Everyone likes a nicely trimmed lawn, but most people don’t enjoy cutting grass. If you’re up to this task, there’s money to be made.

PROS:
— There could be a strong need for your services.
— You can do this as a summer job; that’s when lawns grow fastest.

CONS:
— It’s physically demanding work.
— You need a lawnmower (though, if your parents already own a lawnmower, you can ask them to borrow it).

How to Get Started:
NOTE: Before you start your business, you should read the page on this website entitled “things to think about before you get started.” After you have taken the preliminary steps for starting any business, you can take the specific steps outlined below.

  • Go door to door: If you do this, focus on the homes with the lawns that look unkempt, since these homes are more likely to need your services.
  • Use social media: Try promoting your services on Facebook or Nextdoor. Also consider asking your parents to post on their Facebook or Nextdoor pages about your lawn services. But be sure you have transportation for your lawnmower before promoting on social media as you may get business from people who don’t live in your immediate neighborhood.

How Much to Charge:
Bottom line: People don’t want to pay a teenager or a young adult the same price as a professional lawn care service. But you can still make good money mowing people’s lawns.

Professional lawn care businesses might charge around $25 per week. You could charge $15 per week for a simple mowing job. Or if some local professional lawn services charge $30 per week, try $20.

So, doing this is about $15-$20 for what would be about an hour’s worth of work. Compare that to the minimum wage at most stores and restaurants; you could make at least twice the amount of money for the same amount of time.

Taking it to the next level:
Ready to upgrade your lawn mowing services?

  • Create business cards and fliers, using websites such as Vistaprint.com, and use those to promote your business.
  • Create invoices for your customers to keep for their records. The extra convenience (along with good service) could get you repeat customers.