How Much Should I Charge for Mowing?

One of the most common questions landscaping businesses wonder is how to set up a landscape business that is profitable and competitive. Many times, this starts with the question: how much should I charge for mowing? In landscaping, one of the most popular and common main sources of daily income is going to come from mowing. Whether it is residential mowing, or commercial mowing, lawns will always continue to grow and need cutting!

So, how do you price your mowing to ensure that your landscape business is profitable and competitive? We’re here to help with some tips that you can use, including landscape business software, so you can help your business answer such questions.

Determine cost to mow per square footage

First, you want to know how much it costs you to mow per square footage. In order to find out what to charge, you need to know your business costs. Things such as employee wages, equipment, gas or supplies, and time spent are all valuable numbers to add into the overall equation on how much your business costs to mow. A landscape business software such as Arborgold Software houses all of your expenses, such as hourly wages, inventory, costs, etc. When you have a birds eye view on all of your operating costs, this number should be relatively easy to find.

Calculate the charge based on square footage

Once you know the square footage of the property you quoting to mow, you can use a landscape business software to calculate how much you need to charge to turn a profit (and figure out how much of a profit you would get depending on what you charge). Arborgold Software has a built in land measurement tool that can help determine the total square footage, and can auto calculate the charge based on square footage measurement so that your estimates include cost and desired profit.
Make sure your prices are competitive

Now that you know how much you need to charge per square foot, you then need to cross-reference this number against your competitors. You can ask the client what numbers they have been quoted, if you know they have sought out other estimates. You can also do research to ensure you always have a pulse on what your competitors are charging.According to HomeAdvisor, the national average cost to mow a lawn is $136, ranging from $50-223 with the lowest end being $30 and the highest end cost being $530.

The more you know, the better you can price

Once you know all of your numbers, you will be able to price accordingly. The more data you have about your business, about the client, and about your competitors, means that you can make a more informed decision about pricing. Using a landscape business software is an invaluable tool to have all of this data at your fingertips, and once you have that data, you can quickly input it and make competitive estimates for clients on the spot.