The year 2020 will go down in history as a rollercoaster of unknowns. How has your lawn service company survived the year? Are you in a good financial position that you can continue your lawn care service into the New Year?
If you want to start 2021 on the right foot, you need to do some thinking and planning right now before the calendar goes from December to January. Look at your numbers, such as
- Financial records comparing them with 2019—Did you lose out because of Covid-19? Are you keeping pace with 2019 despite the pandemic? Did you have a relatively successful 2020?
- Marketing statistics—What worked and what didn’t work? Look at the campaigns that brought in an ROI and which advertising campaigns were a waste of money. Readjust your online and print marketing, so you get a better return on your investment.
- Can you go on for another year? Do you have enough reserves to pay for equipment repairs, pay for office space, and still pay your employees on time?
These three points need your consideration. Don’t be afraid to include your sales and accounting departments in these discussions. Alternatively, hire a consultant if you’re a one-person shop.
Read more: How Holiday Lighting Installation Keeps Your Lawn Business Busy
Watch for These 2021 Business Trends
The home services market that includes lawn care and landscape maintenance is still growing. But to attract millennials and others who’re concerned about the Coronavirus infection, you need to go paperless.
You can invest in software that links all of your business systems together. You can automate invoices, receive payment, and record sales by going paperless. Ideally, you should offer automated services from invoices to scheduling appointments to Zoom meetings with homeowners.
Depending on where you’re located, you can still have a successful lawn service business while interacting with homeowners online.
Landscaping Trends to Watch in 2021
While the pandemic may’ve hit hard in some areas, there are areas in the U.S. that saw a successful growing season in 2020. If you live in a place where your customers include HOAs and residential sub-divisions, you should stay busy in 2021.
Texas and Florida, as well as the states in between, have short winters. You may be out mowing lawns as soon as February 28th. Likewise, if you provide tree services in the northern part of the U.S. or Canada, you’ll have pruning jobs come late winter and early spring.
If you live in an area, such as the Southern U.S., you may want to include on-demand mowing and landscaping services. Granted, you’ll need to pay the app provider a percentage of your wages.
Here are four on-demand lawn service apps that may be available in your area:
Compare each on-demand app to see which one will best serve your lawn care company. Then, sign up and start scrolling through your options.
How to Prepare for Your Lawn Care Business in 2021
Preparing for the New Year for your lawn service should be number one on your list. Some green industry companies did well when they compared their 2019 numbers with 2020 numbers.
Unfortunately, other lawn and landscaping services have closed shop during the Coronavirus pandemic. There could be many reasons why they needed to end their companies.
You may also need to close up your lawn service business. But you won’t know for sure unless you look at the numbers.
These tips will help you to think about where you’re going with your lawn service in 2021:
- Leaping into the unknown: No one knows for sure what the first quarter of 2021 will look like. Will we go back to normal if Covid-19 vaccinations are given in December 2020?
Just prepare yourself for challenges. Granted, this depends on the region where you work, but 2020 has proven to be the year of the unknown. Yet, making a plan as well as a back-up plan will serve your lawn business well into the New Year.
- Realize the economy is still shaky: Residential customers might cut back on lawn services in the New Year to save money. However, HOAs and property managers of apartments and condos will still need to have their lawns mowed.
- Don’t depend on PPP and other government provisions. According to an article in Lawn and Landscape magazine, you probably won’t see PPPs and other goodies in 2021. Ensure that your business has a substantial financial footprint and that you can still put money in the bank for a rainy day.
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- Go back to your core values: Why did you start a lawn care company in the first place?
Go back to the early days of your lawn service and rediscover your values and goals again. Then, strategically plan how you can stay afloat into 2021 with those goals in mind.
- Have a back-up plan: What will you do if plan A doesn’t work? If you’re a planner, you’ll have some back-up plans to keep your lawn company moving forward and paying all of your bills on time if things don’t go as originally planned.
- Keep marketing—even if you feel you could save a lot of money without investing in it: If you cut your marketing budget, you’ll save money on marketing. But you’ll also be handing over customers to your competition.
Research has shown that companies that keep marketing during an economic downturn tend to do better than companies that cut their marketing budgets.
- Be honest with yourself and your company: If it looks like your lawn service won’t bounce back from the rollercoaster ride of 2020, then consider shuttering your doors. You’ll lower your stress levels and save money.
Stay Calm and Carry On
If you’ve given yourself a gut check and you reviewed the numbers for 2020, you can move seamlessly into the winter of 2020 – 2021 with your snow removal services.
At Spyker, our Ergo Pro Ice Melt Winter Spreader allows your crews to cover more sidewalks and store entrances in less time. Our Ice Melt Winter Spreader has these three features:
- All welded stainless steel frame
- Extra-large opening for rock salt distribution
- Stainless steel carving blade for breaking ice melt.
If your lawn service provides sidewalk clean-up, then you need our Spyker spreaders. You can buy your next Ice Melt Winter Spreader through your local Spyker dealer or buy directly online.
If you have any questions about your Spyker Spreader, call us today at (800)-972-6130 or fill out our contact form.
Sources:
Forbes.com, “Enter 2021 with an Effective Plan: Why Crafting a Business Plan is as Important as Ever.”
HBR.org, “Don’t Cut Your Marketing Budget in a Recession.”
LawnandLandscape.com, “Planning for 2021? Think Like a Startup.”
