Unlock The Benefits Of Running A Full-Service Mowing Business!

Running a Full-Service Mowing Business!

What is a full-service lawn mowing business?

A full-service lawn mowing business will take care of every part of the garden. The services offered include things like

• Lawn mowing
• Gardening
• Tree pruning
• Water blasting
• Weed spraying

To run a business like this, you need to be a good all-rounder and be able to turn your hand to all sorts of outdoor jobs around the property. 

Why Run a Full-Service Mowing Business?

One of the significant benefits of running a full-service business is that you will require fewer customers to hit your financial targets. This would allow you to target a smaller area and build a more compact business. It also offers more variation than a lawn-only business, and if you enjoy doing different jobs, it could be a perfect fit for you.  

Unfortunately, one of the most significant benefits (fewer customers needed) is also a major disadvantage. Because you have fewer customers, if one of them were to finish up, it would affect your turnover more than it would if you were running a lawn-only business. 

The Financial Benefits of a Full-Service Mowing Business.

One of the best things about this kind of work is that you get a real sense of ownership of the individual properties. You get to plan and decide when you do specific jobs so you can get the property looking perfect. 

Another good thing is that you are working on each property longer, so there is less time spent travelling between jobs. And less downtime equates to a better hourly rate for the day. 

A customer would much rather have the same company do all those jobs around the property than pay a gardener and a lawn mowing company separately. 

We have actually lost lawn mowing jobs because we didn’t offer gardening or a tree trimming service. 

How to Maximize Your Profits with a Full-Service Mowing Business.

The secret to running a profitable full-service business is in the planning. As soon as you arrive for the quote, you will need to develop a service plan for the property. This will be a seasonal plan for managing the lawns, gardens and trees/hedges. 

You should plan your garden and tree work to be done before Spring. Usually, Spring is going to be the busy season for your lawn mowing service. 

Make sure you plan your work on the property thoroughly so everything runs smoothly during the year. If you run a full-service business, then surprises are not what you want. 

Pricing the job and getting paid. 

When looking at the property, walk through with the customer and write down all the jobs they need to get done regularly throughout the year. 

Work out how much time each job will take and how often it will need doing. Now it’s time to work out the schedule and the bill. When you have this ready get the property owner to approve it and book the work in your diary. 

Getting paid

The are a couple of different ways to bill this kind of work. Some companies take the total amount invoiced and split it into twelve monthly payments. This method can work well; however, there is a drawback. 

If the customer cancels at any time, then you may lose money. It depends on when you signed them up. If the customer signed up during the busy season, you are actually doing more work than you are getting paid for. They would need to stay on in the slow season in order for you to recover the excess from Spring. 

This is the reason I dont like invoices split over twelve months. I prefer to invoice for the work done as it happens. This avoids confusion, and you and the customer know exactly where you stand at all times. 

Equipment and Supplies Needed for a Full-Service Mowing Business.

In order to run a full-service business, you will need the right equipment for all the different kinds of work you intend to do. 

Not only will you need Mowers, weedeaters and blowers you will also need things like

• Hedgescutters
• Chainsaw
• Spray unit
• Assorted garden tools
• A water blaster etc
• An edger

One easy way to have a lot of power tools on hand without breaking the bank would be to use a multi-tool. This is a single-engine to which you can fit accessories such as a weedeater, hedge cutter, pole saw and an edger. 

Strategies for Growing Your Full-Service Mowing Business

Most customers will be looking at a package deal if you are marketing a full-service business. However, you can send monthly emails offering an extra service in the package, such as mulching or barking gardens. 

Also, put one-off customers on your monthly email list and let them know when you run monthly deals. If you dont mind one-off work, you could also approach all the property management companies in your area. This may bring in a solid amount of one-off and regular jobs. 

The idea of a full-service lawn mowing business is to make a full-time income from a third of the customers you would require for a lawn-only business. 

Connect with Clients Through Targeted Advertising Strategies.

When you target customers, you should focus on upmarket areas. These will be clients with disposable income who dont mind spending money to keep their property looking nice. 

Another promising market for a full-service lawn mowing business is commercial properties. You could target these with mailers or doorknocking. Door-to-door is a great way to target these businesses. 

Ensure you hand out fridge magnet cards when you talk to the receptionist. These will end up on the filing cabinet or the lunchroom fridge. You are much more likely to get a call when they need someone if your card is easily accessible. 

In closing

At the end of the day, the way you build your lawn-mowing business depends on the kind of work you enjoy. 

A full-service business will give you more of a feeling of ownership of the job as you will be in control of how the grounds look, and that in itself can be a very fulfilling experience. It is a great lifestyle business, and you dont require as many customers. 

You will feel more of a financial pinch if a customer finishes up, but if you run a good business, you will soon fill that slot. 

Whatever method you choose, remember that it’s your business, and you can decide what kind of customers you want.