Starting a "Side Hustle" Lawn Business

Considering it?

In today's over inflated market, we are all scrambling to make an extra buck wherever we can. Now, personally, I've thought about almost every side business just short of selling body fluids for cash. On second thought...my first real side business WAS a lawn business. 

I was given a trailer by my mother...it was a 5x8, I believe. I scrounged up enough money to buy a used 36" LESCO (yes, i said it) from Craigslist (and yes, I said that too) and armed myself with a big box, homeowner special weed whacker. I was ready to take on any and all lawns that were willing to give me money. Man, those days were tough. I believe I called it quits after about 2 months and 2 steady clients after being burnt out from servicing two properties where one was cut weekly (on the other side of town) and the other being after 3-4 weeks of not being cut in July/August in the central Florida market.  I knew I needed to make more money but I was spending the $20 per cut before it even settled in my pant's pocket on fuel and a stop through a local drive-thru place.

When the side hustle became too much, I applied at the local Target store where I would make ~$8.25 per hour usually from 5pm to 11:30pm or later. It was long hours or gathering shopping carts, checking guests out with the cash register or straightening shelves well into the wee hours f the morning. Man... those were the days. NOT. 

Back to  my point, I did hourly jobs. I look on more responsibilities add my day job to earn additional stipends. I asked friends and family if they needed help. Well, somewhere along the way, I made it in life without a true "side hustle". So, why is a side hustle so important now? Let's fast for to about a year ago. 

Too much time...

I have a successful career that affords me a comfortable living. I mean, I could save and go on a family trip once per year, host a nice Christmas, and play video games on most days. The problem with this is the fear of missing out; FOMO. 

I don't just want to do average...or the bare minimum. I wanted to take 3-4 trips, pursue my passion for real estate, and provide my family with the experiences that I never had as a kid. Bottom line, I had too much time on my hands and not enough dreams fulfilled. So, I needed to find a way to earn more income. 

My day job is a nice government job that provides sick leave, insurance (high priced), and a steady paycheck. I couldn't give it up. So, what did I do?

Plan with the end in mind

Old, wide wisdom there. Let's quickly flash back to 4 years ago.  As a homeowner, I was in the market for a lawn mower. I was a professional at perusing the Facebook market ads for items of interest and a shiny, "new to me" mower was no exception. So, I searched. And, I searched. To no avail, I was not successful. So, I thought, "Well, Doug, you work hard. You deserve a nice, BRAND NEW mower to ride on like a chariot in Ancient Greece during Circus Maximus! HELL YEAH!". So, off I went to the local big box stores to find my trusty chariot! 

$2300!? For a residential mower!? With a paper-thin, stamped metal deck!?  with tiny tires!? with a 17HP engine!? with a ~36" inch deck!? This was definitely NOT MY chariot for Circus Maximus. What was a lawn warrior like myself going to do!? BACK TO FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE. 

Ok, so I'm being a little dramatic about the brand new residential mower. I couldn't get over the cost vs. the quality of product. I had limited experience with buying lawn mowers but I knew this was a scam for homeowners. My brain quickly focused on a good quality, used commercial mower. A rider in fact! 

I was able to land a 2014 Exmark Pioneer S-Series 44 inch rider with ~800 hours on it for $2400. Now, at the time, I don't know if I got a good deal or the seller found a sucker. And in hindsight, I can't tell if it was a deal for him or me still. What I can tell you is that the mower is now my back-up mower and I cannot thank it enough for the years of service it provided to my own lawn and now to the year of service for my company/side hustle.

I had the luxury of time on my hands. I bought a used commercial mower years ago and always thought that If I started my business back up, I would have a trusty lawn steed to support me! Whether you have the time or not, I'd suggest planning with the end in mind. If you aren't sure about your side hustle, still take passive aggressive steps towards bringing it to life. 

Geared and ready to go, now what? **SPOILER ALERT**

I had all of the basic equipment: a commercial mower and a broken down residential trimmer that worked when it wanted to, the same old trailer from 12 years ago and no clients. 

While this may seem like a dire situation, I'll argue that I was just getting started. For real. Nothing had really changed from so many years ago except a different mower and a winner's mindset this time around. 

I wanted to get out there and MOW! However, I needed some help first.There were several items that I wanted to purchase for the business and I knew a fresher course was needed to help me a long. So, as I gathered items and time passed, I continued to scroll through Facebook waiting for something. An opportunity. A hint. Something. 

My long time friend, Terry, posted that he was looking for a summer helper and even willing to mentor the person to start their own business. Terry has run his own lawn care business since… Well, I don't really know but I know he took over his Dad’s lawn business when he started driving at 16 and can recall stories of him going with his father around the age of 8; he’s now 41. With over 50 clients and decades of experience, Terry knows the business in and out. Without hesitation, I commented on his post that I was willing and ready!

Learn from the Professionals

I spent one season with my friend, Terry, and his list of clients. What I can tell you is that if you’d like to test yourself, go out and start in a lawn care business during the month of July in Florida. You will find out very quickly if this is the business for you or not. 

With that said, here is a list of things learned in no particular order:

• You find out if this side hustle is a good fit for you or not.

• What equipment to buy and not to buy (you don’t need every gadget to start a business)

  • As Terry (and his father) would say: “Does it cut grass?”

• Look-fors on a property

• Bidding

• Customer Service

• Maintenance Schedules

• Growing Pains

• Loss of customers

The list goes on and on! The season (or part of) I spent with Terry was invaluable to me. Of course, time will determine if you can go this route or not. If time is not on your side, I’d suggest hanging out at the local gas station around 7 AM and strike up a conversation with one of those owners. Now, please do not misunderstand… TIME IS MONEY in this business. So, make it worth their while to spend a few minutes you by:

• Offering a free cup of coffee

• A free donut

• A crisp $20 bill (don’t expect this to last 45 minutes as you figure it’s part of their hourly wage). 

• A popsicle

I think you get the point. I’d go as far as volunteering my labor for free just to ride along with a crew for a day of a few hours. The information you gain during this time is far more valuable than the items you give up for their time. If you’re serious about being an owner/operator, you must network and you must be willing to grow (outside the box at times). 

By the end of the season (Octoberish), I had worked for Terry long enough to save up enough money for a commercial grade trimmer and a new lawn trailer (used 6x12 off of Facebook MarketPlace). I sold the old trailer for $350 and a few other small items to help in my future investment. 

Look around the house and sell that stuff. It’s just sitting there. Come on…do it! It’s another intentional (or passive aggressive) business move to move the dial closer to accomplishing your business goals. 

Pick a Name, Make a Plan, Execute!

As we moved into the months of November and beyond, I came up with a company name; Turning Blades. It’s something that I always said when someone asked me what I was up to or what I would be doing later. I wanted a name that could be branded and expanded on as needed.

I registered by business name with the state and started insurance…with no customers. I didn’t make business cards nor go knock door to door. I didn’t advertise to friends and family (directly). All I did was post on Facebook groups and post. 

The amount of people looking for lawn services is crazy! And, usually, it’s all by word of mouth (or comment/tag) in this case. I was active in groups by adding value to conversations. A person would list a “does any know…” question related to lawn care and I would respond. 

I made a quick Google Sheet to list out my monetary goals such as:

Number of Customers x Average Price = Total $

Even after all of my planning and execution, I still was not sure if this was going to be a good deal for me or not. I had an idea of how much to charge and how many properties I could run as a side hustle. Originally, I thought I would run 20-30 lawns and swim in cash during the growing season. 

Upon reflection, these were hefty goals to attain as this was my side hustle, I’d have zero route density (HUGE for making $$$), I’d not been an owner/operator for real, and so much more goes into the business other than cutting grass. 

Current Number of Accounts: 17-20 accounts depending on some who travel and want services while they are away. I mean, it is Florida after all. 

Where to now…

Going into a new season means three things for me: route density, average price per lawn, and services offered. I’m looking to keep my numbers between 20-25 while targeting neighbors of current clients to thicken things up a bit on the route planner. 

I’ll be analyzing my cut time data vs. how much I’m being paid to complete the job. I’ll use this information to make schedule adjustments to meet the metrics if set for the company. 

Finally, adding services… With a denser schedule, I’m hoping to free up some time. Right now, it takes 2-3 days to cut all of my accounts and I'm looking to stay the same or reduce the amount of hours in the field. With the additional time, I’ll be looking to add soft and hard scaping to my company profile and target new clients with this. 

Final Thoughts

Yes, you need to start your side hustle in lawn care! Yes, you need to learn from others whether it’s working for someone else for a bit of time or through networking (and being respectful of other people’s time. You can sell some items lying around the house to help make things move along faster. Yes, you need to plan with an end in mind! 

Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out: info@turningblades.com

-Doug G.