• Check the Soil: If your lawn is looking tired and unhealthy, there is a good chance that there may be a problem with your soil. Consider collecting a sample of it and getting it tested! This will allow you to pinpoint the exact root of the problem.
• Don’t Over-Mow: Homeowners sometimes think they can solve some of their lawn problems by mowing the blades very short. However, the when the grass is too short, the lawn environment becomes too conducive to weed growth and weeds will only exacerbate lawn problems.
• Use Mulch Wisely: Mulch is a great element of lawn care and maintenance. It helps to protect your lawn from the harsh weather elements. Furthermore, it adds helpful nutrients to the lawn.
• Water Appropriately: Some homeowners make the common mistake of over-watering their lawns. The excessively wet environment that results now becomes the perfect breeding ground for fungus. Avoid this problem by prudent watering.

A business plan does not need to be exceptionally formal, especially if its sole purpose is to keep you, the lawn business owner, on track. In this case, an informal business plan will be sufficient. A good place to start formulating your business plan will be to honestly and realistically answer the following questions.

1. Expected Earnings & Goal Earnings: Expected earnings is the amount of money you believe should be easily possible, and Goal earnings is the amount of money you believe is possible with significant more effort. Obviously, this will be dependent on the geographical area you are working in, but try to state numbers that are realistic. State both gross income and net income. Try to estimate the figures on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.
2. Equipment to Purchase: Calculate the cost(s) for the initial equipment you will need to start your business. If you already have a lawn mower for your own yard and intend to use that on your first few lawn jobs to save money, state that as well. Make sure you have a clear picture of how much (if at all) it will cost you to gather all the neccessary tools and equipment. (The Start-up Expense Worksheet included in the “Lawns of Wealth” package will be really helpful in determining an overall cost of all start-up equipment).
3. Advertising and Marketing Approach: Determine how you will promote your lawn care company. State the various avenues that you will pursue to get your business name exposure. Identify the costs associated with each of the avenues, and estimate the relative importance of each of these advertising avenues in bringing you long-lasting clients.

These trade shows take place in convention centers around the country. Almost any business owner can rent some space for a booth at one of these shows to promote his company. As industry insiders browse through the aisles of the trade show, it is a good idea to introduce yourself, discuss services and hand out a business card. By establishing yourself as an authority and a professional in the industry, you are making it more likely that you will network with someone that can help bring positive attention to your business.

Since there are many booths at a typical convention, it is recommended to devise a strategy to stand out from the crowd. A great tactic is to give away a free item that is labeled with your company name and logo. For example, a pen with your company’s contact information would be a great giveaway item. There are plenty of similar items that can be bought in bulk and personalized with company information. Other examples include laser pointers, magnets, mousepads and notepads.

One crucial decision to make regarding lawn care business help is whether you will hire an employee or a contractor. There are significant legal differences between the two and understanding them is crucial to the success of your enterprise. Generally, an employee is a member of the business on a more permanent basis and a contractor is an independent laborer on a more temporary basis. The tax implications of an employee versus those of a contractor are radically different, and so it is prudent to check with an accountant to ensure that the business is meeting all its obligations. However, in general terms, the employee will receive a paycheck, from which certain taxes have already been withheld; it is up to you, the employer, to withhold the correct amount of federal and local taxes and other pre-tax deductions, such as medical insurance premiums (if the employee is full-time and has elected to receive insurance coverage). The contractor will receive a paycheck that is whole; in other words, it is up to the contractor (not you, the employer) to submit the taxes himself to the federal and local taxing authorities.

There are other differences between an employee and a contractor. While the employee will tend to follow the instructions of the business owner to the letter, the contractor may be more self-directive. The employee works for the business owner, while the contractor works for himself. The employee will work according to the schedule set by the business owner, while the contractor will set his own hours and schedule.

These are some of the differences between an employee and a contractor. Be sure you understand these differences fully and consult a financial professional before you hire help for your lawn care business to ensure you are complying with legal regulations.

With a corporation, the business owner and the business itself are two distinct units. Corporations are generally seen as more
established companies than other legal structures like sole proprietor. This means that owners of corporations are more likely to be approved for larger business loans, since their companies are seen as more established. Of course the lender will
consider the complete financial picture of the business before approving any business loan regardless of the business structure, but it is still good to know that many of the largest, most successful companies in existence today are corporations.

One downside of a starting a corporation is that the associated paperwork is among the most involved of any business structure. In order to start a corporation, it is necessary to file a document called the Articles of Incorporation. Other
imperative duties include electing board officers and conducting annual meetings.

Due to the high demand of documentation and other required tasks, the corporation legal structure is not the most common among lawn care business owners. This is particularly due to the fact that many lawn business owners are starting out as a small one-person operation and the financial and time requirements of starting a corporation are downright prohibitive. However, as lawn businesses grow and in turn, earn more money, many lawn business owners are turning over to this legal structure for the protection provided by it and the reputation associated with it.

• An important decision is whether the business should include a personal name – for example, “Bob’s Lawn Care” or “Smith Landscaping Group”. One benefit of this name structure is that customers do tend to appreciate the accountability of a personal name business. For example, behind “Bob’s Lawn Care,” there must be an individual named Bob that is somehow responsible for the work of this business. Furthermore, most clients would
  prefer dealing with the owner directly, and a name like “Bob’s Lawn Care” certainly seems more personable and friendly than a completely generic name, like “Lush Lawns Landscaping”.
• If you choose not to have a personal name in your business name, it is popular to include generic phrases that evoke certain positive emotions or connotations. An example might be “Pinnacle Lawns” or “Green Thumbs Landscaping.” Such names might sound a bit more professional and perhaps even seem to suggest a bigger enterprise than a company named after its founder, like “Fred’s Mowing Service”. Keep in mind also that selling a business is much easier to accomplish if the name of the business does not include a personal name in the title. Transferring
  ownership of “Sal Smith’s Lawn Company” can be a bit more challenging than transferring ownership of “Green Fields Lawn Maintenance.”

• Talking on the phone with clients
• Giving price estimates
• Scheduling lawn jobs
• Keeping inventory of lawn supplies

In addition to the office-related tasks, there are a number of financial duties that must also be handled on a regular basis. If you are not interested in performing these duties yourself, consider hiring a dedicated professional to take care of these tasks yourself. These financial duties include

• Budgeting
• Tax planning
• Cash flow sheets
• Price estimate forms
• Vendor pricing comparisons

Even if the administrative tasks of your lawn care business do not excite you, they must be performed on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis in order to ensure smooth operation of your lawn business.

There are two mainstream methods of distributing fertilizer: a drop spreader or a broadcast spreader.

• A drop spreader will permit fine, localized placement of the fertilizer. However, one concern many people have with drop spreaders is that over-fertilization sometimes occurs when too much fertilizer is applied over a small area.
• The broadcast spreader will permit fertilizer coverage over a larger surface area more quickly. However, if not properly calibrated and well-maintained, a broadcast spreader will tend to leave certain portions of the lawn unfertilized or under-fertilized.

Both methods of fertilization can work, and since drop spreaders tend to be more cost-effective than broadcast spreaders,
many new lawn care business owners tend to start with drop spreaders. Over time as business increases, many lawn care business owners will invest in a broadcast spreader to ensure a more uniform and even application of fertilizer.

A second benefit of running a lawn care business is that the commute to job sites can be very reasonable. Depending on the need for lawn care services in your local area, it may be possible to find enough lawn work within a few neighborhoods near your residence. In this case, the trip from home to job site may be measured in minutes instead of hours.

As opposed to many other employees, the lawn care professional is not confined to sitting behind a desk all day. If you like the freedom of fresh air during the day and you like physical work, then a lawn care business is a great match for you. The lawn professional is able to enjoy the fresh air and freedom that comes with working outside during the day. The physical exercise that is associated with mowing lawns or pruning bushes is also a notable benefit of working in the lawn care industry. This is in sharp contrast to the sedentary lifestyles led by many 9-to-5 office workers.

Finally, another advantage – and this is perhaps the most important one – is being independent of a boss or manager. The business owner is able to control his own time, his own schedule, and his own income. The lawn worker is generally able to have flexible hours and schedule appointments according to his own preference, leaving plenty of freedom for other activities and priorities, like family and friends.

However, like all businesses, the lawn care business is one that requires hard work, dedication, and skill. The lawn worker must be physically fit enough to handle heavy machinery (lawn mower, snow removal equipment, etc.) for extended periods
of time. There will be heavy equipment that needs to be lifted onto and off of trucks. Lawns must be tended to in a proficient and efficient manner. Of course, if a business owner intends to hire laborers to do all the actual lawn care work, then the owner can focus primarily on the management and supervisory aspects of the business.

Word-of-mouth referrals are some of the best methods of obtaining new clients, but it is hard to track this form of advertising. However, providing high levels of customer service and performing lawn work at a high level is always a good plan because when a customer raves about your lawn company to a neighbor, that is free advertising that is very likely to convert the audience to a new customer.

Advertising in the local newspaper can be an effective method of promoting a lawn business. The local newspaper will generally be read by local residents of a certain town. Due to this fact, it is very easy to target those customers within a specific geographic area. You can buy in-line text ads, which feature 1-2 lines of text, or you can buy space for a square feature image ad, which features space for clip art and text. Of course the image ads tend to attract more attention. And more attention is more likely to bring in more business. Seek discounts for long-term advertising contracts.

Check local retailers for public advertisement boards or bulletin boards. These boards will generally allow people to post a business card or flyer there for free. Consider developing a website to advertise your lawn care business. Then you can use
Google’s AdWords service to reach online searchers (who are typing “lawn care mowing” into Google, for example) within a certain zip code. How’s that for targeted marketing?

A lawn business without customers is not going to make any money. In order to get new customers and maintain the current ones, it is important to hone an intelligent marketing strategy. By using both traditional marketing methods like newspaper ads and flyer placement with newer online methods like website promotion, a lawn care business owner can increase his chances of gaining new customers and increasing his business’ profitability.