Organic lawn care franchise

[Steve]

As we are seeing more discussions on the forum on the topic of organic lawn care, I would think this could open a new opportunity to create a viable and sustainable business model based on organic lawn fertilization. If one model could be shown to work then the concept could be repeated. It could then be packaged and sold.

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[swstout]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by Steve As we are seeing more discussions on the forum on the topic of organic lawn care, I would think this could open a new opportunity to create a viable and sustainable business model based on organic lawn fertilization. If one model could be shown to work then the concept could be repeated. It could then be packaged and sold. Are you looking for a Business Plan or just information on how we are promoting and marketing organic lawn services? Steve

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[picframer]

Originally Posted by swstout

Are you looking for a Business Plan or just information on how we are promoting and marketing organic lawn services?

Steve

The posters have the zeal, they just need help with the focus and to be taken by the hand so to speak and shown how to grow their business. I sense from reading the threads Lawn Care seems to mean mowing the lawn, that being the case I don't think one will grow to a point where they make serious coin.

As I mentioned we need to think outside the box, there is so much to offer a customer who owns a home that directly ties to this business it isn't funny.

Personally I knew we would do well as I buck trends and find a way to make a company work pushing it in various directions, this makes the company fun, yes it has trials and headaches and I am going through one now as I am at a point where I am a business manager rather than sitting on one of the machines with the guys, have to give this some thought and make changes as I am not sitting behind a desk again.

My long term plan is to set up a franchise, equip the guys/gals who want into this business to make them a success financially and otherwise. It's going to take another year or two and I want to stay under the radar of the big guys for now, I did the same thing in the security business, we went from #32 in Canada to #1 in six years, by the time they took notice it was too late to quash us as we were bigger than they were.

But yes there is tremendous profit in spraying, hardly any training, equipment costs are cheap compared to mowing and the demand for Organic products here is through the roof, I am in part generating that demand by educating the customer on the benefits and it sells itself.

What we are experiencing now is neighbours of clients wondering what the heck we did to the lawn as in many cases it looks like a golf course and that is only four weeks, the phone has been ringing all day for Mosquito spraying, thankfully it's a bad weather day here today so I did 14 quotes and got them all, the markup is close to 500% and no one offers this service. I am hitting day care's and wedding companies, is someone wants an out door wedding we can spray 5 hours prior and there will be no mosquito or black flies.

Andy

[swstout]

Example of my marketing.

This is the ad I placed today for next Monday's Home Show Insert of our local paper.

Why we went green

Synthetic lawn chemicals i.e. herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers endanger human and animal health and damage the environment. Scientific studies have found numerous negative health consequences associated with the synthetic chemicals found in traditional lawn care products. A report by the National Academy of Sciences shows that the health of 1 in 7 people are negatively impacted in some form by lawn pesticides; numerous studies link lawn chemicals to cancers and other long-term diseases; several studies also link exposure to artificial lawn chemicals to an increased risk of cancer and other health problems in pets. Children are especially at risk for negative health consequences due to their size, physiological development and proximity to the ground. Studies from Yale University, Mt. Sinai Medical Center and several others point to children’s health risks associated with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers destroy the naturally present beneficial organisms in a healthy lawn’s ecosystem making it biologically sterile. This destruction then transforms your lawn into an increasingly needy "junkie,"requiring more and more chemicals to sustain it. A green lawn does not mean a healthy lawn! In addition, up to 60 percent of synthetic nitrogen applied to lawns ends up contaminating ground water.

Even though going Green meant purchasing new equipment, costly employee training, enhanced application and mixing methods, and a companywide culture change, we went Green May 1st.

Our products actually build soil (Humus) over time. One gallon of our soil-conditioning product is the equivalent of seven tons of manure. Our products contain beneficial microbes, 30+ vitamins and nutrients, plant growth hormones, and are all 100% biodegradable. Our products help Nature help Nature. A healthy turf is weed free, disease free, utilizes water more efficiently, and increases home value with greater curb appeal.

We are extensively trained, licensed, insured, and ready to serve. We give free estimates and consultations to residential and commercial clients, offer active duty military family and senior citizen discounts.

Stout Services Lawn Care Plus
(843) 639-5229

Http://www.swstout.com

information@swstout.com

[picframer]

Oh man I like that, like it a lot!!!!!!

Way to go my friend, now hang on and enjoy the ride, that should get you a massive amount of response, probably the attention of the competition as well, just keep an eye on them but never fear them, you have no reason to.

Andy

[picframer]

Quick update, as of now, 9:24 pm, I have conformation back on 12 of the 14 quotes I did today, that is almost seven grand in work and that is just today. This pushes us into mid June for almost half of it, the other is spraying.

I quoted one job today, 11,000 square feet, Organic Mosquito spray, my cost is $18.00 for the product, will take about 20 min to spray, travel time and employee cost say another $30.00, I quoted $184.00 and the lady thought it was a great deal and wants us back every four weeks.

This is the key and a change I recently made, follow up spraying, I offer a 15% discount if you sign for four sprays over the summer and everyone is taking it, I am shocked as the follow up sprays are only fertilizer which means my profit on follow up sprays is higher than the initial plus it gives me time to make the long look top drawer. Initial spray is five Organic products.

I can't believe or understand why every lawn care company on the site isn't going after this, it is honestly shocking what you can make, I could run this company on spraying alone and have a very healthy income.

[swstout]

Originally Posted by picframer

Oh man I like that, like it a lot!!!!!!

Way to go my friend, now hang on and enjoy the ride, that should get you a massive amount of response, probably the attention of the competition as well, just keep an eye on them but never fear them, you have no reason to.

Andy

This ad will be 3 column by 8". The top 2 Inches will be white with the "Why We went Green" in green (what else).

The test will be white on a field of grass. It cost me $186.00. It is delivered free to about 12,000 homes and is at every grocery store in the area. Stewert is in Buffalo, NY but his products ship from Florida.

Where do you get your Mosquito spray?

Steve
i

[Steve]

I think if you could take your two working models. You could potentially use them as real life results and package the concept into a franchise and sell it to readers of the forum.

I can't believe or understand why every lawn care company on the site isn't going after this, it is honestly shocking what you can make, I could run this company on spraying alone and have a very healthy income.

That is why I think there is an opportunity to package it and sell it. Maybe they just need a little assistance.

[picframer]

Originally Posted by swstout

This ad will be 3 column by 8". The top 2 Inches will be white with the "Why We went Green" in green (what else).

The test will be white on a field of grass. It cost me $186.00. It is delivered free to about 12,000 homes and is at every grocery store in the area. Stewert is in Buffalo, NY but his products ship from Florida.

Where do you get your Mosquito spray?

Steve
i

From the company in Montreal, Stuart buy's their weed control, maybe he buys this also, man this stuff is super concentraled, 6ml to a liter of water, it's not cheap as you have to buy 20 liter containers and it's $495.00 plus shipping, I bought 200 liters to start and it is going like hot cakes. A 20 liter container does something like 200,000 square feet.

I am working on three golf courses at the moment, I will have to buy a massive sprayer if I get one of them and one is very close to signing, it will cost them four grand a month and will require an employee from me three days to spray, it's a short cycle however they only need it for three months.

http://www.bjedistri-organic.com/cgi...n&id_produit=4

[swstout]

Originally Posted by Steve

I think if you could take your two working models. You could potentially use them as real life results and package the concept into a franchise and sell it to readers of the forum.



That is why I think there is an opportunity to package it and sell it. Maybe they just need a little assistance.

I was thinking about a "Lawn School" for organic lawn care. The Icon and Certificate gives even more credibility.

We probably could work out a deal with Nature's Magic where we dropship to those interested for a commission.

What do you think?

Steve