Many Kiwis are starting to reevaluate their careers, especially as it can sometimes seem like you spend every waking hour working rather than enjoying life to the fullest. With that in mind, there can be value in exploring your options around lawn franchise ownership. Alongside working for yourself, many other benefits might pique your curiosity.

Before you dive right into making a decision, why not weigh up the pros and cons of a lawn franchise? We’ve listed a few of the most obvious ones below.

Pro: Limitless Earning Potential

When you work for someone else, you often only earn as much as they’re willing to pay per hour or as part of a salary package. Even as costs rise, along with inflation, your earning potential doesn’t always rise with them.

However, that can all change when you own a lawn franchise. You really can earn as much as you want. You have the freedom to set your rates, hire workers to expand your reach and profit potential, and work as many or as few hours as you please.

Pro: Work Hour Flexibility

Many parents hate missing out on their children’s schooling and sports events. But as they often take place during the working day, it can be nearly impossible to make time for them all.

Flexible working hours are one of the most desirable benefits associated with a lawn mowing franchise. You can choose to be an early riser and keep your afternoons free, or sleep in and work later into the day. You can also set your own breaks and lunch hours and have the complete freedom to attend any meeting, appointment, activity, or errand without having to run it by a boss.

Pro: Full Support and Training

Starting a new business can be daunting, especially when you’ve never been your own boss before. However, compared to a startup, a franchise can be a breeze. You can take advantage of a proven business system that works, especially since multiple franchisees are usually already under a national brand.

You can also benefit from training to learn the ropes, a support system for those trying times, and all the help you need to familiarise yourself with the average day in business until you build up confidence. If you were to start a lawn mowing business in NZ on your own, very little of that support would be available to you.

Pro: Customer Leads

You can provide lawn mowing services for as many or as few customers as you would like while advertising to your heart’s content in your local area. However, you don’t need to rely on your own efforts alone.

Often, when you align yourself with a franchise, you benefit from customer leads provided by your head office. This benefit can be extremely valuable during your early days in business when you’re trying to establish a name and reputation for yourself.

Pro: Help With Health and Safety

Understanding and learning how to follow the various health and safety guidelines can be daunting. You know you must keep yourself safe, but now you also have to think of your customers and their needs.

When you align yourself with some of the best brands in the industry, you’re provided with all the information you need. Before long, you can be skilled and well-informed of the latest health and safety codes so that you can provide a safe and reliable service for your clients.

Con: Inquiries Can Drop Off In Winter

Lawn mowing services can be in hot demand during the warmer months of the year, but inquiries can tend to drop off once winter arrives in earnest. Many franchise owners find it helpful to spread their earnings over the year to compensate for the decreased revenue.

Although, that’s not to say you can’t earn as much in winter as in summer. Many franchises have national contracts, which means you can retain the same clients throughout the year.

You also have the freedom to diversify your offerings and provide other services like garden tidy-ups, tree and bush pruning, hedge trimming, water blasting, and more.

Con: You Don’t Get to Choose Your Own Business Name

When you decide to start your own business, you get to play around with fun business names and branding. Aligning yourself with an already-established brand means you don’t.

Although, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. All your marketing materials are taken care of for you, and you get to build on your national brand’s reputation rather than starting from scratch. You also don’t need to worry about putting all of the hard work into establishing brand recognition since many locals would already be familiar with your business name and what you’re all about.

Is It Time to Buy a Lawn Mowing Franchise in NZ?

If you’re tired of working for someone else and want more control over your working life, now might be the right time to review your franchise options. While starting a new business can be scary, you might be surprised at just how well-supported and encouraged you are when a national franchise takes you under its wing.

There can be many benefits associated with buying a franchise in NZ, such as having the full support of the franchisor, a proven business model, and even a potentially higher chance of securing finance to start your new business venture in earnest.

However, as desirable as franchise ownership can be, you still need to put time and effort into making it a success. For the best chance of doing just that, you might like to take note of these key principles.

Choose the Right Franchise For You

When you make the life-changing decision to buy your own business, it’s easy to get lured in by the profit potential of several options. They might offer significant earnings beyond your wildest dreams, and it seems like the perfect business for you.

However, there can be more to owning a successful franchise than buying one with significant profit potential. You also have to consider whether you’ll like the job you’ll be doing and have skills and passion for your daily work.

For example, a lawn care franchise might catch your eye if you love being outside, dabbling in a bit of gardening, and mowing the lawns. You might not have the same passion for a fast-food chain or cleaning company.

When you think about the type of work you’d like to do when working for yourself, you might be surprised at how easy it is to narrow down your franchise purchasing options.

Follow Franchisor Guidelines

Franchisors have generally been in the business long enough to know that their business model is one that works. They provide marketing and branding guidelines and basic operating procedures to ensure consistency across the brand.

If you want your franchise to be a success, familiarize yourself with franchisor guidelines and requirements before signing on the dotted line. You can then get a feel for how the business operates and the expectations of the company to ensure you’re the right fit.

Failure to consider these guidelines might mean you’re unhappy in your new job if you find out that it operates differently than you anticipated.

Create a Winning Marketing Strategy

Even though franchisors generally provide new franchisees with all the marketing materials and branding guidelines they need to hit the ground running, you might find that you have total freedom to create promotions that broaden your reach and expand your customer base.

For example, if you decided to purchase a lawn care franchise in NZ, you might offer a half-price lawn mowing service if a customer signed up for a regular lawn mowing service. Alternatively, you might provide free lawn clipping removal, edging, or leaf blowing as a desirable benefit for new customers.

As long as you remain consistent with your branding, there can often be no reason why you can’t experience great success with your marketing strategy and unique approach.

Develop a Business Plan

Business plans can be crucial for any new business, regardless of whether they form part of a franchise. Business plans outline a company’s goals, marketing objectives, financial projections, operations, marketing, and more.

Business plans can essentially function as your road map to success, helping you to get back on track if you ever lose sight of your goals or objectives.

Alongside creating a business plan, you might also like to perform a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and helps you put your business in the best possible position for success.

Draw a large square, divide it into four parts, and name each box one of the four terms. Under strengths, you can write down everything you’re good at, including things your business can do better than your competitors.

In weaknesses, write down anything that might stop you from achieving your goals, areas you need to improve in, and resources you might lack. Opportunities might cover any external conditions that might help you achieve your goals, and threats might describe anything that could damage your business, like the economy and your competitors.

Get Help When You Need It

Working in any new business is tough, and you might feel stressed and overwhelmed by the prospect of building up a new franchise. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it because doing so might just contribute to your success.

For example, if you’re having trouble staying on top of your accounts, consider hiring a bookkeeper or accountant to assist. Or, if you’re having trouble with a particular part of your new business, reach out to your franchisor, who might be able to advise you on the best courses of action for specific scenarios.

No matter your problems or concerns, you will surely find that friends, family, and professionals will be available to lend a helping hand.

Are You Ready to Buy a Franchise?

Working for yourself can be incredibly rewarding. Is now the right time to buy a franchise? There are many different options available, including lawn care, where you’ll be able to work your own hours and be your own boss.

Being a business owner in any industry can be challenging. You’re responsible for all your own successes and failures, and you’re the one paying all the bills and making all the decisions.

However, there can be a unique set of hurdles in the lawn mowing industry, and many new and seasoned lawn mowing professionals face them throughout their careers. If you want to be prepared for any challenges thrown your way, here are some of the most common hurdles and how you can overcome them.

Seasonal Earning Potential

Winter can be a challenging time for some lawn care service providers, particularly those who only offer a single service – lawn mowing. Homeowners rarely need their lawns mown as frequently, and weather conditions can also dictate when you can visit your clients’ properties.

Fortunately, winter doesn’t actually need to be an impossible problem to solve. You have many different solutions at your fingertips.

For example, you might decide to branch out into other services more fitting to the colder weather, such as section tidy-ups, leaf removal, mulching, tree trimming, and hedge pruning. While you can scale back these services once the mercury rises, they can be an ideal interim solution to ensure you’re still able to maintain a stable income.

Alternatively, you might like to look at budgeting for those colder months of the year while you’re still providing your summer services. Talk to your accountant about managing your money and spreading it out across all months of the year.

Administration and Accounts

No one can be good at absolutely everything they put their mind to. You might be the Picasso of the lawn mowing world, but that doesn’t mean you’ll know how to manage your books for organisation and tax purposes.

Many lawn mowing business owners find it challenging to handle the administration and accounting side of their business as well as the actual job of lawn mowing. If you know that your books possibly aren’t as tidy and well organised as they should be, an ideal solution would be to hand them over to someone who can tackle this task for you.

Accountants can be relied upon to make sure you’re fulfilling all your tax obligations, while an administration worker might handle those more finicky tasks like booking new customers and managing their payments.

Underquoting Work

When you start a new business, it’s only natural to be concerned about not getting as much work as you need to cover your bills. You can generally alleviate this problem by purchasing an existing business, but many people find themselves underquoting just to take on new clients.

While effective in the short-term for building up a client base, it might hurt you in the long run when you’re unable to make the profit you need to run a sustainable business.

If you’re about to start your own lawn mowing business, research what your soon-to-be competitors are charging. If you have the same equipment, services, and level of experience, there’s no reason why you also can’t charge the same.

Ineffective Equipment

A low-end lawn mower is more than suitable for a homeowner with a small patch of grass that they mow a couple of times a month in the summer. However, such a lawnmower is likely to be unsuitable for a commercial operator.

By purchasing ineffective, low-end equipment, you run the risk of needing to perform far more maintenance and upgrade sooner than if you bought a more suitable commercial model. As you start exploring your lawn care equipment options, take the time to read reviews and compare various brands.

The more time and effort you put into research before purchasing essential gear like lawnmowers and grass-cutting accessories, the more confidence you can have that you’ve made the right decisions.

Marketing Your Business

Once upon a time, any type of business could rely on word of mouth to have the customers lining up in their droves. However, competition is now fierce, and we need to think outside the box to be noticed, especially regarding marketing. 

Although, marketing doesn’t have to be a complicated, expensive undertaking. You might decide to purchase a franchise business, with the head office supplying all marketing guidelines for you, or you might hire a marketing guru to assist with your advertising and social media presence.

There might still be a reasonable amount of word-of-mouth marketing, but you have far more avenues to explore than simply relying on customers to notice you on the streets.

Begin Your Business With Confidence

As terrifying as starting a new business can be and as many hurdles as you might face, there’s no reason why you can’t start, own, and operate a successful lawn mowing business. Now that you’re aware of some of the most common problems, you can be in a much better position to overcome them.

Branding, livery, and marketing are not always easy to wrap your head around. You may know you want to get your business name out there, but doing it in the best way possible is not always straightforward when you don’t know what’s effective and what isn’t.

Many people who get involved in lawn care and buy a lawn mowing business can be so focused on providing superior customer service that they forget to even consider the benefits of spending time on their image. In particular, their vehicle branding.

If you’re about to ramp up your marketing efforts and put your NZ lawn care business in the public eye, take note of the following information.

Sign-Written Vehicles Stand Out

The average vehicle on the road doesn’t stand out, especially when it’s an everyday car with a standard paint scheme. However, as soon as you start adding graphics, words, and exciting colours, that all changes.

People take notice, both while they’re walking or driving past a parked vehicle and when they’re driving near one on the road. They read the words that are written on it, take notice of the colours, and might even make a mental note to find out more about what’s written on it, as well.

A Vehicle With Branding is Professional

Every lawn care business owner wants their customers to think they’re professional. If they’re seen as professional, customers can feel confident relying on them for lawn care tasks like lawn mowing, weed eating, tree trimming, and more.

While having an unbranded vehicle doesn’t mean you’re not professional, it can make some people believe that lawn care isn’t your primary business offering and that you’re possibly not an expert in the field.

Branded Vehicles Are Moving Billboards

You generally benefit from pre-established branding and marketing materials when you purchase a franchised business. There’s no need to worry about starting from scratch or having to build up a reputation. It’s already there for you to take advantage of.

By adding your business information to your vehicle, you’re essentially driving around in one giant billboard. People in need of your services can find out who you are, the services you offer, and how to get in touch.

Many lawn care service providers even find that while parked outside the property of a current customer, they’re able to benefit from the business of neighbouring properties. Before long, it’s possible to have several clients on a single street, cutting costs and bolstering your bottom line.

What to Include On Your Vehicle Signage

If the benefits above sound attractive, you may be ready to start looking at your business vehicle branding options. When you work with a franchise, all the recommended design elements are readily available for you to take advantage of. That way, you can ensure your business vehicle aligns with the company’s image for the sake of brand recognition.

However, if you’re starting from scratch, you may not know what you should include in your vehicle’s signwriting or wrap for maximum effect. We’ve included a few helpful pointers below.

Your Branding Colours

Over time and with enough exposure, we start associating particular colours with businesses. When we see purple, we associate it with Cadbury, and the big golden arches are undoubtedly McDonald’s.

Therefore, it’s crucial to include your branding colours to establish that brand awareness and recognition. Once again, when you align yourself with a franchise, the hard work has been done for you, but using your new branding colours on your vehicle can also put you on the right path to being noticed and recognised in your community.

Service Offerings

Every lawn care company is different. Some offer push mower services, while others provide both push mowing and ride-on lawn mowing. You may even come across lawn care companies that offer a complete range of services like garden tidy-ups, edging, tree trimming, and hedge pruning.

Including a list of services on your vehicle wrap may make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.

Contact Information

Most importantly, provide information on how a potential new customer can contact you. Contact information can be phone numbers, email addresses, websites, or even social media pages. The more avenues you offer, the more people you may be able to reach.

This information should be large, bold, and clear so that anyone – whether they’re walking, driving, or biking past, can see it visibly and take action if you have a service they could benefit from.

Take Care of Business Branding Today

If you’ve decided that a business in lawn care is something you’re interested in purchasing, looking at your branding requirements can be crucial. Don’t underestimate the importance of not only aligning yourself with a reputable company that offers well-established branding and marketing practices but ensuring you do everything in your power to make your vehicle and business stand out from the crowd.

When you tire of the nine to five grind or working in a depressing office cubicle, you may start toying with the idea of starting your own lawn mowing business. You get to set your own hours, work outside in the beautiful sunshine, and make all business decisions for yourself.

However, one of the most challenging parts of starting a lawn care business is knowing what equipment you need to purchase to get your new venture off the ground and begin providing a range of lawn care services. It might be time to add the following equipment to your shopping list.

Lawn Mowers

When you start a lawn mowing business, it makes sense that your first purchase should be a lawn mower. However, picking the right one for your needs can be a lot more challenging than you might think.

There are many different options to choose from, such as walk-behind lawn mowers, zero-turn mowers, ride-on lawn mowers, and even robotic mowers. Each type has its pros and cons, and not all makes and models will be suitable for your business needs.

However, at a minimum, consider the purchase of a commercial push mower and, if tackling large commercial properties, a ride-on mower, as well.

Whipper Snippers and Line Trimmers

Lawn mowers are an essential tool of the trade, but nothing makes a lawn the picture of perfection as effectively as a whipper snipper or line trimmer. These tools can be useful for edging gardens and lawns and clearing long grass that your mower isn’t capable of tackling until it’s much shorter.

While shopping for a new trimmer, consider whether you’d prefer electric, battery, or petrol-powered. While petrol-powered tools are sometimes more powerful, they require the use of costly fuel and can require a significant amount of maintenance.

Electric line trimmers are clean and lightweight, but you’ll need access to a power supply at each client’s home. That leaves battery-powered trimmers. These tools of the trade only require the use of batteries which you can charge at the end of each working day. They are among the most popular options in the business.

Hedge Trimmers

If you plan on offering hedge trimming as a service, it makes sense to include a hedge trimmer on your list of essential equipment to purchase. Long-reach trimmers are among the most versatile and safest options, preventing the need to use ladders and other heights equipment.

Leaf Blowers

Autumn and winter can take their toll on a property. Leaves, dirt, and debris can end up scattered everywhere, and yards can look generally untidy. Rather than manually brushing pathways and courtyards by hand, you may see the value in investing in a leaf blower.

There are many different battery-operated options on the market, many of which can clean up all manner of debris to leave your clients’ properties looking clean and tidy.

Pruning Tools

Some lawn care service providers offer lawn mowing as a service and nothing else, while others dabble in anything yard-related. If you decide to provide other services like tree trimming and rose bush pruning, then pruning tools will be necessary additions to your shopping list.

Do your homework before purchasing any random pruning tool you find, as some are made with better quality materials than others. The more well made they are, the longer they may last.

A Vehicle & Trailer

Now that you’ve decided which essential equipment you need to start your own lawn mowing business, you now require a suitable vehicle and trailer to get it from your home to those of your clients.

What you buy and how you choose to transport your equipment is a personal choice, but there’s no harm in being observant and seeing how other business owners do it. Some buy all-inclusive vans that house everything from lawn mowers and PPE to hedge trimmers and everything in between.

However, one of the most popular options is a truck and trailer combination. You may decide to purchase a purpose-built trailer or use a standard model and adjust it to suit your needs.

These trailers need to be large enough for a standard lawn mower and/or a ride-on model if you decide to purchase one.

Personal Protective Equipment

Most people are familiar with personal protective equipment (PPE) in a medical sense, but did you know it’s also essential in the lawn care industry? WorkSafe offers practical protective clothing guidelines to help you make informed choices about what you buy.

These might include safety glasses, sun hats, long-sleeved shirts and pants, covered-in shoes, gloves, and earmuffs. If you are in close contact with your clients, the use of a mask may also be necessary for their protection and yours.

Start Your Lawn Care Business Now

Now that you’ve got a fair idea of the basics you need to start a lawn mowing business, why not turn those business dreams into reality? There are many well-established lawn mowing businesses for sale, and a career change may be more within reach than you think.

After taking time off over the holiday break, you may have decided that the nine to five grind no longer appeals. You might be tired of having to work hours that suit other people, and you might even desire more freedom to spend time doing the things you love.

With that in mind, why not weigh up your options around franchises? There is potential for you to start your own business with company support without investing significant sums of money.  

If you’re ready for a change, consider these five franchises you can start for cheap this year. One might just grab your attention for all the right reasons.

Lawn Mowing Franchise

A lawn mowing franchise in New Zealand is one of the most popular and affordable business options in 2022 and beyond. With more people wanting to spend time doing things they love rather than being stuck at home tending to their properties, opportunities exist for lawn mowing services across New Zealand.

The beauty of such a franchise is that it’s completely scalable. Once you sign on with a reputable lawn mowing franchise provider like Crewcut, you can take on as many or as few customers as you like.

Purchasing a Crewcut franchise also presents you with two options. You can buy a pre-existing franchise with current clients in specific regions, or you can buy a developing round with new customers in your preferred area.

Franchisees then have the freedom to offer a wide range of lawn mowing services or a select few. For example, you might decide to start a lawn mowing business with a push mower and focus on small lawns, or you may choose to upgrade to a ride-on mower and work with commercial customers.

Some lawn mowing business owners also offer various other services, such as hedge trimming, water blasting, and more. Once you’ve established yourself in your community, you can work the hours that suit you and your customer’s needs while saying goodbye to the nine to five grind that no longer brings you joy.

Gardening Franchise

Some people can’t get enough of gardening. They love tending to their own slice of paradise and will even jump at the chance to help their friends and family with theirs. When you’re looking for a change, purchasing an affordable gardening franchise in NZ may be something you consider.

Fortunately, there are many different ways you can go about it, with one being through reputable companies like Crewcut Green. You can offer gardening and clean-up services using eco-friendly and battery-powered equipment or even branch out to tree pruning, hedge trimming, and lawn mowing if you’re ready to grow.  

Like lawn mowing franchises, gardening franchises are scalable, and you can be your own boss with the support of a highly-regarded New Zealand company.

Cleaning Franchise

There are few things as satisfying as walking into a clean home. You may love this for yourself, and you may wish other people could feel how you do. You may be able to make that happen by purchasing a cleaning franchise. 

Many well-established companies, like Crewcare, offer commercial cleaning opportunities for those who wish to work for themselves and provide high-quality service to their customers. Every company is different, but many of the best offer branding, marketing, and operations support so that you can feel supported in your role as an individual owner-operator.

Once you purchase a cleaning franchise, you can offer a wide range of services, including office cleaning, school cleaning, restaurant cleaning, healthcare cleaning, COVID-19 cleaning, carpet cleaning, and floor polishing.

Coffee Franchise

Approximately 73% of New Zealanders consume caffeine daily, which means they are boiling the jug at home, venturing to their local café, or calling into a petrol station as they go about their day. It’s also not uncommon to see dozens of people lining up for a caffeine hit at sports games and other local events. 

You may be able to capitalise on this demand by purchasing a coffee cart franchise, of which there is an abundance in New Zealand. Many coffee cart owners operate on weekends, at special events, and even weekly in central business districts. As the owner of such a cart, you can choose how to run your business.

Food Truck Franchise

If you’re a foodie in the hospitality industry and love making sure people are well-fed, purchasing a food truck and hitting the road may be the right franchise option for you. You can head to events in such a franchise, set up permanently for daily service, or drive around business districts to keep hard workers fed and watered.  

The sky’s the limit with a food truck franchise since you can work with any number of companies selling all manner of cuisines.

Make a Change and Purchase a Franchise

It’s okay not to be happy in your work. It’s also okay to make a significant and scary change. If you’re ready to work for yourself, any of these five franchises that you can start for cheap may be something you consider.

Studies have shown that it’s much more expensive and time-consuming to acquire new customers than to retain the ones you have now. You’ve already put in all the hard work to land your lawn mowing and gardening customers, and now you’ve got to provide a service that sees them rely on you time and time again. 

While your best efforts in lawn care, gardening, and other services are undoubtedly more than satisfactory, there’s value in maximising your income with each client on your books. Here are some of the many ways you may be able to upsell your lawn and garden services to your current and future customers.

Offer Exclusive Customer-Only Deals

When you first started operating in your lawn care business, you would have established how much a service costs you to provide and what your margins are. With this information in mind, you may have the confidence in your bottom line to offer exclusive deals to current customers.

For example, you might mow the lawns for Bob the busy businessman once a fortnight, but you’ve noticed that his gardens have become overgrown. You could tell him how much your gardening clean up services cost for non-customers and how much less they could cost him if he tacked it on as an additional service while you were there lawn mowing.

Take note of your surroundings while you’re mowing the lawns. You never know when your water blasting, fruit tree care, hedge pruning, and tree trimming skills might be required.

Provide Package Deals

Everyone loves getting a deal, and you may find that your lawn care customers are no exception to that rule. They may have hired you to tidy their gardens or mow their lawns, but there may be other services they require that they don’t know you offer.

Consider offering package deals that incorporate multiple services to help your customers maintain their entire yard. For example, you might offer a spring yard cleaning package, which involves leaf blowing, weeding, and lawn mowing to get rid of the last signs of winter.  

If you’re flexible with the services within these packages, you may find yourself performing more than one task at many of your clients’ homes who previously only utilised your lawn mowing services.

Consider Trials

While providing free services is not every lawn care operator’s ideal way to upsell, it may be an option if you’re trying to sell more of a particular service. You might be trying to include more tree trimming tasks in your average week and may decide to offer to trim one tree for free, so your customer sees the difference it makes. 

From this demonstration, there is potential for you to welcome them on board as a new customer for tree or hedge trimming, alongside the other services you already provide.

Don’t Forget to Follow Up

Not all lawn care customers will be able to make a decision right away about whether they’d like to upgrade their services. They might need to consult their significant other or even review their finances to see if it’s a viable option.

Sometimes, you’re tending to the grounds of a business, which means there can be multiple people involved in the decision-making process. It’s easy for your offer to be forgotten about or put on the back-burner, so make a note in your diary to follow up.  

In 2-4 weeks, see the client in person, send a text message, an email, or make a phone call to see if they have had a chance to think about your deal. Sometimes, a gentle reminder can be all it takes to have them sign on the dotted line.

Let Your Current Work Speak for Itself

When you’re doing an excellent job with the tasks your clients have hired you to do, your workmanship can do all the upselling for you. You may find that customers are so impressed with how well you edged their lawns or tidied their gardens that they approach you with other jobs they’d like you to do.

When they’ve brought up the topic for discussion, you can use it as an opening to talk about the many services you provide that you think they might benefit from.

Offer Seasonal Deals

Each season can wreak havoc on our properties. Winter can have everything looking drab, while autumn sees trees creating no end of mess with their leaves. Summer and spring are seasons of growth, with weeds and plants growing out of control. 

Seasonal deals to combat these many problems might be how you maximise your income. If your customer is aware of deals for extra help over the growing season or a clean-up service during autumn, they may jump at the chance to have their yard looking at its best once more.

Even when you have the best support when you start a new lawn mowing business, it’s easy to feel daunted by the unfamiliar territory. Everything is new, and you might be unsure what the best practices are for lawn mowing and other lawn care services in NZ.

Sometimes, you may not even be sure how you’re supposed to transport all your lawn care equipment from one client to the next and how to do it in the most convenient and efficient way. Start your business off with a bang by considering these lawn mowing trailer setup tips below.

Pick the Right Size

You may not always know what the right size trailer will be, especially when you’re new to the lawn care industry and don’t quite know which tools of the trade you’ll need to carry with you at all times.

Ask other lawn care providers what they use, or take note of what you see listed for sale online and their potential uses. For most push and ride-on lawnmowers and extra power equipment, a standard 8 x 6-foot or 2.4m x 1.8m trailer with extra compartments will likely be sufficient. You might even be able to purchase one that was already set up for a lawn mowing business to make the purchasing process even easier.

Factor in Convenience Features

Being outside all day in the elements mowing lawns can be tiring, so you’ll likely appreciate all equipment and tools you own having convenience features. For example, you might look for self-propelling lawn mowers so that you don’t have to push so hard.

Take the same approach when establishing the best lawn mowing trailer setup. Look for trailers with split ramps to help you load and unload your lawnmowers. These ramps are much lighter than solid ramps, leading to a reduced risk of muscle fatigue before you’ve even mowed the lawns.

Other convenience features include multiple access points to get the equipment you need and locks to close your trailer securely.

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Storage

Having an open trailer is all many people need to get their lawnmowers from one client to the next, but what about all your other equipment like weed eaters? Rather than leaving your equipment to roll around unsafely, consider purchasing a trailer with built-in storage or space to attach large toolboxes. 

Having dedicated storage spaces for power equipment, fuel, oil, spare parts, a first aid kit, and accessories means it’s easy to access and safe while driving.

Remember Security

While most of us like to think that everyone is good and honest, unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Tens of thousands of thefts are reported each year, and there’s no saying that you won’t be a victim.

However, you may be able to reduce the risk of being an easy target for opportunists by storing your equipment securely at all times. Make sure you can lock the back of the trailer in place and either lock or padlock any storage compartments you have.

If you have to remove the trailer from your vehicle, secure the pin with a lock or use a wheel lock to reduce the risk of someone taking it away. When visiting clients’ homes, lock your vehicle and do your best to keep your trailer within eye’s view. The unfortunate reality is that an open vehicle and exposed power equipment can be an open invitation for people to take what isn’t theirs.

Maintenance Tips for Lawn Mower Trailers

Once you’ve done your homework to secure one of the best lawn mowing trailer setups for the job, write down a checklist of maintenance tasks to perform to keep everything in working order.

1. Keep the trailer clean

Cleanliness is crucial for your image and brand, but it can also ensure any problems are visible for fast repairs. Dirt can hide all manner of problems that can become safety issues in the future.

2. Inspect the trailer’s coupling

The coupling is one of the most crucial parts of your trailer, so inspect it often. Look out for cracks, chips, and any warping, and take note of these possible problems on your vehicle’s tow bar and the hitch ball, as well.

To make sure hitching and unhitching remain easy tasks, apply grease to the inside of the coupling at least once a month. Finally, check the chain. Look out for any rust, corrosion, or breakages that could cause problems.

3. Check the electrics

Always make sure brake lights and indicators are working before you hit the road. Look for exposed, cracked, or corroded wires and prevent rust with WD40 every few months. If you notice any problems with the wiring or lighting, have them addressed as soon as possible.

4. Focus on the wheels

Check your tyre pressure, look for any cracks or punctures, and take note of the tread. Inspecting the lug nuts to ensure tightness is also crucial.

Purchase a Lawn Mowing Trailer Today

A trailer can be a necessary tool of the trade-in lawn mowing, which is why it’s so important to do as much research as possible to secure the best one. Take note of these tips above and put yourself in the best position possible to purchase the right trailer for your needs.

Some lawn mowing companies and businesses in NZ stand out more than others. They are more frequently recommended, more often seen out and about, and have dozens of glowing reviews all over the internet.

If you have been thinking about starting your own lawn mowing business, you may be wondering what you need to do to ensure your business will become like those you envy. Sometimes, it involves looking at what people consider before hiring a lawn mowing company, such as these factors below.

Promptness and Reliability

When a lawn mowing company worker says they will turn up on a particular day and within a specific timeframe, you expect just that. You may arrange your day around their visit, making sure you’ve secured your pets and have removed the kids’ toys off the lawn.

If the lawn care team is hours late or doesn’t show up at all without any communication, that can have a significant impact on their reputation. If you’re looking at entering the lawn mowing industry, organising your time and prioritising communication can be crucial.

Quality Workmanship

Taking pride in your craft is one way to help you stand out from the crowd in the competitive lawnmowing industry. However, even if you’re the master of lawn mowing, that may not set you apart as much as you may hope it does. 

Sometimes, you have to go the extra mile with your quality workmanship. This can involve taking care of lawn edges, managing weeds, and even alerting owners to potential problems, such as broken fencing or dying grass in some areas for an unknown reason. Your care and expertise can be what makes customers request your services time and time again.

Pricing

Setting your lawn care services costs in New Zealand can be one of the most challenging parts of your business when you’re getting it off the ground. You want to be a desirable option for Kiwis, but you also don’t want to undercut yourself and risk not making any money. 

It’s crucial to strike a balance between making sure your customers feel like they’re getting their money’s worth and making sure you’re able to make a profit. When you join a franchise, you may be able to benefit from set pricing structures that take your costs into account and allow you to set sensible customer prices.

Customer Care

Some property owners want a quick mow during the summer months so they can spend more time enjoying their yard rather than maintaining it. Others like the complete service, from striped lawns and manicured grounds to neatly weeded gardens and picture-perfect edges.  

Given that every customer is different, your level of customer care should also be different. Essentially, you can’t apply a ‘one size fits all’ approach to your lawn care services. When you first talk with a prospective customer, listen to their needs. Find out what they want, what they don’t want, and their reasons for hiring you in the first place. Knowing this information can help you provide a level of service they’re happy with.

Health and Safety

You may not think that most homeowners care about your health and safety measures as long as their lawn gets mowed, but that can be far from the truth. 

More and more people are starting to take workplace health and safety seriously, and lawn care is no different. If you want to stand out for the right reasons, conduct yourself in a professional manner.

Wear ear and eye protection, drive safely on your mower and in your vehicle, and maintain social distancing during various COVID-19 alert levels. These are all small things that may make a world of difference.

Minimal Interruptions

One of the most common reasons why people hire lawn care companies is to avoid interruptions in their busy day. They don’t want to stop what they’re doing to mow the lawns or avoid doing fun things just because they have to weed the garden.

You can return the favour by making sure you limit the interruptions in your customer’s day, as well. Don’t block driveways or mow early in the morning or late in the evening. Avoid intruding on neighbouring properties and be mindful of hours that don’t work for your customers, such as during lunchtime or once the kids are home from school.

Reputation

When people start looking for a lawn mowing service near them, they want to choose the one with the best reputation. Is that going to be yours? When you consider all the previous points, you stand a good chance of being well respected in your community.

When you’re proud of what you do and committed to providing excellent service, consider setting up platforms for customers to leave testimonials and reviews. Social media and Google Reviews can be ideal ways to build your reputation in the digital space.

Time to Join a Lawn Mowing Franchise?

Now that you know what it takes to become a highly regarded lawn care service provider in your community, you can be on your way to being just that. It can be worth keeping this information in mind when the time comes to join a franchise business like Crewcut.

Whether you’re on the hunt for the best zero-turn mowers for your new lawn care business, or you’re simply upgrading your lawn care equipment at home, it’s helpful to do your homework.

The more you learn about zero-turn lawnmowers, the easier it can be for you to decide which one is right for you! So, without further ado, here are a few things you may like to consider before you add one to your shopping cart.

What is a Zero-Turn Lawn Mower?

A zero-turn lawn mower is a ride-on-style lawn mower that has a near-zero-degree turning radius. The machine’s two front wheels rotate in opposite directions, which means you can enjoy precise manoeuvring, particularly in hard-to-reach places.

These machines also have easy-to-use steering wheels, oversized tires, and high ground clearance. Homeowners with large, sweeping lawns love the versatility of such a mower, while lawn care company owners swear by them for cost-effectiveness, speed, practicality, and convenience.

Do Your Research

A quick search online for zero-turn mowers for sale will see you inundated with options. It’s only natural to try and search for the most affordable one, but that doesn’t mean it will be right for you.

There are many factors to consider, such as the yards you typically mow, the terrain type, and the mowing conditions in which you usually work. Even your capability level can factor into the equation.

While there’s no harm in looking for zero-turn mowers for sale online, it may also be in your best interests to visit a shop that sells them. You can then talk to a salesperson about your needs and narrow down your options.  

You may even be able to ‘try before you buy’ so that you’re not locked into a sale without having first put it to the test in the very conditions it will have to work.

Battery vs. Petrol

One of the most essential considerations when selecting the best zero-turn lawn mower is whether you prefer a battery-powered or petrol-powered mower. Both can have their pros and cons, particularly in a commercial setting. 

Electric lawnmowers are easy to use and maintain, quiet to operate, and clean. They are the environment’s best friend. They also offer lawn care company operators various conveniences such as not carrying fuel and not having to risk running out of fuel halfway through a customer’s lawn.

Given that they don’t have a fuel tank, they are often lightweight and less labour-intensive to operate. When you’ve got several lawns to mow in a day, this can be a valuable benefit.

In saying that, gas-powered zero-turn mowers do have their place in a lawn care company. Many people like how powerful they are, and how it doesn’t matter if the lawn is wet or dry.

Although, it’s worth keeping in mind that they can be complicated and expensive to maintain. So, weigh up these pros and cons before you buy.

Horsepower

Horsepower is one of many things to think about as you’re perusing a lawnmower showroom. While between 11 and 25 horsepower would be more than suitable for a homeowner, commercial users may like to look for something with upwards of 25 horsepower.

The more horsepower your zero-turn mower has, the more capable it can be of combatting any lawn type your customers have.

Battery Life and Runtime

If you have decided to opt for the cleaner, eco-friendlier, and more convenient battery-powered lawn mower, it’s worth considering each model’s battery lifespan and runtime. They vary from one brand and model to the next.

Typically, you can expect to cover a lot of ground on a single charge, with the average battery capable of tackling up to seven hours-worth of average lawn. However, this can depend on the battery’s capacity, age, and various other factors.

You may also find that your battery’s lifespan is around three to four years. Once again, this can depend on many factors like the battery quality, capacity, how you’ve used it, and the brand’s reputation.

Price

When you start looking at how to start a lawn mowing business in NZ, it’s only natural to factor in how much everything costs. The price tag of your preferred zero-turn mower can be a deal maker or breaker.

The trick is to compare the features to the price tag and see whether it has everything you need. While you could opt for the mower with the lowest price tag, it might not have the features or reliability you need to operate a successful lawn care service.

You may also be able to take advantage of financing options if you’re not able to pay for your new zero-turn lawn mower outright.

Is it Time to Go Shopping?

There’s no denying that zero-turn lawn mowers are among some of the best tools in a lawn care operator’s arsenal. They are easy to operate, fast, and easy to manoeuvre over various terrain types. Still, before you sign on the dotted line, consider all of these points above. You may be surprised at how a little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

When you fancy flexible working hours, life in the outdoors, and a desirable work-life balance, it’s only natural to wonder about the advantages of running a ride on mower business. You get to be outside, have as many or as few clients as you want, and sit on a mower as opposed to pushing one all day.

You're probably thinking that riding around in circles while cutting grass might not be as lucrative as other ventures, but there's more than meets the eye here. Ride on mowers are used by lawn operators all over the world because they require less effort and time when it comes to maintaining large properties.

Advantages of a Ride On Business

When you start to really think seriously about whether a lawn mowing business with a ride on mower is right for you, the following advantages may also stand out.

• Ease of Use

Ride on lawnmowers are easy to use; there’s no doubt about it. Most late model mowers you purchase today have electric start functions rather than the more labour-intensive pull-start method.

As a result, all you have to do is jump aboard, push a button, make sure you’ve got all the correct settings, and go full steam ahead. Some brands are easier to use than others, so it can be worth talking to other lawn care operators or lawnmower salespeople before you decide on any particular model or brand.  

• Fast to Operate

Compare a push mower to a ride on lawnmower and the area they can cover, and you will see that a ride on mower typically comes out on top. When you’re providing a lawn mowing service to people with large lawn areas, you’re going to achieve each job far quicker when you’re not having to walk around.  

Once the job is done, you’ll also likely feel less exhausted. This is good news for anyone who has several sections lined up to mow in a single day.

• They’re Multi-Purpose

Depending on the brand you buy, you will likely discover that they are multi-purpose. Many brands come with attachments for mulching and even leaf collection so that you can use this one machine for many different tasks.

This is not only a time-saving measure but a convenient way to broaden your service offerings. All of a sudden, you went from only being able to offer lawn mowing to then being able to advertise that you also do mulching and leaf clearing. The extra investment may just pay off.  

• You Can Adjust the Cutting Deck

Even though you can adjust the cutting deck of most push mowers, the process is far easier on a ride on mower. While you’re sitting in your comfortable chair, you can be making the mower higher or lower, depending on the height of the grass.

This feature can be particularly helpful if you’re trying to mow long grass. You can start with a weed whacker, mow lower, then return to mow the grass to a standard lawn height once it has had a chance to recover from the shock of receiving a dramatic haircut.

• Maintenance is a Breeze

One of the most critical parts of being a lawn care service provider is maintenance. Without well-maintained equipment, you aren’t always able to perform your job to a high standard. Ride on mowers, while more complex than push mowers, are reasonably easy to maintain.

When you purchase them new, they may also come with a warranty and/or service agreement for quick and easy service through the place you bought them. You may also find that replacement parts are easy to obtain and cost-effective.  

How to Find the Perfect Ride On Lawn Mower

There is nothing wrong with running a lawn care business with push mowers. In fact, most lawn mowing companies have both. However, if you’re seeing the value in adding one to your arsenal, it’s helpful to know as much about the purchasing process as possible.

Firstly, find out what you need. Remember, the more features you have at your disposal, the more services you may be able to offer your customers.

It’s also a good idea to think about the properties in your area. Do most people have flat terrain, sloped sections, or a combination of both? Some ride on mowers are more adept at tackling tricky terrain than others.  

Just as important is the brand name. Do your homework on the models that stand out for all the right (and wrong) reasons. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from salespeople and lawn mowing companies, and look at online reviews.

Finally, set a budget. You may already have a figure in mind of how much you want to spend, so see what you can find within it. Remember, you will also need to factor in the costs of maintenance.

Ride Ons or Push Mowers?

As many benefits as there are of having a ride on mower business, there are equally as many for having both push mowers and ride on mowers to provide a service.

Not all sections will be large enough to require a ride on lawn mower. You may even find that limited access to properties makes it challenging to mow lawns at some properties. Make yourself more versatile and flexible by considering both for your business venture. You can then start your new business with all the boxes ticked for customer and operator convenience.  

Click the link below to check out our directory listings if you’re interested in a purely ride on business.

When you’re a lawn care business owner with clients relying on you to provide high-quality services, you come to learn the importance of dependable equipment. You want something reliable and robust, but you also want it to be comfortable and affordable. Striking a balance between all of these factors can be challenging.  

The same can be true when you require a new line trimmer or weed eater. This equipment is vital for your daily operations, but it’s not always easy to find the perfect tool for the job. The following information may be worth considering when you’re ready to hit the buy now button. 

Power Source

When you walk into a hardware store, you probably aren’t expecting to see so many different line trimmers for sale to suit your business needs. Rather than spend hours mulling over the various options, narrow them down by selecting your preferred power type.

You have three options – petrol, electric, and battery. Each has pros and cons in different situations.

• Electric Line Trimmers

For example, electric line trimmers are ideal for homeowners with a small amount of maintenance. They require minimal maintenance and just need a mains power supply. However, they are less likely to suit a lawn care service provider like yourself, especially when you’re not always sure if you’ll have mains power supply access.

• Petrol Weed Eaters

Some people prefer petrol weed eaters due to their power, performance, and endurance. When you’re combatting long grass, they are an operator’s best friend. In saying that, petrol line trimmers are also heavy, cumbersome, and sometimes challenging to start. They also require a significant amount of care and maintenance.

• Battery Line Trimmers

You won’t find too many lawn care business operators that don’t rely on battery line trimmers with brushless DC motors and lithium-ion batteries. They are lightweight, easy to care for, and reasonably powerful. Most of them also have push-button starts for convenience. As long as you’ve got enough charged batteries with you for a day’s work, they could be an ideal option to consider.

Brand

Just as you would put time and effort into choosing a lawn mowing brand, it pays to do the same with your weed eater. Choose a brand you know and trust and one that has a servicing centre near you for convenience. Each time you take your lawnmower for repairs or maintenance, you could also be taking your line trimmer of the same brand.

Plenty of standout line trimmer brands for sale are worth your consideration, such as Stihl, Husqvarna, Bosch, Greenworks, Makita, and Black+Decker.

If you’re not sure which brand is likely to suit your needs the best, read reviews online and compare features. We’ve also included some helpful feature considerations below to make the purchasing process a little bit easier.

Straight vs. Curved Shaft

One of the many things to consider when purchasing a line trimmer is whether you prefer a curved or straight shaft. Everyone has a preference. If you use your line trimmer to trim grass, a curved shaft will allow you to enjoy a comfortable angle. However, if you’ll be cutting long grass, a straight shaft may be more to your liking.

Front Handles

The more comfort and convenience you can enjoy while line trimming, the better your experience will likely be. The best types of weed eaters have adjustable front handles. They should rotate around the shaft when you turn the cutting head over for lawn edging.

Start Type

How you turn your line trimmer on can depend on which power type you decide to buy. Pull start is the most common option for petrol weed eaters, which can require a lot of muscle. With most electric and battery-powered trimmers, you get to benefit from touch-button convenience.

Safety Guards

When you look at all the different makes and models of weed eaters, you will see that they all come with safety guards. However, they’re not all the same. Most lawn care business operators prefer safety guards that protect you from debris but don’t limit your view of the task at hand.

Cost

While you’re busy comparing different makes and models of line trimmers based on their features, it’s worth having an idea of your budget. How much should you spend on a weed eater?

Several things factor in for costs, such as the brand’s reputation, any accessories and attachments that come with it, and even warranties or guarantees. It’s also worth keeping in mind that you’ll also need to consider ongoing maintenance costs. Check out the prices of replacement parts before deciding on your preferred line trimmer.

Are You Ready to Buy?

Now that you know what’s available, it might be time to go shopping. Compare brands, look at power types, and don’t underestimate the value of features that emphasise convenience.  

It can sometimes feel like the only way to start a business is by being wealthy, to begin with. We even came across people landing on our website with questions on ‘how to start a business with no money,’ and we thought we’d help out by providing some practical advice.

As it turns out, here in New Zealand nearly anyone can start a business with little to no money, as long as they are willing to put in time and effort and look for helpful resources. If you still don’t know where to begin, we’ve included some tips below.

Approach your Regional Business Partner Network

Whether you want to start a business with staff, work for yourself in lawn care, or something else, you can find out all about how to get your business off the ground from the Regional Business Partner Network.

This provider can inform you of the types of government assistance you may be eligible for, including those you may not have even heard of before. The Regional Business Partner Network is also a valuable source of information for business networking and connecting you with professionals and business advisors.

Make contact Maori and Pasifika development programmes

The Ministry of Business, Innovation, & Employment (MBIE) offers a range of tools and information to help Maori and Pasifika businesses get started, grow, and thrive. There are even programmes and schemes available to assist with funding interns, purchasing Maori land, and buying products and services to help with business growth.

You never know what’s available until you start looking, which means your dreams of starting a business with no money may be a lot more realistic than you might think.

Consider business financing

If you’re able to put together a solid business plan that shows your valid expected business projections, you may be eligible for business financing through lenders.

While it’s essential to get expert advice before you go down this route, it can be an ideal way to get your foot in the business door and start making an income.

Look for local funding opportunities

You won’t know about any grants for small businesses in New Zealand if you aren’t actively looking for them. Don’t be afraid to contact local councils and information providers to find out where you would likely discover such grants.  

Typically, when they do become available, you’ve got to meet a series of criteria. The more open-minded you are about your business venture options, the higher your chances may be of being able to start a business with little to no money.

Work with a current business owner

As driven as you might be to start or purchase a business right away, the timing may just not be right. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams altogether, but it does mean that you might need to wait a little longer.

Working in a lawn mowing franchise for instance offers many benefits. By working for someone else who already owns a business in the lawn and garden niche, you can come to understand how the company works before you take on the responsibility of starting a lawn franchise on your own.

While you’re working for someone else, you can also be saving money to put you in an even more desirable position to buy one for yourself if the opportunity becomes available.

Turn to your loved ones

While relying on friends and family for money to start a business may not be your first choice, it’s helpful to know the option is there if you need it. You may be able to provide them with a sound business plan that gives them confidence, particularly if you are buying a franchise with an already well-established company. 

To avoid the risk of relationships souring, consider setting up the loan as a business agreement through lawyers rather than relying on a classic Kiwi handshake agreement.  

Look at potential investors

Even if your goal is to be the sole owner of your dream business, bringing investors on board might be how you realise your dream a lot sooner. Investors can provide the start-up funds you need in return for a stake in your business. This is known as equity capital.

There are several advantages associated with equity capital, such as having no fixed payment requirements. If you went down the loan route, there would be. Investments also don’t increase a company’s fixed costs or burden.  

If you bring investors on board with your new business venture, you can even defer dividends and, instead, direct your cash to your everyday operating requirements and business opportunities.

Looking to start a business with no money?

As challenging as it might be to start a business with no money, you do have a myriad of different options at your disposal. Weigh up the pros and cons of each and decide if any stand out to you as viable.  

You never know; you may be eligible for funding that sees you on the path to business ownership sooner than you might think.

When you first purchased a lawn mowing company franchise in NZ, you likely did your homework around which company to go with and the type of lawn mowing equipment you need to buy such as a ride-on lawnmower, a push mower, and even garden equipment. However, equally important is selecting the right mower shop.

Your business ultimately relies on high-quality equipment that works at its best. The unfortunate reality is that not every mower shop will provide you with the level of service you require to provide the best customer service. So, how do you find the best mower shop? Read on to find out.

Location

Businesses that provide superior customer service generally have customers that pass several other lawnmower shops to get to theirs. While that’s undoubtedly an option, your busy schedule may determine that a convenient location is an important consideration.

Take a look at your customer list and find the lawnmower shop or shops that are in proximity to those customers. You may even find one on your direct route home. The more convenient the location, the easier you will be able to stop in for new equipment, repairs, maintenance, and queries.

Suppose there are several lawn mower shops in your area. In that case, it can be worth considering these other points below to determine which will be the most beneficial for you.

Loan Equipment

There may come a time when particular parts are required for your mower that will take several days to arrive. Or, your lawnmower may not be available on the same day you take it in for servicing or repairs.  

Given that this one piece of equipment can be your bread and butter, it’s helpful if your local mower shop offers loan equipment to prevent you from getting behind schedule. Of course, many lawn mowing business owners have more than one lawnmower, but you’ll likely discover that you always have a favourite for particular tasks.

Brands

There is no other way to say it – some lawnmower brands are better than others. If you desire a specific brand, you would naturally select a mower shop that specialises in that brand. Why? Because they have genuine parts on-site for repairs and maintenance while understanding all the intricacies of each model.

What’s more, if you purchase your lawnmower from that store, you likely receive some kind of warranty or guarantee for an extended length of time. Having brand support is unparalleled in your line of business!

Other Equipment

While it’s crucial to select a mower store that’s conveniently located, offers loan equipment, and has reputable brands, there is more to consider. Do they stock other lawn care equipment? Can you purchase equipment for tree trimming, hedges, and other tasks?

The more equipment you receive from one store, the more convenient it will be to access repairs, services, and replacements. It would also help if the one store also stocks safety equipment like glasses, ear muffs, and shin guards that allow you to do your job while following health and safety recommendations.

Suitability for Your Needs

The needs of a homeowner are generally far different from those of a lawn mowing service provider. As a result, you need to consider more than just your budget and lawn size. There’s also the mower weight, power, and engine to consider. Does the mower shop near you have lawnmowers to suit your needs?

They should be light enough to avoid fatigue from daily use, yet powerful enough to handle lawns of any size. The engines should also be durable, long-lasting, and easy to maintain. The same rules apply to other lawn care equipment like weed eaters.

Do your homework online, talk to people, and find out which mower shop will have the most appropriate products for your line of work. You’ll likely be surprised at how much a small amount of homework and research matters.

Turn-Around Time

It’s certainly helpful if a mower shop offers loan equipment while yours receives a service, maintenance, or repairs. Although, it undoubtedly helps even more if you don’t have to wait several days for these tasks to take place.

Talk to your preferred mower shop team about your expectations and their suitability to deliver. Are they willing to go the extra mile for you to ensure you can continue providing a high-quality lawn mowing service? Will you be able to benefit from a mutually beneficial relationship?

Even during the height of lawn mowing season, you want peace of mind that you won’t be caught short, even if your chosen mower shop is under the pump.

Start Mowing Now

Even though the process of selecting the right mower shop for your needs involves careful planning, it can certainly be made easier. Do your homework, learn more about each potential option, and make sure that they will be able to meet your expectations so that you can meet the expectations of your customers.

Even better, talk to an experienced Crewcut guy in your area or ask for assistance from your Crewcut manager to make this part of the onboarding process hassle-free!

There are many reasons why people decide that a business in lawn care is right for them. You get to choose your hours, work outside, and meet new people. But one thing that holds many people back is the idea that small business finances are complicated.

Fortunately, they don’t have to be. Here are a few helpful tips for organising finances in your lawn care business. You’ll soon realise that it’s easier than you first thought!

Separate Your Finances

Trying to distinguish your personal expenditure from your business expenditure can be hard work when you’re using the same bank account. To keep your tax records manageable, open a business banking account that you will use purely for business purposes.

For everything else, like your mortgage and personal items, use a personal bank account. You may even like to have two different credit and debit cards to avoid accidentally spending personal funds on a business account or vice versa.

Ask for Help

When you are a franchise owner working for a reputable lawn care company like Crewcut, you can expect a certain level of help to ensure you understand how to manage your finances. They can advise you on the best way to manage your accounts and even encourage you to hire an accountant.

Fortunately, not only can accountants help you make sense of your books, but there is also plenty of online software available that’s easy to navigate. Whether you’ve got business management experience or not, you may be surprised at just how straightforward it can be to organise your finances.

Establish a Budget

Every year, a lawn care business owner should revise their budget to ensure their business remains profitable. Work out the costs of fuel, equipment, servicing, and any other expenses that pop up.

It even pays to look at areas you can save money and whether you need to put up your prices to cover costs. Budgeting is a core part of making sure your business is in the most profitable position possible.

Creating a budget is reasonably straightforward. Simply review your revenue and fixed expenses, consider variable expenses and unexpected costs, and compile it in a budget format, such as on Microsoft Excel. It then becomes simpler to revisit it annually.

Get Familiar with Your Chart of Accounts

Your chart of accounts, which is viewable in most accounting software, allows you to understand your financial position. Two things, in particular, provide a snapshot of this information, and these are Profit and Loss Statement (P/L) and Balance Sheet (B/S).

The P/L shows you the profit or loss you made in a specific period, while the B/S lays out the things you own, what you owe, and how much equity you have in your business.

This information can prove useful for determining how you made a profit or loss, alongside how your liabilities, equity, and assets, are categorised.

It might take some time to get to grips with accounting concepts and tracking your financial information accurately, but you will surely find that there are always people available to lend a helping hand.

Stay Up to Date

It’s too easy to get into the habit of putting off doing your bookwork after a hard day of lawn mowing. You may not feel like filling out your expenses or writing up invoices right away, but it can be easier if you do.

The more you stay on top of your bookwork, the easier it is to stay on top of it. Make sure you enter bank statements, credit card statements, expense info, and invoices with sales information to form an accurate profit and loss statement.

Be Aware of Changes

Every now and again, Inland Revenue (Te Tari Taake) makes changes to its requirements for how businesses need to report on their finances. You might be tempted to delete any email newsletter they send through because it’s not relevant, but it just might be. 

Pay attention to new information they send through, and even follow their Facebook page to find out if anything new is coming up. You won’t always know when a significant change is going to affect how you operate your business.

Do It Online

Many lawn care business operators get into the business because they want to spend more time outside. You may have realised that the average business is becoming too computer-based, and you don’t want to spend all your time strapped to a computer chair.

While a lawn care business allows you to do just that – stay outside – it does require some computer work. As tempting as it can be to write everything down out in the field and compile your notes and finances manually, refrain from doing so. It’s easy to lose financial documents and notes, and you can end up with an inconsistent paper trail.

Certain lawn business software allows you to digitise your bookwork. If you aren’t able to manage your books and finances online, it may even be worth considering hiring someone to do it for you.

Easy Steps to Become a Lawn Care Business Owner

As you can see, there are just several steps involved in making sure you can organise your lawn care business finances. As complicated as it might seem, it can be straightforward with a bit of education.

When the time comes to make a leap into lawn care, start doing your homework. The earlier you get to grips with your financial requirements, the smoother your transition into daily business will be.

Many people were happy to dropkick 2020 out of the picture as soon as the clock struck midnight. Even though you may not want to tempt fate by telling people, “2021 is going to be my year”, it just might be, especially if a career change into a solo lawn care business is on the horizon.

New things are scary. Change is scary. So, before you jump right into one of the most significant decisions you’ll ever make, make sure you’re aware of the pros and cons of a solo lawn care business. Doing so might give you full confidence that you’ve made the right choice.

Pro: You can work your own hours

Very few workplaces offer flexible working hours. You might be fortunate to have a boss that lets you pick up the kids from school, but you may just have to sacrifice seeing them play sports or accepting an award at their local school assembly.

By starting your own lawn care business or purchasing one that’s already established, your working hours are yours to create. You can make time for those special family events while still ensuring you satisfy your new customers’ every need.

Pro: Better earning potential

Work as little as you like or as much as you like; the choice is yours. When you align yourself with a reputable lawn mowing brand, you benefit from marketing and brand recognition that puts your franchise front and centre.

Therefore, your earning potential is only limited by how much you’re willing to take on. This can offer much-needed peace of mind that your investment has the potential to pay for itself over time.

Pro: Bigger network of clients

Working in lawn care enables you to meet new people from all walks of life. The more you take care of someone’s lawn mowing and other needs, the better you get to know them.

Life-long friendships can be built simply by providing a service that people require. While you’re often working alone in a solo lawn care business, you never have to feel alone.

Pro: Service offerings decided by you

A lawn care service typically means you offer lawn mowing services. Though, you’re not limited to lawn mowing alone. If you’re particularly skilled in other areas, you can incorporate these services into your business model.  From hedge trimming and tree pruning to water blasting, garden tidy-ups, and weeding, the sky’s the limit.

Pro: It’s easy to learn on the job

Even though purchasing your own business can be a daunting prospect, it’s not one that has to come with a great deal of formal experience or training. In lawn care, you often learn by doing – and you become quite good at what you do.

As a result, when you’ve mastered one service, you can branch out and begin learning about others from which your customers can benefit.  

Pro: Overheads tend to be smaller

Even though working in lawn care requires you to have a few tools of the trade like lawnmowers, power tools, and vehicles to transport them, the overheads can be minimal. There are no buildings to worry about paying rent for, and you can even maintain the equipment yourself to save servicing costs.

What’s more, you can set a lawn mowing price that best works for covering these costs to ensure you’re able to benefit from a healthy bottom line.

Con: The changing seasons

Perhaps one of the most significant worries about starting your own solo lawn care business is that the colder months of the year can see reduced working hours. However, that doesn’t mean such a business isn’t financially viable.

By organising your finances to cover you through the quieter months of the year, you may not notice a massive difference in your income. Many lawn care business operators also end up diversifying their service offerings in the colder months to ensure they can work throughout the year.

Some excellent winter lawn care service ideas include:

• Gardening

• Pressure washing

• Weed removal

• Leaf removal

• Gutter cleaning

• Winter lawn preparation

• General house maintenance tasks

Con: Carrying the startup costs on your own

If you’re starting a lawn care business from scratch, there are many things you’ll need to buy. Lawnmowers will, of course, be one of the primary considerations, but there are also power tools, a work vehicle, and a ride-on lawnmower if you require it. Then there are the marketing costs to make sure everyone knows about your new business.

Fortunately, there are ways to get around this problem. You can purchase established franchises from people looking to sell. Quite often, they are willing to sell their client list and all their equipment. All you have to do is start where they left off.

Is It Time to Start Your Own Lawn Care Business?

Whether you’re looking for a change of pace or like the idea of being your own boss, lawn care may be worth your consideration. Work your own hours, meet new people, and earn as much as you like. There are many established lawn care businesses for sale, or you can start afresh. There’s every reason to believe that 2021 can be your year.

From the Far North to Otago and everywhere in between, it’s hard to miss the vibrant purple and green of the Crewcut team making their way from property to property.

With lawn mowing crews from Crewcut popping up in the smallest towns to the largest cities, it’s worth asking the question: why do Crewcut franchises keep growing? Let us explain.

1. It’s a Recognised Brand

Starting a lawn care company from scratch can be hard work. Not only do you have to build your brand from the ground up, but you must also navigate the often-challenging world of health and safety and legal liability.

When you join a recognised brand like Crewcut, all the hard work has been done. A sound reputation has been established, the health and safety policies are in place, and all that’s left to do is continue providing the same high-quality lawn care services that Crewcut is known for.

2. Superior Business System

The 9-to-5 grind can take its toll. Every day’s the same, and flexibility can be lacking. Though, getting involved in lawn care to benefit from a better work-life balance can be scary. You’ve got to come up with a business plan, get to grips with marketing, and find out how to make sure your business model is a profitable one.

Or, do you?

One of the many reasons people take on a Crewcut franchise is to benefit from a superior business system. When it comes to establishing a successful lawn care company, Crewcut is an old hand. They’ve done the hard yards, so you don’t have to.

You get to benefit from marketing, mentoring, and a proven system designed for quality control and success. Essentially, you can be in the best position to build a successful and profitable lawn mowing business.

3. Excellent Lifestyle Benefits

You may have thought about joining Crewcut for the brand support and profit potential, but there’s more to the picture. You can also break out of the stuffy office cubicle and spend your working days outside.

You set your own working hours, travel from property to property, and enjoy meeting new people from all walks of life. Crewcut’s own research has even found that operating a lawn mowing business may provide health benefits like improved sleep, stress relief, weight loss, and a healthy heart.

The average lawn mowing business owner at Crewcut will walk an average of 17,000 steps per day, or 15-16km, with daily activities that promote ideal bone and muscle health and cardiovascular exercise. We can’t wait for you to share these potential benefits yourself. 

4. Exciting Growth Potential

Crewcut lays the foundation for a successful lawn mowing company, but it’s up to you to decide how much or how little you want to do. Every franchise owner has the freedom to offer as many or as few services as they see fit.

Some franchises across the country may only offer lawn mowing, while others branch out into garden clean-ups, tree trimming, hedges, section tidies, and more. You can also aspire to have an expansive client base and multiple team members, or a comfortable number of loyal customers and a sole operator.  

In many situations, you can offer services across multiple suburbs and areas or stick with a select few. Crewcut is all about giving you the freedom to choose while making sure you’ve got the support and help you require from a national brand.

5. An Easy Startup Process

We like to keep things simple here at Crewcut. From the moment you make your initial inquiry to the day you mow your first lawn, you’ll likely be surprised at just how simple the whole startup process was.

We make sure you understand exactly what equipment you need to hit the grass running, what the accounting side looks like, health and safety, and how training works for the day-to-day running of your business.

We even make sure you’re up to speed with marketing by offering an online marketing package. This includes a dedicated website page, a Google My Business listing, a Facebook page for your area if there isn’t one already, and information on Neighbourly – a neighbourhood communication platform.

Crewcut Franchise Numbers Are Growing – And Now You Know Why

We’re not a company that does anything by halves. We want to make sure that any new franchise owners are supported, informed, and ready to provide their customers with a standout service reflective of our brand.

Whether you’re ready to give up your 9-to-5 gig, or you’re curious about what a Crewcut franchise looks like, why not get in touch? We can’t wait to show you what we’re all about.  

Who doesn’t love a good shopping spree? Buying something new offers the feel-good factor, and lawnmowers are no different. But because there are many different lawnmower brands on the market, it can be hard to know which one offers better bang for your buck.

You could buy the one that looks the best or has the most desirable price tag, but wouldn’t it be better to find out what lawn mowing professionals prefer? Our Crewcut operators are ready to fill you in on their preferences.

Husqvarna

Husqvarna lawn mowers and garden care products are some that many Crewcut operators would be happy to recommend. Not only are they competitively priced in the market, but they are some of the most reliable. And as you can probably guess, reliability is essential.

Husqvarna lawnmowers also come with finance solutions, service and repair options, and a wide variety of options to suit professionals and homeowners alike.

Testarossa

Many Crewcut customers love having a lawn akin to a bowling green. To achieve this, you can reach for a Testarossa lawnmower. They are renowned for being able to leave that bowling green finish on your lawn.

Crewcut operators also prefer this brand, produced in Italy by Global Garden Products (now known as Stiga), because it produces lightweight and agile lawnmowers. These mowers also come fitted with durable ABS plastic chassis.

Stihl

Our Crewcut operators won’t use anything less than the best, which is why so many of them prefer Stihl tools. Not only is Stihl a name Kiwis can trust, but lawn care operators love how expansive their range is. Stihl has around 70 stores across the country, service and repair facilities, and hot deals year-round. You also can’t beat their reliability, according to some of our lawn care franchise operators.

Honda

Honda is renowned for its reliability, and its lawncare range is no different. Our Crewcut operators love how this manufacturer produces commercial lawnmowers that are both economical and packed with convenient features. Often, lawn care service providers use Honda lawnmower and gardening equipment like the VersaTool and brush cutters.

Shindaiwa

Reputation and reliability mean a lot, which is why Shindaiwa lawnmowers stand out to our Crewcut operators and everyday homeowners, as well. Shindaiwa is a leading manufacturer of power equipment, which means you can buy lawnmowers, hedge cutters, brush cutters, trimmers, and more. They also have a reputation for performance and comfort, which lawncare operators need when out in the field.

Victa

Whether you’re a professional or a homeowner, Victa covers all bases with its lawnmower range. This manufacturer sells both commercial and domestic lawnmowers, both of which are bound to impress with power and performance.

What’s more, many Crewcut operators love how they can also purchase power tools of the same brand, which means they can offer an all-inclusive outdoor care service to their clients.

Walker

Crewcut operators who use Walker mowers are more than impressed by what they have to offer. These zero-turn mowers have been a standout option for both contractors and landowners since the 1980s.

You can interchange the decks and make use of the finger-tip steering, not to mention purchase a variety of lawn care accessories. These ride-on mowers also produce a beautiful finish, something homeowners appreciate.

Masport

What lawn care service providers appreciate the most about Masport lawnmowers is the massive variety of options. From petrol-powered and battery mowers to cylinder mowers, lawn tractors, and ride-ons, there’s something for everyone.

Some Crewcut operators even prefer to buy both a ride-on and pushmower from Masport so they can experience even more convenience while mowing various lawn sizes.

Cub Cadet

Even though Cub Cadet is an American company with only a small presence in NZ, that doesn’t mean this company’s lawncare range is any less impressive. In fact, the company is well-known for its outstanding outdoor power equipment.

Cub Cadet stocks a wide variety of lawnmowers for professionals and homeowners, including zero-turn mowers, electric riding mowers, lawn and garden tractors, robot lawn mowers, and traditional walk-behind mowers. 

Briggs & Stratton

When you’re a lawn care service provider, reliability is essential. Lawnmower manufacturers understand this as well, which is why nine out of the top ten lawn mower brands use Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engines to power their equipment.

The smooth and reliable engine is a breeze to maintain, and, as some Crewcut franchisers say, they just keep going and going.

Rover

Mulching can be quite an integral component of lawn care, which is why many lawnmowing service providers choose Rover. This brand of lawnmower has exceptional mulching capabilities, not to mention a clean and efficient cutting capacity. It’s also easy to use, which is helpful in this line of work.

Morrison

Having a lawnmower to tackle large and small lawns is necessary, which is why many operators love what Morrison has to offer. These petrol-powered mowers have an abundance of convenient features across their full range of cost-effective mowers.

Toro

Toro is a century-old brand that produces some superior lawnmowers. Parkland Products is the exclusive importer and distributor in NZ.  Both commercial lawncare operators and homeowners can enjoy a variety of Toro lawn mowers, including push mowers and ride-on mowers.

Oleo-Mac

Having a “go-to” mower for every lawn type can be quite important. Oleo-Mac lawnmowers tick that box. This manufacturer’s wide variety ensures there’s a mower for every task. These include professional, self-propelled, push, battery, petrol, garden tractors, and electric.  

Grass Grub

Using NZ made products is something that many Kiwis aspire to do, and lawn care service providers are no different. Some of our Crewcut operators take advantage of Grass Grub’s offerings. This NZ company offers tough, durable, zero-turn, low-maintenance mowers that are both dependable and better for your bottom line than several others.

Echo

Echo is an American company that produces some standout lawnmowers for New Zealanders. What sets these mowers apart from others is their efficiency, eco-friendliness, and ease of use. They are a cordless mower that operates with a 58-volt Lithium-ion battery and allows for instant mowing at the touch of a button.

Atom

As it turns out, Australia is quite capable of producing standout lawn care products as well, according to our Crewcut team. The Atom range incorporates a variety of garden equipment. Many of our team members use an Atom edger for that attractive finish.

Ozito

Lawn care service providers use various mowers, but they are certainly impressed by the electric range. Ozito stands out for this reason. The Ozito range of lawnmowers, produced in Australia, offers a quiet, comfortable, and affordable lawnmowing experience.

Suzuki

Some Crewcut operators like to purchase a sound lawnmower, then upgrade the engine to something gruntier and more reliable. Therefore, some Crewcut operators opt for Suzuki engines. They allow for a comfortable, smooth, and quiet mowing experience. 

Now, It’s Your Turn

Finding a lawnmower that suits your needs is hard work. However, it doesn’t have to be. Why not talk to our friendly Crewcut franchise owners and ask them what they recommend?

Many Kiwis love the idea of being self-employed. As a result, you may be asking the ever-popular question: how much can a lawn mowing business make? You might even ponder, is there money in a lawn care business? 

As with most things relating to money, there is no straightforward answer. We can, however, throw a couple of proverbs your way, such as, you get out what you put in, and keep working hard, and you can get anything that you want.

In essence, lawn mowing business income is all about business sense, making the right decisions, and putting in the hard yards. Here is everything you need to know about lawn business earning potential.

Is there money in a lawn care business?

Knowing that working for yourself can offer you the freedom that working for someone else doesn’t, you have probably thought long and hard about how much a lawn mowing business makes.

There is money in lawn care, but there is no set amount you can make. There’s no minimum or maximum, just a limitless lawn business earning potential that you have to discover for yourself. And how you discover that can come down to how you establish your business. 

Firstly, you have to have the know-how. That involves:

• Knowing the ins and outs of appropriate lawn maintenance

• Being aware of your health and safety requirements

• Making sure you are using the best equipment for the job

• Aligning yourself with an established brand, or putting in the hard yards to establish your own

• Having systems to manage daily business operations

• Understanding the need for marketing

• Nurturing your current clients and making way for new ones

• Having the drive to succeed

• Having a solid business plan and goals

A lawn mowing business income can be as little or as much as you want or need it to be, but your efforts have to match. You can’t expect to be earning $5,000 a month by only cutting one or two lawns per week.

How much do lawn care services cost in New Zealand?

Asking how much can a lawn mowing business make can often closely align with knowing how much lawn care services cost in New Zealand. You have to at least break even, with the goal of making a profit to cover maintenance, advertising, and those slower months during winter.

It can be a challenge to work out how much to charge for lawn mowing. Every lawn care provider is different, with a different payment structure in place. 

A small lawn can be anywhere from $25, $30, $40, $50 + GST, or more. A medium or large yard may cost higher. Some lawn care providers offer more affordable rates for repeat customers and more expensive rates for one-off cuts.

A lawn mowing business can make plenty of money if it’s priced appropriately in the market. You have to strike a balance between offering value for money, and making sure you can pay yourself a fair wage for your hard work.

Lawn mowing business income: How much should you pay yourself?

When you make the move from having a boss to being a boss, you might think you can pay yourself a hefty sum. Sure, the earning potential is undoubtedly limitless, but it pays to be quite careful with how you manage your money.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a business owner is short-changing your business so that you struggle to have enough money for operating costs. The less money you have in the business, the less money you have to maintain equipment, upgrade equipment, and establish yourself in the community with marketing and advertising.

Your lawn mowing business income, or revenue, can dictate a fair take-home wage. The more minimal your overheads, the more you can take. That’s especially true in the landscaping and lawn mowing industry.

Working for a lawn mowing business is a little bit different. You tend to be paid an average hourly rate between minimum wage and around $25.

And what about winter?

A lawn mowing business can certainly see a dramatic income loss during winter. During this time, some lawn care workers supplement their income with another job. However, some have budgeted or planned for this slow period and make their money go further.

They work long hours in summer, bring repeat customers onboard, then put themselves in a position to have plenty of money to carry them through winter. Some lawn care contractors may also advertise winter services like tree pruning, hedge trimming, and similar.

Once again, the question: how much can a lawn mowing business make depends on your efforts, management, and planning. You are the only barrier to your lawn business earning potential.

Do you want to be your own boss?

Working the 9 to 5 grind and lining someone else’s pockets is not everyone’s idea of success. If you like the idea of working outside, setting your own hours, and aligning yourself with a reputable brand, then you may see the value in a lawn care business of your own. Fortunately, there are plenty of lawn mowing franchise businesses for sale that could tick all the boxes for your needs.

Technology has been a blessing. Remember when we had to carry out tree trimming with a hand saw? Or when we had no other option but a push reel lawn mower for lawn mowing?

Still, as useful as technology has made our lives, there are traditional methods for doing things that have their place. Keep reading to learn some of the many old-fashioned ways that are still helpful to lawn businesses.

1. Flyer Drops

Social media has given us an innovative platform for getting our products and services out in the public arena. Around the world, millions of businesses use the likes of Facebook and Instagram to their advantage.

But there’s also every reason to believe that traditional methods like flyer drops still have their place, too.

The internet is overloaded with advertising, and it’s easy for your lawn care business to become lost among the thousands of others. However, there’s only so much advertising material that can fit in a single letterbox.

If you make your flyer stand out on coloured paper or with an attractive offer or design, then you may be surprised by how many people notice it. You never know, you may just attract plenty of new customers with minimal effort.

Crewcut’s latest flyer

2. Word of Mouth

Around 64 percent of marketing executives believe that word of mouth marketing is the most effective way to get your business out there. And that makes complete sense when you consider that 92% of consumers will take recommendations from friends and family over marketing materials.

Therefore, an old-fashioned form of marketing that can benefit your business is merely a job well done. Provide a high-quality lawn care service with gardening, tree trimming, hedge maintenance, and more, and let your work speak for itself!

3. Newspaper Advertising

When you are trying to work out how to advertise your lawn mowing business, the first thing you should do is consider who your target audience could be. Where are they? You need to be where they are. If you are trying to target the older generation who require a helping hand with their lawn care, then consider newspaper advertising.

According to research, age 55 to 64 and 65+ read the newspaper more than any other age group. By advertising your services in the right place to the right people, you may be surprised at how useful such a traditional form of advertising can be.

4. Local Events

Sure, we’re doing more and more things online. We order groceries directly to our door, exercise on stationary equipment instead of going out and get pizza delivered instead of going to restaurants. But if there’s one thing Kiwis love, it’s field days and agricultural events.

Take the Central District Field Days, for example. This event attracts over 30,000 people daily, not to mention hundreds of exhibitors. With tens of thousands of people descending upon venues for a day out, you’re in the right place to get your business known.

Book a stall, cover it in your advertising and try to get as many names and phone numbers as possible. The best part is, such an event allows you to look for new lawn care equipment at the same time.

5. Vehicle Advertising

You could spend thousands of dollars on TV advertising and social media advertising, but sometimes getting a new customer is as easy as signwriting your vehicle.

As you head from one job to the next, your beautiful branding emblazoned across your vehicle could be enough to plant an idea in someone’s head. Then, if they see it again once the seed is already sown, they could be making a phone call to book your services.

Vehicle advertising is a cost-effective method of advertising that requires no effort on your part. All you need to do is go about your daily business and be seen. Your vehicle will take care of the rest. 

6. Radio Advertising

Let’s say you’re a busy professional on your way to work. You’ve got a million and two things to do, and not enough hours in which to do it. Then, while you’re stuck in traffic, you hear a radio jingle for a lawn mowing business. That’s one less thing in my day I have to stress about, you think.

Radio advertising, while now considered an “old” form of advertising to some, has its place. With no other choice but to listen, drivers can find out all sorts of helpful services that are available to them. The more your ad plays, the more people remember it. You could have new customers on your books in no time.

Old Fashioned, But Still Effective

There’s an adage that’s thrown around from time to time: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Sure, advanced technology has made it easier for us to get our message out there, but it hasn’t made traditional forms of advertising entirely redundant.

Any lawn care business can welcome new customers on board with advertising that works for them. Think about your target market and advertise appropriately.