If you love being outside and consider yourself to be good at doing lawn care, you may want to consider opening up your own summer lawn care business. If the idea of going into business for yourself seems a bit overwhelming, however, you shouldn’t worry. Following these steps should help you get started right.
Buy Equipment
Even though it does require an investment, you’re going to want to purchase your own lawn care equipment so that you can get your lawn care jobs done. Along with buying a lawn mower, you’re also going to need a weed eater, and probably a leaf blower. Shopping around can help you find good deals on these things. You might also want to get a riding mower so you can get more jobs done with less physical exertion (and thus make more money). When you are first starting out, you might want to start small and just go to your neighbors and perhaps just use a self-propelled push mower. If you are starting on a “shoe-string”, you might need to start with a used mower. A neighbor of mine recently purchased one at a yard sale for $35 because it didn’t run. He then went on Amazon and purchased a new carburetor for $13, and he had a great self-propelled mower for under $50. Good new mowers can often be found for under $300.
How to Haul Your Equipment?
Simply having your equipment is not enough; you’ll need to be able to get it from place to place easily. You could invest in a trailer that you can pull behind your vehicle or even just limit your mowing to nearby neighbors that you can walk or ride your mower to (if it is a riding mower).
Get a Business License
Depending on where you live, you may need a business license to start up your own lawn care business. Consider contacting your local government office to ask about what you’ll need to do to apply. Generally, it is a simple process that just requires filling out a few forms.
Purchase Insurance
Even if your business is going to be small in the beginning, it’s still important to purchase insurance. Then, you’ll be protected in the event that you damage something on a customer’s property while you’re getting your job done. Plus, you’ll also have protection in case you get hurt while you’re working. This being said, many young people start out without insurance (or a business license) if they are just doing a few lawns for neighbors.
Advertise Your Sevices
If no one knows about your summer lawn care business, you aren’t going to be able to bring in the profits that you want. Therefore, you’re going to need to focus on advertising. You can start by telling your friends and family members and asking them to pass the word along to the people they know. Older people are often glad to help young people get a start if they show initiative. Additionally, they may appreciate not having to mow their own lawn. But in order to keep their business, you do need to do a good conscientious job.
You can put an ad in your local newspaper, print up flyers or business cards and pass them out and use social media to let people in your community know about your new business. You could even knock on doors in your neighborhood.
Starting a summer lawn care business can be a wonderful way to make some extra money. You might even find that you’re able to bring in enough business to consider it a full-time career. If you follow these steps, you should be able to get started off in the right direction.
You may also like:
- How to Master the Transition to Entrepreneurship
- Protect Your Business
- Self-Employed Considerations To Ensure Financial Security
- Make Extra Cash with a “Side-Hustle”
- Fun Money: 5 Hobbies You Can Turn into Extra Income
- Creating Business Opportunities
- Brand Building: Five Ideas to Kick Start Your Small Business
- The Minimalist Guide to Developing A Successful Small Business
