The lawn care business can seem extremely easy to enter due to the low start up costs involved A basic lawn mowing business can be started for just a few thousand dollars if you exclude the cost of buying a vehicle. This article looks at funding and start up costs for a small lawn care business.
For some lawn care business operators, start up costs end up being more than expected, debt can spiral out of control and income can be surprisingly slow in the beginning.
As it will take you some time to build up a client list and get some money coming in it is a good idea to buy your equipment with cash instead of buying on credit and going into debt.
You don’t necessarily have to start off with the best gear. Just start your quick business funding off with what you feel are the essentials and then as you increase your income over time you can slowly invest in additional equipment.
To get started with a lawn care business you really only need a lawn mower, mulching bag, an edger and your vehicle. A pick-up or small truck is preferred but you can get away with a station wagon or SUV.
Buying good quality, second hand equipment is one way to minimize start up costs and lower your risk.
Leasing equipment is also preferable to going into debt in the early stages of your business. Try to look for a short-term lease so that if you want to quit the business after a trial period then you won’t be locked into a long-term contract. If you quit your business, returning leased equipment is preferable to being stuck with a lot of debt and expensive lawn care equipment that is hard to sell.
If you can’t get a small interest free loan from family and you really do need to seek funding then make sure that you have a solid business plan in place that you can take to potential lenders to show them that you are serious.
However, before you look at small business financing options for your lawn care start up investigate the possibility of getting a small business grant from your state or government. The lengthy application processes involved and the small chance of success turn most people off this idea but it is worth looking into if you are eligible.
All in all though, we are really not talking about a lot of money that is involved with getting a lawn care business up and running. Entrepreneurs who are keen to get started in the lawn care business should look upon the raising of their own start up capital as being their first challenge.
At his site StartaLawnMowingBusiness.com Steve Sutherland has reviewed three of the top info products that can give you the guidance that you need to start a lawn business the right way.