Published by Ben
on December 14, 2008.
Ok so i live in a somewhat upscale neighborhood.. Ive been told I could charge 25$ per house EASY. Im a VERY HARd worker so thats not where i need the advice. What i'm asking is how to properly market myself in my neighborhood. I was thinking to start this as a summer "gig" then if im popular enough just run through the spring next year.
1. How can I market myself?
2. What else will I need other then a weed whacker and lawn mower?
3. Any other advice on how to do a great job, on the actual landscape, AND on the business end.
Thanks!
This question is from http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/forum/
Well, Johnny, you have asked a great question. I am going to answer it to the best of my ability, based on experiences I have had with my own teen lawn service.
How can I market myself?
This is a very good question. The biggest way I have marketed myself is with the use of
fliers. I'll summarize what you should do, but click on the link for a better description. Make a flier with your services and contact information, and place them under peoples' doormats and/or staple them to telephone poles. Also, just ask your neighbors if they would like you to mow their lawn. The worst they'll probably do is say no, right?
What else will I need other then a weed whacker and lawn mower?
That is basically all you need. Make sure you have a container that looks something like
this to store your gas in. In a pinch, you don't want to be siphoning gas out of your dad's car! If you have a gas weed whacker, you may need to have some kind of oil gas mix, so some oil might be necessary as well. Make sure to have some extra of that twine stuff so you don't run out for your weed whacker. Although just having a "weed whacker and a lawn mower" may seem pretty simple, there are actually many different kinds of each.
Electric or gas weed whacker? Big or small mower? Or even,
a push propelled mower? Using your parent's stuff is fine. But, if you're interested in some different equipment, check out the links.
More advice
My biggest advice is to search around this site a bit. Click on the tags and links in the navigation bar on the left and read some of the stuff you find. Educate yourself. You say you're a hard worker, and I think that is the most important thing. Johnny, your business will most likely do fine if you work hard. So, good luck on your "gig," and have fun!
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As a teen lawn care business owner you have a great opportunity to win accounts based on the fact that people will admire you for getting out there and showing your entrepreneurial spirit at a young age.
To avoid having customers think that they can pay you peanuts let them know that you are saving up to help pay your med school tuition in a few years. That should help keep prices realistic.
Check out www.startalawnmowingbusiness.com for more lawn biz tips.