How to Start a Landscaping Business
Short answer
Most landscaping businesses start as lawn and cleanup crews and add installs once they have equipment and a reputation. Budget $3,000 to $15,000 for a trailer, commercial mower, trimmers and insurance. Spring cleanups and maintenance contracts fill the schedule, and local groups produce landscaping requests every day.
- Typical startup cost
- $3,000 – $15,000
- Typical price
- $50 – $100
- Labour, per person-hour
Step by step
- 1
Start with maintenance, add installs
Mowing, edging and cleanups are steady and need little skill. Hardscaping and design pay more but need experience and capital, so add them once the route pays the bills.
- 2
Check licensing in your state
Many states require a licence for pesticide application or for landscape contracting over a dollar amount. Check before you quote those jobs.
- 3
Buy commercial equipment once
A commercial mower, trimmer, blower and trailer. Consumer gear breaks mid-season, and a broken mower is a lost week.
- 4
Sell recurring contracts
Turn every one-off cleanup into a maintenance agreement before you leave the property. Recurring revenue is what makes winter survivable.
- 5
Get the first clients from neighbourhood groups
Spring and autumn bring a wave of 'who does yard cleanups' posts. Reply with photos of similar work and a start date.
What to charge
Landscapers price maintenance per visit and bigger work per project, with labour usually quoted per crew hour. Full price list and quoting tips: how much to charge for landscaping.
Name your business
Pick a name that says the trade and the area, and check the domain and your state's business registry before you print anything. Try the landscaping business name generator.
How to get your first ten customers
People ask for this trade in local Facebook groups all the time. Across the groups HuddleWatch watched over 90 days we counted 1,027 requests in 173 groups, about 11.4 a day, peaking on Mondays around 2pm Eastern. Every one of them is someone ready to book, and the first few replies win.
Join the groups where your customers post:
- Suburb and neighbourhood groups in your service radius
- New-build and HOA community groups with bare yards
- Local gardening and plant-swap groups
- Property manager and landlord groups
And watch for phrasing like “who does yard cleanup”, “need someone to remove a tree”, “looking for a landscaper for”. More in the how to get landscaping leads guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start a landscaping business?
Roughly $3,000 to $15,000 for a trailer, commercial mower and hand tools, plus insurance and registration.
Do I need a licence to start a landscaping business?
Basic maintenance usually needs only a business licence, but pesticide application and larger contracting jobs often need state licences. Check your state's requirements.
How do landscapers get clients?
Neighbourhood groups, door hangers on streets you already service, and turning one-off cleanups into contracts.
Get told the moment a neighbour asks for a landscaper
HuddleWatch reads every new post in the local groups you choose and alerts you when someone is looking to hire, so you can be the first reply.
Start free with 3 groups