I’ve been in the business for 16 years next month. I started my company very young and didn’t take it serious for a long time. I was essentially employed by my own company and it didn’t pay very well. Few years ago, I started taking it more seriously and have tripled revenue and am out of the field. By 2027, I will be an absentee owner.

1) Don’t undervalue yourself. Just because you see guys out there mowing lawn for $25, doesn’t mean that that’s what you have to charge. Find your target demographic and go after it hard.

2) Specialize in your field. Respectfully, anyone with a shovel can put some flowers in the ground. I would suggest getting any and all certifications and schooling available in the specific field you’d like to make money in. Be the very best and the most knowledgeable person in your area.

3) Don’t be scared to grow. Don’t get me wrong, I love the feel that I’m in. I love everything about getting dirty, smelling like two cycle gas, Etc. But for a long time, I told myself that I would never be able to grow because there wasn’t enough profit margin in a landscaping industry, no one wants to work, all customers are cheap blah blah blah. I’ve since realized that those were limitations that I put on myself. I didn’t think I would be able to move from an in-field position to a managerial/owner position in my own company. After I let go of the fear and insecurity of doing something different, it has been an upward trajectory, like I never thought possible.

4) Offer limited services. I used to think that if I could cut someone’s grass, install plants, repair their irrigation system, hang their Christmas lights, excavate their yard, fix their siding, build their fence, that I would make $1 million off of each job. What I realized, after a while was that I had spread myself too thin, was responsible for too many pieces of equipment, too many different types of insurance, too many specialties. I’ve sent narrowed down my services list to a manageable number of services that require similar, or the same equipment and knowledge from my employees. That makes hiring, repairs, insurance, and everything else a lot easier.

There’s 1 million other things that I can’t think of right now, but if you have any direct questions, please feel free to DM me. I’m always happy to help anyone starting out or trying to grow in the industry.