How to start a lawn mowing business

So, how do you start a lawn mowing business? Whether you’ve worked as a landscaper or gardener before, you’re likely to be aware of how fast grass grows.

That means homeowners regularly need to cut the grass to keep their gardens looking their best. And that’s especially true during spring and summer.

Therefore, if you start a lawn mowing business in the UK, it can be incredibly rewarding. So, let’s look at how you do it…

Is lawn mowing a good business to start?

While employment can offer a safety net to tradespeople with grass cutting skills, branching out on your own means you benefit from the hard work you put in.

Lawn mowing is generally considered to be a good business opportunity in the UK for several reasons:

• There’s a high demand for lawn mowing services – in 2024, we had over 29,000 searches for lawn care and lawn mowing jobs on the Checkatrade website*
• Spring and summer bring a boost in demand for lawn mowing
• It’s relatively easy to scale a lawn mowing business as it grows
• There’s a lot of potential for repeat business with local customers

That said, you should also consider the challenges, such as seasonality, weather dependency, competition, physical demand, and local regulations.

As with any new business, do your homework and create a thorough business plan before you start.

Creating a plan for your lawn mowing business

Before any new business is launched, there should be a business plan in place.

A business plan will:

• Outline your goals
• Plot how you plan to achieve them
• Help you remain focused on your business activity
• Allow you to make informed decisions
• Support applications for financing

When setting out a business plan, it is important to include detailed financial information. Even for a hands-on profession such as grass cutting.

For example, how do you plan to cover your start-up costs?

If you don’t have enough savings set aside for setting up, you could consider a business loan. But make sure you understand the interest charges and that you can afford the repayments.

We have put together a guide for tradespeople on how to write a business plan. You can even use our free business plan template below:

Are there qualifications or training for lawn mowing?

You don’t need any formal qualifications to become a grass cutter. But there are training courses that can be considered to bolster your skills

However, if you want to start a grass cutting business, you can choose to bolster your skills with formal qualifications.

There are a variety of college courses you can undertake as a grass cutter, landscaper or gardener including:

• NPORS 604 Grass Cutter & Lawn Mower training
• Lawn mowing and turf care ACS certificate
• Grounds maintenance courses
• Level 1 Diploma in Skills for Working in Horticulture Industries
• Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Brush-cutters and Trimmers
• Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture
• Level 3 Certificate or Diploma in Horticulture

You may also wish to enhance your horticultural knowledge through a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) course.

Other useful skills and attributes

If you’ve already been cutting grass for a living, you may already have excellent knowledge in your field of work.

However, to set up and run your own trade business it’s important to have a variety of attributes, including:

• Horticultural and landscaping knowledge
• Ground working skills
• Knowledge about different grass types
• Attention to detail
• Ability to be highly organised
• Interpersonal skills and great customer service
• Conviction in your decisions
• Team management skills (if you choose to grow)
• Enthusiasm and creativity to find solutions

Something else to consider as an attribute is whether or not you’re someone who suffers from hay fever.

If being outside and working with pollen could be a problem then running your own grass cutting business is possibly not the best avenue to explore.

The step-by-step guide for starting a grass cutting business

Grass cutting is a good business throughout the year, and can prove to be lucrative if done well. Setting up therefore requires a great deal of thought and organisation.

Below we’ve included a few of the key steps to take when you’re setting out on your own:

Step 1: Register your new business

One of the earliest steps will be to decide on a name for your lawn mowing business.

Having a business name means you can register your business with HMRC and get familiar with your tax liabilities and national insurance contributions.

As well as a name, you’ll also need to think about a company structure – will you be a sole trader, work as part of an LLP, or form a limited company?

You’ll need to weigh up the different regulations and taxes that apply to each, to work out which best suits your circumstances.

Step 2: Get business insurance for lawn mowing

Sourcing business insurance for lawn mowing is an important step. You don’t want to be caught out in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

It’s a good idea to consider insurance for:

• Your work vehicle
• Tools and equipment
• Any stock you wish to cover (such as seed, replacement rotor blades, motor oil, etc)
• Professional indemnity insurance to help provide cover in claims of alleged negligence
• Public liability insurance (PLI) can help cover you with customers, members of the public, and third-party property
• Employers’ liability insurance is also needed if you employ others

All Checkatrade members are required to have PLI to become a member.

That’s why we’ve partnered up with Superscript to offer our members 20% off PLI. Log in to our Member’s Area to see the latest deals!

Step 3: Sort your finances

Managing your cash flow, understanding your tax liabilities, and keeping your books in good order is crucial for success.

But before you get going with everyday running, you’ll need to think about how you will finance your new business.

• Personal savings
• Loan from friends or family
• Partnership
• Business loan

Once started, you’ll need to be aware that poor cash flow management can be one of the key reasons that new trade businesses fail. Don’t be tempted to hide from it!

Keeping a good eye on your income and expenditure will help your grass cutting business maintain a firm footing for years to come.

Step 4: Sourcing tools and equipment

As a tradesperson operating in a hands-on profession like grass cutting, you’ll know that the right tools of the best quality will make your job easier.

Here’s an outline of some of the tools you’ll need:

• Power tools including strimmer, lawn mower, and ride-on mower (for larger jobs)
• Finishing tools including a lawn edger, hedge trimmer, and leaf blower
• Basic equipment such as protective safety gear, a wheelbarrow, rakes, brushes ladders, and buckets
• A selection of spares – such as cutting blades, oil, and garden waste bags

As a Checkatrade member, you could get more for less. Sign up today, pass our checks, and you could benefit from our exclusive partnerships with suppliers such as Tradepoint, Wickes and Selco.

Boost your business marketing with Checkatrade

Investing in marketing will cost you time and money. As a result, you’ll need to decide on the most effective strategy for your business.

With our digital marketing strategy and online presence, becoming a Checkatrade member makes it easy for customers to find you.

Plus with over 29,000 job searches on our website in 2024 for lawn care and grass cutting jobs,* there is already interest in services like yours.

With Checkatrade:

• You get a unique business profile
• Your profile will help you be listed on Google
• You can display customer reviews
• You can highlight testimonials
• You can show off examples of your work and its transformative powers

You can also manage customer enquiries on the go, directly from the Checkatrade app, keeping everything in one handy place.

We’ll also help our members get exclusive discounts on business essentials. This includes workwear, tools, equipment, insurance, van leasing, fuel, and more.

Lawn mowing business ideas for growth

Want to expand on the grass cutting services you offer? Your lawn mowing business can also succeed by:

• Offering a variety of services
• Developing existing services
• Specialising in niche areas 

For example, you might offer a bespoke service for additional needs, such as sensory gardens for those with dementia.

Or perhaps you’re passionate about developing environmentally friendly services, using only sustainable products.

With so many different considerations to starting a grass cutting business in the UK, it is important to make a plan, sort your finances and get tooled up before you begin.

Setting out on any new business venture can be daunting, but if done well, you could benefit for years to come, in a rewarding career where have become your own boss.

FAQs

What are good names for a lawn mowing business?

When choosing a name for your lawn mowing business, consider making it:

• Clear and relevant, including words like lawn, grass, mowing, or gardens
• Locally appealing by referencing your local town, city or region’s name
• Memorable and catchy so that it’s easy for customers to remember
• Professional and trustworthy to show that you’re a reliable lawn mowing expert
• Short and simple and easy to pronounce

Some examples of strong lawn mowing business names include “The Lawn Experts of Leicester”, “The Great British Grass Cutters”, “Premier Lawn Services”

Top tip – Test the name with your friends, family and potential clients to see their reaction. And then check if a suitable domain is available for your new business name.

How much does it cost to start a lawn mowing business?

There’s no fixed cost of starting a lawn mowing business, but there are multiple costs that you need to factor in. They include:

• Equipment
• Vehicle and transport
• Insurance
• Marketing and advertising
• Licenses and permits (if needed)
• Business costs, admin, and accounting
• Ongoing supplies and maintenance
• Labour and payroll (if you plan on hiring a team)

One of the key parts of creating a business plan for your lawn mowing business is to research the above costs and create a budget for your business.

How much should I charge per hour for lawn mowing?

The best way to price your lawn mowing services is to see what other similar businesses are charging in your area.

As a rough guide, the average hourly costs for lawn mowing in the UK are:

• Residential lawn mowing – £30 per hour
• Commercial lawn mowing – £40 per hour

However, lawn mowing charges will vary from business to business and in different parts of the country.

What is another name for lawn care?

Lawn care is also often referred to as “garden maintenance”, “groundskeeping”, “grass cutting” and “lawn services” – among various other terms.

What is the best vehicle for a lawn mowing business?

Depending on the size of your lawn mowing business and the equipment you’ll be regularly transporting, you might want to consider one of the following vehicles:

• Cargo van
• Pickup truck
• Trailer
• Utility vehicle
• Minivan or MPV (multi-purpose vehicle)

Do your research on the capacity and features that you need. Then speak to local commercial vehicle suppliers for their professional advice and guidance.

* Internal search data for users of the Checkatrade.com website in 2024