Making money mowing lawns

If you like to be your own boss and can stand summer heat, mowing lawns is a great way to earn a living. Home and business owners need to maintain their lawn but many people don't have time to do this on their own. So they hire a lawn care professional or service. This is where you come in. If you are starting or thinking about running a lawn care service business, I will give you here some essential advice. No, this post is not meant to tell you how to use a lawn mower or how to fertilize the ground or do any other kind of gardening work.

A man mowing lawn

Let's start with pros of mowing lawns:

• low-cost investment. You don't need an office or retail space to get started. You just need a few tools and mowing machinery.
• you get to be your own boss. You decide when and where to work. Keep in mind, however, a business or home owner may ask you to mow the lawn at a specific time or day.
• you get a chance to exercise and enjoy the sun
• you get paid after completing the job (as opposed to waiting for pay check for a week or weeks with a typical job in the United States). In a sense, you can get paid more than once for your work in a day!
• you don't have to go to college for many years to start this business

Mowing lawns equipment: lawn mower and tractor

The motivations for starting a mowing lawn service is appealing — isn't it? Keep in mind the business has drawbacks and risks as is case for any business start-ups. Here are some drawbacks of mowing lawns:

• you get dirty
• you need to have mowing and trimming skills
• you need to be in good health. This is a labor-intensive job and you need to be willing to lift heavy equipment
• there is potential to get hurt as you will be working with dangerous machinery (I know someone who cut his fingers when he accidently started his tractor).

Graphics showing lawn work in action

Those drawbacks aside, it is possible to make good money in this business if you know the techniques and have the skills of what you will be doing. Here are some tips to be successful in lawn care:

• strive to satisfy your customers. If they like your work, not only they will give you future work but also recommend you to others.
• be motivated and focused enough to work to succeed.
• market your business in your community. Distribute flyers to spread the word of your business.
• promote your business by wearing a personalized t-shirt
• finding a potential customer is easier perhaps more than you realize:
  • if you see uncut grass in your neighborhood, talk with the owner to offer your service.
  • those who don't have the skills or tools will probably be your best customers.
  • talk with retirees
  • talk to neighbors and local business owners.
  • don't forget to talk with new home owners
  • how about those lawns that say "for sale"?
  • talk with a builder or real-estate agent
  • home owners frequently going out of town for extended stay
  • rental properties

A commercial lawn mower