Mike Andes warns lawn-care entrepreneurs not to add services like mowing just to solve business problems. New services mean more complexity, equipment costs, and debt, plus they worsen the spring rush and winter slump. Only add a service if it generates revenue December through February.
It's so easy to always think that we can solve the problem in the business by adding more services. And right now, Olin's thinking about adding lawn care and mowing. And of course, I'm the lawn care guy. He thinks that mowing is what I'm going to suggest. And although I love the recurrence of mowing and the fact that I get on a property for 30, 40 times a year, that's why I love lawn care. However, adding a new service to your existing business is the last resort. And the last thing I want to do is add more complexity, more services, more training, more equipment, more debt to a business that already has a demand curve that's crazy. I don't want to add mowing because it's simply going to make my spring rush even crazier and my off-season even lower. I want to only add new services if it's going to fill in my off-season. So unless I can do the service during December, January, and February, I don't want to add any more services to this business.
