Landscaping and lawn care companies run on equipment and crews, and their revenue timing depends on the services offered. Palmwick Lending, a small-business funding service in Kokomo, Indiana, helps owners match mowers, trucks, trailers and uneven months to the right structure; lending partners review each request and decide.
| Landscaping employers, county | 28 (County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS561730) |
|---|---|
| Under five employees | 82.1% (CBP 2023) |
| No-payroll landscapers | 124 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS56173) |
| Landscapers at ZIP 46901 | 13 (ZBP 2023) |
A Landscaping Company's Money
A small crew needs commercial mowers, trimmers, blowers, a truck and a trailer before it earns anything. Revenue timing depends on the services offered: mowing contracts, installation projects, or other services. Payroll grows when crews are added and shrinks when they are not.
Landscaping Equipment Loans and Lawn Care Equipment Financing for Kokomo, IN Crews
Lawn care business loans can be equipment financing: a zero-turn mower, a skid steer, a dump trailer or a truck, with the equipment securing the loan or lease. Partners ask about age, hours and condition for used equipment, and they will want the term to fit how long the machine lasts under commercial use. Dealer promotional financing is sometimes available on new mowers; compare its total cost with a partner's offer, not just the payment.
Trucks, Trailers, Titles and Insurance
Trucks and trailers are titled vehicles, so a partner financing them will want the title or the dealer's paperwork, and the business's commercial auto insurance in place before funding. Used trucks from private sellers need a clear title with no existing lien. If equipment and the truck are bought together from one dealer, ask for an itemized invoice so each piece can be financed on a term that suits it.
A Small Business Loan for Landscaping When Months Are Uneven
If your own records show revenue concentrated in some months, a line of credit lets you draw for crew wages and equipment repairs ahead of the busier months and repay as contracts pay. Partners read twelve months of bank statements to see how uneven your months actually are, so bring the full year, not just the strong months.
A business loan for lawn care can also be working capital to take on a large installation contract that requires materials up front.
Installation Jobs and Material Deposits
Hardscape, planting and irrigation installations require stone, plants, pipe and rental equipment before the customer pays. Some customers pay a deposit; commercial customers may pay on terms. Working capital or a credit line covers the materials gap. Partners reviewing a landscaping company that does both maintenance and installation often want the two revenue streams shown separately.
How to Buy a Lawn Care Business Around Kokomo, IN
Buying a lawn care company is mostly buying its customer contracts and its equipment. Partners review the customer list and contract terms, how many customers renewed last year, the equipment list and condition, and the seller's revenue records. Contracts that can be canceled at will are worth less than multi-year agreements. The purchase payment calculator estimates the monthly payment at any price, rate and term.
Illustrative Arithmetic: A Mower Against a Route
Hypothetical figures for illustration only. A commercial mower financed at $520 a month mows 40 lawns a week at $45 each when the season is running, about $7,200 a month in revenue. If the mower is used eight months a year, the twelve payments ($6,240) have to come out of those eight months. The machine pays easily in a strong month; the payment in the idle months is what to plan for.
Mowers on Payroll: Howard County, IN Landscapers by the Numbers
County Business Patterns counted 28 landscaping services establishments with employees (NAICS 561730) in Howard County, IN in 2023, employing 60 people with $3.0 million in payroll. Nearly all are small: 82.1% had fewer than five employees. ZIP 46901 held thirteen of them in 2023 (ZBP).
Nonemployer Statistics counted 124 landscaping businesses with no paid employees in the county in 2024 (NAICS 56173), with $3.3 million in receipts. The two counts come from different programs and years, so they stay apart.
Related pages: construction and contractors, auto repair shops, the industries page and the Kokomo, IN page.
By Palmwick Lending · Updated