Opinions Wanted on Businesss Idea - Cheap Lawn Mowing

In My Humble Opinion
1

Between all the vacant houses around here with knee high and rising grass, and speaking with a real estate agent or two that I know, I think there may be a niche for inexpensive lawn care in the area. I’m not much of an entrepreneur, however, so I am seeking advice wherever I can, including here. I wanted to emphasize that this is preliminary reserach - I am not committed to this (yet), just investigating the possibilities.

I’m thinking of one, perhaps two (because I might wind up needing a spare) mowers of this sort (again, not wedded to particular model, only shown here for illustration purposes). I can now afford to invest in such hardware thanks to my current two jobs though I would certainly investigate various models prior to jumping in.

I have some experience in lawn mowing for profit and know I can do the work. I’d be aiming for small lots, and probably advertising to real estate agents who have an interest in keeping properties at least slightly kept up, but likely do not want to hire a full-care lawn service.

I am interested in ONLY performing basic mowing services, not in providing other upkeep on the landscape. Basically, I’m offering to beat down the grass/weeds so the house doesn’t look totally abandoned, or offering basic mowing to interested parties.

I’m not sure how to price my services. Currently, I am mowing for a landlord who pays me an hourly wage while providing all equipment, fuel, and maintenance. What I’m thinking of would put all of that on me. This is where I need the most help - I obviously want to charge enough to make a profit, but low enough to actually get some business.

I realize, of course, that this means a small business - I have experience in tracking expenses and income as an independent contractor in the past and have access to an accountant to help me keep the necessary paperwork in order, properly report earnings, etc.

Right now I can’t do this as I have (as I mentioned) two jobs already. However, one of those two is temporary so this is looking ahead to when that job ends.

2

It’s not a bad idea at all, I’ve thought about this myself. As a kid, my brother and I built a pretty good business doing this. Two mowers and a gas-edger (now you would use a weed eater). We were kids, but the idea is the same. We were MUCH richer than any other kid in the neighborhood, because we mowed about 15 to 20 lawns a week, regularly.

If you can manage to always show up when you say you will, I bet your repeat business will grow. It’s like any other trade. Reputation is king. Do this and you will get referrals. Get a business card. Don’t be afraid to charge a lot. I’m stunned at what some charge my neighbors for a 20 minute yard romp.

If you can avoid going to the landfill, do so. That’s another long drive, plus they may charge to dump. I would avoid any tree trimming. Know that you will shear off someone’s sprinkler head sooner or later. Keep the blade sharpened. Get a magnetic door sign for your truck. Just some ideas, Good Luck!

3

My friend and I tried this about 25 years ago. For us, it wasn’t a great idea. We were youngish guys who wanted to make a few quid on the side.

First of all there is advertising. Then having someone available to answer the phone (Cell phones were not available then). There was a car and a trailer. Fuel, cord for the whipper snipper, you need a broom to sweep up.

One of the patrons dogs attacked me. Until I whipper snipped it’s face.

We got a few good jobs and would buy a carton of beer after finishing work. So we drank our profits.

And one lady came out wearing a negligee or such to say she had no cash. My partner returned later and said he wasn’t paid. My arse he didn’t get something.

All in all it was a disaster.

4

Can you get a reasonably accurate number for the hourly cost of operating your mower? How much gas and oil is needed for one hour of running it? And, could your accountant give you a similar number for the capital cost of the mower, per hour? Those numbers would provide the base for the mowing actual cost. Then factor in cost of gas etc. to travel to the jobs, your time, and add in a mark-up.

5

For you maybe. Doesn’t sound like it was a disaster for your friend. :stuck_out_tongue:

6

Our HOA recently began a neighbourhood-wide lawn mowing service, and collecting slightly more than the actual cost per paid yard to have people cut the lawns on foreclosed lots.

We have one of the biggest yards in the entire subdivision (corner lot) and we’re being charged $17.50ish per cut. I just don’t see how profitable that could be.

7

There are several lawn services operating in my neighborhood. It’s sorta upscale, and they usually charge a monthly fee (some offer additional services like flowerbeds and hedges). I believe* they get around $40-50 per lawn (minimum size is 1/3 acre). Over the past two years, one fellow with an old van (and 1 regular mower) has undercut them all with a set price of $25 per lawn, no frills. He is now the most familiar figure in our area, and he seems to be working almost full time. I don’t know how useful this datapoint is, but his flat fee, no frills service has driven out some of the fancier “landscaping” outfits with big trucks, etc. (As Og is my witness, one of them was named Lawnage Concepts.):rolleyes:

*I’m not sure of the going rate, because I am one of the very few who cuts his own grass. When we first moved in, I was hauling my mower out of my old pickup to do the side lot, and one of my neighbors stopped her car, pointed to my house, and said: “How much is he paying you per hour?”. I should’ve told her I got to sleep with the lady of the house, but I didn’t think of the comeback until she’d driven away.:stuck_out_tongue:

Good luck with your service Broomstick. People are definitely making money at it around here. FWIW, The no frills guy also hangs Xmas lights during the holidays for a little extra in the off-season.

8

They make it up in bulk! :wink:

Seriously, I bet they move pretty quick; having the entire neighborhood makes you the Walmart of the mowing world. Lots less travel time and setup time, per yard etc. They just knock it out.

9

Definitely - mowing one lawn after another in close proximity beats the heck out of having to load up a truck, move equipment, unload, mow, load up again… Also, having (for example) 10 lawns you’re certain about getting paid for beats 15 lawns you may or may not get paid for.

10

I think it’s a great idea. Figure out how long it takes you to mow a yard, and also call around some local places to find out what they charge. Ask friends how much they’d be willing to pay for such a service, too. I wonder if the landlord who is paying you by the hour is getting too good a deal.

People here often give away lawnmowers on Freecycle. Repair shops sell them cheap. And they refurbish/sharpen old mowers for fair prices, too. I would guess that depending on the size of a lot, $25 - $30 might be a reasonable price. I could be way off, though.

11

As a kid, I had three homes where I mowed yards in the summer.
I negotiated a price, depending on the size of the yard and if there was any extra detail (getting the grass growing under a wooden fence was a bitch, so I charged more for those people).
It was a nice gig - rule of thumb was to go mow whenever it got to be about 3-4" or started looking like it needed it. Also, pretty much a given to mow before the holidays (Memorial Day, 4th Of July, Labor Day).
Would stop by and get paid the day I mowed, or the next.

Using that system, just work out a price and be sure to keep the grass under a certain height. That way, if it is not rainy or whatever, it might be a week or two between mowing - but on rainy weeks, there were times I was mowing twice a week. Gave me the freedom to go early in the mornings, or late in the evenings when it wasn’t quite as hot and humid. This was back in Illinois.

Good luck - and today, I would think about $7-10 per hour, just for quick mowing and not doing any other trim - would be a fair price. Keeping your price low, but mowing often, would make it profitable and your clients happy.

12

The lawn service on my block charges $37.50 to do the yard, edging, cleanup, leafblowing, etc. They come every other week.

13

If you’re going to mow a lot of lawns (which will be the case if you’re to be at all successful) you’ll need machinery that’s tough and reliable - as well as skills to fix it when it (inevitably) has issues. IMO, the mower linked in the OP is unlikely to give satisfactory long-term service. The best plan may be to start with secondhand mowers of decent brands (Lawn Boy, Toro, Honda, etc.).

Most who stay in the business wind up with a good-quality zero-turn-radius mower. They cost a lot (can easily exceed $3k) but the productivity of a person on one of these is enormously greater than with cheaper mowers (perhaps 5:1 or better). If your business prospers, perhaps you can plow the profits into such a machine.

14

This sounds WAY low to me – by a factor of 5 or more. Heck, 7 is less than Federal minimum wage! Those mowers don’t buy themselves, maintain themselves, or transport themselves. You gotta think about what the BUSINESS needs to make, not just what the individual would like to make.

15

How??

I mean, I’ve got your basic Sears Craftsman mower, and I do my lawn in just over an hour. There’s not a mower on earth that would enable me to do it in 30 minutes, let alone 12.

Not to mention, that has to drive up the price that one would have to charge. At, say, $25 per lawn, you’d have to mow 120 lawns before you paid for your mower. So you’d have to mow a LOT of lawns to make this work, and you’d have to charge a rate that wasn’t bottom-of-the-market.

Like GaryT said, waaaaay low. I’d be lucky to find a high-school kid to do my lawn for $20, and that would be essentially $20/hour.

Except that the initial cost of the mower is pretty low, and maintenance expenses on a regular mower are really pretty low. I change my oil, air filter, and spark plug once a year, and have the blade sharpened every couple of years. A year’s about 30 mowings, around here. And you can transport a mower like that in the trunk of your car, since the handle should fold up. Gas? At $3/gallon, maybe a buck a lawn.

This is one business where the expenses really don’t eat up much of your revenues. It’s not quite a pure turning of time and energy into money, but it’s pretty close.

16

I have a couple of things for you to think about .

It’s likely if you get this started through realtors that they will have properties scattered over a pretty wide area, which won’t be very efficient for you. And you will need a vehicle that can carry your mower. And you will need to either lift the mower in and out, or have a ramp which travels with you.

The other thing is, getting work through realtors, you probably won’t find a lot of business in a very small area. So you should build in some time, early on at least, to cruise each neighborhood where you have a lawn, and note down other realtor contact information in from the signs on lawns.

You might also approach banks about lawn maintenance on foreclosed properties.

Put a lot of thought into pricing. Because of weather, and because some of these folks will have higher standards for their lawns than others, you’re probably not going to be able to have a real regular mowing schedule. Some people will want you to mow every week, or every 3 weeks, or be on call for when they think it’s needed, etc. So you’ll need to make up a price scheme that encourages the kind of deal you want, and pays you extra for less convenient schedules.

Same thing with billing. I imagine most realtors are not going to want any long term, even seasonal contracts. Their interest will in turning the property over and getting rid of the associated costs (including you) ASAP. IMO you should send out a bill every time you cut a lawn, on that same day. You need to be really timely because the properties can change hands at any moment. You will probably run into situations where you will cut the lawn and the realtor will just have sold the house, and all the sudden they don’t think paying you is their responsibilty.

17

The best argument would be to go watch someone with a bit of experience cut grass with a ZTR mower. If that mower’s cut is 48" (as compared to 22 for the one linked in the OP) and it moves at three times the speed (which is probably quite conservative), then the 5:1 ratio holds.

Admittedly, the ratio will be less for small lawns due to setup time - in the same sort of way that the advantage of air travel over driving is less for short trips.

Which you’d be able to do in much less time. The point is to increase what a person can do, and thus cut down the labor component of the total cost. Admittedly, if you can find someone who’ll do reliable work for $7/hr, a push mower makes a lot of sense. More realistically, time actually spent cutting grass probably costs at least $20/hr. So the better mower will allow you to charge lower prices.

Put another way, would the owner of a lawn-care business pay more to a guy who could operate 5 push mowers simultaneously? Such employees are hard to find, but you can get the same effect by taking an ordinary guy and putting him on a good machine.

18

Charge much.
Then give out discounts for people who make your work easier.

For instance: First person on the block pays full price. If they get one, two, or three neighbours to join in , the price goes down.

People who have a place where you can dump the grass clippings get a discount.

People who make a contract with you the way DMark described, get a discount, because they save you the trouble of billing them every time, and you have a lot mor freedom to do the work when it fits your schedule.

19

How big is your lawn? Good quality commercial mowers are FAST. I used to mow about an acre and a half of our lawn with a self-propelled mower and it took about 5 hours a week. We got a lawn service with two real commercial mowers and two additional guys with commercial weed eaters and edgers and it takes them 20 minutes from start to finish for the whole job including detailed edging (I have timed them). They charged $40 a week which seemed pretty cheap. I like mowing though so I got a John Deere lawn tractor and it can do the whole thing in less than an hour as long as it is mowed weekly. It could mow a typical yard in 15 minutes or less if you run it at high speed.

20

Some thoughts …

  1. You can’t make any money using a toy mower like you linked to. Get a real ZTR.

I pay a guy $40 to do my 1/3rd acre of mostly sloping lawn. Takes about 15 minutes with a pro mower, plus he spends another 15 with the weedwacker.

My next door neighbor likes to mow his own similar-sized but dead-level yard with a mower like the OP linked to. Takes about an hour, and this guy hustles.

At $40 a cut for 30 minutes work, plus travel time and setup time to the next job, he’s making a living, but he’s busting ass to do it. Taking 4x as long to do the work, while not being able to charge any more ensures you’ll fail.
2. The real estate or bank market has potential. If so, you’re just gonna want to run the mower over the main areas & move on to the next one. Nobody will pay extra for weed-wacking around the edges or around the bushes, etc. The buyer will be all about price, so you have to be all about efficiency, which is code for “don’t do anything more than the bare minimum necessary” or said another way “do only the things which have the largest appearance gain per minute of effort.” Sell that, not a premuium service and you’ll have plenty of takers.
3. As others have noted, getting lots of jobs in close proximity is the key to profitability. In most areas there are 1 or 2 real estate agents which handle 50%+ of the sales. Get with those folks. The HOA approach is another one. Bottom line: work hard to keep jobs close together. Taking one well away from the others might be a good experiment in case you can grow that new area. But don’t take a job well away from your established base unless that area has the potential to grow into something.

At first, resist the temptation to take jobs scattered all over while thinking that “well, something is better than nothing.” You’re just building a noose around your profitability.