How to Set Up a Lawn Mowing Business
- 1). Conduct market research. Look in the phone book or your local chamber of commerce's member directory to see if there are any lawn mowing business in your area. If so, learn about the services they offer and their lawn mowing rates. Also, learn more about your target customer to see what their lawn care needs may be. You can do this by interviewing people you may already have lined up as future clients and by taking note of the landscaping of front yards and businesses in your target neighborhoods.
- 2). Create a business plan even if you do not plan to borrow money. A business plan outlines the goals for your lawn mowing business, the need for a lawn mowing business in your target area, how much you need to spend on start-up costs, your marketing plan, the amount you will charge for your services and how much you expect to earn.
- 3). Find a place to do business. While you will be out of the office most of the day, you will still need a place to take care of paperwork, bills and phone calls. This main hub can be a small office you create in your home or a rented office space.
- 4). Purchase equipment. If you are starting a lawn mowing business as your means of full-time employment, you will need to make sure you have quality equipment that is durable and dependable. In addition to a lawn mower, you will need a means of transportation. A Touch of Business states that a truck is a good vehicle to transport your equipment. However, you may need a trailer as well if you plan to use a large riding lawnmower.
- 5). Purchase insurance for your business and property. Despite all your efforts to be careful, you never know when your lawn mower will accidentally shoot a rock from under its blades into a large window or fancy car. Commercial insurance will help pay for damages such as this and others. You can purchase commercial insurance from most agents who sell auto and homeowners insurance.
Appropriate insurance policies to have for your business include liability insurance and property insurance. Liability insurance offers protection in the event someone other than yourself is injured while you are working. For example, if a client slips in your office and breaks his leg, liability insurance would help cover his medical expenses. Property insurance helps pay for property you may damage while you are mowing lawns. Using the example of the rock accidentally breaking a window, property insurance would help pay for a new window. Additionally, some forms of property insurance cover theft if your equipment is stolen. - 6). Market your services. When you are in the lawn mowing business, marketing comes in the form of advertisements and word of mouth. Ads placed in newspapers and posters handed out around your neighborhood can help bring in new customers. It is the quality of your work, however, that will bring in even more customers as word gets out about your services.
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