I also had a lawn maintenance business for several years, so I'm going to throw in my 2 cents.
Yes, you can make a living in the lawn maintenance business, but it isn't as simple as it looks on paper.
Getting customers is not the problem. Anyone that has (a few) teeth and a mower can acquire customers, that is why you see so many 'gyppo' lawn maintenance guys running around. Most of them make a living, but a rarity if they are making a killing.
Biggest problems I ran into was help and the weather.
My business at the time was also in Washington State. Great to be mowing in June, July & August, no problemo. But anyone from the Pacific Northwest realizes that rain is the reason it is alway so green, (if you are west of the Cascades)
#1 Mowing in the 'wet' is a whole different game. If you don't mow in the wet, and you have considerable accounts ie. a schedule, you can get behind rather quickly. If you haven't tried blowing off wet grass from sidewalks yet or cleaning under the mowers from clogged wet grass, it is not what one envisioned lawn maintenance to be. It sometimes DOUBLES the time to mow the lawn and doesn't make employees happy campers, let alone the lawn looking like crap after the cut. That is one of the reasons it wasn't fun anymore. Workers not showing up due to the weather or showing up late or complaining and not having the best attitude. It is part of the job. Weather changes EVERYTHING.
Also, many customers don't like the fact that a lawn maintenance guy is pulling up at 7:30 at night when they are just sitting down to relax in front of the boob tube. with their favorite martini. Running a mower, blower, and weedeater outside isn't the way to make customers happy after 7. And when it rains for several days it backs up any schedule. Just a heads up.
#2. Anybody with an IQ of 30 can mow. The problem is keeping great help when you find it. Anybody worth their salt is going to have to have an incentive to work for someone instead of mowing their own set of lawns. I found it rather hard to keep good honest employees working for me. It can be done, but there is turnover. One of the two needs to be a responsible lead man and pay accordingly. He is taking on more responsibilities, ie. driving, and confirming everything was done correctly and will expect more. And that is if you can keep him. Also, I had the problem of one or two that would bid extra work from the customer on the side without telling me. I had one guy set up several accounts for thatching @ $100-200 a lawn and only found out by walking the lawn after the fact. How many he did, I'll never know, but I'm sure the rental companies recognized him.
Aside from those two issues, and knowing the correct way of mowing, you'll stay as busy as you desire.
BTW, there is usually better money in postage stamp lawns than large ones. I did extremely well in mobile home parks that specialized in retirees. All equipment off the trailer once and 6-8 lawns mowed saves a bunch of windshield time.
Good luck!
Yes, you can make a living in the lawn maintenance business, but it isn't as simple as it looks on paper.
Getting customers is not the problem. Anyone that has (a few) teeth and a mower can acquire customers, that is why you see so many 'gyppo' lawn maintenance guys running around. Most of them make a living, but a rarity if they are making a killing.
Biggest problems I ran into was help and the weather.
My business at the time was also in Washington State. Great to be mowing in June, July & August, no problemo. But anyone from the Pacific Northwest realizes that rain is the reason it is alway so green, (if you are west of the Cascades)
#1 Mowing in the 'wet' is a whole different game. If you don't mow in the wet, and you have considerable accounts ie. a schedule, you can get behind rather quickly. If you haven't tried blowing off wet grass from sidewalks yet or cleaning under the mowers from clogged wet grass, it is not what one envisioned lawn maintenance to be. It sometimes DOUBLES the time to mow the lawn and doesn't make employees happy campers, let alone the lawn looking like crap after the cut. That is one of the reasons it wasn't fun anymore. Workers not showing up due to the weather or showing up late or complaining and not having the best attitude. It is part of the job. Weather changes EVERYTHING.
Also, many customers don't like the fact that a lawn maintenance guy is pulling up at 7:30 at night when they are just sitting down to relax in front of the boob tube. with their favorite martini. Running a mower, blower, and weedeater outside isn't the way to make customers happy after 7. And when it rains for several days it backs up any schedule. Just a heads up.
#2. Anybody with an IQ of 30 can mow. The problem is keeping great help when you find it. Anybody worth their salt is going to have to have an incentive to work for someone instead of mowing their own set of lawns. I found it rather hard to keep good honest employees working for me. It can be done, but there is turnover. One of the two needs to be a responsible lead man and pay accordingly. He is taking on more responsibilities, ie. driving, and confirming everything was done correctly and will expect more. And that is if you can keep him. Also, I had the problem of one or two that would bid extra work from the customer on the side without telling me. I had one guy set up several accounts for thatching @ $100-200 a lawn and only found out by walking the lawn after the fact. How many he did, I'll never know, but I'm sure the rental companies recognized him.
Aside from those two issues, and knowing the correct way of mowing, you'll stay as busy as you desire.
BTW, there is usually better money in postage stamp lawns than large ones. I did extremely well in mobile home parks that specialized in retirees. All equipment off the trailer once and 6-8 lawns mowed saves a bunch of windshield time.
Good luck!
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