Just reading a very interesting article on Lawn Care Business - attached at bottom. Very interesting and tells how one can start up at low cost; and make a profit!! Now this is in America; where the lawn seasons are longer; but I suspect some of that is still true in Canada. A couple of my good friends in fact run lawn care businesses, and we do provide some tree services for their customers. Bottom line from talking with them however is many lawn care companies do not carry any insurance at all; which really surprised me. Wow.. what if a rock gets thrown by mower and breaks window, or worse hits a child. But then I got thinking, and you know what, many tree service companies are no different. Running around a chainsaw and pickup truck, in many cases providing false information on their experience, no insurance (or inadequate), no workers compensation, no training.. and doing tree work. Wow.. guess tree care is no different. Well wait, it should be. The knowledge is considerably higher with University degrees, certifications and other training credentials available. The risk is much greater, dropping a tree on a house is far worse than a rock being thrown by a mower. The potential for employee injury is much greater.. and yet many still have no workers compensation. Now, the really bad part is home owners do not think to ask, either lawn care companies or tree care companies the critical questions. a) how long have they been in business b) where do they get their training c) are they insured for the work being performed - and could you get a certificate of insurance d) do they have workers compensation and what is their account number All good questions - which should bring a solid response form a legitimate company! At any rate article is below, and reading it at least does show the requirements for insurance, licensing, etc. Which is very good!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Starting a lawn care business is relatively easy and inexpensive. Low start-up costs and the ability to quickly make a profit are two of the most exciting reasons to consider a lawn care business. Other reasons why you should start a lawn care business include: *The freedom of being your own boss! *Being able to have a flexible work schedule. *Potential for high income earnings. *A steady way to earn extra income as you grow your lawn business. *Easy to grow. The following are four areas to consider before you start a lawn care business. Analyze your equipment needs One mower and one trimmer are probably all you will need when you start a lawn care business. Even though you may be starting small, consider buying low-cost, durable commercial equipment rather than residential equipment. Residential equipment may not be able to handle the workload you require and you may end up buying another mower or trimmer sooner than you anticipated. As you expand, you may buy an additional zero turn radius mower, an edger and a hand-held or backpack leaf blower. At that point you will want to consider setting up a lawn care trailer. The trailer can be enclosed or open, depending on how much equipment you have. Create a business plan: A lawn care business can be as simple as mowing lawns or as extensive as planting trees and shrubbery, maintaining irrigation systems, spraying fertilizers and more. Either way, it is important to have a business plan before starting a lawn care business. Your plan does not have to be lengthy, but you do need to write down anticipated revenue and expenses and set some goals. A business plan also includes the marketing aspect of your lawn care business. It doesn’t have to be a formal plan but the questions the business plan should address include: *How are you going to reach potential customers? Will that involve advertising? Printing costs for flyers? *How many lawn care customers will you need to be profitable? *Do you anticipate expanding from mowing lawns to fertilizing and landscaping? If so, when and how much will that cost? *Do you plan to hire other employees? Take care of the legal stuff: Before starting your business, find out what the regulations are for your area. Research licensing requirements and tax regulations. Determine the level of insurance needed for the services you will provide. It is also a good idea to talk with an attorney and an accountant; they will help you decide whether to structure your business as a sole proprietorship or corporation. Use simple, easy to edit forms and contracts: Create a standard cover letter and proposal that can be customized to each client. Have a service contract already prepared so that you don’t have to waste time creating one after talking with a client. Doing the paperwork ahead of time allows you to be more efficient and frees you up to concentrate on providing good service to your clients. Several lawn care software programs have the ability to let you even do this while you are at the customers home. |
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