One of the quickest ways to jump start your business (lawn care or otherwise) is to buy an existing business. There are of course disadvantages to this, but for many, the advantages will outweight them.

Customers are the lifeblood of any business venture - and they are even more important for service oriented businesses such as lawn care. The lawn care industry can be somewhat unique in that when you get a customer, there is a good chance they will turn into a recurring customer - the most valuable kind. In other industries, you may have one-off clients - those who purchase a good and you will never see them again. When you perform lawn care and maintenance for someone, though, there is a very good chance they will need your service again in the next few months, and for years to come. This illustrates the first advantage of buying a lawn care business - you get existing customers right off the bat.

Lawncare businesses also have a naturally growing client base. Obviously new homes present new opportunities to get new clients, but you’ve also gotta consider folks who might be first time home owners, as well as older families. First time homeowners might be overwhelmed with a new yard, and many have never had to maintain one before. While they might move into a home that has never had professional yard maintenance, they might not feel like doing it themselves. On the other end are the folks who might have maintained their yards for a period of time, but are starting to get a little older - spending hours on their knees just doesn’t appeal to them any longer. There’s a good chance they’ll start looking for professional services instead of doing it themselves.

You also have an extremely potent marketing tool - your work itself. Neighbors talk - if someone notices that their neighbors yard looks very nice, there is a good chance they’ll ask about it. You’ve got instant referrals just from doing a quality job.

Finally, to actually find a lawncare business for sale, you can do a quick google search, or check out this site for business for sale listings.

Could your lawn be your next source of heat? The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association seems to think so. Basically, instead of using fossil fuel to heat your home, you’ll use your lawn.

Now, I’m not talking about burning your grass (sod farms anyone?), but rather using your lawn as what in effect would be a giant heat pump. Heat pumps are obviously nothing new - take a look at your refrigerator for an easy example. But this is a heat pump on a slightly larger scale.

It works because the Earth itself (where the cold/hot comes from) is a relatively constant temperature. When it’s cold outside, the heat from beneath the Earth heats water that is circulated through a series of underground pipes. These pipes run through the building, providing both heat and hot water to the user. When the summer months come, things reverse - the water in the pipes takes the cold air OUT of the building and into the earth to cool. Think of your house as a giant refrigerator - heat is taken from it and dissipated into the Earth.

These systems are available for both residential and business owners - and the method is endorsed by the FDA and EPA. There’s even the possibility that you’ll qualify for incentives.

So the next time you look at your heating or cooling bill, just remember that there ARE alternates out there that can save you money and help the environment.