Make big money mowing small lawns
Not all lawn care businesses are equal
When I started mowing lawns, I didn’t care about the lawns I was bringing on board.
Big lawns, small lawns, Flat and bumpy. I loved them all.
I was just happy to be self-employed and earn a buck.
I started going down the bigger road as time went by. I wanted bigger, better lawns, and I started wanting more than a simple lawn mowing business.
I wanted an empire, and I set my sights on world domination.
I’m only half joking there.
Bigger is better
My first thoughts were that larger equipment would bring me more income, so I bought a large trailer ride-ons and self-propelled mowers.
That brought in a bit of money, but I was determined to earn more.
Becoming employers.
Then I had a brilliant idea. I would bring on some workers. Then I could sit on ride-on jobs all day while my workers mowed the smaller stuff.
Once I had five vehicles on the road, I started to see a few gaps in my master plan. Managing all those workers and vehicles was hard work. There was always some fire that needed putting out and margins were thin.
I couldn’t sit on my ride-on all day and run my business. Apart from the fact that I was constantly out of cell phone range quoting was difficult.
I soon found out that if I wanted to step away from the business and earn my current income I would need over 1000 lawns. Unfortunately, I was just under halfway there.
To be honest, the thought of a business twice that size terrified me. I was having enough issues now.
A change of direction.
The ride-on and self-propelled lawnmowers were always breaking down. When a self-driven mower breaks down you cannot complete the job. A real-time killer.
We downsized the business and sold off our excess lawns. Now it’s back to my wife and I mowing small lawns with small mowers.
We kept the best 100 lawns and our turnover dropped by 50% and our workweek dropped to under 20 hours.
Our take-home income remained the about same.
This may not work for everyone, but it worked for us.
We are happy in our small world with our small lawns.
Why did we decide to stick with small lawns?
Every business is different but this is why we decided to gravitate our marketing toward the small lawn market. It seemed to make the most sense when we thought about where we were with our business.
Small lawns are a lot easier to manage
Because you are on each job for a small amount of time. This makes it easier to shuffle the day around.
It’s great for a one-person business as I sometimes find that two people are a crowd on the really small lawns.
This kind of business model is best for a sole operator.
Lawnmowing101 Membership
Build a six-figure lawn care business
Lawn Care Software
Get Your Lawn Care Business Running Smoothly
Easier for you and your customers. Jobber helps you quote, schedule, invoice, and get paid—all in one place.
Higher hourly rate.
Many lawn-mowing businesses only focus on mowing large lawns. While this is certainly a lucrative market, it can be quite time-consuming. Small lawns, on the other hand, can be mowed relatively quickly.
As a result, lawn-mowing businesses that focus on small lawns can charge more per hour and still be quite profitable.
I can charge more per hour for mowing small lawns than I could for mowing large lawns, so I can make more money in less time.
If you want to learn exactly how I set this up. I teach that here
You don’t require large machines
I can use a push mower instead of a riding mower. I tend to find that the smaller machines break down less often because they have fewer moving parts. Once you start adding things like a self-prepropelled drive, gearboxes, and mower decks there is a lot that can go wrong.
One thing that I hated about the large machines was that if they broke down then I couldn’t drive them back onto the trailer to take them in for repairs. You only have to push a ride-on manually onto a trailer once and that is enough for a lifetime.
Smaller mowers use less gas
Since you are using smaller engines to mow smaller lawns then your mower gas bill is cheaper too.
Spending less money on gas is going to increase the profit of your business as well.
You can run your business without a trailer.
This can be a real bonus, Not only do you use less fuel but you will find it a lot easier to get around. You won’t have to look for that double space to park in and nipping in and out of busy streets will be a breeze.
Then think about the money you will save on insurance, road costs, maintenance, and the initial cost of the trailer. More profit and less running costs. Now that has to be a good thing.
And finally my favorite
It’s good for my old bones
Now that I am on the wrong side of sixty I am beginning to feel the effects of a hard day’s work even more.
Push mower work is much easier on my body. Surprisingly sitting on a ride all day was bad for my back. Then there is the lifting of those massively heavy catchers.
Smaller push mowers are light and easy to push around.
Then there is the break between jobs. I would rather knock out three small lawns the one ninety-minute lawn. The chances are that you will earn more for the three small lawns too.
Listen to audiobooks while you work.
With a sixty-day free trial
Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more for just $9.99/month.
Conclusion: Make big money mowing small lawns
Those are the reasons that we gravitated toward small lawns. We have found this to be a great financial and lifestyle choice for ourselves but I am not saying that it will suit everyone.
At the end of the day, only you know what is best for your business and you may decide to do the complete opposite.
There are no right or wrong answers here, It is simply asking yourself what you think is the best way forward for your business.
And whatever you decide
You are probably right.
Springer Link research paper on why small businesses work well The Bigger the Better?
Get tips & tricks on how to grow a profitable lawn care business delivered to you inbox every week.
Leave a Reply