Here's how I price a lawn.
I break it into minutes.
Then I use a formula.
It starts at 1 minute = $1.
However, as you get busy, the formula becomes times 1.25, 1.5, or even x2.
If I think a lawn will take 35 minutes, at $1 the price is $35.

Why start at a dollar a minute?
Say you want $2,000 a week.
Over a 40-hour week, that's $50 an hour.
But nobody gets 8 productive hours out of a day on the truck.
You get about 6.5.
So you actually need to be making about $60 an hour to hit the number.
That's a dollar a minute.

The tricky part is estimating the minutes.
Before you give a price, look for the things that add time:

• Slopes and rough ground
• Catching instead of mulching
• Trees to mow around
• Kids' toys on the lawn
• Mess to pick up first
• Nowhere to park
• Steps to carry the mower up
• A narrow gate
• Wet grass

Miss one of those, and you're mowing those minutes for free, every visit, for as long as you have the lawn.

Check the property on Google Maps and Street View before you go out (if you can).
You'll spot most of them before you arrive.
Here's a trick I use sometimes.
If the area is 300 square feet, it will take you around 30 minutes.
This doesn't work all of the time, but it can help you get an idea.

Undercutting and overcharging are both mistakes.
Timing the lawn properly is how you avoid both.

If you want to read more about how I quote a lawn, you can find my full system here.
https://lawnmowing101.com/how-to-quote-on-lawns-the-complete-guide/

Until next time, get out there, mow lawns, and have fun.
Stuart
Lawnmowing101