An Important Lesson You don’t need the best gear to build a great lawn care business. I’ve seen more guys quit in a few months because they blew all their cash on shiny new gear than because they couldn’t get work. There’s a quote I heard once that stuck: “Buy what you need. Not what you want.” That line saved me a lot of grief. It kept me from chasing dream mowers before I had dream customers. Every time I wanted to “treat myself” to a new toy, I’d say that line again. And again. And again....
2 days ago • 1 min read
Back in the early days, I picked the worst name for my business. It was clever. It was funny. And it nearly made me broke. I’ve seen it happen over and over. Great guys with solid work ethic... but a name that scares off half the customers before they ever pick up the phone. So here’s what’s working now when it comes to naming your lawn business: First, keep it dead simple. No “Z’s instead of S’s.” No clever spelling or hard-to-spell words. No one remembers them, and even fewer can spell...
3 days ago • 1 min read
I used to run to the mower shop every time something broke. Didn’t matter if I was mid-job, if the mower died, I was off like a shot. What else can you do? That is… until I noticed something. The first thing the shop would do? Pull out the spark plug, chuck a new one in, and half the time my “broken” mower roared back to life. Forty bucks later, I was out the door. That happened over and over. Eventually, the penny dropped. Now? I keep spark plugs in the wagon. If a machine stops, I swap it...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Ever spend 20 minutes quoting a lawn just to find out they were never gonna be a regular customer anyway? Yeah, same. Worse when it’s a 15-minute drive. This used to happen to me all the time. I’d show up, walk the lawn, quote it, and then find out they “just wanted a one-off.” Or “weren’t prepared to pay a one-off charge.” Or “had extra jobs they wanted that we didn't offer.” I know we all need to quote — but every time I heard that, I could feel the precious hours bleeding out of my week....
6 days ago • 2 min read
I used to think working flat out was the secret sauce. Start early. Knock off late. Pack your day with jobs But that mindset nearly buried my business. What if you could make more money by doing less? Crazy, right? It wasn’t until I sat down and actually timed every single lawn I mowed... that I realised some of my “good jobs” were absolute dogs. I was going off my gut feelings, no real logic. One lawn I liked? Took me 45 minutes. Paid $35. I thought I was killing it. However, another one at...
7 days ago • 1 min read
I automatically like people. Doesn’t matter who it is. As soon as I say hi, I’m already on their side. Weird, I know. But it’s been one of my biggest assets in business. Makes quoting easy. I don’t treat it like a job interview. I treat it like a chat. When someone rings for a quote, I don’t rush to get off the phone. I keep them talking. Not in a creepy “why won’t he hang up” kind of way — just long enough that calling someone else becomes a chore. By the time they hang up, I’ve already...
8 days ago • 1 min read
I used GPTchat the other day to help me find a cord to connect my PC to a second monitor. Gave it the make and model of both. It told me exactly what I needed and where to get it. I was feeling pretty smug… especially since my wife was about to order a different one and I told her she was wrong. Turns out, she wasn’t. I got home. Plugged it in. Didn’t fit. AI had given me the wrong information, and my wife had been right all along. The thing is, it was a good reminder: AI and local search...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Starting from scratch? Trying to build up lawns from zero while juggling a day job? Feels like pushing a rock uphill. You’re ready to go and nothing’s happening yet. That early grind? Totally normal. Especially if you’re counting on organic growth like Google My Business. That stuff takes time. Months, even. And that’s where a lot of people tap out. But slow doesn’t mean broken. It just means you’ve got to balance the long game with some quick wins. That’s why I always tell new operators to...
10 days ago • 1 min read
I spoke to a lawn guy a while ago who was struggling with cash flow. Not because he wasn’t working. He had plenty of lawns. He just wasn’t getting paid. One guy owed him for 3 months' worth of mows, and he didn't even realise until we went through his books. Another swore he’d left the money out, and someone must have nicked it.Not his problem, the customer said — he did his bit. He tried to bill people monthly, but sometimes he forgot. He had the working part down pat. Turned up on time. Did...
11 days ago • 1 min read