Suppose you think back to the lazy and long summers of your yesteryears. In that case, there is a big chance the some of the time was spent pushing a lawn mower all you day with sweat dripping down all over your body to earn a few dollars to buy some basketball cards or saving for the new Jordan’s sneakers.
You may usually have mowed down a couple of zebra-striped or pansies a yard, but you sure were proud when the property owner came outside, surveyed the handy world, and handed you the agreed-upon payment. Landscaping or mowing commercial or residential property, lawns for a living will provide people that same pride while earning them some serious money.
The pros
There are a lot of advantages to operating home-based landscaping or lawn care service business. Entrepreneurs are masters of their own destiny, and they can devote as little or as much time to their business as they want. It requires as little commute to work as possible if they are based on their own community.
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Business owners can work at their own pace and at virtually any time or anywhere during regular working hours. They can also get good cardio workouts, enjoy the fresh air, and tone or bulk up their muscles. The price of this freedom, as well as body contouring, are pretty low; as a matter of fact, a lot of landscapers and new yard service providers use small personal loans and credit cards to fund their businesses.
Once they invest in tools, they need to install landscaping or manicure lawns professionally. They are usually set for a couple of years. They do not need a lot of office equipment, and they can set their offices up in the spare room of their house or the corner of the den, compared to spending a lot of money renting a commercial space.
Reality check
The business sounds appealing, but of course, every venture has its ups and downs, and this industry has quite a few downs waiting to strike. To start with, people have to be more adept at moving, pruning, and trimming than regular homeowners. It means that business owners will have to invest a lot of time when it comes to learning gardening techniques and their basics.
They will have to be disciplined entrepreneur who can ignore the call of glory and diligently service every client instead of heading to the golf course to enjoy the monthly income. Entrepreneurs also have to be physically fit and know how to handle the demands and the difficulty of the job, like lifting heavy tools on and off the trailers, as well as wielding big handheld implements for a couple of hours per day.
They will be handling hazardous chemicals and dangerous machinery. And they will have to a savvy business manager who can handle cash flow properly, invent marketing and advertising campaigns, and implement survival plans that will take them through the winter months.
Industry snapshot
According to PLANET or the Professional Landcare Network, an international agency serving landscaping and lawn care experts, exterior maintenance professionals, design/building/installation experts, and interior landscapers, there are more or less 10,000 lawn care businesses and more or less 12,000 landscapers in the country.
These range from divisions and franchises of big corporate chains to independent contractors. It is believed that the number of companies could actually be higher since there are a lot of people doing landscape and yard maintenance informally – on a cash basis. According to OOH or the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the United States Department of Labors, one out of every four groundskeeping, landscaping, greenhouse, lawn, and nursery service workers is self-employed and provides services directly to clients on a contract basis.
Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_Outlook_Handbook to find out more about OOH.
Out of these people, one out of every six works part-time. The industry is pretty huge. According to a survey conducted by the Irrigation and Green Industry, the United States green industry, including landscape and lawn maintenance, landscape architects, landscape contractors, landscape and lawn product suppliers, and irrigation contractors, generates at least $60 Billion per year. Not only that, Professional Landcare Network estimates that this service sector alone generates at least 700,000 jobs and at least $30 Million in value-added service per year.
Who are the customers?
Who is driving the industry? The 70 million aging adults, many of whom are homeowners, are the ones driving this industry. These people recognize the value of a landscaped and beautifully designed yard or a well-kept yard. But these people usually do not have the inclination or the time to do the maintenance by themselves. Of course, older individuals are not the only ones who check the Internet or the phone book to look for a reputable landscape or lawn professional. Other possible clients include:
- Property owners who do not have the vision, tools, or skills to design their own lawn
- New property owners who wish to renovate their existing backyard terrain
- Homeowners who want to put their house on the market need to improve its outdoor appeal with an updated or new lawn care service.
- Builders of commercial or residential properties who do not already have their own yard care professional on staff
Types of businesses in this industry
There are different ways to get into this industry. The basic types of this business include:
- Lawn maintenance and mowing
- Hydroseeding and sod installation
- Pest control application and fertilizer or weeding
- Landscape maintenance, care, contracting, architecture, and design services
Earnings
How much can business owners earn? The sky is the limit. Businesses like Virginia Beach lawn care can earn anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000 per project in their first year, and as much as $150,000 to $300,000 per year once they were in this industry for a couple of years.
Businesses can offer services ranging from regular trimming and mowing to intricate landscape design, maintenance, and installation, as well as chemical application. According to surveys, the average salary of a president or owner whose firm revenues were more or less $200,000 in 2005 was more or less $30,000.