starting a new business from scratch (mowing)

[cruisindub]

At 38 and my job is not secure.

I don't have a trade, or any educational qualifications.

I'm now on casual. Supposed to work yesterday, cancelled. Tonight, cancelled. Booked for tomorrow, confirm lunchtime tomorrow for an afternoon shift.

I've always worked for someone, a company.

I'm thinking about starting a mowing business. I could then still work part time/casual for my current work/employer. That irregular income will help while trying to build up a business.

There's a few mower guys on here. I'd really appreciate some serious help and support. I'd really like to have some pointers and guidance.

I figure initial set up to be:
Self propelled walk behind mower.
Edge trimmer/whipper snipper.
brush cutter.
Hedge trimmer.
blower/garden vac.
Enclosed trailer.

I honestly dont know how to start a business. I honestly dont know how to price competitively.
A lot or research and  learning to do.

Better now before I get too old.

Any advice.

[elkay]

We looked at buying franchise like Jims mowing and the fees were very high.  We ended up buying a very small (1 day a week) mowing round that was advertised in the Trading Post.  We went out for the day with the owner of the round to see all the customers and see if the work suited us. We bought it. It cost $2000 for the round.

The round just grew and grew of its own accord - word of mouth or someone seeing us in their street would come up and ask for a quote.

Those items you have listed would be a minimum and self propelled would ease the load.  We never did have one but we did have Honda that never stopped.

Remember it is hard physical work especially in the summer and the customers can be very particular about how they want things done.

Good luck with your decision.

[Mallory Black]

go for it. One of the cheapest businesses you can start up and make money right off the bat
buy good brands eg Honda mower Stihl etc
Study up on your gardening


I think the only hazard is disturbing the odd wasp nest. maybe spiders too but wasps are the worst

[speewa158]

Well Done become a Mower man , make straight lines , clean lawns ,do what you say you will do & be reliable . When you start it will be all fingers & thumbs set your self a routine that makes it all 1 step anther the other . Beat the Feet .
lf you need a clue contact me  . Your going to like this 

[Brumbypt]

I would say start off small, save money where u can, use a broom for example instead of buying a blower, unless you have one.

also do rubbish removals, ya check ya prices at the local tip as theya re very expensive now days.
I did skip bins using a tipping trailer and skips I made myself, I had 6 bins, yes I had to be careful as to not over load the bins, so I had to tell everyone no more than a TON.
but that trailer cost me 10g to setup, but I could then use my 4wd to tow it. Business ran ok, but then the tip fees went from $35 to now over $100 so I stopped and got out before trouble started.

You will need an ABN, and business name, you can get them online easily.

you can then claim all your 4wd expenses on your business, but be careful.
go see an accountant and get advice.

a tandem trailer is the go, unless you have a strong offroad trailer that you can use for a few years.

keep it small and dont get a big loan to buy mowers etc, unless you can pay the payments with the job you already have.


I too am thinking about starting a mowing business up here, but I think there already are heaps of ppl doing it.


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[Rumpig]

I think the only hazard is disturbing the odd wasp nest. maybe spiders too but wasps are the worst

Snakes...don't forget the snakes. if he does rubbish removals there'll definately be snakes also, they love the piles of old grass clippings people pile up beside their sheds. i used to work mowing lawns 20 years ago, we'd get plenty of them in those grass piles.

[speewa158]

When l started Mowing the local paper had 75 ads for Mowing . .Big Deal ,Get out there & Beat the feet . So whats the worst that can happen . You get a bunch of cool gear to do the lawns at home .
Get a name on a card & give it to every property manager in ever real estate office within a 10 km range of home . Put them in letter boxes of scruffy lawns . when you get a regular gig card 10 houses on both sides of the road . That will lead to more .
As this is your business you don't have to waste money buying a franchise but do have a look around for ( in Vic ) Lawn Mower Contractors Asoation . Independent operators groups .
l have done this twice set up a business & got Mowing  . There is $ to be made if you want it 

[fishfinder]

by lambs hire them out on a daily rate then eat them - 

[Brumbypt]

by lambs hire them out on a daily rate then eat them - 

or if the want their plants pruned as well goats, they will prune and eat the grass


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[Bunyip]

I have a good mate who used to be a mower man/pool man/etc...

He said it was great Spring and Summer but things really dies off the rest of the year. You also have to take into account days off due to weather etc... He gave it up because he worked like a dog during the warmer months to try to save enough for the cooler months.

I am not sure how much of a business man he was, perhaps he could have done it better. This was also in Sydney, if you are north of there things might be different.

Bunyip

[speewa158]

The trick to it all is to be into everything , Hi pressure water cleaning , gutter cleaning pruning , irrigation systems . The possibilities are only limited by your mind . lf your in the door to mow the lawn 1 of the biggest parts of a garden what else can you suggest to do . That might not happen straight away but it seeds their mind for the future . l you run out of work its because you have stoped thinking , so Beat the feet it out there .
Getting paid to walk around & around in in circles in  somebody elses back yard    .
Best Scam out ,,,,, you turn up do the edges , Mow the lawn ,then blow the pathway . Extend the hand , its filled with $$ then you shoot through ,in 2 weeks you do it all again  . Been doing this for years nobodys twigged to it yet   

[McGirr]

First thing is knowing your competition.  What they charge and what they offer. Chat to body corp agencies to get contracts.

Keep your overheads down.

Do a business plan.

What income do you expect to achieve.

All the best for the venture.

Mark

[Stozz]

Go and see your local Small Business Centre - it is free for start up advice.

[Draggin]

Public Liability insurance is VERY expensive but you really should cover yourself. Mowers and edgers/brushcutters love flicking stones through windows. Who pays ? You do - What happens if that stone that might break a window actually hits a kid or pedestrian or neighbour? You pay through the nose!

All the other advice works too, ask for work, let your customers know what else you can do.

ALWAYS be reliable or contact your clients if you have to change your routine. Keep your clients informed.

Have a go !

Enjoy

[Swannie]

 As a few have already said , firstly create a business plan and cost the startup this will determine you "payback period"  ( how long in months t will take to exceed the startup costs). This will determine if its worth a shot. You also need to work out what your ROS ( return on investment) per month will be it will show if it has the potential to be profitable.

Send me a pm if you want to chat further.
Swannie

[nbd73]

I reckon an earlier reply was spot on: once you have some jobs, show up when you say you will/are booked, call if you cannot and reschedule, be polite, just simple stuff that SOOOO many tradesmen etc fail badly with. You don't have to be cheap, on the contrary be prepared to bust your rear end and you may well find a higher price wil win u jobs(this statement is null when applied to councils or governments, who ALWAYS opt for the cheapest quote> its why Qld got stuck with a bungled health pay system and a water desalination plant that does not work,oops off topic) but generally speaking if you impress you will get word of mouth referrals and they are pure gold from my point of view. JC is sure to have some tips, or if nothing else some comical relief to add..

[Bird]

We looked at buying franchise like Jims mowing and the fees were very high.\

Mate had a Jims Fencing.. all the blokes that "taught" him suckered him in big time... He being a young bloke, he could work 3 days a week like the dudes that had been doing it 15 years.

he ended up pulling the pin - the clause he didn't read was if you don't sell it within 3 mths I think it was - you hand back the franchise for NO MONEY! All the time while your paying fees still....

[speewa158]

Look at franchise /fees . Put that $$ into your start up costing , you will be so far ahead at the end of 12 months 
As an independent you , yes , YOU make the decisions as to who  you will work for . The bad payers slowly drift off to another bunny . Always go in smiling & depart the same way . 

[KeithB]

Hi Cruisinclub.
I've been in business ( a different one from yours) for 35 years and here are a some other things that you might like to think about - in no particular order of importance.

State Governments and other places might have small business courses. That could be a good start.
Keep accurate spreadsheet records of every dollar in and out of the business and find out if you are going to have to charge GST.
Remember to keep your business money separate from your private money.
Pay yourself a proper wage as soon as you can and invest some of the rest into the business. Keep some rainy day money.
Put money away for tax as you go. Tax bills, particularly provisional tax, can send a lot of businesses  broke.
Allow for labour overheads - injury insurance for yourself. superannuation, holiday and sick pay.
Budget for some kind of  advertising - like letterbox drops, local rag and so on.
Ask for referrals as in asking customers: "Do you have any friends who might like my work?" Do something nice for old customers who send you new customers.
Canvass the neighbours of existing customers.
Hire staff only as a last resort.
Decide whether you are going to need to accept credit cards.
Have a contingency plan in the event of a protracted dry spell - like offering other services - as has been suggested earlier.
Present yourself well - always be personable and in a clean uniform with clean equipment and a clean vehicle. 
Put your business name and logo on your uniform and your vehicle and trailer and have plenty of business cards
Find a way to handle all incoming calls as they come in - remember that, for a business like yours, the telephone is your shop window. If prospective customers can't find you straight away, they'll go to the next bloke in the queue.
Make sure you have a decent accountant. That does not mean an expensive one.
Being self employed can be lonely. Find an old head who you can talk over business problems with.
Don't go out trying to be the cheapest. Offer the best total value - service, reliability, ease of dealing with, quality work and so on.
Be prepared to work your tits off.

Good Luck!
Keith

[cruisindub]

Wow.
I really can't write to express the feeling of how great it feels to have so much great advice and offers of help.
Some really great help and information, the support and encouragement, and offers to talk me through any queries or questions I have.
It's quite humbling really.

The time taken to reply on the forum, rather in depth replies, and sharing your knowledge and experience.

Thankyou.

[muzza01]

Always buy quality reliable machines. Honda is good. You can't afford the down time while the machine is getting repaired.

[Brumbypt]

KeithB, that is great advice not just for a new business but everyone in a small business..

thankyou..


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[kylarama]

My brother in law did this about 6 years ago after want a change from track riding race horses.  Started working for a landscaper and noticed how many clients asked for their lawns mowed.  Landscaper wasn't interested in doing it and eventually my bil started offering to do it.  Within months he had a small customer base thanks to the landscapers clients, friends and words of mouth, all while using an old Victa 2 stroke that I fixed up for him a few years before and a $99 Talon whipper snipper from Bunnings.

Started working part time for the landscaper and then got serious and invested heavily in some quality gear, Honda, Shindaiwa, Sthil.
12 Months later found a local mowing business for sale with about 60-70 clients.  Bloke was retiring, so they struck a deal and now his business is booming! 

One thing he has learnt when starting out is never say no.  Be prepared to do any job, clean the gutters, wash the windows, clean the BBQ, because 80% of his new clients come via referrals.

Good luck!

[toeball]

Becoming mates with the local landscapers could be a plan, word of mouth is the best form of advertising, but the landscapers could feed you new customers particularly if you feed them a few beers!!

[speewa158]

Can you come & Mow my lawn as lm over it by the time l get home , Anyway l want to see the house again