Need some advice getting started!

[tnmwr]

I am 19yrs old and have previously mowed for another company for three years, but now i am wanting to get my own business started. I was wanting to know if is to late to advertise, or is there any tips on how i could pick up customers this late in the season. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

[Mikol87]

I've been mowing on my own for several years now. One thing I can tell you is you're not going to get tons of coustomers overnight. It takes years to add new coustomers and keep old ones. Plus the inital start up cost of buying a rider, push mowers, weed eaters, leaf blowers, etc. It is hard at first but you can make good money doing this. Im 22 years old and started mowing neighbors yards when I was 12. Some advise I'd give you is to get as many yards as you can and do an excellent job to keep them. Word of mouth will get you the most yards. I also advertise in the news paper with a cute picture add and I usuallu add 4-8 mowing jobs a year. Also advertise things like yard clean up, brush removal, fertalizing, tree trimming, snow removal, etc. I get at least 10 new fertalizing jobs a year. It is easy and cheep to buy and I charge around $60 per application which takes 10 minutes to apply. Start out buying good used equipment. Check the news paper, auctions, yard sales, etc. Keep with it and in a couple of years, you will be making money!!!! Good Luck!

[dmcdade]

First thing to do is get your dba and insurance (most commercial properties require $1,000,000). Next, business cards, flyers, postcards, etc...choose one and start passing them out :)

But until that comes through you can start mowing around the neighborhood and get your name out there.

Here's exactly how I started 2 1/2 months ago.

1. DBA
2. Business cards (professional logo designed)
3. Website (it helps and get one free at microsoft for small business website w/email and free domain for 1 year / $14.95 a year after that).
4. Door to door.
5. My equipment at that time was:
a. 21" mower (home use)
b. echo trimmer
c. echo edger
d. Truck I had
d. a will to succeed
6. Insurance

Since then (2 1/2 months ago) I have made enough to purchase:
a. 6x14 Landscape trailer ($1750)
b. Used Husqvarna 32" walk-behind ($850)
c. Accounting software, and scheduling software.
d. accumalated 32 weekly /bi-weekly customer's
e. 17 1 year contract's

and more...

Hell, I mowed a strip mall with my 21" and weed eater for $200.00 and it took 6 hours..lol just so I could get that last $200 for the 32" Husq..doh!!!

I'm going to make another post in a second of what really helped my business take off though, as of the past two weeks I am adding anywhere from 6-10 new customers a week right now.

Donald

[Bill Ahlers]

Sounds familiar....I have been in the business for years and on my own for a yew of those years too but after moving to Denver I initially thought there were too many LCs chasing too few customers. After being here 9 year realized there was a gap for me. Well Wa La, and nowww.... for aaaa ..depression.....regardless we will bounce back and someone will need their yard maintained. I want to be there when they do.

22" push
21" selfpro
HusQv weed eater
and blower
Small 4X8 trailer
Business Cards
Insurance
DBA Ahlers Lawn Maintenance
No licensing here for LC
1 year base of 10 regular customers
2 Part time Jobs (Oh...did I mention very flexible jobs?) to pay for my existence while I pour
all the money I make into the busiiness
Upgrading next to a 36" very close!

Good luck!!

[Turf Commando]

To give a realistic point of view, it takes anywhere from 2-6 years to get established in this business...
It's never to late to get going the obtain clients takes time...

[Kelly's Landscaping]

How much money do you have saved up. And did you get any skills talking to customers where you worked and by that did you solve their problems and sign up new work. The reason I ask is its going to take you some time before you become comfortable walking up to strangers doors and selling them on you. And do let people fool you money matters the more you have going in the better so that's the other major part are you ready? My partner and I got 65 accounts our first year starting on May 1st by April the following year we hit 130 accounts and had 3 trucks. So how did that happen I had 15 years experience in this trade and we started with 65k. Figure out what you have and then start to put together a budget and see if you have enough to make your start this season or not. If your hungry you can get accounts even in mid to late summer.