Lawn Care Business Plan [Sample Template]

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Are you about starting a lawn care business? If YES, here’s a complete sample lawn care business plan template & feasibility you can use for FREE.

Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a lawn care business. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample lawn care marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for lawn care businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.

There are a thousand and one people who have continued to make huge profit in this trade. This is because of the need to care for lawns, as well as the experience they have been able to garner for long. In the same vein, there are lots of folks who may know how to care for lawns, but they may not have the luxury of time to do this.

This is where the importance of starting a lawn care business comes in; where you can be able to solve the no time problem. Lawn care is a simple business to start, and truth is that with focus and determination, you can make good money from this trade. You can see a sample lawn care business plan below, which you can use to suit yours.

A Sample Lawn Care Business Plan Template

1. Industry Overview

Lawn care business is not one of those businesses that you could start and make big money from when you truly work pretty hard and smart. The fact that people who may have the time and tools to handle their lawn care, makes it a bit challenging to make a fortune from the business.

Notwithstanding, anyone who intends starting his or her own lawn care business must be ready to go the extra mile to convince clients that he or she can deliver an excellent job. Furthermore, he or she must prove beyond every reasonable doubt that they are competent.

In a publication released by a Professional Land-care Network (PLANET), an international association serving lawn care professionals, exterior maintenance contractors, installation/design/building professionals, and interior scapers; there are an estimated 10,000 individual lawn care service providers and approximately 12,000 landscapers in the united states of America. This statistics covers independent operators, franchises and large corporate chains.

They also stated that the number of lawn businesses could actually be considerably higher because there are so many people doing lawn and landscape maintenance on part – time and on a pay as you go basis.

Lastly, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published in 2006-2007 (U.S. Department of Labor), is that almost 1 out of every 4 landscaping, grounds – keeping, nursery, greenhouse and lawn service workers is self-employed and provides maintenance services directly to customers on a contract basis.

Of these, about 1 out of every 6 works part time. Although lawn care business might not be amongst the money spinning businesses in the industry, but they have a very large market that they can explore in the US.

As a matter of fact, statistics has it that the United States green industry (lawn and landscape maintenance, landscape contractors, landscape architects, irrigation contractors, and lawn and landscape product suppliers) generates roughly $67 billion to $69 billion annually.

PLANET estimates that the landscaping services sector alone generates about 704,000 jobs and $35.6 million in value-added services annually in the US.

Lawn care and maintenance business falls in the category of seasonal businesses; the industry experience downtime during the winter period and in most states in the US. In general, the demand for lawn care services is usually at its peak in the spring and generally between April and October; which is why lawn care company are always everywhere sourcing for lawn care business deals within this period of the year.

From recent survey, it is usually difficult for lawn care business to survive in the US with offering additional services. Such services are usually complimentary services meaning that they would not have to go out of their way to deliver such services.

For example a lawn care company can diversify into snow plowing during winter season; it is a way of ensuring that during off peak, they can still generate income and get the business running. Lastly, it is important to mention that the lawn care and landscaping industry is a closely regulated industry that requires practitioners to earn certifications that permit them to handle these hazardous compounds.

2. Executive Summary

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company is a licensed company that will be based in Long Beach, California but will operate in other cities in California, United States of America. We are in the business of helping our clients take proper care of their lawns, as well as create the kind of environment and aesthetic that will give them joy.

We have successfully come up with a detailed list of landlords and property owners in the whole of Long Beach; those who we know will need our services and we look forward to helping a larger percentage of them manage their lawn.

We are in business because we want to deliver excellent services to our highly esteemed clients; those who will patronize our services. So far, we have been able to successfully acquire the required trainings and licensing that will enable us launch Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company without any stress.

We will ensure that every property that we handle has our unique signature of excellence on it. Before launching our business, we have been able to secure several business deals to manage and take care of 25 residential clients a week and also one golf course in Long Beach, CA.

We are set to offer several services amongst which are mowing, fertilizing and chemical application. This just the basic services we will be offering to the clients that hired our services. Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company is fully aware of the seasonal nature of the business which is why we have made provision to engage in complimentary services during off peak period.

We will engage in snow plowing during winter, tree cutting and other related services. We will also provide consultancy services to homeowners, property managers and aspiring entrepreneurs who would want to start their own lawn care and landscaping business.

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company is a private registered company that is owned by Julius Bart and family. The company will be fully and single handedly financed by the owner – Mr. Julius Bart. Before starting Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company, he has worked in the industry for well over 10 years and he has a good working relationship with residence of most estates in Long Beach, CA.

3. Our Products and Services

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company that is committed to excellent and timely services delivery and to give its customers value for their money. We know that our customers are the reason why we are in business and we will ensure that we make them our number one priority. These are the services that Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company will be offering;

Lawn mowing/maintenance
Sod installation/hydro – seeding
Weeding or fertilizer and/or pest control application
Landscape care/maintenance services
Landscape design/contracting services
Landscape architecture services
Weekly lawn cut
Weeding Beds
Spring Cleanup
Trimming Landscaping
Fall Cleanup
Chemical Treatment
Snow Plowing
Consultancy and Advisory Services

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

Our Vision at Lawn Care and Landscape Company is to become the preferred choice of homeowners, property managers and the government when it comes to lawn care and landscaping services in Long Beach and other cities in Los Angeles.
We are a company that is established with the aim of helping homeowners, property managers and the government manages their lawn and any other related services. We will work towards becoming the number one choice lawn and landscaping company in California.

Our Business Structure

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company is privately owned and managed company. It is a small scale business which is why we have decided to only retain a handful of employees and if we secure more contracts than our present workforce can handle, we will recruit contract employees (workers) to help us take care of the jobs. Below is the business structure of Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company;

Chief Operating Officer (Owner)
Manager
Sales and Marketing Executive
Field Staff
Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Operating Officer:

Responsible for providing direction for the business
Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
Responsible for the day to day running of the business
Responsible for handling high profile clients and deals
Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
Evaluates the success of the organization at regular interval

Manager

Responsible for the planning, management and coordinating all projects on behalf of the company
Supervises projects
Ensures compliance during project executions
Provides advice on the management of projects
Responsible for carrying out risk assessment
Uses IT systems and software to keep track of people and progress of ongoing projects
Responsible for overseeing the accounting, costing and billing of every project
Represents the organization’s interest at various stakeholders meetings
Ensures that project desired result is achieved, the most efficient resources are utilized and different interests involved are satisfied.
Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
Handles all financial transactions for the company
Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
Carries out staff induction for new team members
Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
Oversees the smooth running of the daily office activities.

Sales and Marketing Officer

Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
Documents all customer contact and information.
Represents the company in strategic meetings
Helps to increase sales and growth for the company
Lists the property for rent / lease to the public
Markets space; finds tenants; participates in lease negotiations.
Provides property owners with a real property condition disclosure (if required by law) and other necessary forms.
Prepares necessary papers describing the property for advertising, pamphlets, open houses, etc.
Holds an open house to show the property.
Serves as a contact available to answer any questions about the property and schedule showing appointments.

Field Workers

Responsible for Lawn mowing/maintenance
Handles Sod installation/hydro – seeding
Weeding or fertilizer and/or pest control application
Handles Landscape care/maintenance services
Carries out task in line with the stated job description
Assist in transport working tools and equipment from the office (store) to site and back to the office
Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager

Front Desk / Customer’s Service Officer

Receives Visitors / clients on behalf of the organization
Receives parcels / documents for the company
Handles enquiries via e-mail and phone calls for the organization
Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager

6. SWOT Analysis

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company do not intend to launch out on a trial and error basis, hence the need to conduct a proper SWOT analysis and prepare a lawn care marketing plan. We know that if we get it right from the outset, we would have succeeded in creating the foundation that will help us build a strong and reliable Lawn Care and Landscape business.

As such, knowing the areas of strength, weakness, as well as the opportunity that abounds for us at Lawn Care and Landscape Company became very expedient.

As a company, we look forward to maximizing our strength and opportunities and also to work around our weaknesses and threats. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Lawn Care and Landscape Company;

Strength:

Our strength as a lawn care and landscape company is the fact that we have healthy relationships with loads of homeowners (residence) within the area where our business is located. We have some of the latest equipment that will help us deliver neat and excellent jobs.

Aside from our relationship (network) and equipment, we can confidently boast that we have some the qualities that are in high demand in the lawn care and landscaping line of business which are trust, honesty and relationship management.

Weakness:

Our weakness could be that we are a new lawn care and landscaping company in Long Beach, California and it will require consistency for us to gain the confidence of our prospective clients (homeowners, property managers and even the government).

Opportunities:

The opportunities that are available to us cannot be quantified; we know that there are loads of homeowners, property managers and government establishment that will require our services in Long Beach and other cities in California.

Threat:

Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as a lawn care and landscaping company are global economic downturn that can impact negatively on household spending and the arrival of a competitor (a company that offer same service as we do) within same location. There is hardly anything we could do as regards these threats other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for our good.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Trends

One of the common trends in lawn care and landscaping industry is that it takes consistent effort to convince homeowners to hire the services of lawn care and landscaping companies. The truth is that, homeowners who have enough time can actually take care of their lawn; all they need is just a little training.

One of the challenges that lawn care and landscaping companies face is in determining the amount to charge their clients; some of them charge base on the hours it will take to deliver the job, while some charge base on the size of the lawn to be mow. The challenge with this method is that land features like slopes and ornamental landscaping can greatly affect the time it will take to get the job done.

Usually, most lawn care and landscaping company ensure that they send their quotation to prospective clients only when they have been able to do their calculations based on per square foot of the property. Even if the prices is not regulated in the industry, it is still difficult to see lawn care and landscape company charging way higher than the average fee that is charged in the industry.

Of course anyone who decides to charge way over the average in the industry will struggle to retain clients. If at all any lawn care and landscape company was to charge higher, they should be able to prove that they offer premium services; they should be able to demonstrate professionalism, quality service and reliability.

One the average, lawn care and landscape business owners between $20 and $85 per job and at about $100 per month or $40 per hour based on the clients preference. Most of them base their estimates on a visual inspection of the area, and some of them go as far as measuring the mowing area as described above.

8. Our Target Market

Our target market as a lawn care and landscape company is not just restricted to only homeowners and property managers but also government establishment. We will ensure that we position our business to handle government contracts and other similar contracts that will require bidding et al. This is the group of people that we shall market our lawn care and landscaping business;

Homeowners who are frequently out of town on business
Retirees who don’t care to do their own maintenance any longer
“Snowbirds” with winter homes in warmer climates
Golf course managers who may need help with maintenance
Rental property or condominium association managers who are personnel-impaired
Facilities managers for botanical gardens, historic buildings, municipalities and other government entities, universities, cemeteries and other public places with green spaces,
Homeowners who don’t have the vision, skill or tools to design their own landscaping,
New homeowners who wish to update the existing landscaping.
Homeowners who plan to put their home on the market and want to improve its curb appeal with fresh or updated landscaping
Builders of both residential and commercial properties who don’t already have their own landscaper on staff.
Managers of public facilities
Government establishment

Our Competitive Advantage

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company is fully aware that there is competition in Long Beach, California, which is why we decided to carry out thorough research, so as to know how to take advantage of the available market in the city where our business is located.

We have done our homework and we have been able to highlight some factors that will give us competitive advantage in the marketplace; some of the factors are trust, honesty, good network and excellent relationship management.

Another competitive advantage that we are bringing to the industry is the fact that we have designed our business in such a way that we can comfortably work with both the highly placed clients and the lowly placed clients; our prices are designed to fit into the budget of the lower class, the middle class and the upper class.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package is amongst the best in the industry, meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

Sources of Income

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company will ensure that we do not only generate income from our core service delivery but also from complementary services that we will render. Below are the sources we intend exploring to generate income for Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company;

Lawn mowing/maintenance
Sod installation/hydro – seeding
Weeding or fertilizer and/or pest control application
Landscape care/maintenance services
Landscape design/contracting services
Landscape architecture services
Weekly lawn cut
Weeding Beds
Spring Cleanup
Trimming Landscaping
Fall Cleanup
Chemical Treatment
Snow Plowing
Consultancy and Advisory Services

10. Sales Forecast

From the survey conducted, we were are able to discover that the average lawn care and landscaping business owner rakes in about $5,000 to $50,000 in their first year of active business, and a steady increase of $160,000 to $250,000 from subsequent year as long as they are consistent in what they do and have been able to create additional source of income.

We have perfected our sales and marketing strategies and we are set to hit the ground running and we are quite optimistic that we will meet or even surpass our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first month or operations and build the business from survival to sustainability.

We have been able to critically examine the lawn care and landscape industry with more emphasis on Long Beach, California and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast.

The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some workable assumptions as well. Below are the projections that we were able to come up with for the first three years of Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company;

First Year-: $45,000
Second Year-: $120,000
Third Year-: $200,000

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown within the period stated above.

Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are quite aware that networking is an effective way to begin building your client base and we have plans in place to leverage on all our networks. In view of that, we will continue to find local real estate clubs and connect with them and also; we will find gathering where we can find homeowners within the locations where we intend operating and then connect with them.

We will ensure that we bid at the appropriate time whenever there is the opportunity to handle government contracts both at the community and state level. We will also enter business partnership with local contractors since they also interface with property owners regularly; through them we can secure business deals to manage the lawn of their clients.

Over and above, we have perfected strategies to network with people who are likely to refer business our way. In summary, Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company will adopt the following strategies in sourcing for clients for our business;

Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to stake holders in the real estate industry, government institution and also property owners.
Promptness in bidding for contracts
Advertise our business in real estate / properties magazines and websites
List our business on yellow pages ads
Attend related real estate expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver quality job for them.
Leverage on the internet to promote our business
Direct marketing
Word of mouth marketing (referrals)

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

Any business that wants to grow beyond the corner of the street they are operating must be ready and willing to utilize every available means (conventional and non – conventional means) to advertise and promote the business. We intend growing our business, which is why we have perfected plans to build our brand via every available means.

Below are the platforms Posh Lawn Care and Landscaping Company intend to leverage on to promote and advertise her property management business;

Encourage our loyal members to help us use Word of Mouth mode of advertisement (referrals)
Advertise our lawn care and landscaping business in relevant magazines, local newspaper, local TV stations and local radio station
Promote our lawn care and landscaping business online via our official website
List our lawn care and landscaping business on local directories (yellow pages ads)
Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Badoo, Facebook , twitter, et al to promote our lawn care and landscaping business
Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations around Long Beach.
Direct coupon mailing approach to introduce our lawn care and landscaping business to residence
Engage in road show from time to time to create awareness of our lawn care and landscaping business.
Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
Maximize our company’s website to promote our business
Attend landlord and residence association meetings with the aim of networking and introducing our lawn care and landscaping business.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

From our findings, the average cost of lawn services varies and it is dependent on loads of factors. For example, normal lawn services include prices for services such as regular lawn maintenance which includes edging, mowing and blowing, fertilization, weeding beds, hedge trimming, shrub removal, replacement or moving, grass replacement, landscaping, irrigation among other lawn services that may be required by a client.

Usually, these services are priced separately in most cases and in some instances; they may be priced together into one monthly service price.

The ideal thing for lawn care and landscaping business owners is to adopt a package services price format. Part of our business strategy is to ensure that we work within the budget of our clients to deliver excellent lawn services. Over and above, the prices for our lawn care and landscaping services will be affordable.

Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Posh Lawn Care and Landscaping Company is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will not accept payment by cash because of the volume of cash that will be involved in most of our transactions.

Real estate deals usually involves huge amount of money. Here are the payment options that Posh Lawn Care and Landscaping Company will make available to her clients;

Payment via bank transfer
Payment with cash
Payment via online bank transfer
Payment via check
Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for services rendered to them without stress on their part.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

The Total Fee for incorporating the Business in California: $750.
The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license: $1,500
The Amount needed to acquire a small Office facility with space for storage of working tools and equipment in Long Beach, California for 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive): $30,000.
The Cost for equipping the office (computers, printers, fax machines, furniture, telephones, filing cabins, safety gadgets and electronics et al): $3,000
The cost for acquiring the required working tools and equipment (walk-behind mower, a back pack blower, an edger, a weed eater and hand tools): $10,000
The Cost of Launching our official Website: $600
Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al): $1,000

Going by the report from our research and feasibility studies, we will need about $60,000 to set up a standard lawn care and landscaping business in Long Beach, CA. These are some of the equipment that we would need to fully launch our lawn care and landscaping business

Lawnmower
String Trimmer
Edging Shears
Turfing Iron
Half Moon Cutter
Brooms
Besom
Leveling Rake
Spring – tined Rake
Switch
Wheel Barrow

Generating Funding / Startup Capital

Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company is a privately owned business and it will be financed by the owner who is also the chief operating officer of the company. These are the areas where we intend sourcing for fund for Posh Lawn Care

Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
Generate part of the start – up capital from family members and friends (soft loans and gifts et al)
Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the banks (loan facility).

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

It is easier for a company to survive when there is steady flow of income which is why we will ensure that we leverage on every business opportunities that we come across during peak period and off peak period as well. We are well positioned to diversify our services once the need arises.

Part of the sustainability strategy that we have adopted is continuous training of our workforce (both fulltime staff and part – time workers) so as to provide them with the capacity to perform effectively. We know that integrity, competence, trust and good relationship management is factor that can guarantee a business to grow and survive in hash business environment which is why we will work hard not to compromise these qualities that we possess.

Check List / Milestone

Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
Business Incorporation: Completed
Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
Application for business license and permit: Completed
Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
Renting of Office Facility in Long Beach, CA: Completed
Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
Start – up Capital Generation: Completed
writing of business plan: Completed
Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
Drafting of Contract Documents (Tenancy Agreements, and freelance agreements et al), and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
Recruitment of employees: In Progress
Purchase of the Needed furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
Purchase of the needed working tools and equipment: Completed
Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
Establishing business relationship with key players in the industry (networking and membership of relevant real estate bodies, landlord association): Completed