How To Avoid Lawn Business Failure

by Daniel Pepper

It is a chilling fact that 80% of small businesses fail within 2 to 5 years in the United States. But for more than one reason, I managed to stay in the 20% group that succeeded.

Was I lucky? What secret ingredient was I using and not aware of? Of the ones that survive, why is it these lawn business owners are not hitting the jackpot with their businesses?

After I tenaciously began to search for the answers, I eventually found them. I cut them down into the top 4 major reasons people fail (or barely get by) with their lawn business. It is my sincere hope that anyone reading this article will make a stern decision to avoid these 4 subtle business killers.


Ignorance


This is the story of the first part of my life. I grew up in a middle income family. Both parents were highly educated and had worked for other people their whole lives. In fact, all of our family friends never owned their own businesses. That was the environment I was raised in and I was never taught that I could work for myself.

For the average person, this too was his life story and maybe it’s yours. In every area of his life he is surrounded with the old truth of ‘go out and get a good job’. Even the circle of influence he has around him doesn't include people who are wealthy. There isn’t really anyone he can think of that has ever said to him that the way to wealth is with his own business.

Believe it or not, there are people who live and die without even conceiving the possibility of entrepreneurship for themselves. They never realized they had just as much potential as anybody else to start and run a profitable business.

So, the first reason why people don’t become rich with a lawn maintenance business is because it never occurs to them that it is possible. And so if it never crosses their mind, they never even start up the mower.


Indecision


A second reason that robs people of wealth with a lawn care business is that the person doesn’t make a decision to be successful. Even if she reads all the books in the world cover to cover about mowing for money, several times in fact while taking notes, nothing changes until she makes a firm decision to do something different. Even if I show up at her front door and manage to convince her that she could become rich if she just followed my instructions, if she doesn’t put one foot in front of the other and take the first step, she ends up staying just where she is.

Think about that. Everything you’ve done up to this point in your life has gotten what you have in your life. Unless you do something differently, you’re going to continue to get what you’ve always gotten.

Indecision is at the top of many lists about why people are failing. People just aren’t taking action on the success information they are learning. A rock-solid, committed decision is not something they ever do. They just swing for the fences and hope it all works out for them. They expect lawn business success to fall on them like ripe cherries from a tree but they never decide they’re going to ‘Just do it!’ and make it happen. This point seems obvious but I’ll say it anyway. You’ve got to make a firm decision to be successful and burn the bridge behind you so there’s no turning back.


Procrastination


Holding out my hands, I can personally name more people than I have fingers for that have been destroyed by this one reason alone. People know they can be rich with a mowing business and they make a firm decision to do something about it. But, they’re not out of the woods yet.

When it comes to exercise, for example, have you ever noticed how many really good reasons to not exercise come up just before you hit the treadmill? Ever notice how tempting it is to just stay home and skip going to the gym when it comes around to the time you should be leaving?

There is no shortage for good reasons to not begin doing what is necessary to build a successful lawn business. It’s the wrong time of year. It’s impossible to get ahead with all the competitors. It’s just not the right month to start this sort of thing. The list goes on.

Day after day, month after month, and year after year, people delay. Little do they know, but their time of opportunity will run out.

Don’t put off what you know you need to do until tomorrow when you can and need to do it today. Like Benjamin Franklin said, “You may delay, but time will not.”


Get Some Discipline


Anyone who wants to see their dream turn into reality needs to be disciplined. They need to do what needs to be done, over and over again, every day they work. Rain or shine.

If a boxer gets into the ring and doesn’t knock out his opponent or go the full amount of rounds, he automatically loses. He has to be disciplined enough to keep throwing punches and stay on his feet until the end.

Keep mowing. Keep trimming. Keep treating your customers and employees right. Keep fighting. Do what needs to be done and you’ll be successful with your own lawn business.


About the author
Lawn care business maverick, Daniel Pepper brings his own unique way of teaching others about the lucrative realm of the lawn industry. He believes anyone can start, run, and grow a profitable lawn business. Start your own profitable lawn business today! for more information. Copyright Student Lawn Corp. All rights reserved.