just starting

so.... i get the equipment, the truck, fliers, etc and im ready to go, what are my next steps? i will apply for a fictitious name and a license, insurance sounds like a good idea too. but what about taxes? should i get a business bank account? i really want to keep things as simple as possible but still be legitimate please help! Thanks in advance

[CHEESE2009]

Lawn care business tips

I recommend registering after you test out a season or two. Maybe in time you'll find out you don't enjoy the work. (doubt it) It's fairly difficult to get clients & you might only start off with 1-10, not really worth registering a business & getting taxed. It's too soon & impossible to invest in things you never knew you needed. I recommend you price average, or above. Never underbid your jobs or get suckered in by clients. If they want you to lower your price, honestly... Get out fast, you will most likely regret it when you advance your company. They will be a drag. It's a mistake I've done, I now have several clients who I charged average price, & now they aren't worth my time as I'm charging new clients the highest price in the city. If you can get away with charging HIGH 1 out of 10 customers, your safe. That one customer will make all the difference. Flyers, personally sure it sounds like a great way to get your foot out of the door, but I don't recommend it from experience. If you have the time & are willing to try it, I say go for it. For me, 1 in every 1000 flyers gets me a call back. I recommend having business cards made & walking door to door selling your service. Make sure you have a list of Questions and Answers so you can practice answering questions your customers may have. It's a given that you should say, "Would you like me to give you a free estimate for our lawn service"... if they hear free, I'm sure they won't mind! You can then write your estimate on the back of your business card. Make sure you write down the same estimate in a notebook to keep track, you don't want to have them say, "you gave me an estimate for $70 a month" when it was actually $85 a month. Keep track of everything, it's key! If you want to look like your not scamming them, spend a few bucks & have an outfit made, I think it adds to the trust factor between your client & you. My outfit As for insurance, if you break anything breakable on a lawn, I'm sure you could cover it with the money you will be making. Unless you drive your mower through a window or dent a car, you'll be fine. Little things like killing a small tree or mowing over a toy, that's nothing to worry about. Just remember to adjust your wheels on different lawns, you don't want to destroy someones grass by cutting too short. Don't be a prick like me slam gates shut trying to make them catch the lock, you might end up ripping the gate door off.... I always carry a toolbox in my truck, just in case!

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Last edited by CHEESE2009; 08-05-2009 at 05:16 AM.

[turfmaster]

Nice uniform Breeze, Everything but the cigarette LOL.

[Steve]

Welcome to our forum!

i will apply for a fictitious name and a license, insurance sounds like a good idea too. but what about taxes? should i get a business bank account? i really want to keep things as simple as possible but still be legitimate

If you want, you can just go with your name and then lawn care. That way you don't need to register the business name and you can use your own personal bank account. That might keep things simple initially.

Taxes, you may need to collect sales tax on some services or products. This differs state to state and if you need one, you should be able to get your sales tax certificate online. It's no big deal.

Then just pay tax on what you make at the end of the year.

Keep us posted!

Thanks so much for the tips. really helped!

[Steve]

Keep us updated on how everything goes.