Mowing neighborhood lawns is a time-honored profession for many teens. But with the information provided by Robert Welcome's "How to Make Big Money Mowing Small Lawns," those few neighborhood lawns can turn into a lucrative part-time business.
Welcome should know. His book, now in its fourth edition, was published in 1984, four years after helping his then-14-year-old son, John, create a lawn-mowing business.
Over those four years, John Welcome established such a large business that he was hiring friends to help him, Robert Welcome said, paying them more than minimum wage. When those friends saw what John had accomplished, they wanted to try it for themselves. They asked John's father to put in writing the advice he had given his son.
"One thing led to another, and I had the makings of a book," Robert Welcome, of Lee, said. "I decided to self-publish. I just wanted to do it low-key because I had a full-time job."
Even though the book was self-published, Welcome wanted a Library of Congress card catalog number for it. When he sent it to the committee for consideration, he was informed that no number could be assigned for two reasons: because it was self-published and because it was a "how to" book. He entreated them to just look at it and to tell him what they thought.
In response, once the committee members had read the book, they not only granted the card catalog number, but they also requested copies for
"That was a real confidence booster," Welcome said.
The key to understanding his approach, he said, is that a lawn-mowing business is "about 1 percent (about knowing) how to push a rotary mower. . The other 99 percent is (knowing) how to operate the business."
Welcome said it's important to note that not only teens can make a business for themselves using the principles in his book. Mowing lawns can also be great work for teachers or retired people, or anyone else looking to supplement his or her income.
"It's great part-time income. There are no tight schedules. It's one of the most minimal investments for the most maximum return businesses there is," he said. "It's low skills. If you follow the book, you'll make money."
There are certain things teens (or anyone determined to start a small business) need to have in place before starting out, however.
"They need to be committed. It's a commitment," he said. "They need to be ready to start to be mature . be reliable. They have to have a feeling of not just thinking about themselves."
The practical advice Welcome offers in his book basically boils down to marketing and organizational skills. For example, he advises creating business cards, and then gives specific advice about what to do with those cards to get jobs.
"Go to the guy who fixes lawnmowers. . He feels under pressure to get the mower fixed," he said. If, though, the repair person has a card on hand for someone who will mow the customer's lawn while the mower is being repaired, this can take the pressure off, which will benefit the repair person. It's a win-win-win situation: The homeowner gets the lawn mowed; the mower gains another client; and the repair shop has a happy, patient customer.
Welcome also said to look for houses that are for sale, particularly those that appear empty and have overgrown yards. That's one of the easiest contacts to make, because the real estate agent's name and phone number is right on the sign in front of the house.
But as for going door to door to solicit work, Welcome had some cautionary words. "I tell them don't knock on a door cold. Just leave a card," he said. He even goes so far as to recommend that the card be taped with masking tape to the door, about 2 feet above the doorknob.
"Chapter 2 covers all that stuff - it's worth the price of the book alone," he said.
In addition, through helping his son, Welcome found that teens need specific skills to be successful.
"Young people need to be organized, to know how to keep a schedule. . (They) have to be able to estimate and set a price," he said. Because those business principles are so important, two separate chapters are dedicated to those topics.
His book also covers key ideas like how to keep track of payments, income and expenses and safety and maintenance of the mower, including blade care, lubrication and other important maintenance topics.
Now that Welcome has retired from his 30-year career at GE Aerospace Industries, he has more time to devote to the success of his 25-year-old book, which received an update in its fourth edition last year. His motivation to do so is quite straightforward: "To the extent possible, I'd like everybody who could be to be in their own business," he said.
But it's also about what teens can get from the experience, outside of the income.
"Some of these kids," Welcome said, "when they knew they did it on their own, they had such big feelings inside them."
"How to Make Big Money Mowing Small Lawns" by Robert A. Welcome, fourth edition, is available for $19.95 through the publisher, AuthorHouse (authorhouse.com or 888-280-7715), or at local bookstores. It is distributed by Ingram.
Font Resize
