Going from a Part-Time to Full-Time Lawn Care Business
Thinking about making the jump from part-time to full-time lawn care business? Here’s a practical guide to help you go from side gig to a full-time income-generating machine.
Lawn Care Specialist Job Descriptions to HIRE FAST
By the end of this article, you’ll have everything needed to write the best lawn care specialist job description to start winning star employees today!
Thinking of starting your own lawn care business? A lawn care business startup kit is just what you need to set your new business up for the ultimate success. Many entrepreneurs are tapping into the growing demand for residential and commercial lawn care and landscaping services. But before you can start booking clients, you need […]
Email Marketing for Christmas Light Services: Illuminating Success
Email marketing for Christmas lights services is one of the best ways to sell your seasonal services to existing lawn and landscape clients. While twinkling lights may catch the eye, it’s smart email marketing for Christmas light services that truly illuminates the path to success. In this article, you’ll discover the top pro strategies to […]
How to Cultivate a Healthy Lawn Care Company Culture
Even if your lawn care business is growing like crazy, you need to take a step back and think about if you've created a healthy lawn care business culture. This article will show you how.
Whether you're an established company looking to expand or a seasoned pro aiming to streamline operations, having the right tools for lawn care business is crucial.
Whether you’re just getting started or are established in your community, you’ve probably wondered how to get leads for landscaping. While there are lots of different methods and strategies we’ll show you which are the right ones for your business including: Know Your Audience Before you launch a big campaign to get more leads, you […]
How Service Scheduler Software Can Transform Your Business
As a successful lawn care or landscaping business it can be tough to keep track of it all, especially without service scheduler software. In fact, when you use the right service scheduler software you can: Keep reading if you want to learn how you can streamline your company with service scheduler software. What is Service […]
If you’re looking to expand your lawn care company to the next level, you need to have the right lawn care advice. And when you have the right lawn care advice you can: In this guide, we’ll show you how to do all of that so you can make your company grow even faster. Tip […]
The best lawn care software can grow your business so BIG that your competitors will be afraid to compete with you. In this article, you’ll discover how the best lawn care software can make your business: What You’ll Get With the Best Lawn Care Software Many lawn business owners get stuck… but it’s not because […]
These podcasts give you the tools and the confidence to start growing your lawn and landscaping business today. The best part? You'll listen while you work.
The right uniform saves you money and increases company pride. Discover what uniforms can do for your lawn care business and find what's right for you.
Want to know how to make money mowing lawns? While it may not be an obvious no-brainer, you can make big money mowing small lawns in your lawn mowing business. Small lawns aren’t usually the first choice for lawn care business owners. They hate unloading their equipment to work on a lawn that takes 10 […]
Xplor Technologies is excited to announce the 2022 Service Edge Conference – a new annual event for Xplor Service Autopilot and Xplor FieldEdge members and potential customers.
Use this article to get rich mowing lawns using profitable marketing habits, streamlined operational strategies, and best-held lawn care business secrets.
Get answers to questions like... How do I stay updated on the Coronavirus? Where do I find information? What information and options apply to my business?
Looking to buy a new edger for your residential and commercial lawn and landscaping business? Right now, find the right edger you've been waiting to buy.
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSChris Volpe (our Director of Training and Special Services) joins us to tell you how to be a great leader. Just by delegating, you can become the great leader you’ve always dreamed of… but there are also a few other things you can do too. Chris tells you […]
A Quick Guide to Facebook Ads for Lawn Care: Pt. 3
Find out how you can utilize Facebook Ads to benefit the growth of your lawn or landscape business. It's the #1 thing that'll separate you from competition.
A Quick Guide to Facebook Ads for Lawn Care: Pt. 2
Grow your lawn care business at the right pace for your lawn or landscape company. Discover how you can reach your target audience through Facebook Ads.
A Quick Guide to Facebook Ads for Lawn Care: Pt. 1
This is a complete, step-by-step guide to advertising your lawn care or landscaping business on Facebook. I've slipped in a few secrets and tactics used by the best Facebook marketers. Enjoy!
These Lawn and Landscape SEO will push your page to the top of Google’s search results. Read this to get more traffic AND better leads on your website.
This is part 2 of 2 in a series that explores the common mistakes of lawn care owners. Mistakes. We all make them… and it’s hurting the growth of your lawn care business. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been in the business for years - I can almost guarantee, you’re making at least […]
These mistakes are extremely common, and they're holding back the growth of your lawn care business. Find out how to fix them and get the resources to help!
80% of new businesses fail. You can be part of the 20% that fight their way to the top, but only if you avoid these lethal errors in your new lawn care business.
Lawn Care Pricing: How Much to Charge for Your Services
Even though pricing determines success, many businesses don’t know how much to charge for lawn mowing. Because when you know how much to charge for lawn mowing, you’re able to simultaneously maximize profits while continuing to scale and serve more clients. We created a complete pricing guide that includes how much to charge for lawn […]
Find out how you can be spending more time with your family AND growing your service industry business, TODAY. Plus, you'll save money, while you do it!
With a new tax code in play, who's going to help you file your taxes this year - a Tax Preparer or CPA? You’ll need to know who you can turn to for support.
Growing a Pest Control business has its challenges. You need a software and app that are going to help you grow. Find out what software YOU should be using.
Lawn care marketing is single-handedly the best (and arguably the only) way to grow your business. In this article, we cherry-pick the very best lawn care marketing strategies and break them down into simple, actionable strategies you can start implementing today! Now, let’s get started. 1. Sell the Value (Not the Features) Why do people […]
Set your business apart from your competitors with these 5 ways to ensure a perfect customer experience. Excellent customer service is vital to your company’s success.
Kick off the New Year by growing your business with these 12 must-run reports. Learn everything you did right, what failed, and where you need to go for 2019.
What is the hardest part of growing your business? Facing your problems ALONE. Couple the business challenges with personal dilemmas and you've got yourself a powder keg waiting to explode. SA5 took on those issues and MORE this year by revealing to attendees how to overcome your biggest challenges, cope with the things you cannot […]
Here’s What 5 Lawn Care Experts Wish They Knew When They First Started…
What do the lawn care professionals wish they knew when they first started in the business? Here's 5 of the leading lawn care experts with their answers.
Most lawn care companies think lower prices will bring in more clients. Maybe in the short term, but in the long term, low prices will hurt your business. Here's why you NEED to charge more for your quality lawn care services.
I know what you’re thinking. You clicked this post because you’d never hire a “know-nothing.” Inexperienced employees drive you crazy. You don’t want them… … but I want to change your mind. You should think harder about hiring those "know-nothings." They just might surprise you: 1. They’re cheaper than experienced labor. Someone with 3-5 years […]
How to Keep Lawn Care Employees Healthy in the Heat
I'm hot. You're hot. It's summer and everybody is afraid of the heat. Your lawn employees hate it, and it shows in the quality of their work. Here's a few tips (obvious and some not-so-obvious) to beat the heat this summer.
How to Improve Your Reputation Using Community Outreach
FACT: Having a great reputation leads to more sales. If people like you, they talk about you. And if they say good things about you, word of mouth spreads and you have a ton of appointments scheduled over time. But having a great reputation means more than just good Yelp, Facebook, and Google reviews and […]
How to Fix Your Email Hygiene (and Sell More Work)
"Why are my clients not getting my emails?!" Read this article, and we'll show you how to fix all of your email deliverability problems... and get great email list hygiene.
Should you give away your lawn care services for free? Why would this make an excellent marketing idea, and how do you do it right? Read on, and we'll show you how.
Turf care can be complicated. Especially if you're a new lawn care owner. This quick article will de-mystify everything about lawn grass, and show you how to grow greener, healthier lawns that your clients will love.
4 Questions to Make You Rethink Your Lawn Care Services
Are your lawn care services right for your market? How do you know? These questions will make sure you're selling the most profitable services in your area.
Part-Timers, Job-Owners: Can You Overcome The 5 Hurdles to Become a Large Business?
Mike Callahan, the owner of Callahan's Lawn Care (one of the biggest lawn care companies in NY-state), produced an awesome video explaining the 5 stages your business will grow through and the hurdles of each stage. These stages aren't unique to lawn care or cleaning, they're the stages every small business works through. Stage #1: Part-Time […]
8 Bulletproof Strategies to Fight “Client Poachers”
Are they trying to "poach" your clients? Don't let your competition steal from you. Read these strategies, and you'll have a surefire way to fight back. Protect yourself from other Lawn Care and Landscapers.
Best Books for Service Business Owners [Jonathan Pototschnik’s Recommendations]
Jonathan’s consumed well over $100,000 worth of books and training materials in his career as an entrepreneur. I thought he'd be the perfect person to ask for recommendations of the best books for service business owners to read in 2018. What Jonathan gave me wasn’t just a short list. He included... Get your library card […]
We’ve got a problem. A lawn care labor crisis is on its way down the pike. It's a big, ugly, in-your-face problem. There aren’t any visas. The H2-B program has been critically blocked for the 2018 lawn care season. Most of the visas went to Hurricane Harvey clean-up. Lawn Care Companies will have too… And, worst […]
5 Painful Signs it’s Time to Hire More Lawn Care Employees
When it comes time to hire more lawn care employees, most lawn care owners would rather run away from the truth. They say things like: “I’ll just work more hours.” “Why hire? They’ll just quit in a week anyway.” “Sure we’re growing. But do we have enough money to hire?” STUCK. That’s what happens to […]
23 Amazing insights, Tools, and Strategies from the 2017 Service Autopilot Conference | Best of SA4: NEXT
If you’ve ever said… “It’s too hard to find good employees these days!” ...then count yourself lucky. Hiring, which is the #1 problem for every owner in the Service Industry, may actually be a good thing for your business. Let me say that again: It's good that you can't find employees. Jonathan Potoschnik’s opening Keynote […]
Jonathan Pototschnik’s 11 Best Lawn Care Marketing Tips
Sometimes... you need marketing ideas from someone who has already "figured it out." You don’t have time to read $100,000 worth of marketing resources (or attend all those conferences!) That’s why we’ve put together a great collection of marketing tips from Service Autopilot's CEO Jonathan Pototschnik (you might know him as the Lawn Care Millionaire). […]
How to Deal with Lawn Care Owners Who Try to Steal Your Clients
Competition is part of every industry. Whether you’ve noticed it or not, the moment you start to have success as a lawn care owner, other lawn care owners will want to take it from you. Don’t fear the competition. Use it to your advantage. Instead of letting your competitors poach lawn care clients from you: […]
How a Faster "Morning Routine" will Rescue Your Lawn Care Profits
A quick story from Jonathan (Service Autopilot, Lawn Care Millionaire) from his lawn care business: Our morning routine was a waste... It ate into our lawn care profits, and made the whole day slower. Essentially, we were losing about an hour per crew… per day. With 5 crews, we lost 25-30 hours of billable time each week. That’s like […]
Have you subscribed to our Lawn Care Millionaire or Service Autopilot YouTube channels yet? Our channels feature helpful advice and tips on pricing, staffing, equipment, marketing, and productivity—all with the ultimate goal of helping you launch, grow, and maintain your business. Here are a few of our top recent videos:
How to Use “9 Arounds” to Boost Your Lawn Care Business this Year
There are plenty of new ways to market your lawn care business… But here’s something the younger crowd doesn’t know: The “old-school” methods still work … especially door-to-door advertising. Selling your services door to door can be an effective way to turn more lawn care leads into paying clients. But that doesn’t you have to […]
The 7 Deadly Pricing Mistakes that Will Kill Your Lawn Care Business
What does a dead guy have to do with Lawn Care and Landscaping? Well, that’s not just any body - that body is your pricing strategy. Your pricing strategy is riddled with holes, and bleeding profits all over the grass. The problem is - you don’t even know he’s dead! You’re too busy in the […]
The Big Data Roundup | Lawn Care and Landscaping 2017
Get your calculator out. Put in your pocket protector. Where's that slide rule? It's time to crunch the numbers, compiled from all over the Green Industry. In this post, we’re going to spill all of Data’s secrets, and show you the juiciest stats from Green Industry publications. These could have a powerful impact on your […]
3 Sales Triggers that Will Generate More Clients for Your Business
You use every marketing trick in the book. But it's not enough... The "new client hose" is barely dripping. How do you crack it open? If you want to flood your business in new clients, you don't need elbow grease... ...what you need is a little bit of Psychology. These 3 sales triggers are guaranteed […]
3 Future-focused Strategies to Beat Big National Lawn Companies (like Canopy, TruGreen, etc.)
You hear that sound? STOMP ... STOMP ... STOMP ... The Giants are coming for us... and they want to kill our business. They want to drive you to the brink, until you are so weak you have no choice but to sell out or fold under. Jonathan Pototschnik, co-founder of CitiTurf and Service Autopilot […]
Is Lawn Care Estimating Software the Best Way to Bid (and Win) Jobs? | Landscape Bidding
Estimates are a constant stream of busy work. At best, you're up to your neck in busy work. At worst, you are ten feet below the surface ... drowning. But what if there was a better way? What if there was a lawn care estimating software that would make your Quoting Process 535% faster ... and better at […]
Is Software Really the Best Way to Schedule Lawn Care?
Your schedule keeps you moving. And when you move, you make money. To keep track of your lawn care schedule, you probably use one of these: your memory sticky notes or a digital calendar or a lawn care and landscape scheduling software suite Maybe you wonder, "Should I get a better scheduling software tool for my […]
17 Revealing Questions You Should Ask Your Clients Every Year
Lawn Care. Landscaping. Window washing or residential cleaning. Whatever industry you live in, you need to make your clients happy. But how do you know when they’re happy? Here is a list of 17 questions that will enhance your client relationships - and help you prevent upcoming problems.
Build a Company Culture that Your Team (and Clients) Will Love | Lawn Care & Landscaping Advice
Some competitors have more clients than you. Others have newer equipment. Some might have both. But there’s one thing that will set you ahead of the competition… Any landscaping company with a healthy culture will attract better employees and generate more jobs. Retention rates will go up, as will job satisfaction. The best part? You […]
How to Price Lawn Care Services that Sell | Landscape Pricing
"How much should I charge for this?" Lawn care prices seem so ... made up. You worry that the cost of your services is too high or too low. Nobody wants to scare away clients. Use this Lawn Care Pricing Strategy to make sure your clients coming back:
There are 100+ reasons why you should hire a field worker... ... but you only need this ONE: You will make more money if you hire the right lawn care employee. Hired right, a new employee will make you money and put your business on a path for GROWTH that other owners can only dream of:
3 Proven Ways to Get Referrals for Your Landscaping or Lawn Care Businesses
The bad news? Referrals can be the slowest way to gain new landscaping clients ... … at first. The good news? When your business does referrals right, you get a snowball effect. Good referrals generate a constant stream of extremely high-quality leads from your pre-existing lawn care and landscaping clients. This guide will bury you in […]
How Much Should You Charge for Lawn Mowing Services?
Take off the training wheels. Whether you're a new lawn care business owner or a perpetually small-time owner, you're probably worried about how you've priced your services. You want to know that your price is high enough that you can make money, but low enough so that you can be competitive in your market. This […]
Lawn Care Owners: 8 Changes for a Richer 2017 [UPDATED]
"Happy New Year! Happy 2017! It's time for a new you!" Sick of hearing that yet? If you are, then don't read this post, because it will cover the eight changes in 2017 guaranteed to make you and your lawn care business have the richest year ever.
Hiring your first office assistant is a nail-biting experience. You are about to pay someone who will never produce billable work. You will never charge for their time. Yet, if you want to scale your lawn care or landscaping business, you MUST hire the right employees. It feels risky, and many business owners put it […]
How to get the most value from your next Trade Show or Conference
Going to an industry conference is like trying to fly through a hurricane in a cheap, one-prop Cessna airplane. You walk in, and WHAM you're hit with: Think about the conferences you go to - GIE Expo, ARCSI Cleaning Convention, or the Service Autopilot Conference. When most owners get back to the office, they FORGET […]
Want to know a "Green Industry" secret? You can get into ANY lawn care market you want. The key is to look for the CRACKS in your market. This post will give you the chisel and hammer you need to break into any lawn care market – without GOING BANKRUPT first. Remember this: Every Market has […]
You put time at a premium. So do your clients. Write emails worth reading and keep 'em short and sweet. Nothing communicates how much you care about a client like the amount of time that goes into your correspondence with them. In the internet millennium, email is the contact method of preference for most people, but the […]
The Right Way to Hire High Schoolers | Interview with EDU Lawn Service
These days, it seems like nobody wants to work for an honest day’s wages. Hiring new crew members is a pain; you're lucky if half of them even show up for the interview. Most lawn care owners are asking, "Where have all the good workers gone…?" But there is a different question - a better question - […]
The Number One Reason Most Lawn Care Companies Fail
You’ve sent out mailers, you’ve sweated from block to block leaving door hangers, you've paid a small fortune for internet ads. Your stomach is in knots worrying that all your effort and expense is not going to pay off. How can you get the biggest return on investment from your marketing campaign?
Profit First: The #1 Problem this Book will Fix in Your Service Business
Quick: what is the fastest way to increase profits in your business? If you immediately thought "Sell more work," or "Get morin the business to on the businesse clients," then I'm about to tell you exactly why you should read Profit First. Do you have any of these problems: If any of these sound like you, […]
Attract More Clients: Gorgeous Before/After Pictures in Under 5 Minutes
You do awesome work. Your work impresses not only your clients - but also their friends, their family, even their neighbors are envious. YET, there is one group of people who DON’T KNOW how good you are… Your LEADS. Before & After photos are the easiest way to impress your potential customers. That is, IF […]
What an All-Women Landscaping Company Taught Us About Succeeding in the Green Industry
A few weeks ago, one of our Launch reps came up to me and said, "Hey, we just signed up an all-female landscaping company." My reaction was - No way. There's no way that company exists. So I asked her, "You're sure they're all women?" Her: "Yep, just talked to the owner. She said they're an entire […]
When you want to sell more work, these are the two most important questions you can ask yourself: You need to answer these questions before you start marketing your lawn care business. Let's talk about that in this week's Business Advice feature:
Lawn Care Owners: Are you wasting 80% of your day?
What is the most important part of your day? For many lawn business owners, the most important part of the day is the morning, when they schedule services, dispatch crews, and get most of their office work out of the way. How long is the most important part of your day? It could be much shorter […]
Top 12 Hiring Mistakes Most Lawn Care Companies Make
Your employees can really mess up your life... ...or, they can make it 10X easier. More than 90% of Lawn Care Companies don't have a hiring process. They don't know how to find people, nor how to pick the right ones out of the crowd. They shoot from the hip, and more often than not, they […]
Why You Need to Appreciate Your Employees on the Holidays
Everything is wrapped in red and green. It's freezing cold outside. They won't stop playing that "so happy it sounds fake" Christmas music. You know what time of year it is. Only THIS year, you've decided you want to do something to show your Employees how much you appreciate them. But what? And how?
But first... "Let me just check a few emails." When you own a lawn care business, the tasks pile up - even on your off season. Sometimes, you don't want to do the hard stuff or tasks that require your attention for long periods of time. Before you know it, the day is over, and you've […]
Find the Best Employees for Your Lawn Care or Landscaping Business
Every owner gets to a point... ...where you can't do it all on your own. You realize you could make more money, in the long run, if you hired some extra help. You need people with real work ethics and experience. How do you find great employees? This post will show you where to find the […]
On an average day at an upscale food market, there was a table covered with more than 24 varieties of jam. Encouraged by free taste tests and "$1 off" coupons, shoppers swarmed the table. The profits were good, not great. No surprises there. On another average day, another table was set up - this time, […]
4 Reasons Free Service Software Will Cost You Money
It feels like prices are always going up. Housing is getting more expensive, your employees are asking for more money, and that new mower you just bought almost costs double what you paid for the last one. You know you need to start managing your budget better. So, you browse the internet, and you type in […]
The gate creaks when you open it. Long grass whips at your ankles and bushes crawl all over the walls. A dirt patch, filled with weeds, starts rustling. You're pretty sure something is living in that overgrowth. There are no two ways about this: this apartment complex is in dire need of lawn care maintenance. It's yours for […]
How to Build a $1,000,000 Revenue Business in 5 years
Most service businesses make around $50,000 a year. A lot of them fail to grow beyond this number, and eventually these owners say, "This business isn't worth it." They're right. If you're going to work 80 hours a week, and your business isn't going to generate more than $50,000, then what's the point? So, how do you grow […]
There are clippings all over the sidewalk, the lawn stripes are sloppy, and the grass is cut so low that you wonder if it'll ever grow back. Maybe in a few months, if someone takes care of those weeds. Yep, you've seen this shoddy work before. Lowballers. They don't care about getting the job done right. […]
Bill Gates walks down the street and a $50 bill falls out of his pocket. In the second that it takes him to pick up that $50, he will earn more than $100 from interest. Unless you are Mr. Gates himself, it's hard to imagine that picking up a $50 bill would be a waste of […]
Do Landscapers Work in the Rain? Dealing With Delays
You hear them first, don't you? A distant rumble that makes you look up from your work. You see them: big, dark, and coming your way. "Let's get a move on, guys," you say to your crew, but you know you're not going to make it. You've got eight more yards, and the sky is about […]
You're on a beach, with crystal clear waves lapping at your feet. Above you, a palm tree provides the perfect amount of shade, and the old volcanoes rise steeply behind you. You can hear the songs of birds and chattering of monkeys in the jungle, but you can also hear the tinkling of glass and […]
One Easy Way to Teach Your Teams their Bushes, Trees, Flowers, and Weeds
Maybe this has happened to you: You're out on your client's property, getting ready to do some work on her yard. Your client comes out to talk to you. She points at her neighbor's bushes, "You know, I've always liked those. I think I want some right in front of my windows. Do you know […]
The Service Industry is hugely competitive. Whether you're jump-starting your cleaning business, or looking to mow more lawns, it's never going to be easy to break into your market. You're going up against giants here. So, as the new guy or gal in town, what are your chances?
I get asked a lot of questions about how to run a service business. One of the most common questions I get is, "How do you get your Clients to pay you with a credit card?" It actually doesn't take as much work as you might think. I've had to go through this process with my […]
Here's a quick quote from Jonathan back when he started the Lawn Care Millionaire: "When I got into the lawn mowing business, I wasn't sure that I liked it. I wasn't seeing the money - we weren't making nearly enough. I just didn't think it was going to be that great a business. But I kept running […]
Is Drive Time Killing Your Profits? (Drive Time Tracking on Your Apple or Android Device)
"We had to mow 20+ lawns that day - that might not seem like so much to the bigger businesses, but for us, this was huge. This was our big day. And those weren't small properties, those were some big, residential lawns. So we worked our asses off, all day. We drove all over town, and I think […]
When you hear the word WIN, what pops into your head? *Having a better team* - *Scoring more points * - *That glorious moment of victory* Now think of WIN in the context to the Field Service Industry - how do YOU win in the field industry?
How Can You Improve Your Return on Investment? | Lawn Care and Landscaping
Return on investment is probably the #1 most overlooked number in the lawn care industry. Essentially, it means this: Why should you care about it? Pay Attention to Your Return on Investment (ROI) Sometimes, instead of looking at the big picture, we focus on the immediate consequences of our money. Save $20 to buy cheaper […]
On Wednesday, we talked about how you should build your knowledge to gain an edge over your competition - and in that post, we promised a list of must-read Business books. The CEO and Co-founder of Service Autopilot, Jonathan Pototschnik, recommends these books (and a few podcasts!) for people who care about growing their business. Each […]
You might have the best team in the field. Maybe your clients rave about your outstanding customer service. But if your pricing is wrong, you won’t make the money you deserve. Price your services too low and you won’t earn enough to keep your company afloat. Too high, and your clients will run away. It's […]
