and invest tens of thousands of dollars when starting grass-cutting businesses because they don’t know how to start a lawn care business with no money.

When you’re a teenager, your operational costs are significantly low and you can effortlessly get around the question of how much does it cost to start a lawn care business? You can get started with as little as 500, but if you’d like to be successful and deliver quality services, it would be best to know how much money to start a lawn care business that stands up to the competition.

Typically, you’ll start as a sole proprietor, handling all the work solo. Find out how to start a lawn business that serves your neighbors first, and then expand your market as time goes by. So, how much does it cost to start a mowing business? It will cost you 5,000. 8,000 to start a successful, self-sufficient business.

How to Provide Quality Lawn Care Services Without a Lot of Money?

You need not demystify any complex theories to learn how much to start a lawn care business that impresses your clients. It’s simple:

• Know how much to start a lawn service
• Offer the services that satisfy a client’s unique needs
• Strive to exceed customer expectation
• Be professional and courteous when working
• Use well-maintained lawn care equipment and tools
• Be organized
• Adhere to time schedules

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How to Buy a Lawn Mowing Business?

There’s a lot to handle when starting a lawn care business, from researching how to start a lawn service to budgeting for the equipment. To avoid the trouble, you can choose to acquire a lawn mowing business. Still, it’s critical to perform due diligence and understand what you’re buying.

A lawn mowing manager might want to sell their business because of various reasons, including:

Analyze the Profits and Losses

Before buying a business, know its financial standing first. Take an in-deep analysis of the financial records for the last five years to learn about the business’s health. Some high-priority financial documents you need to consider include:

What’s the Competition?

Try and gather facts about how to start mowing business that can weather the competition. Therefore, know who your competitors are. Start by searching online to identify the companies that rank high on Google. Alternatively, you can do some legwork. Drive around, noting down the lawn mowing companies that provide services all over.

Investigate the Company’s Reputation

A lawn mowing business might appear reputable on paper, but its track record among clients might be awful. Thus, do some sleuthing to find out what customers say about the company. You can do that in various ways. They include:

Check the Company Records

Besides looking at financial records, you also want to critically analyze a company’s service, employee, and customer records to identify any trends. When checking these documents, ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s their customer turn rate?
• What’s the staff turnover?
• How much are employees satisfied with their jobs?
• What do other stakeholders say about the business?

Equipment Inventory

The business seller must provide you with a list of the existing inventory. Equipment handover is a detailed process, and you should know the equipment’s purchase dates, how frequent it’s used, and warranty information.

Having the answers to those questions helps you identify the equipment you’ll need to add. You might need hand tools, a lawnmower, and working gear.

How to Register a Lawn Care Business?

It’s critical to understand how to start a lawn care business legally, and that’s where business registration comes to play. Your lawn mowing business must operate according to the law and get a business license.

A license allows you to operate a physical business, and it’s especially critical if you provide specialized services, such as landscape design, fertilization, pest control, etc. As you research how to start a lawn care business legally, visit the nearest commercial department or visit its website to know the specific licensing requirements in your state.

Registering Your Lawn Care Company

The first thing you need to do is to register your lawn care company to come up with a unique brand name. Uniqueness is very important. You might find yourself facing lawsuits if you copy another company’s name. Think about these things while in the process of brainstorming for a name:

• Your company name must be catchy so that it can be easily remembered by customers
• Your company name must be straightforward. Upon hearing or reading your company name, customers must immediately know that you provide lawn service

The second step in registering your lawn care company involves defining the structure of your business, which might be:

Starting a lawn care company as a greenhorn business owner means you’ll have to register as a sole proprietor. It’s a simple business structure that keeps taxes and accounting simple. You also don’t have to spend much on upfront costs on running the business legally.

You can’t register your business without an employer’s identification number or EIN. An employer’s identification number is very important because this allows the Internal Revenue Service to identify your business and track its taxes. Also, you can’t open a business bank account without an EIN.

If you have an EIN, proceed to open a business bank account. Using a personal bank account is okay if you’re planning to register the business as a sole proprietor. Even so, consider getting a business bank account instead, so that it’s easier for you to apply for loans and do other business transactions.

When you have a unique name ready, have thought of a business structure, gotten an EIN, and opened a bank account, it’s time for you to go to the nearest business licensing department and register your business. To expedite the process, we recommend you look for business licensing agents.

Do You Need to Obtain Lawn Care Business Insurance?

You need lawn care insurance. This policy provides liability coverage if you caused losses due to negligence, third-party property damages, or bodily injuries. Liability coverage sees to it that you won’t have to pay out of your to compensate a client.

Liability coverage isn’t the only insurance policy you need to get from lawn care business insurance. If you plan to own commercial space for your lawn care business, then consider getting commercial property insurance. On the other hand, if you only plan to rent, consider adding rented premises coverage to your lawn care liability insurance.

What if you plan to get employees so that you can cater to different lawn care projects? In this case, you need to get workers comp insurance. Workers comp insurance will help you pay an injured employee’s emergency treatment, hospitalization, lost income compensation, and death benefits.

Aside from workers compensation, you also need employer’s liability insurance and employee dishonesty insurance. Employer’s liability insurance will protect you if an employee decides to sue after experiencing a work-related injury. On the other hand, employee dishonesty insurance will cover losses if an employee steals money, uses company finances for personal purposes, or destroys work tools and equipment.

We almost forgot, you need to get business interruption insurance too. A time will come when you’ll have to temporarily stop business operations to relocate. Economic crises are another possible cause too. Either way, know that business interruption insurance helps. You can use this insurance to cover taxes, loans, employee wages, and other operational costs while your business isn’t generating income.

How Do You Find the Best Insurance for Your Lawn Care Business?

Comparing quotes is the best way for you to get the best coverage for your lawn care business. By doing so, you’ll see how the offers and pricing of each insurance company differ. Start your insurance quotes comparison by using our online quote generator. Click the “Get Quotes” button to start.

How To Start A Lawn Care Business?

No one can resist the allure of the traditional home, with its well-kept grass and charming white picket fence in the front yard. No homeowner can dispute the beauty and fragrance of a newly cut lawn and the sense of accomplishment that comes with a lush green lawn. However, who has the time and energy to do that?

Thus, if you have been thinking about starting a lawn care service, now is a great time to do it! Only a lawnmower is required, and you will be ready to go!

With the correct planning and preparation, you can grow your business.

In this post, we will cover the steps that will help you know how to start a successful lawn care business from scratch and is it worth it to start a lawn care business?

Lawn care businesses offer services including trimming, the margins of lawns as well as cleaning up waste and maintaining turf. It also includes fertilizer and weed control.

The business owner provides service on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, to meet the demands of their consumers. Services can be provided to both residential and business clients.

Why Starting A Lawn Care Business Is Worth It?

So, you are asking if the lawn care business is worth it or not! The answer is Yes! The lawn business provides ample opportunity within the service sector. One of the best things about starting a lawn care business is that the business has a high potential for success.

If you see lawns around us, there are always weeds to pull and grasses that need mowing. Lawn care businesses are everlasting. Your customers will always require their lawns trimmed once a week, ensuring a steady stream of income. Also, they need special fertilizers and treatments for weeds and bugs nearly every four to six weeks.

This is not only the reason, according to the survey, but a lawn care business owner can also earn within the range of 54,000 – 115,000. In most cases, the salary of the business owner can range from about 10% of the total sales done by the company.

How To Start A Lawn Care Business From Scratch With No Experience

Market Research And Decide Services To Offer

Before entering this sector, decide what different types of service you want to offer. Once you have decided, you will know what equipment you will need. Lawn care is competitive and ongoing business, so if you meet the criteria, go for it without a second thought.

You might be your own boss or hire lawn care employees. For business planning, you need to do research. Research about the industry, demand, types of equipment, potential clients, and workflow. The research is a time-consuming process but you cannot skip it as it is essential.

For research and business planning, you need to check on the following points:

• Target market
• Competitors
• Demand in the locality
• Name and logo of the business
• Skilled mower
• Machinery
• Advance technology
• Know what service you want to offer
• Set up your business contact information

Write Lawn Care Business Plan

No business can be successful without planning. So write a clear lawn care business plan before starting a lawn care business. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns.

Here are some sections you can consider while planning

• Title Page with Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Business Description
• Description of Product or Service Provided
• Market Analysis
• Analysis of Your Competition
• Organizational Logistics, Operation, and Management
• Financial Components
• Any Relevant Documents

Get The Right Lawn Care Tools And Equipment

Obtaining the appropriate lawn care tools, equipment and supplies is a requirement of the business and are essential for its success in the long run.

However, when it comes to purchasing, most individuals make the mistake of opting for the most costly option on the market. It’s not that you should buy the cheapest mower available, but you also don’t have to finance the most expensive mower available and place that financial weight on your firm if you are just starting out in the industry.

You can easily get the used commercial-grade mower for thousands of dollars, less than the new one. It will cost you around 300 to over 5,000.

Once you start growing your business through the right marketing and with your hard work, then you think of buying one.

Here is the name of some of the equipment

• Mower
• Edger
• String trimmer
• Leaf blower
• Mowing goggles
• Safety earmuffs
• Gardening gloves
• Gas cans
• Lawn bags

Register Your Lawn Care Business Legally

Once you have started the lawn care business, secure your lawn care business legally.

The existence of a legal business entity is insufficient when it comes to safeguarding a company’s future. You’ll need general liability insurance to protect your business.

Obtaining general liability insurance will safeguard you in the event that a customer or third party makes a claim against you for personal harm, medical expenses, or property damage resulting from your lawn care job.

Pro Tip: General liability insurance does not cover you if an employee is injured or incurs medical expenses. If you have employees, a workers’ compensation coverage may also be necessary.

To make your business legal, you can apply and make your lawn care business legal in the market. Fertilizer application certification and employer identification number (EIN) are other methods to make your lawn care business legal. If you are a limited liability company or a sole proprietorship company, you will need a business license.

Following are the steps to follow to complete the legal formality for lawn care businesses:

Create A Business Bank Account And Get Insurance

After you’ve registered your lawn care business, the following step is to open a business bank account and get it insured. Create a business bank account to guarantee that you are correctly taxed and create a credit profile for your firm, as well as keep your personal and professional accounts distinct.

Why do you need business insurance?

Almost all lawn care professionals need to purchase general liability insurance to protect against damages that occurred on customer property. Still, the question is why?

Let me give you one example, a customer or client sued you for damaging their lawn and asked you to pay for it.

Now being a lawn care business owner, your would not be heavy (at least at the beginning of the business). In this situation, if you have insurance, you will easily be able to pay the bill.

The insurance will pay for attorney fees to cover damaging lawn or personal assets, repairing the property, medical bills, and replacement landscaping.

Set Up A Pricing Plan

How much should you charge lawn care services is the most important question that riddles most lawn care business owners. However, it’s not that hard, you just have to keep a few things in mind while pricing for your lawn care business. Let’s see what are those:

• Find Out Your Target Audience Figuring out who your target audience is – is the most crucial step to set up a pricing plan. Like, which types of clients do you expect to work with the most, businesses or homeowners? Commercial clients are often willing to spend more than the general public when it comes to price expectations.
• Understand Your Competitors Understand your competitors by looking at how much the competitor is charging for the same service. And keeping your charge in the same range as going too low can make your business untrustworthy for your clients.
• Hourly Rate Or Flat Rate: What Will You Consider? Another area in which market research might be beneficial is here. Many customers like to be offered a fixed cost for lawn care services since it allows them to plan for the final payment. However, It’s true that you may base that flat charge on the hourly rate you require to make a profit.
• Consider Overhead Cost It costs a lot of money to run a lawn care business. So, consider overhead costs like taxes, health insurance, business insurance, marketing materials, cell phone, gas, vehicle, and equipment maintenance. Most lawn care businesses add an additional 15–20% on top of their estimate to account for overhead costs. Additionally, you should also account for the expense of purchasing and maintaining the necessary lawn care equipment. Lawnmowers may still need engine maintenance or spark plug replacements even after you’ve paid off the loan. There are some lawn care firms who charge two times the hourly cost of labor only to have their equipment on the job site.
• Profit Margin Pricing is all about being profitable. Thus, to measure how profitable your business is, figure out how much lawn care profit margin you end up with after an average job. With a profitable business, you will be in a position to withstand any unforeseen charges and expand your lawn care business over time.

Launch Your Lawn Care Business and Start Getting Your Customers

Once you are done with planning, insurance, and legal formality, it is time to launch your business and start getting your customer. A successful lawn care business is valued by its work, so provides enhanced customer service.

Use Lawn Care Business Software To Schedule And Dispatch Jobs Easily

Scheduling is the bane of many lawn care companies, including gardening and landscaping companies. Today, every client demands flexibility and accuracy in their service and expects you to provide them with undelayed deliveries. FieldCamp makes that possible by automating 90% of routine lawn care operations in just one tap.

With FieldCamp, you can organize your lawn care jobs, resources, clients, and bills without being in the office and operate everything virtually from anywhere.

• Assign and dispatch lawn mowing, leaf blowing, and walkway and driveway edging services on a real-time basis
• Trace and plan your technician’s activity by observing their statuses – ‘Job Scheduled’, ‘On the way,’ Staff Reached’, ‘Job Started’, ‘Job Finished’, ‘Generate Invoice’, and ‘Invoice Paid’
• Store customers’ data and record unique needs requested for their lawn care
• View job history and track job status to plan upcoming lawn care tasks
• Avail reports on profit and loss incurred at your selected time range

A Field Service Management Software That Helps You To

Automate 90% of your daily operations

Generate and track reports in a few clicks

How Much Does It Cost To Start A Lawn Care Business?

The cost of starting a lawn care business can range anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 for a small lawn care business and upwards of 250,000 for a medium-sized business.

The cost of equipment is a major factor in the final cost. However, if you have your own pickup vehicle, garage space, or lawnmower, you can considerably reduce the cost. The equipment you need depends on the kind of service you are offering to your customers.

Standard landscaping may include lawnmower, edging shears, string trimmer, backpack blower, hand tools, wheelbarrow, turfing iron, weed chemical supplies, brooms, half-moon cutter, and leveling rake.

How To Market Your Lawn Care Business

Now, it’s high time to highlight your business globally. In simple words, you need to build marketing strategies for your lawn care services and business so that everyone can know about your business.

To be on top of the competition, lawn care business owners need to create a marketing plan in such a way that it directly affects your business productivity and enhances customer experience.

Initially, you need to create a responsive website for your business, mentioning the complete details about your services and contact information. It is an ongoing business that needs to be updated and worked on consistently. You have to manage new clients, existing customers, repeat customers, and build a client base.

In your lawn care business, you need to FOCUS on startup costs and marketing costs. Expand your client base with promotional advertisements like online marketing, word of mouth, and by creating a lawn care business website. Tell your customers about your work, how you are unique from others, and what services you provide.

Start investing in marketing to grow your business, online marketing helps to expand the business. Follow these activities to advertise your lawn care business:

• Run a local advertisement service on Google
• Get listed your lawn care business on Google
• Create social media accounts like Instagram or
• Post about your services on social media platforms
• Send marketing emails with MailChimp or GetResponse
• Give a customer referral code to boost your new lawn care business

How to start a successful landscaping business from the ground up

To set your landscaping business up for success, you need to size up the competition, find your niche, set a budget, and more.

If you’re thinking of starting a landscaping business, you probably have a green thumb and a love of the outdoors.

But building a successful landscaping, lawn care, or irrigation business takes more than just talent and motivation. Before you jump in with both feet, you need to ask yourself:

• What services will I offer?
• How will I finance my business?
• How will my business be structured?
• Do I have the right equipment?
• Who are my customers?
• What licenses and certifications do I need?
• Will I need an office?
• How will I grow my business?

The following steps can help you answer these questions and turn your passion into profits.

Learn your market and select your services

The first step to building a successful landscaping business is understanding your local market.

Learn who your competitors are and find out what customers in your area are looking for. Then use this knowledge to determine which lawn care services you’ll offer.

Research your competitors’ offerings and prices. Identify any service gaps in the local market that you could fill.

You might also survey homeowners and businesses about their current or anticipated landscaping and lawn care needs. One way to encourage responses is to offer discounts on future services.

You can provide many landscaping and lawn care services, including:

• Lawn mowing and maintenance
• Spring and fall cleanups
• Gardening, design, and architecture
• Tree and shrub pruning and removal
• Irrigation
• Fertilizing
• Edging
• Mulching

As you narrow down your offerings, you also need to know who you’re selling to.

A market analysis can help you identify potential customers. Do you want to connect with homeowners for residential landscaping? Or are you looking for business clients, such as office park operators or large businesses with “campus-style” offices?

Figure out your target market, and then look at the demographics in your area. For instance, 10,000 baby boomers reach retirement age every day. And after a lifetime of hard work, they’re often tired of pulling weeds or mowing lawns.

This information will help you narrow your FOCUS and develop your immediate and long-term marketing plans.

Consider certifications and education

Depending on the services you’re offering, a degree or certification could help attract customers.

For instance, customers typically expect landscape architects to have a degree in landscaping.

Most other landscaping or lawn care services don’t benefit from academic credentials. But you will need to show a good working knowledge of the grasses, flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees in your area.

To set yourself apart from the competition, you could also obtain a certification. The National Association of Landscape Professionals offers landscape certification options for:

• Contractors
• Horticulturists
• Interior / exterior technicians
• Lawn care managers
• Lawn care technicians
• Other landscape pros

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides several certification programs for landscape irrigation professionals, including irrigation system design and system installation and maintenance.

Once you decide which services you’ll provide, a relevant certification can help you attract new customers.

Choose your business structure

As you start your lawn care or landscaping business, you’ll need to choose your business structure. Most small businesses opt for one of these three options:

Sole proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is a business owned by a single person who’s responsible for all of the business’s debts, taxes, and legal liabilities. It’s also the easiest and least expensive type of business to start. But like any business structure, it does come with risks.

With a sole proprietorship, business assets and liabilities aren’t separated from personal assets and liabilities. That means you could be held personally liable for the debts and obligations of your business.

But a sole proprietorship is a great option for owners of low-risk businesses or those who want to test the waters before formalizing their business structure.

Partnership

A partnership is the best structure for two or more people coming together to form a business. The two types of partnerships are limited partnerships (LP) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs).

LPs have one general partner with unlimited liability. All other partners have limited liability and limited control over the company. In an LP, the general partner is responsible for day-to-day management. Limited partners, sometimes called “silent partners,” may simply be investors.

LLPs give each partner the same limited liability. This means that they can’t be held responsible for the actions of the other partner or partners.

Limited liability company (LLC)

To take advantage of the benefits of both the corporation and partnership structures, you may consider a limited liability company, or LLC. An LLC delivers the structural simplicity of a sole proprietorship and the liability protection of a corporation.

LLC owners file a simple tax return and pay taxes at the personal income tax rate. But their personal assets are usually protected from business liability risks like lawsuits or bankruptcy.

Get your business license

While you don’t 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 clerk’s 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.

Open a business bank account and credit card

Setting up a business bank account is another important step. Even if you’re operating as a sole proprietor, a business bank account is a good idea. It keeps your personal and business expenses separate and makes bookkeeping and tax filing easier.

Starting an account at a brick-and-mortar bank is a good idea if you accept cash for your services. Large banks offer the convenience of many branch locations, while a local bank keeps your money in the local economy.

There are also a number of benefits if you choose online banking. Online banks typically have lower fees and less paperwork.

A business credit card can also help separate personal and business expenses. These cards typically offer better terms and higher limits than personal cards. And they have the added benefit of perks like rewards points and cash-back offers.

Consider your current needs as well as what you might need in the future. With a little research, you can find the best checking account and credit card options for your business.

Budget your time and money

The long-term success of your business depends on solid financial management. When setting your landscaping company’s budget, consider a few factors:

Startup costs and pricing

Begin by estimating your initial business expenses. These should include the costs of:

Decide what you’ll charge for your services. Many landscaping and lawn care companies set by the square foot of land they service, while some charge hourly rates. Call a few competing landscaping services and ask for an estimate to help inform your pricing strategy.

5 Tips for Starting a Lawn Care Business in 2023

But don’t fall into the trap of undervaluing your services because a competitor is offering them dirt cheap. Landscaping business owners ranked low-ball competitors among their top concerns in Lawn Landscape’s 2019 “State of the Industry” report.

Equipment maintenance costs

Without functioning equipment, you’ll soon be out of business. You need to budget for the costs of maintaining, repairing, and purchasing equipment.

While contractor’s tools and equipment insurance can cover some of your costs, from time to time you will need to replace worn-out equipment. And as you grow, you’ll need more equipment.

Plan for the off-season

In some parts of the country, landscaping and lawn care aren’t a year-round business.

If your business is forced to shut down in the winter, you’ll need to save and set aside money to last through the off-season.

Many landscaping companies provide snow plowing and removal services during the winter months to help with year-round cash flow. You may also try to pick up indoor landscaping jobs like maintaining plants in office buildings or apartment complexes to provide a consistent stream of income.

The off-season is also a great opportunity to catch up on things you didn’t have much time for during the busy season. You could research new clients, explore marketing options, or work on a professional certification.

Taxes, insurance, and other expenses

Be sure to calculate yearly business expenses and liabilities, including taxes, business license renewals, and so on.

Depending on the nature of your business, you may need landscaping business insurance policies to protect your business. At a minimum, budget for general liability insurance premiums. This coverage pays for damages if you injure a third party or damage someone else’s property.

You may also need commercial auto insurance to cover company-owned vehicles, workers’ compensation insurance if you have employees, and hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) insurance for personal vehicles driven for business.

Time

Time is money, so budget it accordingly. Devote a portion of your time to keeping your business running smoothly.

You also need to set aside time for marketing efforts. And don’t forget to account for the time you’ll spend scheduling and confirming appointments, traveling, and reviewing your finances.

Renting, buying, and insuring your equipment

You need to decide early on if you’ll rent or buy equipment, or a combination of the two. If you’re starting out as a one-person operation, renting equipment may be the cheaper option. And that can help you manage start-up costs.

But as your business grows, buying equipment may be less expensive. Be sure you track your rental costs to see when owning makes more financial sense.

Depending on the services you offer, you may need:

Include the costs of maintenance and repairs for all of these items. And you need the right insurance to protect your vehicles and equipment from loss or damage.

Insuring equipment and vehicles

Contractor’s tools and equipment insurance protects equipment such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and hand tools. This coverage will reimburse you for lost, stolen, or damaged equipment that is less than five years old. It includes protection for items in transit.

You might travel to job sites in your personal vehicle, especially as you start out. But your personal auto insurance policy may not pay for accident damages that happen when driving for work. You may need to consider hired and non-owned auto insurance. Be sure you review your personal auto policy and discuss your coverage with your agent.

As your business grows, you may purchase vehicles titled to your company for your use and that of your employees. In that case, you’ll need to carry commercial auto insurance to cover any losses from accidents in company-owned vehicles.

Market your business

You can help get your business off the ground with advertising and marketing aimed at your target audience.

Landscaping companies will probably want to blend digital and traditional marketing efforts when seeking new business. A comprehensive marketing strategy includes:

Online marketing

Many prospective clients will find your business on the internet, so it’s ideal to have at least a basic website. If you don’t have the budget to hire a professional web developer, you can try creating one yourself with inexpensive tools like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.

Social media business pages at and LinkedIn can help reach potential customers, and make it easy for people to contact you. You can also generate business by creating profiles at online marketplaces such as TaskRabbit.

Physical advertising

Flyers and brochures have long been effective marketing tools for lawn care services. Physical advertising is also relatively inexpensive and can help build name recognition as you start out.

Customer referrals

For any business, one of the best ways to get new customers is word-of-mouth referrals.

Ask your clients if they know of anyone else who needs landscaping services. Encourage existing customers to recommend your business by offering discounted services if a referral becomes a client.

Decide if you need an office or additional storage

Lawn care and landscaping businesses mainly work on-site with clients and store their equipment at home. That’s why an office isn’t always necessary.

Not all equipment can be stored in your garage or shed, though. Or you may grow big enough that you require employees to handle administrative, marketing, finance, or other operations.

If you purchase or rent property for storage or office staff, you’ll need commercial property insurance to protect against theft or property damage. This coverage is usually required by mortgage lenders and landlords.

Hire employees and promote a culture of safety

As your business grows, you’ll likely need to hire employees. And landscaping business owners report that their biggest challenge is a shortage of quality labor.

You can try to minimize the costs of having to find and train new employees by offering competitive wages and benefits to increase employee retention.

The landscaping and lawn care industries also carry more physical risks than others. That’s why you need to promote best safety practices and hold training programs to lower your risks. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides resources for identifying landscape industry risks and developing safety programs.

No matter how safe your landscaping business is, employee injuries can happen on any job.

This is why most states require businesses with employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance. This coverage pays medical bills and lost wages for employees injured on the job. Workers’ comp insurance also covers your business’s legal defense and settlements if an injured employee sues.

Starting your own landscaping business may come with challenges, but it is a labor of love for most owners. Doing it the right way from the start will pay off in the long run and help keep your company thriving and profitable.

Complete Insureon’s easy online application today to compare quotes for business insurance from top-rated U.S. carriers. Once you find the right policy for your small business, you can begin coverage in less than 24 hours.