When you hear the word “business,” you probably think about office buildings and cubicles. But there are other places where businesses can thrive—and one is your backyard. In this article, you’ll learn about five different types of businesses that you can start in your backyard.
Lawn Mowing Business
Starting a lawn mowing business is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to begin your journey as an entrepreneur. Starting a lawn mowing business will vary depending on your location, but you can likely get started for less than $3,000. The average hourly wage for a professional landscaper in the United States is $18 per hour. For instance, you might want to assume that you can charge a rate of about half that amount: $9 per hour.
Your total labor costs would be around $120 per month (assuming 40 hours per week). If you cut two lawns each day, Monday through Friday, that’s an annual revenue stream of $27,000 before taxes (and assuming no repeat customers).
If you can find a way to earn more than $9 per hour, then it might be worth your while. If you provide basic landscaping services like trimming hedges and cleaning up debris, you could increase your hourly rate by another $3 or so. Also, if you have a large yard with lots of trees, shrubs, and flower beds, it might be worthwhile to invest in some basic landscaping equipment. This could include things like edgers, weed eaters, and blowers.
With a large yard, then the average hourly rate for a professional landscaper might increase to about $18 per hour. If you consider this, your total labor costs would be around $396 per month (again, assuming 40 hours per week). That’s an annual revenue stream of $54,000 before taxes. If you succeed in your initial years, you can earn as much as $250,000 annually in this line of business.
Gardening Services Business
The market for gardening services is growing by leaps and bounds. If you enjoy being outdoors and working with nature, this business idea could be a great fit for you. When you take care of trees, garden beds, and lawns, you are helping people to connect with nature. This is becoming more important as we become more urbanized and less connected with the surrounding land.
In addition to making sure that clients’ lawns look good all year round (and not just during summer), you can also help them with tasks like fertilizing their gardens or creating a lovely mix of flowers in their flower beds. You’ll want to offer plenty of different services so that anyone who wants their backyard looking its best throughout the year will know they can call on you! If you have some experience with landscaping, you’ll want to build up your own clientele.
You can start by offering free estimates and then move on to working with clients on a per-job basis. You may also want to consider offering special deals for people who sign up for regular maintenance services. If you don’t have any experience, don’t worry. There are plenty of online resources that will help you get started. You can also attend classes at your local community college or university to learn more about landscaping and gardening.
Pet Grooming Business
To become a pet groomer, you will need to obtain a license from your local government. You’ll also need to be able to provide references and have your own facility for grooming. Since these services involve animals that can bite, you should always be cautious when handling them so that you don’t get hurt yourself.
The other important thing is equipment. You will need the right tools for cutting fur and bathing dogs, cats, birds, or other pets. You’ll also need some way of keeping track of all the information associated with each animal’s grooming session. If your business successfully hires employees and expands into multiple locations, this task becomes even more important.
Finally, insurance will protect both owners (who are liable if an animal is injured while being groomed) and employees who might accidentally injure themselves while working on dogs’ teeth (which can happen). The best way to ensure success is to have a solid business plan. This will help you keep track of your expenses and revenue, find customers and employees, and set goals for the future.
Your business plan will be a living document that you can update and change as necessary. You may need to alter your prices or services based on your customers’ needs, for example, or add new products such as pet toys, food, or grooming kits. If you’re just starting out, your customers will likely be friends and family. As word gets around, you’ll need to advertise your business and provide a good service that keeps people coming back.
Final Thoughts
The ideas laid out in this article are just a few examples of the many business opportunities you can pursue from home. Yes, starting a business from scratch is no easy task. But with careful planning and consideration of all the angles, you can turn your backyard into an investment that pays off in more ways than one—while also letting you enjoy some much-needed downtime!