How to start a lawn care business

Starting a lawn care business

Lawn care is always in high demand. Whether you’re a gardener or landscaper, offering a broad range lawn care services can be extremely lucrative.

There’s lots to consider when planning to start a lawn care business.

• Finances
• Marketing
• Tools
• Equipment

As a lawn care business owner, you will need to plan ahead, as you’ll be your own boss. This means that you can:

• Set your own working hours
• Choose your clients
• Focus on a specialism
• Hire your own employees
• Decide what areas you want to target

Firstly, however, you’ll need to ensure that your lawn care business is all above board and legally registered.

How do I start a lawn care business?

The first thing to do when starting a lawn care business is to register your company with HMRC. Doing so will ensure that your business is compliant with UK law.

As part of this process, you’ll also need to choose the business structure for your new lawn care venture. Will you be:

• Sole trader
• Limited liability partnership (LLP)
• Limited company

Have a read of our guide on the difference between sole trader and limited companies for more detailed information.

Insurance for your lawn care business

Insurance is good for any business. It provides cover for you and your customers and reduces your risks in the event of an accident, theft, or damage to property.

Some of the most popular types of business insurance are:

• Public liability insurance – covers claims made against you by members of the public
• Professional indemnity insurance – protects against customer claims for damage to property and problems with work
• Tools insurance – replacement costs of equipment through loss or theft caused by theft, fire, or flooding

Once your lawn care business is set up and insured, you can start thinking about what you’ll need to carry out professional lawn care services.

What do I need to start a lawn care business?

If you’re planning to start a lawn care business, you’ll probably already have a good idea of what’s involved and what equipment you’ll need.

Some essential lawn care tools and materials include:

• Good quality mower (petrol or electric)
• Strimmer/edger (petrol or electric)
• Sprayer (for applying lawn treatments)
• PPE – boots, overalls, waterproofs, gloves etc.
• Leaf blower
• Rake, spade, pruners, brush

This should be plenty of equipment to get you started. As your lawn care business grows, you may want to purchase new equipment to provide better lawn care services to your customers.

Your lawn care business is now set up and ready to go. All you need now are some customers who want to pay for your services.

Building a lawn care business website

Having a business website is essential. All your customers will use the internet.

From doing product research to finding out about opening hours and location, your lawn care website should contain all the information your customers need.

With a bit of knowledge, however, you’ll soon have a stylish and user-friendly website to promote your lawn care company.

Whether you decide to build it yourself or hire a web designer, the more you know about the process, the higher chances of success.

What should you include in your lawn care business website?

Your lawn care business website should be clear and user-friendly. It should contain all the essential information that your customers want to know.

This could include:

• Your business name and logo
• Your address and contact details
• Information about the gardening services you provide
• The areas you serve
• Any positive customer testimonials
• Photos of your previous work (before and after shots)

Once your website is set up and live, it’s time to do some marketing to help you to win more customers for your lawn care business.

Marketing ideas for your lawn care business

Marketing your lawn care can involve both traditional and digital marketing.

If you use digital and traditional marketing, you’re likely to have more business success.

Traditional marketing for your lawn care business

Marketing involves any business promotion and advertising that is not done on the internet. It can include:

• Sending brochures and leaflets by mail
• Creating signs and logos for your vans and workwear
• Using your brand to sponsor local events
• Advertising in local magazines and newspapers
• Posting your services on community bulletin boards
• Using word of mouth to grow your customer base

Traditional marketing is a great way to promote your lawn care business and build your brand.

Online marketing for your lawn care business

Digital marketing includes all the work you do online to promote your business.

This could include:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising
• Social media
• E-mail marketing

It’s important to remember that your online identity should be consistent. Anything you post on social media, for example, should be carefully aligned with the information on your website.

Want to find out more about marketing your lawn care business? Join Checkatrade today!

Become a Checkatrade approved lawn care specialist

Perhaps the most important part of starting a lawn care business is joining an online trade database.

Becoming a Checkatrade member is a great way to grow your lawn care business and build customer trust.

When you join with a fixed term membership from Checkatrade, you can expect to receive leads each week. This equates to more business and more profit for your lawn care business.

Benefits of a membership include:

• Different tiers based on the volume of work you need
• Dedicated membership advice team
• Unique profile to show off reviews and photos
• We’ll guarantee jobs booked through us (T&Cs apply)
• Access to our member’s app – providing job management, profile management and quoting/invoicing tool
• Exclusive offers and discounts

This includes making savings on equipment, van leasing, insurance, workwear, and much more. If you’re already on board, log in to the Member’s Area now to check the latest offers!

Sign up today and start maximising your lawn care business’ true potential!