Garden and lawn care

Customers can see the result the same day. The startup cost can be a mower you already own. No one needs to license you a “lawn franchise”.

You will ache. You will be rained off. A route of eight nearby gardens is a better business than twenty scattered ones. Winter income drops. Plan for that in summer.

The household pays per visit, monthly in advance once you are regular. Skip anyone who wants the first month free to “see your quality”.

1. Mow one garden that is not yours, for a stated price, and see how long it really takes.
2. Offer a fortnightly visit through the growing season.
3. Stick to streets you can reach without an hour of driving.
4. Leave the site cleaner than the flowerbeds. Clippings on the path are the complaint.

• A neighbour who is away or injured, asked plainly.
• An older street where the lawns are visibly one cut overdue. A note through the door still works.
• A letting agent with a scruffy front path, if you can invoice a company without drama.

Price the visit after you have seen the garden. A “from” price on a leaflet is fine if the from is a garden you are willing to do at that price. Fuel and tip fees are inside the number.

Keep a note of every payment and every cost from the first job. In the UK this is usually self-employment; tell HMRC when your income reaches the point they set. In the US it is often self-employment tax, sometimes with quarterly estimates. Other countries have their own registration. This is not tax advice — an hour with an accountant beats any course. Check local rules on waste disposal and on noise hours. A Saturday 7am mower makes enemies, not referrals.

• Franchise lawn rounds sold as “passive” still require a person and a mower. Read any buy-a-round contract as if you were lending them the money, because you are.
• Do not spray chemicals you are not permitted or trained to use.
• A client who wants you to cut a tree over a neighbour’s roof is a client you can refuse.