Lawn care business/?

Question

I hate using my fathers equipment like the mower and stuff adn to be enviromentally friendly i wanna start a lawn care service. I am 14 and wondering where cna i get cheap stuff and electronic. I would more then likely need a weed eater and a mower to begin. Any ideas would help me alot. I have decided to do this becuase my jewelery business isnt going to well i cant seem to sell my beatiful necklaces and bracelets. anyway any idead could help me

Answer 1

I applaud your enthusiasm, but many area prohibit anyone less than 15 from running a business like this.  And one community I lived set an age limit of 16 for operating machinery!  (wish they had had that law when I was younger!)

A lawn business puts a lot of stress on your machines.  You want something very reliable and you need to know how to fix them as soon as they break because you can't afford to take them to the shop for a week and let your clients' lawns grow unruly. (gas operated machines)

  An electronic mower and trimmer are for small yards because of the electrical cord.  The longer the cord must reach, the bigger (thicker and more expensive)  it needs to be to carry the current.  The more stress you put on the mower by distance from the outlet, the faster it will burn out.....trust me I burned out an electric weed eater in a month.

Plus what are you going to do with the clippings?  I prefer to let them fall, but some people insist you take them away?  How?  

You might want to walk around the neighborhood and peek at flower and shrubbery beds.  This time of year weeds are starting to get nasty.  Maybe offer to week people's flower bed or vegetable gardens.  Doesn't require machinery.  If people are going on vacation do they have someone to water patio plants, house plants?  

Having been stuck in the 13-16 year old rut where you want to earn money but no jobs I understand your frustration.  Maybe you can work out a deal with your parents, you take on harder chores for  price.  This way you'll learn how to wash windows properly.  Maybe paint and chaulk.  Chores often labeled and handyman chores.

Answer 2

Dixie Chopper makes hybrid lawnmowers.  Being 14 though you probably won't be able to get one since they cost more than 10 thousand dollars.  

For a weedeater STIHL makes battery and electric models and their equipment is the best out there.  

You should be able to find an electric push mower at a Lawn Mower dealership.

Once you get older you can look into the dixie chopper because you can't push mow every yard or you will be very limited to how many lawns you can do.

As previously stated you can use your enviromentally friendly equipment as a selling point for your business.  However most people still want their yards to look nice and if the competition is doing a better job they will likely switch.

Answer 3

You arent going to do any better in the lawn mowing business if you treat it the same way you did your jewelry.  

With lawn care items...   You really dont want cheep.  Cheep is not a good option because they end up costing more to operate, and will inevitably break or tear up causing you to entirely replace it.  And beyond that, an electric weed eater is gonna burn up the second you try to weed eat anything thicker than tall grass, or if you run it too long.

In the end, gas powered items are going to cost less money to run and operate.  WIth electric, you would also need to get a generator to take with you.  I dont know about others, but if I am going to be paying you to do my lawn care, I dont want you using my electric to do it.

Why do you hate using your father's equipment?  

You can start any business you want and be succesful, including your jewelry.  But it takes work, investigation, time, money, effort, and RESEARCH

Answer 4

I do this kind of thing sometimes with my dad to earn money, but we don't really have a company.  You should try a John Deere store for an electric mower, they are usually reliable (I'm talking about a push mower).  You could also look online if price is your goal.  With any good buisness, the first thing you need to do is GET THE WORD OUT.  You can use signs, and then when your buisness grows move on to other stuff.  When you have satisfied customers, they will pass your name onto other people, and that will help grow your buisness.  You also need to get some help, it's not easy working by yourself.

Good Luck!!!

Oh yes... its good that you care about the environment too, sometimes its hard to find people who like that stuff.  You could use that as a selling point for your buisness too.