How to Start a Lawn Care Business Written by Annette Dunlap, MBA Extension Associate Value-Added and Alternative Agriculture NC State University This information packet contains: A suggested list of equipment and supplies A guideline to developing goals for your business A recommended Action Plan to start your business A budget outline Part I: Equipment and Supplies What you will need: (a) Equipment (b) Supplies (c) Customer Prospect Lists (d) Business Cards (e) List of suppliers (f) Start-up capital (g) Business plan (a) Equipment Lawn mower Weed eater Leaf blower Clippers Gas can to transport gas for lawn equipment Rake Shovel Hoe Transportation – preferably a truck
(b) Supplies Appropriate-sized trash bags for bagging lawn waste (required in Pinehurst) Oil and gas for lawn equipment Strings for weed eater Gloves for hand protection
How to Start a Lawn Care Business (c) Customer Prospect List Names, addresses & phone numbers of possible customers
(d) Business Cards Business cards to leave with your customers and prospects (can be printed on the computer)
(e) List of Suppliers Identify suppliers who can provide you with: Bedding plants Mulch Decorative stone Pine straw
(f) Start-up Capital: Apply for an entrepreneurship grant from FSA (maximum available: $5,000) (g) Business Plan: Your business plan should include: (examples are attached) A budget A list of goals An action plan
Prepared by Annette Dunlap, MBA Extension Associate, Value-Added & Alternative Agriculture, NCSU Draft: November 16, 2006
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How to Start a Lawn Care Business Part II: Recommended Action Plan: (1) Make up a list of services that you are willing to offer to people (Make sure that you think about what you are willing to do and what you are not willing to do. For example: are you willing to do work that involves climbing ladders, such as cleaning gutters and blowing leaves and pine straw off of people’s roofs? (You may want to check this with your parents.) (2) Look at your school and activity schedule – block out those times and clearly identify the days and times you are available for work (3) Inventory already existing equipment and supplies at home that you can use for your business (be sure to get an okay from your parents). (4) Identify what you need to purchase to complete your equipment and supply needs. Get prices by visiting at least two different stores. (5) Create a budget that shows what it will cost you to start up your business; the cost for each job and what you need to charge in order to make a profit (a sample budget is attached). (6) Make up a customer prospect list of people who might be interested in having you take care of their yards. Call the people on this list and find out if they are interested and when they want you to start work. (7) Create a business card with your name, your address and your contact information (you can do this attractively and inexpensively with desktop publishing software, such as Microsoft Publisher). Leave two cards with every new customer: one for the customer to keep and one to give as a referral. (8) Call at least two garden centers and two pine straw dealers to get prices on their bedding plants, decorative stone and pine straw. Keep this list handy when you are talking to customers, so that they will know that you are serious about your business and that you can save them time by having already obtained useful information. (9) Your best course of action is to start by accepting work that does not require you to buy all of the proposed equipment. Get started by doing small, easy-to-fulfill jobs and build your reputation and your cash that way. (10) Manage your cash by taking into account the seasonality of your business. You can expect your business to stop between the end of October and the beginning of March. Weather will also affect your business. Excessive rains will increase the number of times lawns must be mowed, but if the grass is too wet, you will not be able to mow. On the other hand, a very hot, dry summer may shorten your work season, because plants and grass will die in the heat. These are some of the uncontrollable factors to consider as you proceed with your business. Prepared by Annette Dunlap, MBA Extension Associate, Value-Added & Alternative Agriculture, NCSU Draft: November 16, 2006 Page - 3
How to Start a Lawn Care Business Part III: Goals It is a good idea to set goals to help guide the decisions about your business. Goals help you focus on the most important details of operating your business, and goals help you distinguish between what is important and unimportant with regard to decisions. An acronym to remember when developing your goals is SMART. This stands for: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timebound Here are some suggested ideas for goals that you can “fine tune” to meet your specific plans for your business: The total number of customers you want to acquire and serve The date you want to start your business The amount of money you want to earn in a season The plans you have for the money you earn
Notice that each of these goals can have a date or numeric value assigned to it, making each both specific and measurable. Note that the proposed start date of your business makes it “timebound”. You, perhaps with your parents or 4-H Advisor, can determine what is both achievable and realistic, given your other time demands and your available capital. The purpose of goals is not to create pressure or anxiety. Instead, properly established goals can serve as a good road map to help you move from the starting point of your business to the first of many steps toward successful entrepreneurship.
Prepared by Annette Dunlap, MBA Extension Associate, Value-Added & Alternative Agriculture, NCSU Draft: November 16, 2006
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