Starting a small mowing business in my neighborhood?

I need advice for starting up a small lawn mowing company?

• My friend and I are college student and we are looking to make a little extra cash during the summer. I don't want to start a legit business or anything like for paying taxes and insurance and all that stuff. I just want to make a few quick bucks as cheap as possible. Can i get around doing this or should i do it the legit way??? We were planing on mowing lawns, doing light tree work, mulching, gardening, etc. I have worked for both landscaping and lawn mowing companies in the past so i know a little but about the industry. He has a truck and trailer, and my step-dad has a whipper and blower that we can use so we are all set in that department. Now we just need a mower... not looking for nothing fancy but i seen 20 inch push mowers online anywhere from 100-300$ or more. I want to keep it cheap so which brand or type should i go for? Or should i get a used one of craigslist/ebay? We are both pretty mechanically inclined and have many tools to do repairs on the equipment if it breaks down, so i was just thinking go for the cheaper mowers but idk thats where i need help? If you have any information on how much money one can make just of the lawn mowing please fill me in... like how much to charge for lawns( i know it depend on size), how long would it take to do a certain amount of lawns( like ten or twenty), how much should one think to spend on gas or repairs monthly / weekly? How many lawns contracts should we get to make a thousand a month each or all together? I greatly appreciate any information that you can give me, Thank you.

• Answer:

  At a minimum, I would get an insurance policy. It takes just one mishap to wipe out all of your hard-earned cash. Let's say the mower kicks up a rock and break the homeowner's window. That may cost you a few hundred bucks right there. You can get a general liability policy through an insurance agent. Get a few quotes. For a $1,000,000 policy, you can expect to pay between $600-$800, and more if you want your equipment covered. For all your questions about the lawn care business, I recommend checking out this forum for lawn care professionals (http://www.lawnsite.com/index.php). You can get a lot of useful advice there. For someone just starting out, this is a great place to learn the ropes without making expensive newbie mistakes. You can ask questions there and get answers from people in the industry. However, most of your beginner questions more than likely have been asked and answered before, so you'll just have to do a simple "search". You will learn in one day more about the business (how much to charge, what equipment to buy, etc.) just by reading the questions and answers there than months of going through on-the-job trial and error. There's a couple of sub-forums that you should focus on: - Commercial & Residential Lawn Mowing - Starting A Lawn Care & Landscaping Business