Lawn Care Guide

Candice Clem asked:


Grass; I always thought it was just that short green stuff I played football on and rolled around in when I was a kid, but as it turns out, grass is a bigger deal than I’ve ever given it credit for. There are magazines, books, websites, clubs, and innumerable businesses that specialize specifically in grass: knowing and teaching how to make a lawn as green, thick, and healthy as it possibly can be. In fact, in 2003, it was an $11.6bil industry, but this industry is more than just grass, it’s called lawn care. If you’re an entrepreneur interested in starting a home based business that will be profitable and enjoyable, entering the lawn care world as a professional may be a good way to go, and here are some great lawn care franchises to get you there.

Lawn Maintenance

There are a few different angles from which to approach lawn care as a business. The most obvious side of the industry is the actual work of maintaining the lawn itself, and there are three businesses I would recommend for their excellence in the market.

Spring-Green Lawn Care is a longtime powerhouse in the lawn care world, providing top-notch service to homeowners in 24 states for the last 30 years. Franchisees with this mobile franchise receive a week of initial training and a few days of on-the-job training before starting out as owner/operators; fertilizing clients’ lawns, controlling diseases and insects, aerating, and maintaining trees and hedges around the lawn as well. And that simple beginning can quickly turn into a more profitable operation with the franchisee overseeing a larger group of employees actually doing the work.

Home lawns aren’t the only option in the business, though; there are also small business opportunities in the field of commercial lawn care. U.S. Lawns is a company that has been franchising successfully since 1986. Their goal is to provide the corporate professionalism necessary in commercial landscaping with the personal touch of a small business. Franchisees need no previous experience to succeed with the business, and overhead is low, while business is very constant, as commercial clients tend to be repeat customers for a long time.

Since its inception in 1991, NaturaLawn of America has been the nation’s leader in organic lawn care. Unlike their competition, NaturaLawn of America refuses to use harsh chemical treatments to rid lawns of weeds and insects; instead, they fight disease and promote growth with only natural solutions. Increasingly, this is the preferred method of care for many consumers, and thus demand for this kind of business is growing.

Lawn Cleanup

Not all problems in a person’s yard are threats to the lawn, though; sometimes, the threat is to the people walking across the lawn instead of the lawn itself. It may not be a danger, per se, but dog waste in the yard is definitely an eyesore and an inconvenience, and there is a special class of lawn care businesses that concentrate on getting rid of it.

Doody Calls and Pet Butler are the big names in the pet waste management industry, each providing professional waste pick-up and removal to innumerable clients around the country. Their systems are incredibly well-planned and brilliantly functional, orchestrating numerous mobile units that run their circuits around town while tracked by GPS to check progress. Marketing plans are made available to all franchisees through central computer systems, and communication between franchises is encouraged to maximize effectiveness. It may not be the most glamorous work in the world, but it is certainly profitable, sometimes turning up to a 49% profit margin, and running in a $40bil-and-climbing pet market, the prospect of future business growth is a definite possibility.

Lawn Boundaries

Another opportunity for working in lawn care without having to worry about the maintenance of grass is with a franchise business called Kwik Kerb. Today, it has become incredibly popular to have artistic concrete boundaries between the lawn and planters in the yard, and that is precisely the product and service that this work from home business provides. Aesthetically, the product is pleasing to the eye, but it provides a very functional purpose as well, drawing a clear boundary between yard and planter that doubles as a barricade, keeping any weeds and diseases from the lawn out of the flower bed, and visa versa. There are many benefits to this business, aside from high profit margin in the world of landscaping, and one of those is that this particular brand of landscaping doesn’t require continued service, so once the franchisee finishes the work for a client, the project is complete. Some business owners like the consistency of repeat business, but for those who like to get a job done and move on to another, this is a good choice.

If getting your hands dirty at work is important to you, and you really find satisfaction in growing a deep, emerald green lawn, lawn care may be just the business for you to get into. With any of these franchises, it could easily be the road to success and financial freedom.



Cody

Grant Eckert asked:


Lawn care is simply mowing the lawn and raking the leaves, right? Who needs help with that? Lawn care is much more than that and even the mowing alone can keep a person busy during a good growing season. So, the real question becomes: How do I know when I need a lawn care professional?

The first, and easiest, indicator is the condition of your lawn. If your lawn is “getting away from you” and you simply can’t keep up, a lawn care professional may be able to help. Many people work long hours at their job and, by the time they make it home, mowing the lawn is the last thing on their mind. Even with newer riding lawnmowers, a decent sized lawn can still take an hour or more to mow. This is time that could be spent with the family or doing other odd jobs around the house.

Of course, lawn mowing is not the only concern in the lawn care arena. The overall condition of the grass is important too. If your grass is spotty or simply not growing in areas, you may need some lawn care help. If you don’t know, or care to know, the difference between Kentucky Blue Grass and Annual Ryegrass or the differences in cool season grasses and warm season grasses, you may want to get a professional to come help you select the proper grass for your particular lawn. They will have the experience and knowledge to know what type of grass is best suited for your soil content and shade level.

These professionals can also help you determine your lawns water needs. They may be able to help you design and set up a watering system that will improve the lawn. A good sprinkler system can help keep a lawn hydrated, even during those sweltering summer months. Of course, it is important not to drown a lawn, also. This is where a professional can help you, by setting up a good watering schedule.

Although many lawn care professionals do not specialize in landscaping, they may be able to offer valuable insight in the selection, and placement, or various items on the lawn. They may be able to offer guidance on what particular plants will work well with the current structure of the lawn. They will be able to work with you to enhance the overall look and feel of the lawn by the addition of strategically placed plants and structures. They may even be able to tell you which plants will improve, or hurt, the pH of the soil you are working with, thereby preserving the beauty of the lawn.

Lawn care professionals are also very helpful when dealing with weed infestations. They often know, and have available, many solutions to counter the weeds. They can often stop the infestation before it gets out of hand. Bringing the lawn back to its original condition will be the goal. Nothing hurts a lawn quicker than an influx of weeds taking over. A good lawn care company can come in and take the lawn back.

Weeds are not the only dangerous infestations that may occur. Animals and insects can destroy a lawn. Knowing how to prevent this from occurring, or stopping it quickly when it does, can save a lot of stress on you, and the lawn. Many times these critters go unnoticed until it is too late. Once they get a hold on the lawn, they do not want to let go. It takes some serious interventions to drive them out and reclaim the lawn. That is where the experience of a lawn care professional comes in handy. They usually have the knowledge, and equipment, necessary to get the job done.

Finally, there is the convenience factor. Sometimes it is nice to just relax knowing your lawn is being taken care of. If you are going to be gone for an extended period of time, or if you have multiple properties, you don’t have to worry about the lawn. A lawn care professional will be there to take care of it and keep it green and lush. You can enjoy the benefits of a beautiful lawn without the labor.

When deciding if a lawn care professional is needed, it is important to look at your lawn. If you have a lush, green lawn that would rival most professional sports arenas, and you enjoy spending hours mowing, then you probably do not need one. If, like most people, you struggle to find the time to keep the grass cut, let alone lush and green, then you might want to consult with a lawn care company. See what they have to offer and decide if it is right for you. A lawn care professional can make the difference between a mediocre lawn and a “Wow the neighborhood” lawn.



Christina