Twenty Grand and Growing

Bill Greenwood had no interest in providing aeration services, but now it’s the most profitable part of his two-man lawn care company.

Greenwood, president of Greenworks, Carmel, Ind., says his customers had been asking for aeration for years and he simply referred them to other companies who offered it.

After much indecision, he added aeration services three years ago. “As soon as I offered it, I was bombarded,” he says. “I had no idea it would be so profitable to the business.”

In the first year, Greenwood saw $20,000 in aeration sales at his business, which includes mowing, fertilization and organic lawn care programs. And it has been growing ever since.

This growth has been a challenge, but a good one, according to Greenwood. “It takes a lot more hours because there are just two of us, but we manage it,” he says. “If it continues to grow like this, I will have to add a person dedicated to doing aeration, but so far I’ve been able to handle it myself.”

He purchased a piece of fertilizer equipment from LT Rich and became aware of their aerator, specifically the Z Plugger. The zero-turn and ride-on features of the machine have taken all the back-breaking labor out of the equation. “I feared the amount of work I would have when I offered aeration, but I’ve been able to handle it because of this machine,” he says.

And since Greenwood already had a solid customer base and didn’t see the need to advertise the service heavily, his start-up costs were minimal – just the new equipment. “It paid for itself in one season,” he says.
For other contractors who are also hesitant but thinking of making the leap into this service, Greenwood offers a suggestion: “Look for a zero-turn, ride-on machine. That is the only way to go if you plan to do lots of aerations.”

The author is a Valley View, Ohio-based freelancer.