Two Keys to Making Money in Lawn Mowing

Here's a quick quote from Jonathan back when he started the Lawn Care Millionaire:

"When I got into the lawn mowing business, I wasn't sure that I liked it. I wasn't seeing the money - we weren't making nearly enough. I just didn't think it was going to be that great a business.

But I kept running the numbers, and I thought there was something to this. 

I came up with two keys to making money in the lawn mowing industry."

1. Keep your Service Market as Small and Tight as possible.

What's the distance from one house to the next?

We're talking about saving you time by cutting out those houses that are too far away to make you real money.  Some lawn companies accept business wherever they can get it - "You're an hour away? Sure, why not!"

It's costing them money in two ways:

• Travel expenses - how much does it cost to drive an hour away? Gas and ice? Truck maintenance?
• Time - if you're spending two hours a day driving there and back, how many lawns are you missing out on?

Just because you can get a customer, doesn't mean you should.

The number one priority for your lawn care business is to keep it tight. Tighten your schedules, make your routes denser, and kick those 'problem customers' to the curb - if they're sucking up your time, they're sucking up your money.

2. Do NOT Expand until You are 100% Ready. 

I can't tell you how many businesses I've seen that decide to grow their customer base, only to watch their profits drop.

When you expand your lawn care business, your goal is to make more money, not less.

If you're ready to expand, make sure you're growing in a reasonable way. Keep your new clients close, to increase your route density. Price your services right. Make sure that you have the equipment and crews capable of handling the work.

Maybe you tell yourself, "I don't care how fast I grow. I just want to mow more lawns." But that could land you with angry customers, exhausted employees, and a bad reputation.

Don't do that to yourself.

I'll say it again: Keep your scheduling tight! Track your crews' drive times, keep up with your job costing, and cut back on non-billable time.

This will make your lawn mowing business nice and profitable. Isn't that the whole reason you got into this business in the first place?