3 challenges to running a lawn care business

Ryan Dittes says adding the lawn care service to his company, RD’s Total Care in Pennsylvania, has been smoother than he ever thought it would be. 

“God willing, it’s been really, really good,” Dittes says. “We went from 0 to 200 in one year, which I think was really awesome.”

Still, the process has come with a few learning lessons along the way. Here are three things Dittes has learned about running a lawn care business in his first year of operation. 

The growth takes time

While Dittes was immediately impressed with the good margins on lawn care work, he says the growth takes time. He was fortunate with a built-in client base already, but Dittes says anyone just starting out may have a harder time rolling into the market than they would with mowing.

“We’ve had a little reputation in our area and a customer base in our area to already sell to, so we went from 0 to 200 in a year, which I think was really awesome,” he says. “If you’re just now starting though, you’re going to see really slow growth as you get the ball rolling.”

There’s more customer churn

Dittes says customers are more likely to jump ship because there are lots of strong, professional companies who are national players that offer discounted services often.

The competition is harder, too, in that in mowing, just showing up reliably often means you can best half the nearby competitors. Here, these larger, national companies have higher marketing budgets, which means they’re constantly going after the same clients. 

“A lot of my customers are getting marketed to a lot more for fertilizer weed control than they are mowing,” Dittes says. “So if you ever drop the ball with your treatment or communication, you’re more susceptible. The competition out there is a little bit more professional in lawn care than in mowing.” 

Standing out in a crowd

Dittes differentiates his company by making himself a big fish in a small pond. While some larger companies might have a bigger service radius, Dittes is keeping his smaller for now, serving a 5-10 mile radius instead of a 25-mile one. 

He is also focusing his marketing efforts on a local, family touch. He and his wife write handwritten thank you notes at the end of his services and send Christmas cards. He tells his clients that his team of 10 is a family-owned company, and he’s seen more clients spend higher to stay with someone in the area they can trust.

“I found my unique thing against them is… I’m going to have a lot more personal touch with my services,” Dittes says. “I do have marketing out there, and I try to tell our story. I want to appeal to people who support local, family-owned companies.”