You Don’t Need Commercial Equipment to Start a Lawn Mowing Business!
Starting a lawn mowing business is a great way to earn extra income, and you don’t need commercial equipment to get started! In this blog post, we’ll show you why commercial equipment isn’t necessary and how you can get started with just a few basics.
There are a few things you’ll need to get started: a lawn mower, some basic tools, and a truck or trailer to transport your equipment. You can find all of these things secondhand for relatively cheap, and there’s no need to go out and spend a ton of money on brand-new commercial equipment.
In fact, high-end domestic is often just as good as commercial fear, and it’ll save you a lot of money in the long run.
A typical start-up story.
First I will tell a quick story of something that happened to me this week and motivated me to write this post.
I was talking to someone who was starting a lawn mowing business the other day.
He was just starting using a mower from home and had his first couple of lawns on the books.
He just got a van and figured he would buy a mower so he could tackle some more significant jobs.
He rang me because he couldn’t fit the mower he looked at in his van. He wanted it to sit across the van behind the driver’s seat. He told me it wouldn’t fit and wanted to know if I had any ideas.
At first, I thought that he must have got a tiny van. It turned out that although it was not a large wheelbase. It wasn’t a small van.
Ruling that out, I turned to conversation towards the mower that the sales guy was showing him.
It turned out that the mower that the dealer was recommending that he start with was a large commercial self-propelled mower that retailed at $2000
No wonder it wouldn’t fit in his van.
Although the mower was a good brand, this is NOT what I would recommend for someone with two lawns who wants to dip their toe in the water.
I know people who have run businesses for decades without buying this lawnmower.
Don’t buy high-end gear without checking other options.
There are many great mowers out there that you can start with for under $1000.
I suggested that he buy a cheaper mower and focus on getting customers. Once he had 80-100 customers on his books, he could look for something more substantial.
I know that when you walk into a shop and declare that you will start a lawn mowing business, they will point you towards the commercial gear. Sure the warranty lasts a bit longer, but usually, it’s only three months anyway, so no real gains there.
Picking a mower
A high-end domestic push mower will last for a year or two. There are fewer moving parts to break down. If it’s not self-propelled, it doesn’t require a gearbox.
Picking a weed eater
For a weed eater, I recommend a straight shaft high-end domestic or something similar to a Shindaiwa T302TS if you don’t do heavy weed-eating work. A T262TXS if you do. The price bracket should be somewhere around $700-$900.
Blowers
As far as blowers go, you can pick up a good machine for around $500.
Make sure you buy from a dealer and not a big box store. You do not want to wait months for parts if you have a warranty repair.
That is a fully set-out van for under the price he would have paid for a single mower.
When you start a lawn mowing business, don’t overthink the equipment.
And then what do you do with all the money you just saved?
Send the money you saved on Marketing
You will get a way better return on spend.
This is where I see a lot of businesses go wrong. They appear one day out of the blue with a new vehicle, trailer and high-end equipment. Six months later they are nowhere to be seen.
Fancy equipment is not going to move the needle. You need to have customers before you can make a cent.
Spending money on marketing may not seem like the most exciting way to use your startup funds, but it’s important to remember that without customers, you don’t have a business. So, before you go out and purchase that high-end commercial mower, take a step back and consider how you’re going to market your business.
The Power of Marketing
When it comes to starting a business, marketing is often one of the first things that entrepreneurs think about. And for good reason! Marketing is essential to getting your business off the ground. After all, what’s the point of starting a business if no one knows about it?
There are a lot of different ways to market your business, but lawn care businesses have a few options that are particularly effective. For example, word-of-mouth marketing can be extremely powerful for lawn care businesses. If you do a good job mowing someone’s lawn, they’re likely to tell their friends and family about you.
In fact, according to Nielsen Research, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all other forms of advertising.
Another effective marketing tactic for lawn marketing businesses is by using Google search marketing. This is a great way to reach people who might not hear about your business through word-of-mouth alone.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to starting a lawn care business, it’s important to remember that rather than buying equipment that you do not need, marketing should be one of your top priorities.
Spending money on marketing will help you reach more potential customers and grow your business more quickly than relying solely on word-of-mouth or commercial equipment purchases.
So before you start buying up all the latest and greatest gear, take some time to consider how you’re going to market your business first—you won’t regret it!
