Are Lawn Mowing Businesses Profitable?
They say that money doesn't grow on trees, but perhaps it does in grass. There's no denying that lawn care is a growing sector.
Plenty of middle to high income households these love their lawn to look great, but don't have the time or the inclination to get out there themselves. And there's plenty in it for the lawn mowing entrepreneur too. Work your own hours, get fit and tanned in the great outdoors, start a business quickly with few overheads and low risk, and get out there as an active member of your local community.
The pros of running a lawn mowing business are obvious. But what about that big worry - profitability? Plenty of fly-by-night 'entrepreneurs' will tell you mowing lawns can make you $50,000 a month, but they're almost certainly full of grass clippings.
Crewcut operators can earn anywhere upward of $1,200 a fortnight. But you get out what you put in. If you start that business right, run it diligently and grow it intelligently, the sky is pretty much the limit when it comes to income.
So answer the question simply - yes a lawn mowing business is very profitable.
But this question comes with a second question: what are the keys to a profitable lawn mowing business?
Know-how
Don't just start that motor and start mowing down long blades of grass. It may sound tempting to pour the petrol in and get going straight away, but the most profitable lawn mowing entrepreneurs know every in and out and every blade of grass of the lawn care industry and mowing equipment.
Just imagine showing up at a new client's home, being asked whether your engines are two or four-stroke and shrugging whilst turning bright red. Efficient operations that maximise productivity don't just know the business, they really know their stuff.
Brand power
But it's just not enough to know the business and the world of lawn mowing. You also need to build your brand.
Branding is absolutely crucial when it comes to getting a prospective client to choose you over the next best looking option in that directory listing or Google. Brands and market perception are built up carefully and painstakingly over many years, meaning that when a prospect slaps eyes on your name and logo, they automatically think 'Easy choice. Go for it!'
Franchise
An easy way to get the brand power you're looking for is by going the franchise option. Allying with a reputable and established brand like Crewcut will put you years ahead of the marketing power of a start-up name.
Not just that, a lawn mowing franchise answers just about every other tough question. How do you start the business? What about marketing? What about finding clients? How about financial and management support? A business plan?
Starting a lawn mowing business as a franchise means you'll hit the lawns running with credibility and trust. It's then up to you to start reeling in the big profits.
Business systems
Even with the power of a brand, the best gear and the right business acumen and industry know-how are still not enough for true profitable success in your lawn cutting service. You also need all the mod-cons that make any smooth-running operation run smoothly.
Business people big and small have systems and processes in place that allow those daily business operations to run quickly and smoothly. From the latest software to processes that save time and reduce paperwork, you need to free up your diary and mental space so that you're attending lots of bookings, minimising problems and making swift and wise business decisions.
Marketing
As we said earlier, aligning with a franchise brand will make pretty much everything easier - including marketing.
That's because you can have absolutely everything in place, and yet still not be getting the word out there sufficiently to fill your diary. Your actual service is one thing, but you need to package those services that give the customer value whilst balancing the need to push profits skywards.
The best sales approaches involve a constant revision of advertising methods to see which ones work the best and most cost-effectively.
Your client base
It's an old business adage that is true across the industry spectrum but particularly relevant in the world of lawn mowing - new clients are great, but your base is always your existing customers.
And it's always easier to boost your income by nurturing your client base than it is to constantly be needing to acquire new ones. There's an entire world of up-selling, additional or premium services, or packages for repeat or more frequent services to consider.
Constant improvement
Got an idle half an hour? Keep returning to step one and commit to constantly updating your knowledge about lawn mowing, garden care and the world of business and entrepreneurism more generally.
Are there are lawn mowing businesses near you that really are thriving? What can you learn from them? Is there a process that you do every day that never really works out so well? Now is the time to replace it with something better. Finished reading all the books about lawn mowing businesses that you can find? Trust us: there is always another one being published.
Truly succeeding in business, especially as a small business operator, is not just about the brand and the business, it's about you. And there's always something to improve.
Find a mentor
Most lawn mowing businesses are pretty much run by a single person - so supercharge your chances by being the one with more than adequate support.
Perhaps it's just a partner to de-brief with every night. Maybe it's a business or industry mentor. Or perhaps it's offloading some of the despised work like bookkeeping or accounting to a professional. Either way, spreading the load means having people to pick up the slack so that you can focus on what you really need to be focusing on - supercharging profits.
Good old elbow (mower) grease
Let's be honest: if you think a lawn mowing business is your fast track to a laid back life, think again! Having a dream and turning it into a reality may seem exciting, but the only way to get there is to join ALL the others who succeeded before you did and really making it happen.
It will require constant learning, an incredible drive to succeed, and buckets and buckets of determination and elbow (and lawn mower) grease. In other words, treat your business like the lawns you care for so much. Lovingly nurture and take care of it, and it will take care of you in return.
