Meet Brian Fullerton, Owner of Brian’s Lawn Maintenance located in Wixom, Michigan. Not only does Brian operate a full-service lawn care business but he is also known all around the country for teaching his tips and tricks to others in the landscaping industry. With over 98,000 subscribers on YouTube channel and 31,000 followers on Instagram, Brian has established a dedicated fanbase which he refers to as “Lawn-trepreneurs.”
Fullerton started his lawn care and landscaping business back in April of 2007. He was stuck in a dead-end job working for a fertilizer company, with little prospects for job advancement and no college degree to fall back on. Because of this, Brian went all-in on his lawn care business and with lots of bumps in the road he came out on top, now being one of the most successful in his area.
Here are 5 things Brian recommends all “Lawn-trepreneurs” to consider before starting a lawn care business:
#1 Why Are You Doing It?
Starting a business is hard, no denying that, but what is the real reason you want to start a lawn and landscaping business? Sure, a lot of folks would like to be their own boss, but what’s the real reason? Do you want to make more income? Create that personal financial independence from a job? Do you want the ability to enjoy what you do and take pride in your work? There’s no right or wrong answer, but just make sure that you know exactly what you want which will create the mowitvation (ha get it?!) for you to start and grow your new company.
#2 What Services Do You Want To Offer?
When you start up a new business, the sky is the limit. That’s the beautiful part about owning your own business, you can offer whatever services you want! Just be sure to figure out YOUR business model and what YOU want to offer. Do you like trimming trees? Installing mulch and performing landscape enhancements? Go for it! Do you want to lift heavy stone and install paver patios? Let your creative vision flourish! Just remember, you’re in charge of your new business, and you have to decide what you want to offer with your new company. Figure out what works for you, what you enjoy doing, and stay away from the services that you don’t! The quicker you find your “lane”, the more profitable (and happier!) you’ll be.
#3 How BIG Do You See Your Company?
Maybe you’re getting started right out of the gate as a young teenager, or maybe you’re 30 years old and making a transition from your career, but the same advice still applies: imagine where you want to see your company in 10 years. Do you want to be a small town owner operator, with one truck and one crew? That’s great! Do you want to be the big deal contractor in your region and have 10 trucks and 10 crews? Awesome, it’s wide open. The path you start on when you dial in your vision for your company is going to determine how you run it, how you operate it, and so many decisions along the way. Do you want to get started as “Matt’s Lawn Care”? That’s ok! Do you want to get started as Kyles Lawn Maintenance? That works! What about KPM/Kyles Property Management? That could be it! You just have to decide where you want to see your company, and make the decisions to reinforce that vision. Company logos, color schemes, uniforms, what types of trucks and trailers you run, all of these important decisions are affected by the vision you have for your company!
#4 Do Your Research
Thanks to the power of social media and the internet, you can do a ton of homework before you ever set foot in an equipment dealer or at your big box store when deciding on equipment! Before you make any significant investments, do your research! What types of mowers do you want to buy, a stand on or a sit down? A 22″ push mower or a 60″ zero turn? Do you want to run an enclosed trailer or an open style utility trailer? The options are endless! Do your homework before you start your business and put together your dream setup, and what type of equipment would make the most sense for the customers and area you want to service! There’s no right or wrong answer, and you can get as creative as you want! But the bottom line is this, the ideal equipment setup already exists with someone else’s business, and more than likely you can find some great reviews and opinions shared on that equipment floating around somewhere on the internet. Before you invest into your business, invest into some education and do your research on what is the best setup for you!
#5 The Biggest Secret To Your Success
Now that you have a vision for your business, you have the dream setup, you know what type of services you want to offer, that’s it, right? At this point you’re pretty much a success and the business should turn into a cash cow and all of your dreams and goals should come true! Well here’s the honest answer, the secret to success in the lawn and landscaping industry (or any worthwhile pursuit!) is HARD WORK! I know it might not be the most sexy topic or one that gets floated around the internet today with our modern version of a highlight reel on social media, but any business takes hard work to achieve success! It’s not as easy as some think, and that’s just the honest truth! There can be long days, stressful situations, equipment breakdowns, you name it! You have to learn to work with people, hire good help, earn new customers, the list goes on and on! Too many people believe that running a business is easy, and in my experience, that’s just not the case. Sure, it can be exceedingly profitable and a rewarding endeavor, but just remember, the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. At the end of the day, it’s going to take grit, hard work, and determination to make your new business an overwhelming success. Remember, it goes full circle, why are you deciding to start a business of your own? Once you know the why, the how will take care of itself, and help you to plow through those difficult days that are sure to take a heaping portion of hardwork and dedication to making your new business a tremendous success!
