Landscaping is quite a famous business model in the US. About 100,000 companies were working in the landscaping industry a couple of years ago. The number of these companies is growing each day. All of them are contributing to this $100 billion industry we know of today. If you’re thinking if there is enough space in the industry for an aspiring entrepreneur such as you, then question yourself no more. The landscaping industry is always open to experienced and new business people alike. Here are some essential things you need to know when starting a lawn care business.

Overhead Cost

The average overhead cost of start-ups is $180,000. Thankfully, you’re in an industry that is very lenient when it comes to start-up costs. Experts in the industry believe that you can start your business with a personal credit card, and many business owners do this. Landscaping isn’t a costly venture because you only need transportation and landscaping equipment such as lawnmowers. You won’t need to pay for rent and other utilities because you can technically run the business in your garage or at the comfort of your home.

Additionally, everything can be digital, especially with how you assign various tasks to your employees. Feel free to experiment with part-time and freelancers in your company. But it’s always good to have at least three full-time workers in your business. When it comes to the overhead cost of your startup, you’re only going to need between $10,000 to $20,000 for the starting year of your lawn care business.

The Target Market of the Industry is Huge

If you want to write something interesting in your business plan, write this down: the target market for landscaping is huge. You have two generations looking for your services. The first is the aging baby boomer population who have a stable home. The second is the millennials, who are considered to have the highest spending power in history (about $1 trillion) and are settling into various homes this year.

Both generations don’t have the time to handle their lawns, and both have the highest spending power in the US alone. Because of this, you’ll never run out of clients for your business, even if the market is considered to be saturated. Especially if you follow the online trend we have right now.

Build a Website

Every business nowadays has its own website. These websites feature various business services and products. This is because 90% of consumers look up businesses near them for their needs. This is essential if you want your lawn care business to survive during the pandemic. By appealing to these online consumers, you can extend the reach of your business. Additionally, have chatbots and customer service ready on your website because they can start plotting schedules for your clients.

Sell Products, Not Just Services

Diversifying your revenue is important for every business. Looking for other alternatives to earn money is always a plus for the lawn care industry. Many landscaping business owners tend to forget that they can get a decent income from selling landscaping products to consumers.

These products include fertilizers, landscaping equipment, and even potted plants! This should be an option for your landscaping business as it will diversify your revenue stream. It will also give you constant income during times when landscaping services aren’t as needed, like during winter. This will appeal to many people out there who do gardening as a hobby, so you don’t have to worry about your target market for this.

How Much Can You Earn?

Finally, we come across the question that you might be asking yourself: how much are my possible earnings from landscaping? Sadly, we don’t have a specific answer to this question as experts in the industry struggle to calculate such an amount. What makes it hard to calculate is that some landscaping businesses provide non-cash services, which are sometimes not included in the overall reports of the company.

It’s expected that you can earn anywhere near $5,000 to $50,000 during the start of your business. Once it’s well-known and you’ve grown your company, you can earn between $150,000 to $100,000 depending on the size of your company and the diversification of its products and services.

Ultimately, there is a chance that you might not earn anything at all during your startup year. For that, we recommend that you prioritize working with local clients and marketing yourself locally. Furthermore, remove unnecessary expenses such as office space. This will ensure you can get decent enough earnings next year.

Starting a landscaping business isn’t all that hard if you compare it to other businesses out there. However, maintaining and growing it can be quite challenging. You’ll be able to grow your lawn care business in no time. So give it a try this year and apply your research into your company for it to grow.