Most people think that the lawn care business is just about cutting grass. However, it involves more than just enjoying the intoxicating scent of grass that is freshly cut. If you are considering entering the lawn care industry, you can either choose to start a new company from scratch and grow it into a successful lawn maintenance business, or purchase an already-established lawn care company.

Why invest in a lawn maintenance business?

According to statistics, the lawn care business is one of the fastest growing industries in the economy, with well over 1 million people employed in the business as lawn maintenance workers. The business is projected to get better in the years to come, and the employment rate is estimated to increase by nearly 20% by the year 2020. This means that the demand for lawn care services is expected to increase moreover time than other offered services. Therefore, it is no surprise that many are looking to invest in this sector.

Whether to buy a lawn care franchise or start one

As we stated earlier, one can choose to either buy a lawn maintenance business that is already in operation or build one from the ground up. To decide which way to go, one has to carefully access the advantages and disadvantages that come with either decision.

Buying a lawn maintenance franchise

There is no correct answer on whether or not to purchase a lawn care firm instead of establishing a new one. The decision is dependent on your financial conditions, your set of skills, the amount of time you are willing to dedicate to the course, the experience you have in the field, and how confident you are that you are ready to run a business. Since the decision of purchasing such a business depends on an individual, we cannot give a definite answer on whether it is best. However, we can provide you with various considerations to have in mind.

Before you go ahead and buy a lawn care business, you need to question yourself on whether:

  • You have the ability and personality to run a firm by yourself, and the level of commitment you are willing to give;
  • The qualities that make you a good business person and the weaknesses that you may need to work on;
  • The kind of franchise that you are interested in—the lawn maintenance industry is quite wide and covers various trades;
  • Your readiness to go into debt so that you can invest in such a business;
  • Your willingness to work for long periods and under pressure; 
  • The support you are receiving from your loved ones

Purchasing a lawn care franchise has its advantages and disadvantages, some of which are pointed out below:

ADVANTAGES OF PURCHASING A LAWN CARE FRANCHISE

  • No experience is needed to run an acquired business. This is one of the biggest advantages of going for a purchase rather than a start-up. Normally, franchisers make all the training you need to run a business readily available;
  • In most cases, buying a franchise will cost you less than starting one. Also, getting financing to buy such is easier compared to starting the business;
  • Purchasing a franchise gives the owner the advantage of owning a small business while also providing the advantage of having a big network;
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    Franchises often have an established image and a reputation in the market. It also has particular work and management practices that have been tested and already in operation

DISADVANTAGES OF PURCHASING A LAWN CARE FRANCHISE

  • There is little wiggle room to exercise your full creativity since buying a franchise pertains to entering an agreement with a franchiser;
  • Restrictions are put up on the regions in which you can run your business, the products and services you provide, and the suppliers you can work with;
  • Since the company is run by you and the franchisers, their bad management calls may affect your reputation as well;
  • The profit of the business has to be shared between your and franchisers;
  • Franchisers are not obligated to renew their contract with you once one expires.

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Starting a lawn maintenance franchise

When choosing to start a lawn care franchise from scratch, there are several things that you should take into consideration:

  • Clearly state your goals—what you want to achieve and the time frame within which you plan on achieving them
  • Identify which market you plan on targeting. This should be based on the goals you have set for yourself
  • Carefully select the tools you are going to use—have the services you plan to deliver in mind as you select your equipment
  • Lay out a plan on how you intend to reach your target audience. The easiest way to do this is by the use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter

Just like purchasing a lawn care franchise, starting one has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Pros of starting your own Lawn Care Franchise

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    The lawn maintenance industry is known for its consistency, so a start-up business has a high chance of being stable once it is established;
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    People will never stop needing lawn care services, so the reoccurring service need makes the business successful without much work;
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    The business can easily be scaled depending on the needs of your target market. For instance, you can start by just mowing lawns, and later include other services such as landscaping, gardening, trimming, weeding, and much more. Scaling up can be done depending on what the clients want;
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    Starting up your own franchise allows you to customize the services offered. You get to choose the region to operate, suppliers to work with, and services to offer without having any restrictions;
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    It is easy to find employees to work with since the business requires no special education and one can learn on the job.

Cons of Starting your own Lawn Care Franchise

  • If your target market is a region where climatic conditions are extreme, the winter months will not be kind on your business;
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    Starting up a lawn maintenance business requires a large sum of money upfront. The cash will be used to buy equipment and cater for additional charges such as administration, various commissions, and call center referrals;
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    If your area is competitive, you might have to bring down your cost of service, which might affect the profits you bring in.

One needs to weigh all these factors before they can decide whether to buy a franchise or start one.

Lawn care franchises for sale

If you have weighed the above considerations and considered to purchase an established franchise, here is a list of lawn maintenance franchises for sale in the US:

The initial investments for these franchises vary, including the terms and conditions of investing in the businesses.

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