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Contrary to popular belief, winter can be a great time to start a lawn care business. Your marketing efforts during November, December, and January may not pay off until February and beyond (depending on the region), but you’ll have had a four- or five-month head start on everyone else. I am a big advocate of going out and knocking on the doors of commercial businesses and property management companies that are trying to sell services upfront on a monthly contract. When it comes to commercial property, you never know when a building has come “on line” and been occupied. A building could easily have been completed in November of a year with a December occupancy and had an annual landscape maintenance contract that is renewed every year in December or January.
Never assume that just because the grass isn’t growing there are no hiring opportunities. When you walk into a property manager’s office in December, they’re secretly impressed that a lawn care “guy” is making the winter rounds. Even if he doesn’t agree to a contract right away, his foot is in the door and he may find out exactly when contracts will be renewed and offered.
Take the off-season to hand out flyers, network, and position yourself for a jump start in spring. Join a networking group like BNI or find a local BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) meeting and get in front of as many property managers as possible.
On the residential side, the opportunities are equally available. You’d be surprised how impressed a homeowner is with a Professional Lawn Care Business Owner surveying in the winter. Remember, the early bird catches the worm, or in this case the contract. Always prospect, ALWAYS!
For additional help, a free commercial lawn care newsletter offering valuable advice is available at http://www.MowingForMoney.com