Everyone will have a different definition of success. As you proceed to set up and run your own lawn care business you should have a clear idea of what success means to you. Your goal may be to become a millionaire or it may simply be to reach a level of income that allows your family to live a comfortable lifestyle. You may want to become the dominant market player in your area or you may just want to have a business that can run smoothly without your presence, allowing you to take time off whenever you like.
Some lawn business owners reach goals like these. However, there are many that do not attain a reasonable level of success. For some, their lawn business becomes just like a job. It can even become a stressful low paying job if you are not careful.
Below I have listed out some of the factors that separate the successful lawn mowing business operators from the others. Here is what it takes to become a success in lawn care.
1) Marketing Expertise
When you start a lawn business you are really starting a marketing business as you success will depend on your ability to attract and maintain customers. You have to do solid research to find out who your customers are and what they are looking for. Only then can you tailor your brand and your offers to suit them. It’s all about being in the right place, at the right time and having your offer in front of the right people. It’s going to help immensely if what you have to offer is unique and allows you to sparkle amongst all of the other dull looking local lawn services.
You need to think of marketing as a system that must be constantly refined so that it brings you better and better results over time. Focus on generating more leads, test advertising and make it easy for prospects to contact you. Once you have generated an enquiry you have to know how to go out and sell your service to them.
Once you do acquire a new customer you have to know how to maximize the revenue that you get from them. You need to be selling multiple services and premium services. You always need to be ready with another up-sell so that you can politely push for more business from them.
Part of your success in marketing will involve accurate estimating. You have to come up with prices that allow you to seal profitable accounts without losing out due to quoting prices that are too high. You have to become good at knowing what you can get away with.
2) Reputation and Referrals
Once you have acquired customers you need to know how to keep them over the long term. This is not difficult if you continuously strive to provide a quality service as satisfied customers will naturally refer their friends to you. The best lawn business operators introduce referral systems that encourage customers to spread the word about them and refer new business.
3) Industry Knowledge
Whether you are going to be mowing lawns yourself or hiring employees for this purpose you need to understand the practical side of the business. To get the job done right you need to understand lawn care and the equipment that you’ll be using.
4) Productivity
You can have all of the accounts in your city, yet if you are not able to service them in an efficient manner you will struggle to stay in business. It’s all about getting the most out of the precious resources that you have; your money, your time and the time of your employees. Your daily business operations need to be refined so that you are getting as much done in a day as possible. Introduce systems to streamline your operations and help keep you organized. You’ll need to be running good software, know how to set up efficient routes and schedules and know how to increase productivity when you are out in the yards of your clients.
5) Attitude
Your success will also come down to your character and strength of mind. It is not easy to develop a successful business and many people give up along the way. You must understand that every failure gives you an opportunity to learn. If you have determination and are persistent then your success will be inevitable.
6) Leverage
Most successful people know how to use the resources of others to create wealth for themselves. While you can become a reasonable success in the lawn business by yourself you will not become rich unless you are hiring teams of employees to go out and mow lawns for you.
Leverage also applies to financial capital as well. Those entrepreneurs that take calculated risks by borrowing money to develop their businesses are usually able to grow faster than those without access to funding.
The lawn care business does not have to be difficult if you know what to expect. Focus on the fundamental ideas listed above and everything else should follow along nicely. Before you know it you will have the income and lifestyle that you are dreaming about.
About the Author:
Steve Sutherland runs StartaLawnMowingBusiness.com, a site dedicated to helping beginners get started in the lawn care business.
