Expanding your business to incorporate new services can be an intimidating task. Many questions arise as to whether or not adding to your list of services will prove to be a solid investment.
New services invariably mean new costs. Investments such as new equipment, training for your crew members, and promoting the new services to customers are among the many things contractors have to take into account before deciding to take the plunge on a change in day-to-day routines.
In today's market, lawn renovation services such as aerating, overseeding and dethatching are proving to have a significant impact on sales for many contractors—with a reasonably low initial investment.
Is there a need?
As is the case with any new service you're considering offering, the first thing you want to do is gauge the strength of the potential market available in your area. It may be surprising to find that a market already exists that remains untapped.
"A lot of homeowners are becoming less and less do-it-yourself when it comes to lawn care," says Nick Cusik, Outdoor Power Equipment Division president for SourceOne, maker of the Plugr Aerator. "People who want nicer yards are more inclined to hire professional staff when it comes to important services such as aerating. Many customers want contractors to go beyond mowing and fertilizing."
"The steady growth of the turf management segment is notable in medium- and high-end residential properties," agrees Linda Beattie, commercial public relations consultant for Commercial Grounds Care Inc., maker of Ryan and Classen lawn renovation equipment. "Some of this demand is due to customers wanting their lawns to look more like a well-manicured golf course. A bigger portion of demand is due to weather conditions across the country. Dry, hot weather places stress the turf and can lead to green areas that need renovation."
Beattie explains that potential customers in the community may be waiting in the wings for such services.
"Any residential or commercial property with grass could benefit form turf renovation services," she says. "Medium- and high-end residential customers, condos and apartment complexes requiring a well-manicured property as well as soccer, football and baseball fields are all target customers of turf renovation."
Cusik and Beattie stress that careful consideration of one's market is essential to success.
"One of the things to look at in your area is the economy," Cusik says. "What is the affordability of having a nicer lawn? What's the culture in the area? Is there an interest in green space? The kind of soil most customers have also plays a significant role. Areas with hard-packed clay, for example, are ideal for selling aeration as a service."
"Turf renovation needs to follow weather patterns and climate," adds Beattie. "If there is a drought, professionals tend to use overseeding and aeration to benefit the turf. If it's a moisture-rich area, dethatching might be used to allow new grass to grow through the dead or compacted grass systems. In general, the Midwest to Northeast will see more aeration and dethatching whereas the Southeast may be using overseeders or slicers to help in turf renovation."
Taking the plunge
Dan York of Holey Grounds Aerating in Westerville, OH, earned his living as a banker before he decided to open his own lawn renovation company in early 2006. York bought an aerator after examining the lawn renovation market in his town and realizing that no such services existed.
"I started the company on the side after we looked at the market and did some research on equipment," York notes. "The first year of operations we serviced 400 yards. This year we're surpassing that number by a wide margin."
Because Holey Grounds has proven so successful, York has left the banking industry to focus on his renovation business full-time.
Scott King of Ace Commercial Services in Ponca City, OK, added lawn renovation to his list of services in 2005 after noticing a similar lack of competition in his local area.
"No one in Ponca City does aerating," King says. "We realized that you don't need a whole lot to expand into that market. Once we bought the equipment, the only real costs have been periodic maintenance and, of course, labor. Almost everything we make on each yard goes right to the bottom line."
Cusik notes one of the biggest advantages to contractors adding renovation to their services is that a built-in customer base is already available.
"It's always easier to sell new services to current customers, who know you and the quality of your work, than it is to seek out a whole new client base," Cusik explains. "Referrals from existing customers to their friends and neighbors are a good way to grow the business once it's started."
Cusik adds that tying lawn renovation to existing services a customer already orders is a good way to grow demand. "For a company trying to expand from mowing to lawn renovation, your own customers are your initial target," Beattie agrees. "If they are paying you to mow, odds are they will pay you to maintain their lawn, as well."
Learning the ropes
Contractors deciding to expand into lawn renovation next need to decide how much they're willing to invest and what type of equipment they need to buy. They also need to have the skills and knowledge to have an immediate impact with their new services.
"Education is the key to success," notes Beattie. "Lawn maintenance, if not performed properly, can be more damaging than helpful. Courses on horticulture and turf care are offered at many colleges and schools across the country."
"Second to education is proper turf-care equipment," Beattie adds. "Depending on the services the contractor wants to offer, they'll need to learn the proper application for the product and how to operate the equipment properly."
Training new and existing employees on the new equipment is also essential to success. When he's hired employees to operate his aerator, York says he spends four or five hours on the job site with his trainees before turning them loose. "The equipment is generally very easy to operate," he says. "In fact, a general tendency is for employees to initially think it's more complicated to use than it really is."
King agrees. "It usually only takes a few hours to train someone to the point of proficiency on this equipment," he says. "It's very easy to use."
Shopping for the right tools
Deciding which equipment to purchase is likely to be the most complicated task a contractor will face when adding renovation services. What exactly you need will depend on what services in lawn renovation you decide to launch.
"To complete new full-service tasks, landscaping companies may need to equip their fleets with a variety of outdoor power equipment," says Mark Woodlief, senior product manager for Husqvarna Turf Care. "This equipment could include aerators that provide oxygen to the grass root system, dethatchers that remove dead grass that builds up in the turf over time, and seeders which put grass seed in the soil at the proper height so it germinates and spreads effectively."
"Over the past five years, advances have been in labor reduction, increased productivity, and lower maintenance and operating costs," explains Beattie. "Manufacturers have designed units to be more lightweight and easier to maneuver. The addition of various attachments over the past couple of years makes it possible for a contractor to perform more jobs with a single piece of equipment."
Other technological advancements over the years have made periodic maintenance on renovation equipment cheaper and less frequent.
"With routine checks and maintenance, most equipment issues can be circumvented," says Woodlief. "Proper maintenance will alleviate vibration and extra wear on the operational components, and extend the life of the machine."
Exactly what brands and what types of equipment you want to invest in may prove to be a difficult decision. Luckily, many resources exist to make this decision as easy and informed as possible.
"There's plenty of good equipment out there from all manufacturers," notes Cusik. "Do as much testing as you can on as many different types of equipment before you buy. Talk to other contractors about your potential purchase and see what they recommend."
Dan York took this advice to heart when deciding to open his own renovation company. "We did a significant amount of research on what equipment was out there," he says. "We wanted equipment that was reliable, easy to operate, low on maintenance costs and worked as advertised."
Cusik also suggests visiting professional, independent blogs on the Internet for information on lawn renovation equipment. Sites such as lawnsite.com and lawncafe.com post equipment reviews from landscapers across the country.
"No one knows better than your peers what the best equipment on the market is," Cusik says. "That's one of the first places you should look."
Mow Money With Renovation
In addition to stand-alone, walk-behind lawn renovation equipment, companies such as CGC Inc. and SourceOne offer lawn renovation attachments that work in conjunction with your riding mower or zero-turn, allowing you to further utilize an already sizeable investment—your mower—often during "slower" times of the season, such as the fall.
For instance, the Plugr Tow Pro PL1600 from SourceOne is a 45-inch self-contained aerator with universal mount for operation behind virtually any tow vehicle, including zero-turns. The Ryan Renovaire (pictured) is also tractor-drawn, and provides a 72-inch aeration width.
Several mower manufacturers, including Walker and Grasshopper, also offer lawn renovation attachments for use on their mowers, as do several implement manufacturers, such as JRCO Inc. and Trac Vac.
