Business tips: How to run a successful lawn care business

When you’ve grown your business to employ nearly your whole family, you know you’re doing something right.

After 20 years in an office job, Frank Fazzari began cutting lawns in Adelaide in 2014 and gradually built up a solid roster of clients. Soon, his sons Christian, 24, and Salvatore, 26, also came on board. Keeping everything in the family, matriarch Marina manages the books for the business.

“We decided as a family we were going to build a strong company – the rest is history,” Frank says. “My clients tell me, ‘Every time your boys rock up here, they’re both very happy and willing to do anything.’ It gives me so much satisfaction to see my boys out there building our family business.”

We chat to Frank and his sons about their top business tips on running a successful gardening service.

Overview: Key business tips for success

These are the six main reasons Frank The Lawn Mower Man thrives:

• Connection and building trusted relationships: Connect with customers on social media and use it to grow your brand.
• Variety: Offer a wide range of garden services.
• Be authentic and unique: Use what is unique about your business as a selling point.
• Be on top of trends: Keep across the newest and latest gardening tools.
• Workplace safety: Put safety first, at all times.
• Pick tools that go the distance: Use the right tools for each individual worker in the business, as needs will vary.

Tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves and a mask, for example) when required on the job. Always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

Tip #1: Use social media

While their business is grounded in traditional family values, embracing social media is one of their top business tips, as it has brought a modern edge to how the Frank The Lawn Mower man connects with customers and grows their brand. They have a combined total of more than 50,000 followers on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, with anywhere between four and 10 million views across their accounts every month.

“We create a lot of videos of edging and overgrown lawns, as well as slashing videos and cutting videos, which get tonnes of views. We’ve picked up a lot of big contracts and many people have found us through these kinds of videos,” Salvatore says.

The brothers post twice a day and hope to grow their online income. “Our plan is to eventually retire our parents and run the business,” Christian explains.

Tip #2: Vary your offering

Frank, Salvatore and Christian do everything from gardening and cutting lawns, to fertilising, weed control, landscaping and hedges. “The type of work we do is different every day. We’re not just cutting lawns,” Christian says. “We do a lot of stratas – jobs where we blow down and clean up car parks. We’ve got big, robust lawn mowers where we cut ovals in schools and at soccer ovals. We also have a big contract with some home care packages, so we help the elderly out and clean their gardens for them.”

Tip #3: Lean into local connections

The family’s strong community roots are something Frank knows their clients appreciate, so one of his business tips is to sell what is unique about your company. “Our customers love that we are a local family business,” Frank says. “They like that Frank’s coming, and that his sons will be coming as well.” The trio says they work well together, save for the occasional disagreement. “We all want to do the best job and sometimes we pick up on each other’s mistakes,” Salvatore laughs. “But we communicate pretty well and have a similar sense of humour.”

Tip #4: Embrace new technology

Christian says they are always looking for new power garden tools to get jobs done faster and to a higher standard. “Battery-powered tools have come a very long way since we first started, and in the future we would love to go fully battery operated.”

Frank says lightweight tools, like the DeWALT 36V (18V x 2) 5.0Ah XR Li-ion Cordless Brushless Lawn Mower Combo Kit , are easy to look after because they require little maintenance. “It glides across the lawn smoothly and easily. And, because it’s battery operated, there’s no fumes.” The boys also like battery-powered line trimmers, like the DeWALT 54V XR FLEXVOLT 380mm Split Shaft Line Trimmer Kit 6Ah. “As soon as you put the trigger down, it’s instantaneous power,” Christian says.

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Tip #5: Take safety seriously

Staying safe on the job takes on new meaning when you’re working with family, Frank says. “Especially on a new site, we always do a quick walkthrough to check what’s around,” he explains. Ear and eye protection are non-negotiable, even when the trio uses battery-operated tools. Protective wear, like overboots, keeps grass and debris out of boots, and repels water. “We also wear gloves to protect our hands,” Frank adds.

Tip #6: Consider Individual needs

Christian says when it comes to which tools they use when working, that’s up to their individual needs. “I’m shorter than my brother and my dad, and the pole is long enough that I can cut a tree that I couldn’t even reach on my ladder,” he says of using the DeWALT 18V 5.0AH XR 20cm Cordless Pole Saw Kit.

Taking a closer look at the DeWALT FLEXVOLT range, Christian says using tools that are easy to manoeuvre around a yard without fuss saves them time, money and headaches on the job. “This range is very easy to use; light, but powerful,” he says. “You want to get in and do the best job possible for your clients – that’s what’s important to us. So having the right tools is a must.”

Power tool reviews: The lawn mower man verdict

We asked Frank, Salvatore and Christian Fazzari to test some top brand line trimmers, chainsaws and blowers to share how they fare during a big day on the tools.

Chainsaws

What we tested: DeWALT 54V 45cm Chainsaw Cordless Kit

The verdict: “It’s small, super light and has tonnes of power,” Salvatore says of this battery-powered chainsaw. “I can cut decent sized branches because it just glides through them. It’s also perfect for when you’re on a ladder – maybe not for the tallest tree in the world – but when you need to get into awkward places, it’s light enough and a good size to be able to do that.”

What we tested: Makita 18V 10” 250mm Brushless Chainsaw (Skin Only)

The verdict: “This chainsaw is so much faster than using my normal hand saw, especially when we’re pruning a lot of trees,” Christian says. “It’s the perfect little chainsaw to use when you don’t want to get a big machine out, and there’s definitely a place for a smaller chainsaw in the work we carry out every day. It comes in very handy.”

Line Trimmers

What we tested: DeWALT 54V XR FLEXVOLT 380mm Split Shaft Line Trimmer Kit 6Ah

The verdict: “As soon as you pull it out of the car, you can start working straight away,” Christian says. “It makes it easier on a cold morning, where others need warming up. This one is also a lot quieter [than a petrol operated tool]. Sometimes we’ve had noise complaints when we work late or start early, but there’s no dramas with this. We use it every day.”

What we tested: Honda 25cc 4 Stroke Bent Shaft Line Trimmer

The verdict: “This one is great because it has a four-stroke engine, so we can essentially use the same petrol that we would use in the mowers for the line trimmer,” Salvatore says. “The lines come out crisp and straight. It’s easy to start with just one pull. It’s also very light to hold and easy in the hands, which helps a lot, as you don’t want to have too many vibrations when you’re using these kinds of tools on a daily basis, especially all day long.”

Blowers

What we tested: DeWALT 54V XR FLEXVOLT Brushless Blower Kit

The verdict: “This has more power than many other electric blowers we’ve tried,” Salvatore says. “It compares well to petrol blowers in terms of performance and the clean finish it leaves after clearing leaves, dirt and grass. That’s a big positive for us, and having a blower saves us so much time. The sound level is low, too, so it’s great for those early mornings or late finishes.”

What we tested: AEG 18V 8Ah Fusion Stealth Jet Blower Kit

The verdict: “I really like that this has a trigger where we can just lock it into place; it saves your finger having to hold down the button for long periods of time,” Frank says. “The turbo on the end is also good, so we just push a button and there’s extra pressure for areas where it might be a little bit more moist or there’s a dampness on the ground. It’s a lightweight machine, and it’s a very durable and reliable blower that we’ve been using for many years.”

Pressure washer

What we tested: DeWALT 3400 PSI Pressure Washer

The verdict: “The power and ease of use of this product is amazing,” Salvatore says. “With any sort of surface that we’ve tried it on, it’s cleared all dirt and all grime in a matter of minutes. We get areas sparkling clean using only water. The five nozzles and seven-metre hose give lots of flexibility. It’s perfect for big driveways, muddy tools or grimy stairs.”

Keep in mind...

When using power tools, always wear the recommended safety gear.

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