[MikeKle]

I am from Northern KY,vacationed in St. Johns/St. Augustine a few years ago and fell in love with the area.I am looking into moving there for 2 reasons,It is the best place in the country,and the lack of rain this past summer combined with winter being right around the corner has hurt me financially. I own a lawn care business,mostly mowing lawns weekly,mulching,and brush trimming/removal. I have heard horror stories about how competitive this industry is in FL,Not sure the local guys would like seeing an outsider coming into town trying to get lawn clients!I do quite well financially most of the time up here,but we are only able to work about 6-7 months due to a cruel thing callled winter!I have a client who owns rental property up here and lives in St. Petersburg,He is always telling me I would be a millionaire if I moved down there and start cutting grass!!I do very high quality work,but dont really know what its like in St. johns County.Any comments would be helpful.Thanks-------Mike K.

[carolac]

Up until three months ago, I would not have commented because I have no knowledge, and generally thought the market may be saturated. I live in Orlando, too, not St. Augustine. However, with those parameters, to give you some encouragement, two of my neighbors both started lawn care businesses a few months ago. One was a server in a classy restaurant and the other is a Marine. A third is a track coach at a local high school. Despite their utter lack of experience other than mowing lawns when they were kids and maintaining their own yards, all three are doing well and are very busy. The track coach is doing better because he's been at it a few years part time, but he's at the point where he has to hire some people or drop some nice accounts. All three do nice quality work. None are involved in landscape design-type work yet.

Not sure how it is in Kentucky, and not sure how it is for lawn businesses, but in the construction trade here in Florida, you have to be a corporation to get workers' comp or a workers' comp exemption.

An acquaintenance of my hubby's just sold his lawn biz here to move to TN and did very well.

Good luck on your endeavors and your decision.


[quote=MikeKle;1828845]I am from Northern KY,vacationed in St. Johns/St. Augustine a few years ago and fell in love with the area.I am looking into moving there for 2 reasons,It is the best place in the country,and the lack of rain this past summer combined with winter being right around the corner has hurt me financially.

[LM1]

There is a ton of competition in that field. Since there is so little work in St. Augustine, a lot of people start lawn services.
Is it do'able?
Yes.
Does the town really "need" any more lawn care services?
Not really. The construction boom slowed down and the lawn care services that already exist pretty much have the area tied up.

Like I said- very, very do'able with lots of work and patience as far as developing accounts, but unlike other places that are really in serious need of lawn care services, don't expect money to fall into your lap.

[riveree]

Like any service business with plenty of competition, you'll need to have an edge.

I recently had to hire someone for a medium-sized job. It was a job that was too big for a lot of "just lawn" guys, but too small for "tree guys". I ended up finding someone, and he did a good job, but it was a hassle getting him out to the site (he didn't really know his way around the city, etc.).

So, from my layman's view, it seems we are lacking in lawncare people with some flexibility, someone who will do more than just the regular lawn stuff.

I have something else to add:

I have lived in St. Augustine and I now live in Jacksonville. St. Augustine currently has a population of approximately 200,000 people. Jacksonville's population is appx 1 million people (more or less...depending on who is counting ). Your potential larger pool of clients is obviously going to be in Jacksonville.

Before you think Jacksonville is saturated, keep in mind how large and spread out the city is - lawncare people usually specialize in one small section of the city (Westside lawcare guys don't do lawns on the Southside, etc.). Also, St. John's county's population is spread out - you're likely to spend more time traveling from one job to another in St. Augustine than you would have to in Jacksonville.

Some aspects of cost of living are slightly higher in St. Augustine than in Jacksonville as well (traditionally, St. Aug has been a retiree's town, still is in a lot of ways).

At the very least, initially, you might want to serve part of Jax in case you don't get enough clients in St. Aug.

Above all, I would find your edge - find a way to differentiate yourself from the others - I really think that can help you overcome the competition.

Best of luck, you're moving to a beautiful area !

[Floridabound09]

Could not put it any better then River above.

Any one in business like you are can and will succeed at any location if you have the tools to do so.

You must be able to find your niche in THAT market and expand on it, give total customer satisfaction service, give your customers what they pay for, always be on time and always do the best job they have ever seen. Have a name and logo along with trucks are are easily recognizable. Be able to beat prices, work when the customer needs you and seperate yourself from the others buy going the extra mile to make sure each and every customer is happy with that job. Force your competition to follow your leads, many of them will not and therefore you will gain. Find an adveristing niche, give coupons or referral discounts etc, use those little signs on each job etc.

It is challenging but it can be done, my BIL has done it with his business that he was told to him he cannot get any business in his area, it was all locked up and he now has bought out about all the competition and has one heck of a business in Florida. He did the things above and beyong them. His customers are loyal to him and he loyal to them.

It can be done with positive attitude, hard work and the will to become successful.

Good Luck ! Your going to what I always say is the land of opportunity, Florida !

[jsaxton]

I would like to add that while that there are many lawn care services, it is hard to find great ones. It is few and far between to find pro's that care about client satisfaction and know about how to shape plants and are reliable. It sounds as if you are passionate. If so, you will do well. St Augustine needs this. Especially in the World Golf Area.