Lawn care is commonly viewed as a seasonal business by those outside of the industry, but experts will tell you that’s not the case. The industry is projected to generate over $110 billion in 2024, and much of that revenue is in part to businesses operating year round.
Lawn care professionals know keeping a lawn healthy and vibrant takes consistent care across all four seasons.
For businesses offering a range of services that support homeowners’ year-round needs, this approach can assist in potentially building and maintaining a customer base throughout the entire year versus limiting yourself to strong but seasonal work.
Creating resilient, year-round revenue streams
Homeowners might view fall and winter as breaks from property upkeep, letting leaves or snow blanket their lawns until springtime, but for business owners, limiting services to seasonal peaks can make it harder down the line to hire, train and retain staff. Seasonal work often means recruiting new employees each year, dealing with turnover and managing periods of inactivity. However, offering year-round services can allow lawn care businesses to maintain a stable workforce and provide staff with continuous training and engagement.
In addition to traditional lawn care, year-round services like aeration, fertilization, pest and weed control, can keep your customers content with their lawns outside of spring and summer. By helping homeowners prepare for each season, such as using aeration to improve soil health before winter dormancy, businesses can also address lawn health proactively, preventing issues before they arise. Year-round service offerings may allow lawn care providers to move beyond reactive work, which can transform them into proactive lawn care experts who are better positioned to support customers year round.
Knowledge is key
Whether a business owner is new to lawn care or a seasoned professional, continued education can be essential to remain competitive and offer topnotch services. Team members may look to business owners for guidance on how to keep yards fresh and make recommendations that best fit their needs. Knowledge in the field may also come into play as customers request year-round tailored lawn care plans, which can identify ways to address concerns that may arise throughout the upcoming months.
If you’re a mom-and-pop shop, it’s not impossible to be in the know about the hottest industry trends. It just may be more difficult to access this information and network with others in the field about best practices. Investing in a franchise, for instance, can create a network of like-minded entrepreneurs who are available to share their expertise with others. Being in the same field and following a similar business model, they have most likely been in your place and can make the right recommendations to help you scale.
Additionally, providing year-round services isn’t about overselling to stay afloat. Lawn care experts should have the customer’s best interest at heart with every decision they make. Year-round recommended services should be ones you and your team feel confident in performing.
Fostering customer relationships
Building a thriving, year-round lawn care business also means fostering relationships with clients. Customers rely on providers who understand their needs, communicate openly, and suggest services that align with their priorities. This is especially important when offering services during all four seasons.
By cultivating trust and delivering value, lawn care businesses have the potential to build a reputation that drives word-of-mouth referrals, an invaluable resource for growth. Franchisors often provide the systems, training, and marketing tools needed to implement and scale multiple services successfully. Franchising can also offer a support network of like-minded business owners to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and access continued education, an essential advantage in a competitive market. Ultimately, the more value businesses can bring to customers, the more these customers can recognize and appreciate their expertise.
The competitive edge of year-round income
In the green industry, generating income from various services can make the difference between a business that’s doing well year round and one that can only be relied on from a financial perspective during certain seasons. Luckily, over the years, lawn care businesses have found ways to go beyond traditional landscaping and create stable businesses that keep yards looking beautiful all season long.
Expanding services from being one dimensional to operate with multiple revenue streams year round, rather than relying on just a few months of revenue, can offer a competitive advantage that can strengthen businesses’ abilities to grow and scale. Business owners and technicians alike may also benefit from the support of an experienced team and a tested system, regardless of seasonal shifts. Whether leading your own small business in the space or owning a franchise with support from a national team, it is important to recognize the benefits offering year-round, elevated lawn care services has.
