The Pursuit of an Organic Lawn Care Business

The growing demand for Organic Lawn Care

If ever there was an industry, hobby or occupation that has had a serious identity crisis in the last five years, it has to be the great pursuit of creating a nice lawn. We have new companies popping up almost daily doing the best they can to meet the need of consumer demand for a chemical free lawn care service. There are also new consumer products that arrive on shelves and disappear in the lawn and garden section as if it were the seasonal holiday section of your local Wal-Mart Store. This incredible changing of the guard in the lawn care industry, both service wise and for the “do-it-yourself-ers” has created more confusion than any of us would like to deal with. Trust me; it gets confusing even for us who are supposed to know what we are doing.

Searching for an organic lawn care business online.

An interesting exercise is to “Google” the keywords “organic lawn care” followed by any city, say…Charlotte, NC. What you get are search results that represent an interesting mix of companies. You have the same old historic players that have represented the industry for decades now. Some of them are legitimately trying to provide a truly chemical-free lawn care option while some of them simply come up with a new catchphrase for what they are doing and calling it “green”, even without changing the products in their trucks.

You’ll see many results about training programs and workshops, be they for homeowners or professionals. You will also see three or four new companies who have just sprung up with names like “green organics” or “safe soil” this or “bio lawn” that. There’s no doubt that this is an industry which is looking in the mirror, trying to figure out exactly what it is. Over the next five years some of the old firms will accept the trend because they want to survive and some of the new will catch lightning in a bottle.

Bridging the gap between old way of doing business and marking an organic lawn care business.

At BeeSafe Organic Land Care, we want to bridge the gap between old and new. Some of the older companies have gotten a bad rap for the things they’ve done and we don’t think that really reflects well on the business. Some of the newer companies have been considered snake oil salesman because they are attempting to take advantage of an opportunity that doesn’t come along all that often. Let’s bring the two sides together and make it a bit simpler to understand, for everybody.

For those of you finally coming around and taking a look at “organic” lawn care for the first time it’s important to note that this is as much about “alternative” lawn care as it is about being chemical free. It’s your responsibility to at least look in your own mirror and make a firm commitment to doing what is right for the environment, your customers families and your business but most importantly your business. Without the right operating and marketing systems in place you won’t have a chance to make a difference in the first place

Tom Kelly Sr. is the founder of BeeSafe Organic Lawn Care, Firebelly Organics and Director at “The Organic Lawn Care Institute.”

Thomas J. Kelly Sr.