When I started mowing lawns, I quickly found that I could average $45-$50 an hour. What turned into just wanting a couple of bucks turned into a little side hustle that was paying my monthly mortgage.
So, if you’re looking for a side hustle with the chance to grow into something big, then you’re in the right place. I am going to walk you through the steps below on how I got my customers and continued to grow my little lawn mowing business.
Set up an email.
This is a simple one. You’ll need an email to communicate to your customers for bidding, invoicing, and questions. You can use something easy like Gmail.
Create a website.
This one sounds challenging but has been made incredibly easy with multiple drag n’ drop services to help you create your site. If you can send photos to your mom, then you can make a website. I used Wix.com to make mine, which was super easy. Very professional-looking designs.
Also, you don’t need a bunch of pages on your site. Just make your home page, list what your company is about/services, and a contact page with a contact box(really easy to add with Wix) so customers can reach out to you for questions/bids.
How to get customers?!
Make a Google My Business account. Just Google this and it will walk you through the steps. (I got almost every customer this way). Very important to add your new website to this too. This was very easy to set up. A Google My Business account is what shows up when people are searching for a service in their local area. For example, people will search- Lawn care in Austin, TX. Usually, the top 3 lawn care providers in the area will pop up. Competition usually isn’t that big of a deal. Some of these lawn care companies don’t even have websites. Or they never call their potential customers back to bid on the job.
Next, make a business account on the Next Door App. You can Google this and it will walk you through it. Many people are using the Next Door app. It’s kind of like Facebook, but specifically for someone’s surrounding neighborhood and town. Many people on this app ask each other for recommendations such as lawn care, plumbers, daycare, etc. There is definitely some potential here!
How much do I charge to mow lawns?
When I was mowing I would charge $45 to $55 for a normal-sized lot in a subdivision and be mowing once a week. This will probably depend on your area, but take into consideration how long it will take you and everything you will have to trim around. You may be able to charge a little more than I did.
What kind of equipment do I need?
You don’t need a lot. Don’t worry about getting that trailer and zero-turn yet. I had a push mower, a battery-powered weed trimmer, and a battery-powered leaf blower. Customers didn’t seem to care about my mower. I think what they loved was my willingness to work, great communication, and their yard was mowed every week.
How do I invoice and get paid?
I emailed everything. I used a free invoice template from the App Store and had people pay me however they wanted. Some customers would leave a check on the door and some would use PayPal. You could use something like Square if wanted to have everything in one place.
How do I keep customers for the next mowing season?
Since you have been emailing them all season, you will have their email. So, when spring comes you can reach back out and put them on your schedule.
Once your website and Google My Business are set up, you can focus on working and networking with people. Plus, you’ll be making an extra $1000 a month…probably more, because you’re awesome!
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