Push mowing
 

My husband has serious lawn skills and is thinking he will start mowing Court Yard Villas as a business. He mows our grass in a Patio Villa. He is a veteran and needs to stay busy.
Do you think this is a good idea? I saw some posts where people asked for this service. He has all the equipment he brought with us from NC. We are FT here so what are your thoughts? Thanks

If he could advertise that his 'push mowing' wont wake the residents & neighbors up at 6:45AM like the un-muffled gas powered crews that come thru here, he might do really well.
Seriously though, is this biz idea scalable? If it catches on, that is something to consider.
Best of luck to him, I think its an awesome win-win idea!

Let me know if you do… 😊

OP.
Another thread on subject, and a few prospective customers.
I thought there was a good business opportunity for someone willing to push mow!

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...ervice-335380/

"...and this time next year Rodney, we'll all be millionaires!!"
Del Boy. 'Only fools and horses.'

If all he does is mow grass, he will have a lot of competition at about $40 per month. But, if he also periodically trims the shrubs and sprays for weeds in the shrub area, he will have less competition and can charge a little more. I have Massey because they do everything: mowing, weed control, shrub trimming, lawn treatment, pest control, and irrigation maintenance. They are not cheap and not the best, but I only need to deal with one company, and I don't need to pay them any money in advance. If the mower breaks a sprinkler head, I don't need to argue with anyone about who is responsible. They also answer the phone and they have a website where you can request a service and they will respond. It is sad to say it, but, if you just answer the phone, you will be way ahead of half of your competition.

Provide quality, reliable, service..................he will be very successful.

:ho:

Hurry
 

It’s almost the season where no one needs their grass cut. A monthly buzz at best till March.

He'll have all the work he wants, especially if he'll do the larger lawns, 3-4k square feet. Bagging just adds more $. I have more work than I want but actually had a lady offer me $100 per month for a patio villa with a back lawn no bigger than 200 square feet just to have someone dependable. We settled on $50 per month cut twice a month.

Sounds like a great idea, but don't do it out of your garage, otherwise the two ladies with a clip board will report you.

My two cents ; It’s one thing to do a lawn / gardening / landscaping as a hobby, another to do it multiple times per day x 5 or even 7 times a week. Especially with a push mower in the heat and humidity that is Florida.

Ideally, you would want to get a number of customers really close to each other so you spend more time mowing vs driving your truck / trailer from one to another. If you do decide to offer weed spraying, you will need to study and pass a test to get a license to apply herbicides. This license will need to be renewed on a regular basis. Keep in mind all the book keeping that goes along with running a business ; taxes, collections, invoicing, insurance. If you employ someone, that’s a even bigger hassle.

If money is not the issue and you just like doing it to keep yourself busy…..and perhaps find a sense of fulfillment. Offer your services for free or at a reduced price to those less fortunate.

It sounds like a great idea, but let's not forget a job is a job. A job is a commitment, once you take on something on like this you have to understand people will expect you to show up when you're scheduled, no excuses. To me it looks like a recipe to lose friends and neighbors.

Free? I don't think so. It's a great idea if it's close and he doesn't take on too many customers. Think about potential liability issues that could arise, reporting income, etc.

Think of it as a hobby , customers if they are paying want service on a regular basis hot , cold, rain, shine. If doing it for free same applies .personally I prefer to pay a good reliable mower and trimmer . We have had the same crew doing our villa for over 10 years .

post his advertisement also in the Nextdoor site. And what village is he in and how far will he go?

If he just wants to stay busy and money is not the reason, I suggest joining the Habitat for Humanity Villages club. They provide similar services to homes in and around TV for people who can’t do it themselves and the risk of running a business out of your home goes away. Other services they provide are planting and small home repairs both in and outside the house. The money they receive goes to their home build fund. Currently they build 1 home a year and want to move to 2 soon.

Just a suggestion…

Lawn mowing (and landscaping, irrigation, etc.) is my business for 40+ years. All of the above comments are useful. I would add that your trustworthy equipment that you brought with you from up north will fail within weeks. That stuff is designed to mow your own lawn for maybe an hour at a time... 2-4 hours a month. Pick up some extra work and start running 20 hours a week and you will need commercial equipment. Google 21" Toro Commercial lawn mower. It's $1900. 2022 Toro Heavy Duty 21" (53 cm) Self-Propelled (22295) TO222951581-004 | Four Brother's Outdoor Power

If he offers to pull weeds and is dependable he will have oooodles of customers!

Tell hubby to play more golf….mowing someone else’s lawn is a ticket to an early grave….

we have been using an electric mower which is very quiet. Newer Battery mowers are pretty powerful and he doesn’t have to store gas/oil. And he did think of quiet issue. Also why he is only doing small areas. But he has several batteries. We are in a patio villa and have a larger lot and electric mower does great. Thanks

I don't think that using a quiet mower will make any difference in how much business he will get. I don't like noise either, but it only takes about 10 minutes to mow a courtyard villa.

Absolutely. Took us forever to find someone to do a push mower. The previous guy was great but the big mower with the exact same tract started ruining the grass. Why not do any style of home? We are designer house and want a push mower.

Not true! Doing your own maintenance keeps you in great shape. Sitting in a golf cart and strolling around a golf course is minimal exercise. Just look around at the people who care for their own yard and you will see that they are usually in great shape. Initially (the first ten years) the neighbors joke about the gardening nut (who gets dirty and very sweaty) but after the neighbors age they often can’t walk fast, lift heavy objects, have heart disease and are often overweight. They no longer say anything after that.

I called The Villages about this. They said rule applies to a business in your home working in home. Like repairing lawn mowers and golf carts. Not to a business you own doing outside the home. Thanks for the advice though but I’m on it. 😃

He was afraid people would not like the cost because it would cost more pushing than riding. But he can definitely come by a do a quote for you. He is really good at it. Keeps straight lines and is very OCD. Right now he is doing north of 466 A. Message me if you’re interested.

License Required
 

FYI If you apply pesticides or herbicides as a business you need to be licensed and trained on safety and use procedures. There is some liability if you apply these sprays and someone feels you damaged their lawn so he may want to stick to cutting the grass. Depending how big he wants his business to be Florida requires a business license. If he is only going to cut a small number of lawns it probably isn't a bad idea but if he gets large he may need a license and pay quarterly income tax.

He enjoys lawn work. Yes you read that correctly lol

Not doing any spraying bc he is aware. I also am buying liability ins if he gets any customers. Thank you

Lawn mowing
 

6:45 is ridiculous. 8 am better.

We are in patio villas. We had a great guy but he raised everyone's price on this block his 3rd week in. He went from $45 to $60 and he determines when it will be cut. Many of us went somewhere else. Our yards are tiny, let's face it. So if you have 4 or 5 houses in a row it's obviously easier and faster.

I think fairness in price, good work, and reliable and yes many of us would entertain it.
Our guy leaving end of year.

Good luck.

I would hire him if he uses a push mower
Im tired of the tracks in the yard

Who do you use. Would like to get some one with a push mower business.

Biggest mistake many people make cutting lawns.
Should never cut the same direction twice. (or should it be two times!)