Best Ideas to Promote a Lawn Mowing Biz??

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Hey my sis-in-law and her hubby are trying to get their lawn-care biz moving...but apparently this state is STUPID with their required fees, licenses, bonds...blah blah blah! I can't believe what WA is asking.

Apparently you can mow lawns...but if you weed a flower bed, you have to have another license. then if you trim a bush in the flower beds, you have to have another license. Then if you do anything else, you have to have yet another license. It's just ridiculous...

So anyway, to make the $500 that the state wants for just ONE license (Oh, and WA will take the first 30% of their income right off the top before expenses or anything...no right-offs ), they are going to just mow lawns for awhile, as the only thing you can do legally in WA without a license or bond or some crap is mow lawns or clean a house.

She has printed out their cell number and a tiny lil' strip of paper that says to call them for mowing...I told her to have the kiddos go put those on all of our neighbor's doors (can't post on mailbox posts w/o permission from the homeowners association). And of course word of mouth, I'll try to spread the word...

Here's the BIG problem; it needs to be pretty local, because the price of GAS for their SUV with the mowers is going to be ridiculous and for a $10 fee to mow lawns...unless they get a big group of them, they won't make enough to cover their gas for the truck/mowers.

Our Homeowner's Assoc. doesn't have a flyer or anything...and I guess they took out a small ad in the local classifieds and are getting some calls, but they are the next town over. A single lawn for $10 a town over. Yeah, no.

Ideas please? I/we would really appreciate it! It's expensive to feed us all!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[JohnRich 4]

The common method here in Houston is to have someone walk around the neighborhoods leaving business cards on doors. I'll bet I get three or four per week for lawn mowing, tree trimming, you name it. I don't know how successful this technique is, but that's what is done.

$10 per lawn sounds too cheap to me.

[jellob 0]

I agree that $10 sounds like too little.

Also, if you go the route of the business cards, there are a bunch of websites where you can get them for just shipping and handling. Or, you can buy the templates at office supply places (but I would think the cost of the ink would really add up).

What about posting a flyer at your local grocery story with the little rip-off phone number tags? Or ask other local stores if you can hang flyers or leave business cards in their windows or on their counters?

[SkydiveStMarys 0]

There is also the car magnet route. Local print shop should be able to make one up for you for next to nothing and they can slap it on the side/back of their car. They ride around and there ya go, free advertising.....


Bobbi

A miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude.

[jsaxton 0]

porn site?

[Jewels 0]

Same here--door to door stuff seems to prevail. I've used people for lawn mowing based on a flyer before and probably would again, especially if the price is right. $10, however, DOES sound too cheap. I'd expect it to cost at least $25 and would still consider that a good deal.

What about grocery store bulletin boards? Maybe even somewhere like Home Depot, where they also have bulletin boards.

TPM Sister #102

[turtlespeed 220]

Quote

There is also the car magnet route. Local print shop should be able to make one up for you for next to nothing and they can slap it on the side/back of their car. They ride around and there ya go, free advertising.....


Bobbi

Next to nothing = 85+ tax here.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[shropshire 0]

Could he advertise in local supermarkest or better yet Garden Centres?

Maybe approach local companies to tend their lawns.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[JohnMitchell 16]

How can the state take 30% of the gross? We have a home business and have to collect 8+% sales tax, but 30%???

[BerryBoy 0]

I also pay $25 a cut...until I found out today that my lawn guy lost his business in my area and has to drop me because of gas prices. Now I have to find another service...

[turtlespeed 220]

Advertise for topless or bikini mowing.

The wives could watch the husband and the husbands can watch the wife.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[millertime24 8]

Is there a chance that they are hispanic?JK

Muff #5048

[Beerlight 0]

Houston, TX. What John said. They come by regular w/ flyers.

So far the going rate for my neighborhood on mowing, edge and bagging it is $30ish per yard.

Good luck to them!!

[skymama 37]

They definitely need to charge more. People will pay more (I wouldn't, because I have a teenage son!), but I think they could get away with $25/lawn. If there's a lot of competition, have them charge $20, people love to get a bargain.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Depending on what kind of equipment they have they should be making $40 hr minimum. I charge between $40-$60 depending on the lawn. When you own a business you are providing a service. They should not work for an hourly wage. At $10 a lawn they will have lots of calls.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Quote

The common method here in Houston is to have someone walk around the neighborhoods leaving business cards on doors. I'll bet I get three or four per week for lawn mowing, tree trimming, you name it. I don't know how successful this technique is, but that's what is done.

$10 per lawn sounds too cheap to me.

Yep we're putting flyers on doors in our neighborhood.

And apparently I misquoted -it wasn't $10 per lawn, they were talking about $10 in gas to GET to the place to mow a lawn. Oopsy-doodles...

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[chaospilot 6]

They should get a magnetic sign on their SUV and evening or nice days, drive around a little bit looking for people mowing their lawns. Stop, give them a Business Card and move on. If someone offered to mow my lawn for $10, while I was sweating in the hot sun, I could definetly cough up the $10.

Bryan Cavage, D-19100
AFF I, Tandem I, Vidiot
http://www.dropzonesolutions.com
-Social Media Consultant and Skydiving Gear Guru

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Quote

I agree that $10 sounds like too little.

Also, if you go the route of the business cards, there are a bunch of websites where you can get them for just shipping and handling. Or, you can buy the templates at office supply places (but I would think the cost of the ink would really add up).

What about posting a flyer at your local grocery story with the little rip-off phone number tags? Or ask other local stores if you can hang flyers or leave business cards in their windows or on their counters?

Great ideas! We'll look into those, thank you!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[NWFlyer 2]

6 years ago I was paying $60 or $65 for my lawn in Seattle - that assumed mowing plus whatever else he could get done in an hour and a half (some amount of trimming/weeding each week, assumed that he wouldn't get all of it done on any single visit). When I found this guy, it took me quite a while to find a lawn service that had any capacity at all. This guy was just starting up his business, so he honored those rates throughout the time I was his customer; I know he was charging other people more by the time I moved in 2002. In other words, I know that the going rates in this market are well, well, well more than $10/lawn.

I'm really hoping that we've all misinterpreted Jaye's post in some way. Hell, I think my brother was charging $20/lawn back in the 1980s.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Quote

There is also the car magnet route. Local print shop should be able to make one up for you for next to nothing and they can slap it on the side/back of their car. They ride around and there ya go, free advertising.....


Bobbi

Absolutely; I can't believe I didn't think of that! Crikeys I just bought one for myself for our biz...they can buy a couple and we'll tag their SUV and ours both. Double exposure.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Quote

Could he advertise in local supermarkest or better yet Garden Centres?

Maybe approach local companies to tend their lawns.

Garden Centers!! Great idea! I bet they have a message board like grocery stores do!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Quote

How can the state take 30% of the gross? We have a home business and have to collect 8+% sales tax, but 30%???

It's the business type. I don't know why it's so outrageous...

See they would do total lawn/graden care including fencing maintenance, but ALL of those different licenses I mentioned are too much to do for them up front. They need to just mow for now until they make enough to be able to afford the rest of their licenses.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Quote

I'm really hoping that we've all misinterpreted Jaye's post in some way. Hell, I think my brother was charging $20/lawn back in the 1980s.

I misunderstood. It was $10 in gas to get there...that's what my sis-in-law was talking about.

I'm a dumb-dumb sometimes.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[LongWayToFall 0]

Easy way to cut down on gas: For areas that are farther away from your location, just advertise a bunch in a population dense neighborhood and tell them "we are coming to your area on monday" or whatever. That way you can hit a few houses without having to come back to home base. Also, hiring illegals seems to work great for the gardeners in my area.

[JohnMitchell 16]

Hey Jaye,

As I was mowing the lawn today I pondered your question. How about going door-to-door in the evening in the neighborhoods they would like to work in, offering a $10 introductory lawn mowing. The regular price should still be $25+, even for the smaller lawns in your (our old) neighborhood.