Everyone of us has spent time daydreaming of owning our on business. When you work for someone else, even if the work is something that you love, you have to deal with so much BS.
If the work you love is lawn care, it's normal to see the flaws in how your boss is handling the business. Of course you could do it better.
The allure of make money off the other people that you have working plays an important part, in the desire of having your own lawn care business. There is always lawn maintenance to do. If you would rather be cutting grass instead of watching the football game, you will succeed.
It might be time to get up off your butt and start that new lawn care business. But - But - But there are steps that need to be followed to accomplish your dream.
The first step of starting a lawn care business, since a lawn care business is a small business, is to visit the Small Business Administration.
A visit to the SBA in your town is always a positive move. They will have literature, some free courses and sometimes free consultation with retired people who know all about how to start a business.
There are a lot of pit-falls in starting a small business, and with the information you can get from the Small Business Administration will get you on a fast track education in what you must do to get your new business up and running.
How to Start a Business - Write Your Business Plan - Choose Your Business Structure - Choose & Register Your Business - Choose Your Business Location & Equipment - Business Licenses & Permits - Learn About Business Laws - Business Financials - Finance Your Business - Filing & Paying Taxes - Hire & Retain Employees
With all this information, if you read it you will arm yourself with knowledge, and the odd are good that your new lawn care business will be up and running.
Small Business Administration
One of the first things, that any advisor you consult will have you do is write a business plan for this new lawn care company. This is not as big of a pain as you think it is. It is relatively simply. It is only an organized documentation of your dream combined with some real world research, on how you can make your business a prosperous reality.
Besides educating yourself with real world prices and what your Competition is charging the primary purpose of your business plan is to give you something to take to investors or to a bank or some other lending institution to get funding to start up your new business.
The SBA has a great page about writing a business plan. But, you could also check out my article.
Starting a Landscaping Business - Writing Your Business Plan
Ok! You think that you have all the money you need. You think that you have the equipment that you need. Don't blow off writing a business plan. It still is a good idea to write one. The process will force you to create a five year plan so you set out on day one on a path to growth and success. And even if you have enough money and equipment to get started, you will want to grow and expand and that might take a small business loan. That is where having a business plan in place will pay off.
Don't quit your day job yet. You might want to think about what you are going to do to make your new lawn care business profitable quickly. You may want to spend a few months, while you are still drawing a check to build your equipment inventory. It takes a lot of equipment to run a five man crew.
Then you have to think about storage. Where are you going to let your tool of the trade spend the night?? I worked for one of my competitors that ran his business out of a very large You Store It unit. He even build a loft in it. Never invited in the loft, but, figured that it was a place to sleep in between lovers. He had 3 five men crews.
While you still have that weekly check coming in, it might serve well to get a few customers that you do after work and on weekends. Before you make the big leap and quit your job it will be nice to already having some money coming in for cigarettes and beer. Or just food and electric.
The research you do now before you make the big step of setting up a new business will be a life saver down the road. There is a lot to learn such as whether you will incorporate your business or just pick a business name and get started.
You should spend some time learning about how to keep the books, do the accounting and manage both the money you make and the bills you will pay as a business. You can think through if you will employ others and get some training in what involves as an employer both financially and legally.
There is more to running a lawn care business than gassing up the mowers and going to work. By doing your preparation work while you still have a paycheck coming in, you vastly improve your chances of success because you will "hit the ground running" That fast start will get your new lawn care business off the ground for a long and successful as well as prosperous business for you.
So, learn all you can. Use the SBA's helpful links. The more you know the further you can go. You will never regret taking the leap if you prepare yourself because the lawn maintenance companies out there have just gotten stupid with what to charge. It will be easy for you to under cut their prices and take their business from them.
Sure hope you love lawn care.
If the work you love is lawn care, it's normal to see the flaws in how your boss is handling the business. Of course you could do it better.
The allure of make money off the other people that you have working plays an important part, in the desire of having your own lawn care business. There is always lawn maintenance to do. If you would rather be cutting grass instead of watching the football game, you will succeed.
It might be time to get up off your butt and start that new lawn care business. But - But - But there are steps that need to be followed to accomplish your dream.
Steps of Starting a Lawn Care Business
The first step of starting a lawn care business, since a lawn care business is a small business, is to visit the Small Business Administration.
A visit to the SBA in your town is always a positive move. They will have literature, some free courses and sometimes free consultation with retired people who know all about how to start a business.
There are a lot of pit-falls in starting a small business, and with the information you can get from the Small Business Administration will get you on a fast track education in what you must do to get your new business up and running.
Helpful links
Here is a link to the SMA. And some of the title of the pages that have links on this page. As you will see there is a lot of important information on the SBA home pageHow to Start a Business - Write Your Business Plan - Choose Your Business Structure - Choose & Register Your Business - Choose Your Business Location & Equipment - Business Licenses & Permits - Learn About Business Laws - Business Financials - Finance Your Business - Filing & Paying Taxes - Hire & Retain Employees
With all this information, if you read it you will arm yourself with knowledge, and the odd are good that your new lawn care business will be up and running.
Small Business Administration
One of the first things, that any advisor you consult will have you do is write a business plan for this new lawn care company. This is not as big of a pain as you think it is. It is relatively simply. It is only an organized documentation of your dream combined with some real world research, on how you can make your business a prosperous reality.
Besides educating yourself with real world prices and what your Competition is charging the primary purpose of your business plan is to give you something to take to investors or to a bank or some other lending institution to get funding to start up your new business.
The SBA has a great page about writing a business plan. But, you could also check out my article.
Starting a Landscaping Business - Writing Your Business Plan
Ok! You think that you have all the money you need. You think that you have the equipment that you need. Don't blow off writing a business plan. It still is a good idea to write one. The process will force you to create a five year plan so you set out on day one on a path to growth and success. And even if you have enough money and equipment to get started, you will want to grow and expand and that might take a small business loan. That is where having a business plan in place will pay off.
Don't quit your day job yet. You might want to think about what you are going to do to make your new lawn care business profitable quickly. You may want to spend a few months, while you are still drawing a check to build your equipment inventory. It takes a lot of equipment to run a five man crew.
Then you have to think about storage. Where are you going to let your tool of the trade spend the night?? I worked for one of my competitors that ran his business out of a very large You Store It unit. He even build a loft in it. Never invited in the loft, but, figured that it was a place to sleep in between lovers. He had 3 five men crews.
While you still have that weekly check coming in, it might serve well to get a few customers that you do after work and on weekends. Before you make the big leap and quit your job it will be nice to already having some money coming in for cigarettes and beer. Or just food and electric.
The research you do now before you make the big step of setting up a new business will be a life saver down the road. There is a lot to learn such as whether you will incorporate your business or just pick a business name and get started.
You should spend some time learning about how to keep the books, do the accounting and manage both the money you make and the bills you will pay as a business. You can think through if you will employ others and get some training in what involves as an employer both financially and legally.
There is more to running a lawn care business than gassing up the mowers and going to work. By doing your preparation work while you still have a paycheck coming in, you vastly improve your chances of success because you will "hit the ground running" That fast start will get your new lawn care business off the ground for a long and successful as well as prosperous business for you.
So, learn all you can. Use the SBA's helpful links. The more you know the further you can go. You will never regret taking the leap if you prepare yourself because the lawn maintenance companies out there have just gotten stupid with what to charge. It will be easy for you to under cut their prices and take their business from them.
Sure hope you love lawn care.
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post "The Steps of Starting a Lawn Care Business". You have some benifical links to educate yourself, use them. Learn everything you can. Taxes, local laws, employies, all this crap can beat you down if you let it. DON'T Arm yourself with knowledge, and JUMP. Good luck. God Bless.
And don't forget Y'all come back now
Keep Smiling
reuben
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