My fall plans

swstout · #1 07-07-2009, 09:48 PM

In an effort to re-design my business and for next year I have been working on my business plan.

Utilizing my resources (equipment and supplies), I have made an action plan for this fall. I am developing an all organic lawn winterizing service. I have quite a bit of Nature's Lawn supplies I purchased for lost, cancelled, and put on hold jobs. I just purchased Gator Mulching blade kits for 2 of my lawn tractors and 1 of my walk behinds. I have a 25 gallon and a 60 gallon tow behind sprayers, 2 backpack sprayers and 3 hose sprayer units.

None of my competition offers such a service. None is organic based businesses.

I plan to use this service to lead into next years business.

Here is my draft first marketing proposal.

Lawn winterizing service
Think of the fall season as the time to prepare your lawn for the spring with this three step program.

Step 1 September

- 1st fertilizing with a bio-enhanced 16-4-8 organic liquid fertilizer to build root strength.
  
  Aerify and dethatch with bio-enhanced liquid lawn treatments
  
  Build soil organic content with a natural nutrient package derived from Seaweed, Humic Acids, and Molasses. What this means to you is that you are getting a soil improving fertilizer with added vitamins, bio-stimulants, and trace elements. Each product contains vitamins B-1, B-12, gibberellins, indoles, auxins as well as trace elements of boron, iron, zinc, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum and sulfur.　 The nutrients in our liquid fertilizers are chelated, meaning they are instantly available to the plant.

Step 2 Early October
Build soil organic content as above plus move all leaves onto lawn and fine mulch into turf with a low cutting height to cut of weed seed development and apply an all natural bio-enhanced liquid dethatcher. This will be converted to humus in less than 2 weeks

Test earth pH and adjust accordingly
Step 3 Late October
2^{nd fertilizing with a bio-enhanced 8-2-4 organic fluid fertilizer to sustain the lawn through the winter when metabolism is slowed.}
^{Mulch in remaining leaves and treat for soil organic building again.}

Fully Licensed and Insured
(843) 639-5229

Read this!.

^{http://www.swstout.com/soil_is_the_soul_of_the_lawn.html}
^{I will price the service to make about $50.00 per hour total. With 5% senior citizen discounts, 5% military discounts, and a 10% active duty combat discount. I wil give $10, $20, $30, $50, and $100 Lowe's or WalMart gift cards for 1 - 5 referrals.

I will start marketing the plan next week.

Any suggestions?

Steve}

__________________

mark123 · #2 07-07-2009, 10:22 PM

Lawn care business tips

How do the liquid organics smell? It's a big concern to me. I prefer slow release nitrogen so I don't think a liquid is going to fit into my plan.

Last edited by mark123; 07-07-2009 at 10:29 PM.

mark123 · #3 07-07-2009, 10:37 PM

Oh, if anyone is skeptical about mulching up the leaves into the lawn:
http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_m...ter/index.html

swstout · #4 07-07-2009, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark123

How do the liquid organics smell? It's a big concern to me. I prefer slow release nitrogen so I don't think a liquid is going to fit into my plan.

The only one of the Nature's lawn product with any noticable oder is the Insect Guard. It's garlic juice but it becomes unnoticable in about 2 hours.

As for slow release nitrogen, You can still yse ut. I sometimes use a slow release organic fertilizer in conconjunction with the Nature's Magic, Aerify, and Bio-enhanced Dethatcher. The effects are almost overnight.

Steve

mark123 · #5 07-07-2009, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swstout

The only one of the Nature's lawn product with any noticable oder is the Insect Guard. It's garlic juice but it becomes unnoticable in about 2 hours.

As for slow release nitrogen, You can still yse ut. I sometimes use a slow release organic fertilizer in conconjunction with the Nature's Magic, Aerify, and Bio-enhanced Dethatcher. The effects are almost overnight.

Steve

I'm going to have to learn more about this. No one is offering organics in this area.

picframer · #6 07-08-2009, 04:48 AM

Looks like a good plan Steve, $50. an hour is pretty low for these sprays however I know from reading your posts that your area has been hit hard on the employment side lately.

We are going to do a one spray plan in late September as most of my clients signed up for four sprays this summer, it started as one then I went back to them, the results have been excellent.

For leaves I bought two tractor mounted shredders, Halifax has a massive amount of hardwoods in the city and around the city, I can shred 45 gallons in about 3 min, because the leaves turn to powder it brakes down very fast so it's a great selling feature, beside that you have to pay to have leaves hauled away, put them in your garbage and you will be fined.

The gators are excellent blades, we run them on everything, I found last fall, two, sometimes three pass's with the tractor and the leaves were powder.

Good luck bud!!!

Andy

Steve · #7 07-08-2009, 05:47 AM

Quote:

I will start marketing the plan next week.

Any suggestions?

How will you be promoting this?

I was thinking if you could put together some seasonal organic lawn care tips, you might be able to get them published in your local paper and that could bring you more attention.

My fall plans

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