Start-Over Success Business Under $500 - Lawn Care

What can you make with a Lawn Care business? 

Many providers use the dollar-a-minute or $60 an hour guide.

For smaller jobs, use a minimum price of $30 or more, depending on your area.  

As you are starting out, you’ll be using lower-priced equipment and that will be obvious to your clients. That’s okay. Later, when you have better equipment you’ll be able to work faster and charge a higher rate. 

Start a
Lawn Care Business
for Under $500

EXAMPLES

Earn $500 a Day Doing Lawn Care: That's a Good Goal

Be humble! Be patient! Do work as well as you possibly can! Don’t under- or over-charge when you’re starting out.

When it comes to a lawn-care, painting, cleaning, auto detail, or other hands-on, easy-to-set-up business, know this: You can start small and build fortunes. It’s lots of work to start; be strong, be patient. YOU be the owner; don’t work for someone else to build THEIR business! If you work for someone else, it’s typical to make $15 and hour. If you work for yourself, you’ll make more like $35-$40 an hour (after equipment and business costs are covered.) 

That said, it may be a good idea to work for someone else for two to six months to learn the work and the business. Be grateful for the earn-while-you-learn opportunity. Do NOT tell anyone that you plan to own your own business!!! They won’t want to train their competition!

Residential vs Commercial Lawn Care?

RESIDENTIAL – Under $500
What you need to start working at home is Under $500. As you earn, you can grow with more equipment and provide more services. 

COMMERICAL – OVER $15,000
People often set their sites on what they simply can’t do…yet. Discouraged, they give up on the idea. Commercial work requires more, bigger, expensive equipment and more workers.

Doing Solo Lawn Care, What Services Will You Offer?

You are limited by the equipment and lack of help you have.

It’s a good idea to stick with residential service. That’s okay.

Plus, you can’t afford to drive all over town for work. Time is money! So, consider what area you want to work in and focus your flyers and marketing in that area. Know this: Higher-end areas want top-quality service. Don’t go to those areas until you know you can deliver the quality they expect. 

What You NEED to Start Lawn Care?

Flyers & Printing ($20)

SmartPhone (that you already have)

Lawnmower (around $200)

Edge Trimmer ($60)

Blower ($40)

TOTAL $320 (plus business costs)

Transportation that you already have. 

Use Apps to Make Admin Work Quicker & Easier

QuickBook is good to have for record-keeping, invoicing, and more $15/mo

Or start with manual recording-keeping on paper. 

Jobber is for quoting, scheduling, invoicing, and more 
$49/mo (Don’t start with this, but it’ll save time & money later)

How to get Lawn Care Clients?

Create and print flyers that look professional and attract attention. Distribute them in your target area and at libraries, senior & community centers, and everywhere else your prospective clients congregate. 

Reach out to others who provide home services, like housekeepers, plumbers, painters, plumbers, pest control, and even auto detailers. Real estate people, property managers, and AirBNBers can be good sources of referrals.

Once you’re making money, build a website and Facebook page where you post pictures, stories and more. 

Most Importantly: Do Great Work! Ask for reviews, testimonials & referrals. 

What's next for you?

ONE:
Grow by hiring more workers, getting more equipment, and expanding your marketing, scheduling systems, and business operations.

TWO
Use the business expertise and seed money you’ve accumulated to start another kind of business. 

THREE:
Continue running and growing your business. Now that you’ve got this Cash Cow Business, add more locations AND/OR start another business. 

LEARN MORE & CONNECT – Start-Over Success