Step by step instructions to set up lawn care business for a young teenager?
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Gotta know asked:
Can you also provide some specific, cost efficient models, that you would suggest a small teen business would need?
Yachts
Can you also provide some specific, cost efficient models, that you would suggest a small teen business would need?
Yachts
May 4th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Go to an office store and make door hangers. Make them sound fun and exciting and share all the info about the young entreprenuers venture in yard care. Hang them around, with his name and number, and of course his rates. He will get a few calls, but unfortunately, many people wont hire him because
1. Most people do it themselves and
2. It would be a liability in case he was injured
Most people dont really think about number two, however I am in a professional and have seen many disasters.
On the add he could also add that on saturday’s yard care is his specialty along with washing cars. I think I would probably hire a teen every now and then to do one of the two, or maybe both. If he was really good and friendly, I would definately be a returning customer of theirs. Good luck!
May 4th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Jsut start by cutting the neighbours/people in your area lawn.
After that you could ask them to let their friends know.
Small steps man.Rome wasnt built in a day.(its no an internet biz as well)
Set goals:
Maybe get 3 new people a month whos lawn you can take are of.
After a couple of years you will be doing pretty good.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
First and foremost, I would like to qualify myself to you as having owned and operated my own lawn-care business when I was teenager. I grew the budding enterprise into a career for myself, sold out, and am now quite proud to be part of business development for one of the top 100 Landscape Contractors in the USA.
To best answer the questions you have, it would be best for us to have a question and answer session (if youre interested, send me an email), however, I can tell you what worked for me based on my experience and hope that it works for you as well.
I would not be too concerned with Lollzy Dollz’s response, since there is a definite market for the business ($40 Billion/year, Lollzy…) Any contractor can avoid liability, simply word your contracts to absolve clients from any responsibility. It is acceptable to your market since youre still in your teens, yet appears quite professional in that it shows your clients and prospects that you mean business and care about your work. Also, if you want to go into lawn care (or turf care, as we call it), stick with that. If you just want to be the guy who washes cars, fixes screen doors, and cuts the grass for extra cash on the weekends, then youre a handyman, not a turf care professional.
If I were to advise you, I would suggest you begin asking yourself what kind of committment you are willing to make, more or less than 15 hours/week? Also, I suggest some simple observational research, beginning with your neighbors, to help you determine your rates, as well as your geographic market (where you want to get jobs). I suggest you begin measuring your production times (how long it takes you to mow) vs. profits IMMEDIATELY, as well as to determine your methods for delivering your service to the market (pickup truck, fuel costs, equipment maintenance, etc.)
Cost models and Pricing strategies will depend greatly on the answers to the above questions (and this is just the tip of the iceberg).
But back to my promise to share my experience:
-Target the residential market: single family homeowners, NOT in large communities (HOAs have commercial contracts, which requires more than you are ready for). Don’t feel limited, just about everybody starts with the homeowners.
-I charged middle class homeowners anywhere from $35-$50/mow, for jobs that ran less than 1 hour, including detailing.
-Depending on the size of the lot, steepness of hills, grading, whether it took over 1 hour to complete, I would charge up to $75/mow, usually for upper class homeowners with larger lots.
-It is important to note that the market in my area was easily able to support my rates, but that the market in your area may differ.
Door-to-Door sales worked for me (very cost efficient), and once you get a few, make sure you keep them happy, they can refer you to their neighbors.
Equipment concerns are your first service priority, including mower, trimmers, weed-eaters, and trucks.
When I first started in 1995, I pulled in around $100-125/week for about 4 hours work (not bad for a teen). I was also more successful than some of my competitors because I offered additional services (leaf cleanup, mulching, pruning). Rates in the marketplace today haven’t changed too much in this region, but your market conditions may vary.
I would stay away from herbicides/pesticide applications because the laws tend to be very restrictive, and you probably wont have to cross this bridge yet.
Also, in terms of developing your business, marketing materials can work wonders, provided they are properly planned for and used. I would stay away from this unless you are VERY Serious about growing your business, and if thats the case, I would be happy to share more of my experience with you.
Best of Luck, Keep me posted!