There has never been a better time to start your own home landscaping business– a venture with big payoff potential! The best thing about getting started in the home landscaping trade is that you can start small. As your business grows, you can size up, both in equipment and services offered.
Your biggest investment in starting your home landscaping business will be equipment, so I’m going to share five items you’re going to need to begin.
Five items you need for your new landscaping business are:
- A dependable truck
- A gas-push lawn mower
- A broadcast spreader
- A manual garden tool set
- A landscaping power tool combination kit
In my experience, some of the most common services requested of landscapers by homeowners are:
- Lawn mowing, blowing, and edging
- Planting trees, shrubs, perennials, etc.
- Removal of dead and unwanted plant material (“bed clean-up”)
- Mulch application
- Herbicide application
- Leaf collection and removal
- Trimming, pruning, and/or shaping of trees and shrubs
- Fertilizer application
With this in mind, I’m going to tell you about the equipment needed to perform all these client-pleasing services that will grow your business and make it a success!
You’ll need a reliable truck, but the good news is that it doesn’t have to be heavy-duty.
That’s right, you don’t need a big, expensive flatbed truck-trailer setup to get started because a small to mid-size pickup truck outfitted with tool organizers will do the trick. The key is to maximize the bed space with side-mounted racks that store power tools and hand tools securely up and out of the bed itself, saving that room for your push mowers and gas cans.
If, however, you think that you’re going to go big from the start with ride-on mowers and the works, then you will likely need the large flatbed rig. When shopping for this type of truck, it will be very important to pay attention to the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)–that is, the maximum weight the truck is rated to carry. This includes the weight of the truck itself, plus all machinery, gas canisters, toolboxes, and passengers– anything and everything on the truck, in total.
Whether going big or starting small, don’t forget to use the right size tie-downs for your truck, and acquaint yourself with the best practices of transporting landscape equipment. Click around The National Association of Landscape Professionals site, where you will find a wealth of information about how to secure your equipment and stay safe on the road and the lawn.
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Cutting grass will be the bulk of your business to start, so you’ll need a good mower.
A gas push mower is perfect for the beginning landscaping business. Gas push mowers are easy to haul, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive to purchase and repair. Another big difference between push mowers and ride-on mowers is that push mowers don’t require much of a learning curve to skillfully operate. Unlike a ride-on mower, you’ll never go faster on a push mower than you can walk! It’s unlikely that you’ll ever tip over in a push mower while mowing a ditch or other tricky area, either.
Push mowers are much easier to maneuver around pools, crowded patios, and tight spaces like those you’ll encounter daily between trees and fences, island beds and houses, etc. A standard push mower will fit through a standard gate– the same cannot be said for many ride-on mowers. That means you’ll always have to carry a push mower to fit where the ride-on mower cannot.
Electric push mowers are an option, too, but you’ll always need access to electricity or spare battery power, making them not the most practical choice for your landscape hustle.
If you’re going to be mowing parcels of land bigger than the average residential yard, then you’re probably wondering about a ride-on mower. A zero-turn mower is the champ of the riding mower world right now. It gets the job done quickly, and yes, it’s just as much fun to ride as you would imagine it to be!
However, a zero-turn mower is expensive for a beginner, and remember, if you get a heavy-riding lawn mower, you’ll probably have to get a trailer or a special truck, and then you’ll need a place to store the truck, mower, and trailer. Special equipment like that will cut down your profit at this stage— establish your business first before committing to expensive upgrades.
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Stay out of the weeds and stay in the green with a broadcast spreader.
A broadcast spreader is a very affordable (under $50) manual walk-behind tool that can set your clients’ lawns apart from those that are simply maintained by a mow-and-go service.
Use a broadcast spreader to evenly cast fertilizer granules, feeding the grass to give it that lush and plush emerald look that will have neighbors green with envy.
The “weed” part of the “weed and feed” chore that broadcast spreaders are tasked with is herbicide (weed killer) application. Pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides are two different types of granulated herbicides made for broadcast spreaders. Knowing your weeds and the application times for your area will show your clients that you’re a real pro, giving them– and you– the biggest bang for the buck!
A go-to kit of good old-fashioned manual landscape tools will come in handy.
There are several services your customers will request that are going to require the use of the old stand-bys. Planting perennials, spreading mulch, breaking up dirt clods, raking leaves, clipping stray limbs, pruning roses, and keeping lawns and flowerbeds weed-free are just a few of the things you will commonly be tasked with. A shovel, a steel rake, a leaf rake, a hoe, tree pruners, hand pruners, and a weed-pulling tool are all timeless essentials you will need for very common jobs. Keep a kit of these items available on your truck so you’ll be ready when a homeowner steps out of their house mid-mow to ask for additional (billable!) services.
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A professional landscape engine head and power tool attachments will become your magic lawn wand.
A landscape power tool engine, such as a Stihl Kombimotor (with add-on attachments of your choosing) can eliminate the need to individually purchase, fuel, maintain, and carry at least six different power tools at all times. This is the ultimate power tool for the beginning landscaper looking to optimize their tool space and maintenance time. There are several different brands, configurations, and price points for this type of tool kit available, so look around!
After purchasing the engine, you then decide which additional attachments you need, and buy them individually. You can purchase more specialized attachments as your business grows, but it would be best to start with the trimmer, edger, and blower attachments, and work your way up from there!
If an all-in-one kit isn’t in the budget yet, that is no problem! You can put together a very affordable collection of power tools by picking up gently used equipment at online marketplaces, auctions, and yard sales. However, neatly trimmed buildings and mailboxes, clean edges along beds and sidewalks, and patios free of plant debris are probably the minimum your clients expect from a professional mow. Therefore a trimmer, a leaf blower, and an edger should be at the top of your list, followed closely by hedge trimmers.
Now go kick some grass!
In summary, starting your own home landscape business can have as little or as much startup cost as you desire. As you choose the items you’re going to purchase, be sure to factor in maintenance costs and costs to operate the equipment. A gas-guzzling piece of equipment may have a good purchase price, but might not add up in the long run. Similarly, the no-name tool is going to end up costing you if it needs to be replaced two or five times as often as the more reliable brand.
If money is stopping you from buying the best thing brand new, maybe it would be better to get the best you can find, but get it secondhand. Make the best of what you have got.
Don’t overspend, get your work done on time, take pride in your craft and you will enjoy success!
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Frequently Asked Questions
What gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) do I need to haul ride-on lawnmowers, along with all of my other landscaping equipment?
Still eyeing that 610-pound zero-turn mower? A Class 2 truck has a GVWR of 6001-10,000 pounds, while a heavy-duty Class 3 truck has a GVWR of 14,000 pounds.
What are some affordable ways to advertise my new landscaping business?
Get your name out by creating a page for your business on social media–a listing on Nextdoor is essential. Create business cards using a free program like PicCollage; carry them at all times and hand them out generously!
What kind of potential customers should I target for my landscaping service?
Lots of seniors are choosing to live in their own homes as they age; dependable, affordable home landscapers will always be in demand with this group. Busy families with young children use these services a lot, too!
To learn more on how you can start your own landscaping business, check out my startup documents here.
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Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Landscape Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a landscape business owner at a job site, driving down the road or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Landscaping Business Boss: I want to help landscape business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.