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Anyone who has a garden knows that maintaining it is a lot of work. So it’s no surprise that there are many landscape companies that help eliminate the need to treat, weed, treat and maintain your own lawn.
What Do You Need To Start A Lawn Care Business
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However, if you are someone who enjoys gardening and the smell of freshly cut grass or a freshly mowed yard is your favorite, you may be wondering how to start your own landscaping business.
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The landscaping business is booming; and if you live somewhere with a warm climate, you can do it almost all year round. The landscape services industry generates $93 billion annually and employs more than 1 million people, according to the National Association of Landscape Professionals.
If this sounds like the right move, read on to learn how to start your own landscaping business.
Given the scope and breadth of landscaping—from residential to commercial, maintenance to disposal, design to tree care—the economics of starting your own landscaping business are incredibly simple. It can be as simple as renting a lawnmower and knocking on doors.
“The previous company was a grow-it-yourself lawn care company that had a lawn mower for over 125 employees,” says Brian Clayton, founder of GreenPal, an online lawn care ordering service that looks like a little Uber for landscaping.
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“Most customers have to deal with rude and unprofessional competitors,” says Clayton. “Building a successful landscaping business is almost as simple as answering the phone when a client calls, returning voicemails promptly, and doing the work you agree with your client.”
Sounds simple, right? But what else can a landscape business do to go beyond the basics? Here are some tricks of the trade when starting a landscaping business.
The first step to starting a landscaping business is acquiring an arsenal of landscaping equipment. Once you’ve decided on the exact services you want your landscaping business to offer, you’ll know what equipment you’ll need. Then it will be time to decide whether you want to buy outright or go for the cheaper rental option.
To get started, you have the option of renting equipment or buying less expensive equipment. But as your landscaping business grows, so will your equipment needs and costs, and you can easily spend the same amount on maintaining cheap equipment as you do on high-end machinery.
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“Most landscapers have to spend five to 10 hours a week maintaining their equipment at first by sharpening blades or changing oil, spark plugs, air filters, fuel filters and more,” Clayton said.
So what are the basics of a good landscaping team that you should know when starting a landscaping business?
There are several hand tools that every good gardener should have: shovels (like square heads, shovels, and trenchers), wheelbarrows, wheelbarrows (like hoes or cultivators), and more powerful items like saws and drills. But there is no real cost. The cost of larger equipment may surprise you.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but the mowers you see commercial landscape operators cost up to $12,000,” says Clayton.
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“Landscape contractors should also buy or finance a decent truck, costing at least $10,000 used, and a trailer, costing more than $5,000,” says Clayton. “Also, for landscape construction, you generally need a front-end loader, which only costs $10,000 to $50,000.
In total, Clayton estimates that a construction and landscape maintenance company needs to bring $40,000 to $50,000 worth of equipment to a customer’s property. So you might want to start by renting, which makes installation a more reasonable $3,000, according to Clayton, but don’t depend on it forever.
There are several types of business insurance that you must obtain in order to run a business. Most important is general liability insurance, which covers everything from repair costs to legal fees to damages you’ll have to pay if you or an employee accidentally causes damage. Accidents, like being hit by a lawn sprinkler, for example, happen, and you want to be protected when they do.
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You may also need workers’ compensation insurance, depending on the state you’re in, though Clayton says, “Many states require both types of insurance to run a legal business, whether you have employees or not.” Workers’ compensation covers everything from medical expenses to legal fees if an employee is injured on the job.
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Other forms of insurance that aren’t required but can be helpful include land marine insurance (to cover items damaged in transit), commercial auto insurance (you can’t use a private vehicle for most of what you tow, and your personal policy will not cover it). commercial vehicle) and commercial umbrella insurance (which extends your coverage if you reach a large settlement).
Also, if you want to apply pesticides as part of your service, most states have pesticide licenses that you must have. Clayton calls this a “very complicated process” and doesn’t recommend it until you’re well established in your field.
Before you start operating your business, make sure you also have the required business license for the state in which you operate and that you’ve registered to pay taxes and received an employer identification number, also called a business tax identification number.
Rules about what business license you need and where to get a license vary from state to state, so check the details of the state your business will be operating in before starting a landscaping business.
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Another form of insurance you need when starting a landscaping business is workers’ comp insurance, which covers your business if you make mistakes in overtime calculations and wage and hour violations.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the future of overtime pay and the fact that many small business owners are reluctant to go it alone without the help of a lawyer or accountant, this insurance can save lives, or better yet, a business. saver .
“In 2009, my company was audited by the Department of Labor and they determined that the crew chief could not be paid a salary; he should be paid as an hourly employee,” he said. “It also resulted in additional overtime costs for 80 employees and resulted in a $450,000 fine that my company had to pay.”
Not having insurance nearly killed Clayton’s company. Gaining experience is a lesson that having insurance is important, especially before climbing, for a landscaping business.
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When it comes to marketing your editing business, you know where to start: Facebook and other social media, as well as SEO tactics, will increase your search visibility on Google and other search engines.
Of course, word of mouth is always best, especially in hyperlocal markets, but that works overtime. So while you’re waiting for glowing reviews to be thrown around town, try setting up your social accounts first when you start your editing business.
Clayton says mastering all the typical marketing channels and setting an initial budget of $500 to $2,000 to get your first 10 to 100 customers is the best way to get started. You may need digital marketing experts to take your game to the next level after growing your publishing business.
When you start your landscaping business, you will also need to decide on the price of your services that will be included in your marketing plan. All potential clients want to know how much they will charge for the various landscape services your company will offer.
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When deciding on your rates, it’s a good idea to check out the competition and see what prices similar companies are offering, then go from there. But remember, you can always adjust your rates as you go.
When starting a landscaping business, it’s important to keep your finances under control. And we’ll likely have to use pen and paper more to keep track of all our expenses, schedules, and business invoices. Even spreadsheet applications, while capable of handling large amounts of information, are somewhat outdated.
Fortunately, there are many business apps that can help your landscaping business run more smoothly. There are apps and software to help you with everything from inventory management and payroll to employee worksheets, so you can focus on the things that matter, like editing.
Clayton
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Hi, I am Erick Norman. A blogger specialist in Kitchen Design.