Prime Your Lawn Care Business for Growth With These 4 Tips

Grow With the Flow

Between 2017 and 2022, the landscaping industry grew an average 5.3% each year in the U.S. Experts predict that the landscaping and lawn care industry will only continue to grow in upcoming years, especially in the commercial sector. If you’re one of the entrepreneurs who started a lawn care business in the last couple of years, we hope you’ve experienced some of this success and developed a list of repeat customers since you mowed that first lawn. But now that you have your list of regulars, you may be wondering: how do I get to the next level?

Growth should be a top priority for any small business owner, especially in an industry like lawn care that holds so much potential for expansion. However, real, measurable growth needs a clear action plan to make it happen. If you’re eager to elevate your lawn care company to the next level, there are a few key items you need to add to your to-do list.

What Growth Looks Like in Lawn Care

There are a number of ways to measure your growth as a lawn care business depending on your individual needs and goals. Your unique growth trajectory may mean that you add more members to the team, you gain more clients, or you increase your profits. For most small landscaping business owners, growth is a combination of all of these things. Here are just a few things you can do to bring you closer to achieving these goals.

Evaluate your performance so far

You can’t progress to the future without evaluating your past. It can be tempting to say goodbye to your previous years’ performance, especially if it includes some negative points, but assessing what worked and what didn’t is your best tool to create a game plan for the years to come.

When you conduct your evaluation, pay special attention to customer reviews and your team members’ feedback. Keep in mind that you can’t please everyone, but if you take a closer look, you may see some patterns developing. Maybe your customers needed more communication from you when it came to scheduling. Maybe your team members felt they were driving too much to get from client to client. Whatever those pain points may be, find creative ways to address them so you’ll gain more positive feedback in the future.

Consider a marketing strategy

As a small landscaping company, there’s a good chance you’re getting most of your clients from word-of-mouth referrals. While this is a great place to start, you can’t leave your marketing entirely in the hands of your customers.

When we recommend you consider marketing your business, we don’t mean that you have to purchase billboards or run expensive marketing campaigns on social media. The key to an effective marketing campaign for your business is knowing where your customers tend to hang out. For example, if you’re primarily targeting older homeowners, flyers and mailers will be an effective tool in your arsenal. On the other hand, if you’re targeting commercial customers, you may want to develop a presence on LinkedIn. Get to know your loyal customers inside and out and there’s a good chance you’ll discover more people who need your services.

Upgrade your equipment

Your equipment is at the core of your business’s success. If you’re relying on old machinery that requires a lot of downtime for maintenance and repairs, you’re not maximizing your profits. Be honest about the state of your equipment and consider shopping for new equipment. If you’re trying to add new team members to your business, you’ll need more mowers and blowers, anyway! Think about the types of jobs you’re interested in taking on and make sure you have the right tools to get the job done.

Develop training standards

Bringing on a new team member can be a daunting task, especially if it’s your first time. When you hire a new lawn care professional, you want to make sure they emulate your company’s standards and align with your goals. It may be tempting to take a train-as-you-go approach and get your new hires up to speed on the job, but you’ll find more success if you set aside purposeful time for training.

While you certainly don’t need a 50-page binder detailing your employee standards and practices, you should have a clear system that helps your team members understand how to act and react in common situations. You should also listen to your trainees’ feedback to determine what they need for success. Having a standardized set of notes for each employee helps ensure cooperation and consistency.

Partner With Vendors Who Have Your Best Interests in Mind

Developing a relationship with a lawn mower parts and maintenance team that can address your concerns and keep your equipment running smoothly can be a huge help on your path to success. The team at Gator Mower Parts is proud to partner with local landscaping companies who can count on us to have the parts and knowledge they need. To learn more, call 407-267-6276 to get in touch with us today.