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Advice For a Teen Starting a Lawncare Business

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Longhornlawncare07

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I am 16 and I am determined to start a lawncare business and eventually scale it up to landscaping and hardscaping. I am unsure on where to start. I have a slew of questions such as; Should I make a website? How much should I charge? How do I advertise? And lastly, how do I keep the business afloat after getting it started?
I am not afraid of hard work and am willing to learn. Thanks for your time.
 
#2 ·
Longhornlawncare07 said:
I am 16 and I am determined to start a lawncare business and eventually scale it up to landscaping and hardscaping. I am unsure on where to start. I have a slew of questions such as; Should I make a website? How much should I charge? How do I advertise? And lastly, how do I keep the business afloat after getting it started?
I am not afraid of hard work and am willing to learn. Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...
Hi and welcome :hi:
 
#3 ·
Welcome!! Have you considered working for another company for a season or so to learn the tricks of the trade while starting your own business on the side? Doing this would answer many of your questions. You would also learn best practices and get an idea about pricing.

Best wishes for your new venture!!
 
#5 · (Edited)
Welcome to Lawnsite.
There's no specific answers to your questions. No two businesses are the same. Also what type of equipment are you thinking about? Push mower, Riding tractor style, zero turn, stand on?
What will make you stand out most is the detailing. Edging, trimming. Anyone can cut the grass. But clean lines, edge's, clean curbs, clean walks and patios. You'll want clients to look out side after you leave to feel good about their lawn.
Not just ho-hum the grass got cut.
Also. What type of lawns are you wanting? Small postage stamp, larger estate, commercial?
Lastly insurance, taxes, truck n trailer. Good luck !
I'm just guessing here, but Texas?
 
#6 ·
sjessen said:
Welcome!! Have you considered working for another company for a season or so to learn the tricks of the trade while starting your own business on the side? Doing this would answer many of your questions. You would also learn best practices and get an idea about pricing.

Best wishes for your new venture!!
Click to expand...

That was my experience.

I started when I was 15 using just the equipment I had for my (family's) own yard and a small boat trailer I built a platform and ramp on. Did that for several years making a little spending money and then I started working for a small established lawn service and that was when my eyes were really opened as far as how much work one person can do with the right equipment and how to work efficiently. I worked for that guy for a couple of years until my own business grew to the point that it kept me busy and went on from there growing slowly (something you have the luxury of doing when you start young and still live at home with your parents). That was 33 years ago. for the last 25 years I have done zero advertising, not even a sign on my truck, and have kept my routes and schedule full just through referrals and walk ups while working on customers yards.

Not saying that's the way to do it but that is the way I did it and my small business supports me and my family comfortably. I never wanted to have employees so I still do everything myself which isn't for most people but it works for me.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
MowDaddy said:
Welcome to Lawnsite.
There's no specific answers to your questions. No two businesses are the same. Also what type of equipment are you thinking about? Push mower, Riding tractor style, zero turn, stand on?
What will make you stand out most is the detailing. Edging, trimming. Anyone can cut the grass. But clean lines, edge's, clean curbs, clean walks and patios. You'll want clients to look out side after you leave to feel good about their lawn.
Not just ho-hum the grass got cut.
Also. What type of lawns are you wanting? Small postage stamp, larger estate, commercial?
Lastly insurance, taxes, truck n trailer. Good luck !
I'm just guessing here, but Texas?
Click to expand...
Thank you for the welcome.
I have two push mowers and a lawn tractor. I am sufficient in edging and trimming though it could use some work. I was thinking of buying a backpack leaf blower for cleaning up the mess that is usually left after mowing and trimming.
I am looking at doing residentials first and then moving on to commercial as it grows (if it grows) and I am just looking at learning the game and the do's and don'ts of the business.
My father has a 1500 class truck and I have a small Nissan pickup that would do the job. As for the trailer, my family owns an enclosed trailer but it is in another state; I am in Texas as you guessed.
As for taxes, I found a CRM that would be fine for keeping track of expenses and profits as well as taxes. And lastly Insurance I am drawing a blank on what to do about that.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
sjessen said:
Welcome!! Have you considered working for another company for a season or so to learn the tricks of the trade while starting your own business on the side? Doing this would answer many of your questions. You would also learn best practices and get an idea about pricing.

Best wishes for your new venture!!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the welcome.
I have considered and is still a viable option for me to learn what I need to learn. I would have to find a company that is hiring and is willing to take on a teenager.
 
#9 ·
As a minor The only way you may get insurance is in one of your parents name and they will be required to be onsite while you are working.
 
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
Dawson said:
That was my experience.

I started when I was 15 using just the equipment I had for my (family's) own yard and a small boat trailer I built a platform and ramp on. Did that for several years making a little spending money and then I started working for a small established lawn service and that was when my eyes were really opened as far as how much work one person can do with the right equipment and how to work efficiently. I worked for that guy for a couple of years until my own business grew to the point that it kept me busy and went on from there growing slowly (something you have the luxury of doing when you start young and still live at home with your parents). That was 33 years ago. for the last 25 years I have done zero advertising, not even a sign on my truck, and have kept my routes and schedule full just through referrals and walk ups while working on customers yards.

Not saying that's the way to do it but that is the way I did it and my small business supports me and my family comfortably. I never wanted to have employees so I still do everything myself which isn't for most people but it works for me.
Click to expand...
I might just do that. The only problem is finding a company that would be willing to take on the liability of a teenager.
As I replied to MowDaddy earlier I have most of the equipment needed to start a business, but I cannot get past the development stage.
I am also not sure if fliers and door-to-door advertising are what I should do and/or doing online stuff to try and get things going.
Beginner problems.
 
#12 ·
My best advice is to establish yourself before insurance. Start trying to hustle up some yards in the neighborhood you live in. People love seeing the neighborhood kid out there trying to make a go of it. Sell yourself to the customer that your starting out, your a minor and can't get insurance and priced accordingly. Just so you know a broken patio door can be thousands of dollars to replace. No friends helping just you doing all the work. How long do you think the average lawn around you will take to mow and go?
 
#13 ·
Longhornlawncare07 said:
Ya, I went through some insurance companies' info and just researched online and that's what everyone else said also. I take it that insurance is a must-have.
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In Florida where I am it's not required but some customers will want you to have it and of course you're taking a bit of a chance if you don't have it but I've never used my insurance for anything more than broken windows. I don't think I had any kind of liability insurance until I was 5 or 6 years into it.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Scott87 said:
My best advice is to establish yourself before insurance. Start trying to hustle up some yards in the neighborhood you live in. People love seeing the neighborhood kid out there trying to make a go of it. Sell yourself to the customer that your starting out, your a minor and can't get insurance and priced accordingly. Just so you know a broken patio door can be thousands of dollars to replace. No friends helping just you doing all the work. How long do you think the average lawn around you will take to mow and go?
Click to expand...
I will more than likely do that. I might try and get a job with a lawn care company close to me so I can get a feel for it and some experience. The lawns in towns near me would take 30-50 minutes depending on how they kept the lawn up before, that's with doing the edging and trimming.
 
#15 ·
I think a discussion with your parents about insurance and subsequent liabilities is needed next. I like the idea of working for someone else for learning experiance. You will need to disclose to a employer about your inentions of starting your own business and find a way for it to work for the both of you. Working your way up to a #2 position with a company can have its own benefits. Look for company owners without kids or one with kids that are a pantload.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
Scott87 said:
I think a discussion with your parents about insurance and subsequent liabilities is needed next. I like the idea of working for someone else for learning experiance. You will need to disclose to a employer about your inentions of starting your own business and find a way for it to work for the both of you. Working your way up to a #2 position with a company can have its own benefits. Look for company owners without kids or one with kids that are a pantload.
Click to expand...
I will talk to them about that today. I will also look for a company willing to take me on. Explaining my intentions of joining the company for experience and leaving later might seem odd but I will look and prepare for that. Thanks for the advice (y)
 
#17 ·
Longhornlawncare07 said:
I will talk to them about that today. I will also look for a company willing to take me on. Explaining my intentions of joining the company for experience and leaving later might seem odd but I will look and prepare for that. Thanks for the advice (y)
Click to expand...
You never know, you might come across somebody with a business who likes the idea of kind of taking someone under the wing and teaching them the ropes. If you're a good worker and smart they might try to tempt you to stay by paying you really well. It's really hard to find dependable, honest employees that will do this kind of work these days, one of the reasons I'm not interested in going that direction.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
Dawson said:
You never know, you might come across somebody with a business who likes the idea of kind of taking someone under the wing and teaching them the ropes. If you're a good worker and smart they might try to tempt you to stay by paying you really well. It's really hard to find dependable, honest employees that will do this kind of work these days, one of the reasons I'm not interested in going that direction.
Click to expand...
I will look for a business hiring like you said I could find someone willing to take me on. I can get around most fields of work since my dad was a mechanic and electrician he also did construction work for a long time.
 
#19 ·
Longhornlawncare07 said:
I will talk to them about that today. I will also look for a company willing to take me on. Explaining my intentions of joining the company for experience and leaving later might seem odd but I will look and prepare for that. Thanks for the advice (y)
Click to expand...
There's a conflict of interest if you are competing for business with your employer. They will worry if a someone comes up to you at work looking for mowing and you don't hand the lead over to your employer. Getting it out in the open right out of the gate will lead to less hiring confusion.
 
#20 ·
Scott87 said:
There's a conflict of interest if you are competing for business with your employer. They will worry if a someone comes up to you at work looking for mowing and you don't hand the lead over to your employer. Getting it out in the open right out of the gate will lead to less hiring confusion.
Click to expand...
Wonder if anyone would make a fella sign a "no compete" clause
 
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Longhornlawncare07
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