If you see a future for you in the lawn care industry, don’t go on and buy lawnmowers just yet.
Starting a lawn care business is like chess. You have to be cautious of your every move, otherwise, you create unnecessary sacrifices along the way. That said, having a lawn care business plan in place is important.
Every business, no matter the industry, requires a business plan. However, unlike other purely digital businesses where your market is essentially the whole country, lawn care is more constrained. You will most likely be focusing on your community. And most of the time, the market may be a bit tight and the competition more aggressive. That’s why a lawn care business plan is a non-negotiable prerequisite for any lawn mowing business.
If you’re wondering how that’s done and what to know before starting a lawn mowing business, stay tuned. Landscape Marketing Hero is here to share everything there is to know about creating a lawn care business plan.
Creating A Strategic Business Plan
If there’s one thing you need to know, it’s this: you don’t craft a lawn care business plan overnight. To be perfectly candid, you wouldn’t want to.
Remember that businesses require monetary investments, not to mention your effort to make things work. Even if you’re searching for how to start a lawn care business with no money, you’ll still spend cash. That’s why the key term we are looking for is strategy.
That’s what separates a mediocre, ineffective and average lawn care business plan from a well-oiled lawn care marketing machine. So let’s get into it and show you how to make your lawn care business plan as effective as possible!
Identify the approach you are going to make
Before you even begin conceptualizing your lawn care business plan, you should first envision your approach. For example, will you be running a small, local business or are you looking to start a lawn care franchise? Each option has its own set of pros and cons that need to be considered before making a final decision.
Following our example, starting a lawn care franchise will provide you with instant name recognition and marketing support. However, it also comes with strict guidelines that you will need to follow. Alternatively, lawn care businesses give you creative control but will require more time and effort to get off the ground.
Other questions you may want to consider are:
- Do you want to focus on residential or commercial lawn care services?
- What sort of services do you want to offer the public?
- What is the size of the lawn care market in your area?
- What is the competition like?
All of this information will give you an idea of your income potential and competitive standing in the industry.
Lay out your strategy plan
Speaking of income potential, did you know that 23 percent of lawn care businesses make below $50 thousand a year? Another 19 percent earn somewhere between $50 thousandand $200 thousand, while a staggering 28 percent make over a million. When you start your own, a million dollars may be a bit of a stretch. But with the right strategy, you won’t have to start below 50k a year.
Laying out your strategy plan means outlining every step that will complete your lawn care business plan. With a strategy in place, you can avoid mishaps and failures along the way. Plus, they will guide you if you begin straying from your original path.
Here is a breakdown and overview of the things you need to prepare:
- Develop your executive summary, company summary and mission statement. These three will give people an overview of your business, what you stand for and what you hope to achieve. Moreover, they will also guide you in your goal-setting endeavors.
- Conduct comprehensive market analysis. This is where you’ll research the competition and find out who your target market is. You will also need to determine what needs and wants your target market has. As a business owner, your goal is to tailor-fit your services to the public’s needs, not the other way around.
- Assess your budget. The cornerstone of your lawn care business is your business capital. You can have the most ambitious plan, but it’s all for nothing (yet) without resources to make up for it. The budget you set will influence all other components of your business. This includes the marketing strategy, operations, staffing and training.
- Strategize your lawn care marketing strategy. Marketing is an integral component of any business that wants to get its name out. This is where you’ll outline how you plan on reaching and acquiring customers. Crafting this will require an understanding of modern-day marketing approaches and other advertising techniques to reach your target market.
- Figure out your services and operational activities. This will serve as your guide and blueprint on how you’ll be running your lawn care company. Will you be focusing on simply lawn maintenance like mowing? Or will you take it up a notch by offering landscape designing services? It’s all up to your comprehensive market analysis to point you in the right direction.
- Determine your staffing needs. Depending on your approach or the services you intend to offer, your business may be more than a one-person show. Most lawn care start-ups have at least one to three employees to help render the services.
Undoubtedly, one of the toughest components of a lawn care business plan is creating a solid marketing campaign. Without proper support and knowledge, you may be spending more money than you should for underwhelming returns.
This is where Landscape Marketing Hero swoops in to save the day. We can help you strategize and craft the best marketing materials for your lawn care business. It begins with claiming our FREE growth map called the Hero’s Guide to Growing: Growth Map!
Vital Elements of A Business Plan
Every business plan is different from one another. But your lawn care business plan and another business plan, say, concerning product development will have similar elements within. These are not the parts of a business plan per se. Instead, they are components that constitute the different sections of your lawn care business plan.
Check them out below:
Identify your business and its targets
Even if you have the most revolutionary lawn care business, if no one needs your solutions, success will be elusive. It’s only after you have identified your customer’s problems that you can begin to craft your lawn care business plan.
On top of that, you have to know who you are as a lawn care business. This means that you have to determine your lawn care business goals and objectives. These goals will determine the direction of your company. They will also identify the milestones that you need to achieve to make your lawn care business successful.
What is your endgame for starting a lawn care business? Where do you see yourself in 10 years throughout the course of your management? These are relevant answers to ask.
Know the pros and cons of your chosen business
Every business has its upsides and downsides, the lawn care industry has it too. One common upside you’ll see in the biz is that the earning potential is high. But getting to that certain level requires businesses to up their game all around. That means getting their services down to a T and their marketing strategies on point.
The good news is, not everyone in the industry is proficient in marketing. If you happen to be skilled in marketing, you give yourself a boost ahead of your competitors.
Speaking of competitors, one downside of lawn care is its tightly competitive market. It can be tough to break through a saturated industry, but it’s not impossible. Another con is hiring an unreliable team, which is really a hassle. Good marketing can help you attract the dream team that your clients deserve.
Identify the financial components of your business
You can never separate a business and its finances. After all, your financial resources are the lifeblood that keeps your business operational. It is important to know how much money you need to get started and to keep the business running. This will be one of the starting points in creating a lawn care business plan.
There are many ways to finance your lawn care business. You may choose to use your savings, take out a loan, or look for investors. Each option has its own set of pros and cons that you need to weigh carefully.
You will also need to think about how you will price your services. Lawn care businesses can use a variety of pricing models. So it is crucial to do prior research and see what will work best for your company.
Set a goal for your business
Finally, set your goals. Goals come in all shapes and sizes, but for targets to be realistic, break them down into small, achievable milestones. This will help you stay on track and motivated as you grow your lawn care business. With small progressive increments, the gratification is faster which then motivates you to perform better than you previously did.
Apply your finalized strategy plan
At the end of all the nitty-gritty, all that remains is applying your strategic lawn care business plan. This is where the real work begins. Keep in mind that your plans will not always be 100% fulfilled by their set timelines. It’s also a good practice to accept changes, especially if it will spur your business further down the stretch.
Once your business is out and about, the final thing that remains is finding clients. Many businesses struggle in this aspect, but with good marketing, getting leads should be manageable. This is where Landscape Marketing hero specializes. If you’re looking to dominate the landscape industry in your locality, effective marketing can go a long way.
Interested?
Claim your FREE growth map called the Hero’s Guide to Growing: Growth Map and let’s talk.