Having a lawn care business can provide you with the financial freedom that you’ve been craving. However, you can’t expect it to become instantly profitable if you don’t put in the work. If you are currently struggling to make a profit, here are seven tips you should utilize.
1. Accurately Tracking Your Costs
A lot of lawn care businesses make the mistake of not knowing how much their costs truly are and spending more money than they actually have. You need to keep track of everything from your transportation and labor costs to equipment upkeep.
2. Don’t Bid Too Low
It’s not uncommon to want to make as much money on a job as possible. However, this doesn’t mean that you should bid too low in order to try to gain a new customer. By doing so, you will make it difficult to make any profit.
3. Be Smart About Scheduling Jobs
If you aren’t smart about scheduling jobs, then you will lose money. You shouldn’t try to rush through each job because you are running behind.
4. Keep an Eye on Your Crew
Don’t just assume that your crew will do what they are supposed to when you aren’t around. You may find that they tend to slack off, and this will cost you money. If you can’t be with them at all times, it’s a good idea to stop at the sight unannounced as much as you can. This will give you a general idea as to who diligently completes their tasks and who slacks off and may need to be replaced.
5. Upsell to Your Clients
There’s a good chance that your clients may need additional work done besides just cutting their grass. Because of this, it is imperative that you offer other services to them. These can include things like trimming trees, adding mulch or planting new foliage.
6. Maintain Your Equipment
Anyone who’s owned a lawn care business for a long time will tell you that equipment is one of the things that can eat away at their profits. This is why it’s imperative that you maintain it. Poorly maintained equipment can cost you money. You may find that it goes through gas quickly or that you spend more time cutting a lawn because it doesn’t do a thorough job the first time.
7. Take Advantage of Social Media
It will be difficult to make a profit if you don’t have enough customers. Fortunately, you can easily use social media to let others know about your business. Create a business page, and post specials in some of the groups that are local to your area.
While having a lawn care business might allow you to make quite a bit of money, it will take some work. However, if you are diligent about utilizing the tips mentioned above, you may be able to make your lawn care business profitable a lot quicker than you ever dreamed of.