Lawn Care Guide

Michael Gregory asked:


Before you begin your lawn care business, especially if you are looking for financing, you will need a business plan. Your options include writing one from scratch (according to the SBA it takes an average of 80 hours), have someone write one for you (expect $1,000 and up for a quality one) or use business plan software.

Lawn care business plan software has greatly improved over the last few years, making it as easy as putting in your specific information and the software will do a majority of the time-consuming work to take your "great idea" from concept to reality. Good lawn care business plan software will also aid you in ensuring that you’ve "thought through" the "ins and outs" of the business - everything from marketing and sales to the cost of staples and give you a understanding of how much you need to sell to make your idea profitable. By showing the bank you have a thorough understanding of the inner working of your financials, lenders are more willing to loan money for your lawn care.

Here are a few items to look at when evaluating various lawn care business plan software programs.

Reputation - Make sure to do online research to get feedback from other people to see how their experience was with the software. If you see a lot of negative comments, no matter how good the price, you may want to look at other software.

If you have been or know people in the lawn care business already, you could contact them for information on whether they used software for their lawn care business.

Support - Look to see what type of support is provided with your business plan software. This is especiall important if you are working on your business plan late at night and need something answered. Many vendors offer 24/7 online and toll-free support.

Ease of Use - This is especially important if you are looking at specialized software from a very small company or individual and you are computer challenged. Many times you can get a trial offer to see if it will work with your comfort level.

Cost - After you have researched the lawn care business plan software and still unsure, it is time to consider costs. Don’t always assume that paying more will give you a better product nor buy a version that has more bells and whistles than you need. Make certain to factor in shipping & handling costs and delivery time of your lawn care business plan software when comparing prices.

Once you’ve chosen and installed your lawn care business plan software, it’s time to get to work. If you have any trouble, be sure to get in touch with the vendor’s support as soon as possible, especially if there is a limit on on long they will offer support .



Cathy

Michael Clark asked:


Have you ever wondered why organic lawn care is talked about so much at garden centers and lawn care product stores? Or have you wondered why you would want to use organic fertilizer instead of the standard man-made fertilizer?

I wondered that for many years as well, until I started researching the benefits of organic lawn care. Now that I have done my own researched and talked to many different people in the lawn care industry, I will always use organic products on my lawn. And I will do so not only because it is better for the environment, but because in the long-run it is much better for my lawn and will make it so I actually

don’t have to do as much yard work.

Many people think that if they pay someone $400 a year to spread fertilizer and weed killer on their yard that their yard should look great. However, if they do not pay attention to the quality of their soil then they will never have the yard they dream about, and the grass will literally be greener on the other side (i.e. the neighbors yard you always envy).

The soil is the base of your lawn and developing good soil could very well be the most import aspect of a good lawn care system. This is because the roots, or the most important part of your grass, live there. If you do not have healthy roots, then you will not have healthy grass; and, if you do not have healthy soil, then you will not have healthy roots.

Cultivating and developing healthy soil can be a difficult process, but it can be accomplished if you work at it over time. Even though you will have to work hard to develop healthy soil, you won’t have to work as hard after you get there. Good watering habits, good mowing techniques, and good organic lawn care products will help you greatly in both developing your soil and then maintaining your soil afterwards.

Good watering habits and good mowing techniques are what I call obvious factors in a good lawn care program, everyone understands that you need to water and mow your lawn properly in order to have a healthy lawn. However, many people do not understand why using organic products on your lawn is much better than using man made fertilizers and other man made lawn care products.

To explain, remember that while your lawn needs the ingredients found in all fertilizers, that is not all your lawn needs to be healthy. Your lawn also needs microbial macrobial life. Worm and other critters are great for your lawn in producing much needs nutrients for your soil. However, man-made chemical fertilizers usually will deter them, while the organic fertilizer will attract them (no you will not have tons of bugs crawling over your lawn, they will be in your soil where you can’t see them).

Man made fertilizers usually contain a lot of salt, which microbial life does not like at all. While these unnatural fertilizers will make the blades of grass turn green quickly, it will do nothing to cultivate your soil and will actually hurt your soil over time. An organic lawn care program will do the exact opposite for the soil. It will help you cultivate and develop the soil, while also feeding the grass.

In the long-run, using organic products on your lawn will give you the lawn you want and you won’t have to pay the $400 a year for someone to come out and take care of it for you.



Arlene

Darrell F asked:


There are many advantages to acquiring a franchised business. To begin with, the system has already been researched and developed into a viable business model that removes the dangers of trial and error experience. With a franchise from a well known company, your business can take advantage of the national advertising and good reputation of the company to jump start your own local branch. Since it is in the franchise company’s best interest for you to succeed, there are support and information systems in place to make sure you are able to provide quality service. With a franchised business, you will have an exclusive area to work in that will help keep competition down. The cost of purchasing a franchise business opportunity is much less than what you would have to obtain to start a new business from the ground up.

With the purchase of a franchise operation you will be provided with all the necessary training to be able to perform the job well. Advice on specific problems you may require can be had as the franchise distributor will want to make sure all the franchised affiliates meet the standards that the overall brand name is known for.

One of the fastest growing franchise opportunities on the island is the Green Thumb Lawn Care franchise. Increasingly home owners and renters alike are seeking to beautify their dwellings with well manicured and maintained lawns but do not always have the time or the knowledge to make sure it is done correctly. Once you become a Green Thumb Lawn Care professional you will receive all the training and knowledge necessary to provide this lucrative service to the people in your region.

Green Thumb Lawn Care developed lawn care as service concept and maintains a 90% share of the total lawn care franchise business. With the average Green Thumb franchiser servicing about 7% of the homes in their region on a year-round basis the profitability of making Green Thumb a successful business venture is virtually assured.

With national advertising and word of mouth recommendations, there are many areas of the country that are eagerly awaiting a franchise branch to open in their region. Years of experience have given Green Thumb the reputation of high quality professional lawn care so building your customer base is easier with the pre-existing brand recognition of this fast growing business franchise opportunity.

Unlike some lawn care franchise opportunities, Green Thumb has no hidden costs to make startup of your franchise business harder. The initial fee is all-inclusive and includes a media campaign to help get you established in your designated postal area. Yearly marketing and franchise subscriptions are extremely low so that you can begin profiting from your new franchise business opportunity from the beginning.



Glen