Interested in small lawn mowing business planning tips? If YES, here is a practical guide on lawn care business with no money and no experience. How much does it cost to startup?
How to Start a Lawn Care Business with No Money
Doing business has found a lot of interpretations as well as undergone several changes over the years.
Explaining what it means in the most basic term, it simply refers to any activity of man that yields an income. While most business opportunities require some form of capital, not all require this.
There are businesses which have sprang from nothing, without requiring investment and blossomed into mega businesses.
An example of such a business is affiliate marketing where the affiliate does not own a product but simply helps in marketing a product. He/she gains a percentage of the sales when such a product was sold through his/her effort or input.
However, affiliate marketing is not our focus today as we are interested in showing you how you can start a lawn care business with no money. Is this possible? This is very possible.
If you already have a good mower, that will be great, but if you don’t, you can simply buy a cheap one that will not cost you much. An alternative to this is to borrow one from a good friend.
However, this is not advised as it may upset your friend if he/she knew you are using his tool for commercial purposes. However, if he or she agrees, it will be an excellent option to use.
Here is a sample business plan for starting a lawn care company.
Step 1: Choosing a Business Name
Starting a mowing business requires having a business name. Your clients will like to know who they are doing business with. Do not mistake this with your name.
Although your name can be used for your business, a business name should convey the services offered by the business. This enables anyone reading the name to easily understand what type of services you offer.
Step 2: Operating Legally From the Onset
For many, starting a business with no money means they can easily cut corners in providing a particular service. This is not true and unnecessary.
Starting a business requires that you follow due process in setting out a firm foundation. Hence you need to first register your business. Registration gives you legal backing and enables you to operate with clients on a professional level.
There are times you will have to do business with difficult clients. For these, legal action may be instituted against your business. Not having a business structure to shield you and your personal assets may result in a negative backlash that will lead to losing your personal assets.
Hence when registering, you are expected to choose a suitable structure that will fit into your business operations.
Step 3: Getting an Insurance Cover
Starting a mowing business, especially one without money requires that you obtain insurance coverage that will protect you, and your client from damages that may arise in the course of carrying out your work.
This type of insurance is known as commercial liability insurance. Liability insurance ensures that your business survives the trying times which present the most challenge.
Step 4: Where to Get a Vehicle
A truck is an essential component of starting a lawn care business. Hence how can you obtain one? All you need to do is to make do with what you have. This may seem distasteful but it is the absolute truth. You may have an old truck or van.
By using this for the short term while saving up to buy one, you are shielded from spending substantial sums of money purchasing a new truck.
An alternative to this is to ask a friend to help you with their truck. This may sound a little off, but good friends have been known to offer their assistance in any way possible to ensure you realize your dreams.
Step 5: Setting the Right Price for the Job
Starting a business is totally different from being employed by another person. Here you will need to factor in a lot of things including running costs. Hence when providing a lawn care service, it is necessary to set the right price for the job.
A lot of people sell themselves short because they think they have received a payment for services above what they receive as paychecks in their previous jobs.
To set the right price, it is necessary to consider how much has gone into providing a particular service. This will include man-hours/ labor, maintenance of equipment, time spent on the road, fuel costs, and other related costs.
In addition to these, you should be able to compare your pricing with the standard pricing in the industry. This will give you a picture of where to strike a balance.
Step 6: Attracting your First Clients
Everyone has a group of people who trust him/her. Hence this is where you should target. Your friends and family will be your first clients. Their social network should be exploited to further provide more jobs from their acquaintances as well through word of mouth marketing.
Dedication to your work will fetch you the much-desired patronage you seek. For each client, your goal should be to exceed his/her expectations, and you will never lack patronage.
These are the basic ways to start a lawn care business with no money as it allows you to earn income without having to commit substantial resources as an investment.
Starting on the right footing and following through with the above-listed strategies will lead to an unbelievable growth of your business.
However, you must be interested in this line of work, as only this will guarantee real growth.
