If you are reading this post its because you are wondering if a mowing business is profitable and how hard it is to get started. So, I will cut to the chase yes lawn care has been very profitable for me as a side hustle and my son has done well with it as a full time job. As far as how hard it is to get started, I was able to build a business with one conversation and one favor. So, it was very easy starting a lawn mowing business and probably the easiest business I ever created.
Who am I and why should you read anything I say? I am a 41 year old father of 4 who started a lawn mowing business at first as a favor and then as a way to pay for my kids to go to better schools. I started with one yard and a push mower and was able to build the business to a point that my son could take it over and work it fulltime. I am not a person who has a certification in herbology or treecareaness. I could not tell you the difference between a daisy and a rose…. ok maybe I could do that one. The point is I am by no means a trained professional landscaper. I am a dad with a strong back and a lawnmower.
Is a Mowing Business Profitable
What I have found is anytime you mix work that must get done with people who have the money not to do it, you have a profitable business. I live in Louisiana and the grass grows here from around April until late in November. This window expands a few weeks both ways just a little slower. So being from here I have an advantage that there is income from mowing around 9 out of 12 months in a year including a few weeks outside of the season. This means if I hustle there is enough work for me to relax for 3 or 4 months a year and still have enough funds in the bank to pay myself.
When it comes to profitability for a business starting a lawn mowing business is great. The initial cost depending on what equipment you already have can be a few bucks but after that is mostly gas and sweat. The son ensures the sweat keeps rolling while the gas is very cheap per yard. For example, I currently mow around 30 yards during the weekend. I will burn through around 5 or 6 gallons of gas. As far profitability I usually pay myself $20 per yard or hour of work, and then put around $10 profit back into the business per yard or hour. On average the business makes on a two day weekend around $1,500 or $750 per day. We have chosen to stop picking up new work but at one time we were cutting 5 days a week.
How Do I Start a Small Lawn Mowing Business
When it comes to starting a lawn mowing business you need very few tools to get started and the clients are very easy to find. Once you get started you will find that in order to keep clients down you will either turn them away or keep raising your prices. Without realizing what happen you will find that your business has grown 1000% without spending a dime on marketing.
So here is the process I went through when starting a lawn mowing business. Sitting at work one day a lady I knew was talking about how long it took her to cut her grass. She was basically starting on Friday and it would take her three days to finish her yard. She was a little older an using limited equipment. So I already had the basic lawn equipment which I will go over below and asked if she wanted some help. She asked how much I would charge her and I said as a favor I would do it for $30. She told me I could use her equipment at her house so I would not have to even bring anything. That weekend I cut her grass for the first time and it took me about 3 hours.
I talked to her the next day and asked if she would like me to keep cutting from now on because if she did I would go buy myself a better mower. She said yes and I went to Lowes. I purchased a small riding lawnmower with a trailer and spend around $1,500 on my new credit card. In my mind she would pay me $120 a month and by the end of the grass season I would have paid for the mower and be able to use it to cut my own yard as well.
Then the wave of work began. The lady next door to my first client asked her who cut her grass. That weekend I started cutting both yards on that street. A few weeks later I picked up another on the same street. By the time the first season of cutting was over I had picked up without trying 6 houses on that street, a sister who lived on another street, and a mom on another street. I ended up making around $9,000 that year from the favor.
Over the next few years I ended up doubling my business every year. Each time it started the same. I would get one house through word of mouth and that house would turn into 5 more clients. I ended up getting to the point that I was making around $4,000 per month cutting grass on the side. I could have kept doubling the income but there is only so much time you can work on the side.
What equipment do You Need to Start a Lawn Mowing Business
Need and want are always a little different. So, when starting a lawn mowing business you will find that is also true. Below I will list out both wants and needs and explain why.
Which Mower Should You Buy to Start a Lawn Mower Business:
This depends a little on the size of yards you will be cutting. For me I live in a Suburb and so the yards are usually small enough to push but also large enough to use a riding mower. When you first start you will need at a minimum a push mower with Bag capability and self propelled is a must. You will be worn out as it is so self propelled at least helps pull you along. As far as brand you can get away at first with whatever is cheapest. Just realize these mowers are not made for commercial and will not make it for multiple years.
Once you get enough clients you need to upgrade to a riding lawnmower. Against size of the yards will come into play here. I recommend that if you have a lot of small gates to go through consider a smaller tractor type riding mower. These are great at getting in tight places and getting the job done. On the other hand you can’t beat a zeroturn mower. When I upgraded from my original tractor to the zeroturn it cut my time per yard in half. When you are cutting 15 yards a day this can be a very large advantage.
Which Weedeater to Buy
Just like I said before it really depends on the yards. For a long time I was able to get away with a cheap curved neck weedeater. So that’s all you need to get started. Then once you have some income you need to considering investing in a good higher end piece of equipment. If you go to your hardware store they will have a selection in the range of 2 or 3 hundred dollars…. And I know its hard the first tiem but that will be one of your favorite purchases in the end.
Blower, Broom, Or Backpack Blower
I started out with an electric blower and a broom. So you can get away with this as the cheapest option but you will waste a lot of time with it. In the end you will need to buy a backpack blower and if there is an option for $50 bucks to get a larger one grab it. The numbers may not seem like much but believe me a big backpack blower will help your cleanup time dramatically. Something about a yard that is cut and cleaned up after will really help you keep clients.
An Edger, is it Something you Need
For me the answer is yes and buy a good hand carry one like your weedeater. If you are just starting you can get away without it. Once you do buy one though you will have some clean lines on all of your yards. These clean lines will be one of the things that brings more work your way. I have friends that don’t understand why I use an edger and they are able to use the weedeater to make good lines as well. So for me this one comes down to preference. You can make it work either way but I love the edger. Another advantage you have is when you have two people cutting it allows one to edge while one weedeats around the house.
Conclusion
I have been able to do a few things because of starting a lawn mowing business. The first was I helped out some friends and family by taking away the burden of lawncare for a reasonable price. The next thing is I was able to move into a better place giving my kids hopefully a better life. This is tied directly to the income I made form lawn care. Lastly I was able to give my 18 year old a fully functional lawn care business when he turned 17. This allowed him to make a good amount of money per week, and not have to give up all of his time working in a local establishment. At the time I wrote this post I am a week past the day I watched my 18 year old sign to buy his brand new truck with all of the perks. He did it with his own name and credit we established and he is paying for it with the business. All in all starting a lawn mowing business has really changed my life.
So if you have questions on if starting a lawn mowing business is worth it or hard the answer is get started. As long as you are ready and able to work this is a good side hustle or fulltime business. The price to start is reasonably low and the number of clients out there is infinite. I have made over 30k per year just doing this on the weekends. So what are you waiting for get started!
