How to Start a Grass Cutting Business in England

If you have experience mowing lawns and want to be your own boss, starting a grass-cutting business might be for you. This article will provide an overview of some legal and commercial considerations for starting a lawn mowing business. 

Commercial Considerations for Starting a Grass Cutting Business

Your Business Plan 

Most businesses benefit from a business plan. You can think of a business plan for your landscaping business as a roadmap to follow for the first few years. Some things to consider:

• Who is your target market? How will you source your initial customers? Word of mouth or through a concerted marketing campaign?
• Similarly, is it necessary to market your services? What is your marketing strategy?
• What are your upfront costs? Do you need to buy or lease a lawn mower? What make and model would be most efficient? How will you finance this piece of equipment?
• What sorts of land will you be working on – large tracts of farmland, town parks or sports grounds?
• How do you intend to finance your business? Is it necessary to seek third-party funding from friends, family, or your high-street bank?
• Will you work alone, or will you have partners or employees?
• How will you factor the rising cost of fuel into the prices you charge your customers?

Startup Costs 

Your biggest expense is likely to be acquiring a lawn mower. Assuming you intend to mow any piece of land bigger than a quarter acre, buying a ride-on lawn mower will be more efficient. The price of ride-on petrol mowers ranges from £1,500 to £4,000. There are also electric (battery-powered) mowers entering the market. The downside is these tend to be more expensive and may have less range. However, the upside is that you will save on fuel costs in the long run. 

No matter what, you need to determine how you intend to pay for it. For example, will you seek a loan from the bank secured on the mower? Do you have savings you can use? 

You will also likely need to finance a vehicle to transport your lawn mower. For example, this might be a van, a truck, or some other vehicle that can pull a trailer. Other upfront costs to consider are:

• employee wages; 
• storage fees; 
• marketing costs; 
• legal and advisory fees; and 
• building up a “war chest” of business savings. 

Legal Considerations for Starting a Grass Cutting Business

Choosing a Business Structure 

A business structure refers to the legal framework your landscaping business will operate within. 

The four most common business structures for all businesses in England and Wales are:

• sole-traders;
• unincorporated partnerships;
• limited companies; and
• limited liability partnerships (LLPs). 

Each has its advantages and disadvantages that are relevant depending on your particular circumstances and intentions. However, as a business founder, you should familiarise yourself with the implications of trading through an unincorporated business structure instead of an incorporated one. 

Notably, sole traders and general partnerships are unincorporated. Whereas limited companies and LLPs are incorporated. 

The main benefit of an incorporated lawn-mowing business is that you tend to benefit from the legal principle of limited liability. Hence, your business’ assets and liabilities are separate from your personal ones. The downside to trading through incorporated structures is that they require more administration and management. 

However, if you run a small lawn mowing business by yourself, you will unlikely benefit from limited liability, particularly if you have a decent insurance policy in place. However, if your business works with commercial clients, has multiple contracts, multiple employees, or works in a wide market, you may benefit from incorporating your business.

Insurance 

Insurance exists to mitigate risk and ensure that in the event something goes wrong, someone other than yourself (i.e. an insurance provider) will cover the financial liability.

It is not a legal requirement to have insurance if you operate without any employees. However, from a commercial point of view, it is extremely prudent to buy an adequate insurance policy. 

For example, suppose you regularly mow the lawn of a large sports complex. Then, one day, you lose control of your lawn mower and it ploughs into part of the local football club’s premises. Your mower is totalled. You are injured and cannot work for the next two months while you recover. Additionally, the football club claims that you have cost £10,000 in damages.  

If you are uninsured, there is a good chance you would be liable for the football club’s damages. Likewise, you will not have any income while you recuperate, making buying a new lawn mower even more difficult. However, if you obtain a comprehensive insurance policy, you might avoid being out of pocket. 

As an aside, if you took out a loan from a bank to purchase the lawn mower, the bank may require you to insure the lawn mower. 

Key Takeaways

When starting a lawn mowing business, you should draft a business plan that covers your up-front costs and how you will finance your business, including the purchase (or lease) of your lawn mower. Moreover, you should evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating your business. Finally, you should obtain insurance. 

If you need help with your start-up business, our experienced business lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us on 0808 196 8584 or visit our membership page.

Frequently Asked Questions