Lawn care is a booming industry. According to the 2022 Landscaping Services Market Research Report, the industry has grown at an annual rate of 6.6% over the last three years. Drive down any residential street, and you will likely pass landscaping technicians working hard to create the best lawns in the neighborhood. If you are considering starting your own lawn care company, you probably have lots of questions.
Green Group wants to help lawn care service providers grow and profit. Keep reading for advice and information on how you can get started with your own lawn care business.
Do I Need an LLC For Lawn Care Business?
Although not required, establishing a lawn care LLC is recommended to help protect yourself against potentially devastating financial losses. First, it is important to understand what an LLC is considered in the business world. LLC stands for limited liability company and is a way to establish your business to protect your money and other personal assets against bankruptcy or a lawsuit. In other words, an LLC exists separately from the business owner. LLCs also offer tax benefits that prevent double taxing.
A sole proprietorship is another type of business entity used for small businesses. Although a sole proprietorship is the most straightforward form of business ownership and offers the same tax benefits as an LLC, a sole proprietor accepts all liability. If sued, the claimant can go after your finances because your personal assets and money are comingled with your lawn service’s business assets.
An LLC structure will protect your assets from any claims by or against you or your employees.
Contact an attorney or business consultant to help determine which structure best suits your needs.
How Much Does a Business License Cost?
The cost for your professional lawn care business license will vary depending on your location and the type of business you establish. LLC filing fees in the United States range from $40, in Kentucky, to $500 in Massachusetts. Visit the U.S. Small Business Administration website for information about registering your business.
You may require additional licensing and permit fees based on your number of employees, specialty, and length of term for the license. Do your research and consult with a lawn care attorney to determine the total cost of your business licensure.
How Can I Start a Lawn Care Business with No Money?
If you are a teenager offering lawn mowing services to your neighbors, you borrow your family’s mower and some gas money and start mowing. But as an adult business owner, legal and safety considerations will incur costs. With careful planning, however, you can get your lawn service business off the ground without much money.
Expenses for a start-up lawn care business include liability insurance, fuel, LLC licenses, and more. Explore financing options such as small business loans, grants from the local chamber of commerce, or borrowing from friends and family.
One way to limit your initial expenditure is to start as a family-owned business. Recruit your parents and adult siblings, children, nieces, and nephews. You can ask for favors such as paying them after you cover initial expenses or ask to borrow money and equipment from them.
Get creative and talk to other entrepreneurs for ideas and advice. Starting any business with no cash is challenging, but you will only know if you try.
How Much Do Most Lawn Care Companies Make?
While your younger self may have asked, “can you make money with a lawn mowing business?” as a professional lawn care business owner, you need to know whether the income can sustain you and your family. Here is a case of “it depends.” The amount of money your lawn care company makes depends on the length of your season, the number of employees, the types of services you offer, the service area, and your competition. You can increase your earnings potential if you provide additional services, such as landscaping services, snow removal, and storm cleanup.
To get a better idea of potential earnings for your lawn care business, research the market and ask others in the business.
How Do Lawn Care Businesses Make Money?
Lawn care businesses make money by offering lawn care services. Residential and commercial property owners want their lawns to look great all year long, and many are willing to pay a lawn care or landscaping business to do just that. Lawn maintenance services include mowing, aerating, fertilizing, seeding, and mulching and can extend to landscape design and tree work.
Let Green Group Get You the Answers You Need
If you are interested in starting a lawn care business, you probably have pressing business-related questions beyond “how do I name my lawn care business?” Our Learning Center is a wealth of information with lawn care business tips and tricks. We partner with lawn care businesses to invest in their people and processes.
