Hi all

[Lawn and Leaf]

Hi all. Im in the process of setting up my lawn care company, called 'Lawn and Leaf', over in Great Britain. I will concentrate on mowing lawns and trimming hedges for my rich clients. Im here because i want to hear what the established people in the industry think of my ideas, logo's and so on. You can see a large selection of logo's i have had designed here; Another part of this forum Im also here because there is a lot of good info to be had here. Regards, Gareth Thompson, Lawn and Leaf.

__________________
Im setting up a Lawncare business -

So if you have a product you think i need, then please let me know, here and now!

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Hi Gareth, Welcome to our forum! What got you interested in starting your own business? Did you ever run a business before?

__________________
- Subscribe to my Lawn Care Marketing Blog Feed and get daily tips sent to you. Free!
Download your Free trial of Gopher Lawn Care Software.

[Lawn and Leaf]

Hi there.

Well, i am starting my own business because sooner or later i fall out with my employers - im just not the employee type. This didn't use to bother me but i have a kid now, 6 months old, so im going to make sure he is well taken care of - and that means steady employment, or in this case it means running my own business and making a roaring success of it.

Im really quite sure i can make a big success of this, the only problem being the falling economy (its starting to bite here, give it another year and people will be hurting a lot). But, when people start losing their jobs that only means there is a better selection of employees for me to choose from, so there is an opportunity to get the very best people.

In answer to your other question I have never run a business before, no. Ill keep alert though, and i think i will be fine.

[Steve]

Good for you!

How is the market in England for lawn care? Will you offer other services too as you are getting started? Maybe like handyman services?

[Lawn and Leaf]

Hi Steve.

I dont know how it is nationally, but in my area its red hot. I live in a particularly wealthy area near our capital, but far enough away that the gardens can be measured in the acres. Its the sweet spot, and there are a lot of gardeners round here, but only one that i would class as in the league im aiming for.

I will only advertise for lawn and leaf care - lawn trimming and hedge trimming. Other than that i will throw in a free gutter cleaning for people when they sign up for a year (There is an attachment for stihl blowers for it). It will only take me about 20 minutes but will look great in the leaflets.

Also im strongly considering giving them a whole months worth of lawn and leaf care if they sign up for a year. say 4 mows a month for 4 months, 2 mows a month for another four months and 1 mow a month for the other 4 months, thats an average of around 2.3 mows a month and it will be one trim of the hedge.

Now i will be putting this offer out in the next month or so so it will be high season, thats 4 mows a month. However the freebie is actually going to be 2 mows, because thats the closest round number to the mowing average throughout the year. But it will look great on leaflets, and it will also be true - everyone is happy. also the free month will be subtracted over 12 months so even if they quit after 1 month i have only lost 1/12th of the money i would have made had i charged them normal rate, not 100% as it would be if i subtracted the offer at the start of the contract.

What i really want is regular contracts for large gardens, and you have to give a little to gain - speculate to accumulate.

[Steve]

You got a lot of good ideas!

I'd love to see what your flyers look like when you are done with them!

Out of curiousity, what area of London are you in?

[Lawn and Leaf]

Im in north Essex - about 50 miles from central London, but on a commuter line.