The Grass Doctor

How much should I charge for mowing lawns during summer?

How much should I charge? Any tips for advertising? How should I approach a customer? Should I bring my mower or use their own? How much should I charge for both front and back yards? How long do I wait before asking them if they want me to mow their lawns again?

Public Comments

1. 15 bucks. Yea stay in your neighbor hood. Mailboxes, and email your neighbors bro.
2. bring your own mower and wait a week before you go to the same house. i dont know how much you should charge them maybe 10$. theres some people that wont give you much.
3. geeez, if you have all these questions you shouldnt be doing. but i do a bunch of lawns during summer. this is what i did. i made a little busniess sized ad and i taped it to the handle of their mailbox cause its illegal to put stuff in it. and definately use your own mower, thats the reason why ppl hire lawn ppl. charge fifteen bucks. thats reasonable. if your good at it, if you suck at mowing. than just do ten. and when you go to their door to get the money thats when you ask them if they want you to do it again another time and when they want it. maybe you can set up like a weekly schedule kinda thing where you do it lets say every tuesday or somehting like that.
4. mowing should be done every week. about 10 a yard if it is a small to medium 15 to 20 to medium to larger. bring your own mower if possible. just come to them and say why you want to do the yard...need money for school...summer job ect....
5. Call around and see what others in your area charge, then undercut them by 10%. Just go around and look for lawns that need mowing and ask if they would like you to do the job. Start in your own neighborhood. How ofter depends on how much rain you get in your area. You always use your own tools "mower." BTW: get more then $10, I was charging $20 back in the 70's when I was a teen mowing yards.
6. Estimate the size of the yard, and allow for any extra complexities such as trees, grass next to gravel, and heavy weeds. If the people want edging or clipping disposal done, add those on as extra charges, if you have an edger and a way to compost lawn clippings. You'll have plenty of business at $10 for a simple yard up to 5000 square feet of grass, $15 for up to 7500 square feet, $20 for up to 10,000, and so on. Add 10% to your quote for obstacles and for heavy weeds. Add 10% for edging and for clipping disposal, depending on how much extra work these will entail. Most people will be OK with leaving the clippings on the lawn, so long as they aren't soggy clumps. It would be wise to make sure your folks are acquainted with your customers. Prepare advertising flyers on uniquely colored paper, with all the information necessary — your name, address, and telephone number, perhaps even a photo. Mention that you will provide the mower. Say "Ask me for an estimate -- prices range from $10 up" rather than quoting prices sight unseen. The person who warned not to use U.S. mail boxes is absolutely correct, unless your flyer is addressed, stamped, and mailed through the postal service. Find out how high the people want their grass mowed. Usually it's best to mow off no more than one-third of the grass blades' height. Be sure to keep your mower sharpened, so it cuts the grass cleanly and doesn't shred it. Grass grows at different rates, depending on the amount of rainfall and watering, and the time of year. Lawns grow more slowly in the summer, and then grow faster again as fall approaches. You could tell the people, "I'll keep an eye on your lawn, and when it looks like it could use another mowing, I'll give you a call if you give me your number." Good luck with your budding business. I hope it grows!
7. Wow, lots of questions! Don't worry, I can answer them. Let's start at the beginning... How much should I charge? There is a simple formula: ($/Hour) X (# Hours spent) + (Expenses) = Cost per lawn For more information on how much to charge, check out the following article: http://www.teenlawncare.com/2008/12/how-much-to-charge-per-job.html Any tips for advertising? Flyers work great! Check out the following article for tips on using flyers to advertise: http://www.teenlawncare.com/2008/07/advertising-technique-for-your-teen.html How should I approach a customer? Be professional, short, and sweet. Make your pitch, give them your card (or a piece of paper with your number written on it) and go your merry way. For more ideas on customer service and how to deal with people, check out the following article: http://www.teenlawncare.com/2009/01/10-customer-service-tips.html Should I bring my mower or use their own? Definitely bring your own mower. If you don't have one, don't be afraid of buying one. Getting it used on Craigslist is cheap. Or, you could go to a local yard sale. Trust me, you will make back the $20-$40 dollars you spend on a used push mower in your first one or two mows. It is a very important and easy investment for your lawn business. How much should I charge for both front and back yards? Use the formula I gave you above. View it as one big yard. It's all about how much time and effort you have to put in. How long do I wait before asking them if they want me to mow their lawns again? Usually you will get into a groove with your customer. The spring is every week, and the summer is every one and a half to two weeks. Basically, when the grass gets tall enough to cut again. You don't want to let the grass grow too tall, or you will put strain on the grass. Of course, you don't want to cut it when it is too short, or your customer won't get his or her money's worth. The rule of thumb is you don't want to cut more than 1/3 of the grass at a time. You'll get used to it. Well, I think I've answered all your questions. If you need more information, just check out the following site: http://www.teenlawncare.com Good luck making money mowing lawns!