How to Write a Lawn Care Business Plan [With Free Template]

1. Create a cover page and table of contents

If you’re writing a lawn care business plan to attract potential investors, you’ll need to include:

• A cover page with your lawn care business name, logo, address, and contact details. It should also say “business plan” in big letters so the reader knows what they’re looking at.
• A table of contents helps readers see what’s included in the business plan. This makes it easier for them to skip ahead if they’re looking for a certain section.

If you’re writing a simple lawn care business plan just for yourself that’s only a few pages long, feel free to skip this step.

2. Introduce your business to the reader

Start your business plan with an executive summary and business overview. These two sections give readers a quick summary of your business, background, and structure.

Here’s how to write your executive summary and business overview.

Executive summary

The executive summary is a simple overview of your lawn care startup business plan. It quickly introduces your business to readers and tells them what to expect from your plan.

Your executive summary can include content like:

• Company history and background
• Vision and mission statement
• Core values
• Business goals
• Competitive advantage

Keep your executive summary brief—no more than a page long, especially if the business plan is already pretty short. Make it even shorter if you’re writing a 1–2-page plan.

3. Choose what services you’ll offer

Next, write down a list of lawn care services you plan on offering and how often you’ll provide them. The services you offer may depend on factors like:

• The assets and equipment you own or can rent
• The services your competitors provide and their prices
• The services your clients need and what they’re willing to pay
• Market demand for new or uncommon lawn care services
• Opportunities for seasonal work, like snow removal or holiday light installation

The services list in your grass cutting business plan can include:

• Lawn mowing
• Dethatching
• Edging
• Grading
• Yard cleanup and leaf removal
• Trimming and pruning
• Weed control
• Mulching
• Aeration
• Sodding and returfing

If you’re just starting your lawn care business, it’s a good idea to begin with a few basic services and grow from there.
READ MORE:10 winter landscaping services to boost your revenue

4. Determine how you’ll price your services

Now that you’ve got your services and target market down, it’s time to think about how you’ll price your services to reach a good lawn care profit margin.

Your lawn care services pricing should factor in all your business’s costs and profit goals. To settle on that pricing, calculate:

• Your hourly rate (with and without employee pay)
• Overhead and equipment costs
• Consumable material costs (e.g., fuel, fertilizer)
• Any adjustments for special services and materials
• The markup you need to reach your profit margin
• All taxes and fees

READ MORE:Lawn care estimates: a step-by-step guide to accurate lawn care quotes

5. Research your lawn care market

Market research tells you the type of client who might need your services in your area. It helps you identify the opportunity available for your lawn care business.

Use the market analysis section of your lawn mowing business plan to cover details like:

• Whether you’re targeting residential or commercial lawn care clients
• How many ideal clients are in your area
• Ideal client demographics (e.g., age, income, family status)
• Client needs and wants that your business can address
• What clients are willing to pay for your services
• Qualities that clients look for in a service provider (e.g., speed, quality, price)
• Any industry rules or regulations you need to be aware of

In your market analysis, you can also outline any lawn care industry trends you can take advantage of. Just make sure they’ll help you meet your ideal client’s needs.

6. Look at your competition

Who are your competitors and why are they successful? Taking a closer look at the competition will help you fill in any service gaps and make your own business a real contender in your local market.

Identify up to five of your top local competitors. These are businesses that work with your ideal clients and provide services similar to yours. Your competitor analysis should describe:

• What services your competitors offer
• What they charge for services
• How large their team is
• How long they’ve been in business
• How trusted and recognizable their service business branding is
• Why ideal clients would choose them over you (and vice versa)

7. Create a marketing and sales strategy

Your marketing and sales strategy will help you bring in new clients and new revenue. To attract and win potential customers, you can use lawn care marketing tactics like:

• Building a lawn care company website
• Handing out business cards
• Sharing lawn care flyers and door hangers
• Creating a profile on lead generation sites
• Google and Facebook advertising
• Starting a customer referral program
• Email marketing
• Temporary lawn signage while you’re working
• Putting your company logo and contact info on employee uniforms
• Vehicle wraps and decals
• Local business networking

READ MORE: 6 lawn care advertising examples that’ll inspire you

If you have any sales staff, your small lawn care business plan should account for:

• The number of sales employees you need
• Sales team responsibilities and compensation
• Training and tactics for sales calls

8. Think about how you’ll grow your team

Labor costs make up 30–35% of revenue costs. That’s why it’s so important to account for your employees in your business plan—even if the only employee is you.

The employee planning section of your lawn maintenance business plan should include:

• Employees’ hourly wages or salaries
• Local labor rates and cost of living
• How many employees you need
• Time, effort, and cost to hire lawn care employees
• How many jobs you typically have per day
• How much revenue you need to make from each job

When you’re just getting started, you don’t need employees right away if you’re doing the work yourself. If you do want to hire, though, you’ll need to know how to write a lawn care job description.

9. Make a financial plan

The financial planning section is where you connect the dots between your business goals and how much it’ll cost you to achieve them. This will help you build a profitable lawn care business.

The financial plan for your lawn care business should include:

• Lawn care business model overview
• Any existing or required startup funding
• Current loans (purpose, amount, length, interest rate)
• Overhead costs
• Sales forecast
• Balance sheet
• Profit-loss statements
• Cash flow statements
• Employee costs
• Budget for expenses
• Personal financial statement

READ MORE: How to create a small business budget (with free template)

Project all of your incoming and outgoing costs for the next year. If you want to go a step further, you can decide what that projection should look like in two, five, or even 10 years.

Go into lots of detail if you’re applying for a lawn care business grant. If you have a bookkeeper, accountant, or other financial advisor, get their help with this section of your business plan.

You may need to include extra documents if you’re applying for a grant or bank funding. Add your resume, permits, credit history, photos of your work, or other documents in an appendix.
READ MORE: 8 ways to improve cash flow for your small business

Why you need a lawn care business plan

There are several reasons why it’s a good idea to have a lawn service business plan:

• It’s a way for you and your team to understand your goals
• It keeps you organized and your plans on track
• It helps you prepare for future problems because you’ve already thought about them  
• It provides important information to banks, investors, and other financial supporters

If you’re just starting a lawn care business, writing your business plan should be the first step you take. It’ll help you make the most of your time and money during the startup process.

You can also make a plan (or update your existing one) several years in. This will help you plan for the future you want to reach—especially if that future includes big changes to your business.