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Hey Everyone, I'm new to the lawn care business and I'm currently looking for a commercial zero turn mower. I'm looking to keep my budget around $5K or less. Any suggestions?!

PS: if you're also new to the lawn care business and want to bounce ideas off each other, please PM me.

Thanks everyone!!!

Buy one from a dealer near you line of operation. Ask them about time from drop off to service. Ask them about loaners. Try one out. Find out if you can pull it. Where to park it. Insurance. All that fun stuff. A 5 thousand dollar zero turn is not really much of a zero turn according to the lawn folks I know.

aassaf1989 said:

Hey Everyone, I'm new to the lawn care business and I'm currently looking for a commercial zero turn mower. I'm looking to keep my budget around $5K or less. Any suggestions?!

PS: if you're also new to the lawn care business and want to bounce ideas off each other, please PM me.

Thanks everyone!!!

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Your new to the business, what type of equipment do you already have? Do you already have a Mower? Do you have a client list, if so how many do you have? Really need more information.

possum said:

Buy one from a dealer near you line of operation. Ask them about time from drop off to service. Ask them about loaners. Try one out. Find out if you can pull it. Where to park it. Insurance. All that fun stuff. A 5 thousand dollar zero turn is not really much of a zero turn according to the lawn folks I know.

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Thanks Possum!

Ric said:

Your new to the business, what type of equipment do you already have? Do you already have a Mower? Do you have a client list, if so how many do you have? Really need more information.

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Thanks for replying Ric. I'm actually going to start in the spring of 2016. I'm doing all of the research now so I am ready for the season. I plan on getting a starter level commercial zero turn, I have about 5-10 clients who are interested and plan on obtaining more until I start. Most of my lawns will most likely be residential starting out then working into some commercial properties.

aassaf1989 said:

Thanks for replying Ric. I'm actually going to start in the spring of 2016. I'm doing all of the research now so I am ready for the season. I plan on getting a starter level commercial zero turn, I have about 5-10 clients who are interested and plan on obtaining more until I start. Most of my lawns will most likely be residential starting out then working into some commercial properties.

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If your looking far an entry level commercial you mite want check on Craiglist and see if you can't pick up a used quality low hour commercial, something like an Exmark, Toro, Hustler, maybe a Scag. Even buying new I'd stay with the big four. If I was looking in the lower end commercial mowers I'd look at the Gravely mowers, they have a real good product. As far as Residential vs Commercial properties, I'd stay away from commercial cause you can really get burned on that end.

There are a few things you may want to think about when you are thinking of starting a business. Between now and then I'd save every dime I could lay my hands on because start up funding will kill you. Licenses, Insurance, Equipment, Marketing what ever you think it's going cost you, you can double what you expect. It's not cheap to get into this business if you do it the right way and are able to cover your overhead and put enough money in your pocket to make a living doing it.

Ric said:

If your looking far an entry level commercial you mite want check on Craiglist and see if you can't pick up a used quality low hour commercial, something like an Exmark, Toro, Hustler, maybe a Scag. Even buying new I'd stay with the big four. If I was looking in the lower end commercial mowers I'd look at the Gravely mowers, they have a real good product. As far as Residential vs Commercial properties, I'd stay away from commercial cause you can really get burned on that end. There are a few things you may want to think about when you are thinking of starting a business. Between now and then I'd save every dime I could lay my hands on because start up funding will kill you. Licenses, Insurance, Equipment, Marketing what ever you think it's going cost you, you can double what you expect. It's not cheap to get into this business if you do it the right way and are able to cover your overhead and put enough money to make a living doing it.

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Thanks Ric I really appreciate all of this advice. I'm definitely taking this into deep consideration. Can you elaborate more on the commercial properties being a bad idea and could burn me?

Also, what kind of licenses? For mowing?

Thanks so much for the help!

aassaf1989 said:

Thanks Ric I really appreciate all of this advice. I'm definitely taking this into deep consideration. Can you elaborate more on the commercial properties being a bad idea and could burn me?

Also, what kind of licenses? For mowing?

Thanks so much for the help!

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Well it's kinda hard to explain but when you set up your business and your making a living at it you set up your life style according to the money you make and you do the same with commercial accounts. with residential properties the cost involved isn't that bad vs what you make a month whether say $80 or $100 month per lawn and when an individual doesn't pay a bill or you lose a client you can pretty much absorb that loss.

Now if you have say three commercial accounts and your making say 20K a year on each and you spend 20/ 30K on equipment to do these accounts, at that point you've got one heck of an investment made and your life style is great and everything is fantastic until one of clients decides he no longer needs you or he finds someone else that will do the same thing for half what you charge. I can absorb $3 or 400 a month but 20K a year and still make a house payment or car payment, That's tuff, one client or commercial account can cost you big. The other thing about commercial accounts is the fact they can come up for bid every year and there's no guarantee that you can get it back every year.

AS far as a license goes here you have to get a county and city licenses both which in reality is a Tax number so you can file your taxes at the end of the year. You keep records of all expenditures, equipment, parts, fuel, oil for your mowers and Vehicle, vehicle mileage anything you spend on the business you'll need a receipt and record of so you can claim it at the end of the year. Oh yeah unless you have a wife to keep the books that can cost to unless you have time to mow lawns, answer the phone for new clients, send out all the bills at the end of the month and all the other things that people never think about. Man doesn't all this sound like fun :laughing:

Ric said:

Well it's kinda hard to explain but when you set up your business and your making a living at it you set up your life style according to the money you make and you do the same with commercial accounts. with residential properties the cost involved isn't that bad vs what you make a month whether say $80 or $100 month per lawn and when an individual doesn't pay a bill or you lose a client you can pretty much absorb that loss. Now if you have say three commercial accounts and your making say 20K a year on each and you spend 20/ 30K on equipment to do these accounts, at that point you've got one heck of an investment made and your life style is great and everything is fantastic until one of clients decides he no longer needs you or he finds someone else that will do the same thing for half what you charge. I can absorb $3 or 400 a month but 20K a year and still make a house payment or car payment, That's tuff, one client or commercial account can cost you big. The other thing about commercial accounts is the fact they can come up for bid every year and there's no guarantee that you can get it back every year. AS far as a license goes here you have to get a county and city licenses both which in reality is a Tax number so you can file your taxes at the end of the year. You keep records of all expenditures, equipment, parts, fuel, oil for your mowers and Vehicle, vehicle mileage anything you spend on the business you'll need a receipt and record of so you can claim it at the end of the year. Oh yeah unless you have a wife to keep the books that can cost to unless you have time to mow lawns, answer the phone for new clients, send out all the bills at the end of the month and all the other things that people never think about. Man doesn't all this sound like fun :laughing:

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I'm loving it. All this knowledge is getting me excited. I'm ready to rock and roll. You've helped me a lot. Your advice is well appreciated. Do you mind me messaging you if I have any further questions? Thanks again!

aassaf1989 said:

I'm loving it. All this knowledge is getting me excited. I'm ready to rock and roll. You've helped me a lot. Your advice is well appreciated. Do you mind me messaging you if I have any further questions? Thanks again!

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Yeah you can PM me anytime, Not a problem. I don't know where you are located but check with your county Tax collectors office about your license that's where mine comes from. They can give you all the info you need about your license needs, every place has different rules and regulations and cost.

aassaf1989 said:

Hey Everyone, I'm new to the lawn care business and I'm currently looking for a commercial zero turn mower. I'm looking to keep my budget around $5K or less. Any suggestions?! PS: if you're also new to the lawn care business and want to bounce ideas off each other, please PM me. Thanks everyone!!!

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I'm not new, but Ric has given some pretty good advice. It's a dog eat dog business. You can stay friendly with other businesses but know they're doing the same thing you are, trying to make a living. I personally don't pay to much attention to what they're doing, just how they do it. I run a niche business model where as we are the high end service. We do a few extra detail things that ties a finished job all together. Bed edging and driveway, sidewalk edging, treatment plans, landscape shaping ect, that make every job stay clean and finished. My guys have a dress code, they never discuss pricing or make additional promises with customers they just refer them to me. We offer limited customized service, but the minimum we'll do is mow, edge, string trim and blow off all the clippings. I also won't drop the trailer gate for less then $40. We average 20 minutes a yard and that 2 guys. In good conditions we do 15-18 yards a day.

I stay away from commercial mowing, I've been burned in the past. Then re biding every year is just a hassle, plus there's always the guy that can under bid you.

We run Scag mowers and Echo hand held equipment. honestly our walk behinds are the big money makers and the Echo equipment has been as reliable as anyone could reasonably ask for. There's tons of nice stuff out there it's just a mater of what you like best and how close a good dealer is to you. The dealer i use is 20 minutes away which is farther then I'd like but the dealer 5 minutes away is a real peach to work with and his wife's pretty rude. So I'll make the 20 minute drive.

I've always said it's one of the biggest cut throat businesses you can get into and I'm not beyond cutting a few myself. I do not however buy into this I don't drop the trailer gate for less then $40 thing. I think ones pricing structure should be set up for the area he's working or what the area can handle. I've always found that working with people works a lot better than working for yourself. I never turn down any job I can make money at if I can work it into the schedule.

That's honestly the minimum, I'm confident we are one the best at what we do in our areas. Thats about $5 over what respectable companies are charging. Just closed out June and literally tripled what we did last June. I'm not getting rich by no means. My guys are clean cut, uniformed, courteous and care about reputation. I've actually 2 National Guardsmen and my dad who retired a couple years ago working with me.

I made the decision to focus on quality, reputation and customer relationships them expanding customer basis. I set my minimum and have stuck with it, and it has seemed to work for us. I'm not saying it'll work for everyone.

Thanks for the great advice guys! You have given me wonderful advice. Much appreciated.

TaskForceLawnCare said:

That's honestly the minimum, I'm confident we are one the best at what we do in our areas. Thats about $5 over what respectable companies are charging. Just closed out June and literally tripled what we did last June. I'm not getting rich by no means. My guys are clean cut, uniformed, courteous and care about reputation. I've actually 2 National Guardsmen and my dad who retired a couple years ago working with me.

I made the decision to focus on quality, reputation and customer relationships them expanding customer basis. I set my minimum and have stuck with it, and it has seemed to work for us. I'm not saying it'll work for everyone.

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You can be confident that your are one the best at what you do in your area but every other LCO in the area thinks the same way. Focusing on quality, reputation and customer relationships is something every business does or should do, that's just common sense. Offering the standard services Like Cut, Trim, Edge and Blowing off is pretty much the norm for every Lawn care business so there isn't anything special there. The problem you have is the guy that moves into your area that can give the same quality work as you do and do it for half of your price. I'd be real careful about throwing around statements like I also won't drop the trailer gate for less then $40 because it doesn't help your cause.

Wow just read through this. To original poster do a quick forum search on this topic lots of good advice, every company is different and will be run specific to them obviously it works for them but not everyone else but they will argue they are right while others are wrong. You need to figure your pricing depending on area, overhead, and what your time is worth. Don't underbid to get a job your only hurting yourself in the long run.

exotion said:

Wow just read through this. To original poster do a quick forum search on this topic lots of good advice, every company is different and will be run specific to them obviously it works for them but not everyone else but they will argue they are right while others are wrong. You need to figure your pricing depending on area, overhead, and what your time is worth. Don't underbid to get a job your only hurting yourself in the long run.

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That's basically it, i bid fair, we do top end service. It has and does work for us and I'll say it again i wont drop the tailgate for less then $40.

@Ric i stated you gave good advice, why are you busting my balls for the advice i gave? The guy will try a few things and figure out works for him. I know what it cost me per minute to operate. Good for the customer if they find a guy to do the quality of work we do for half the price. I'll get that customer back and more next year when the low baller goes bankrupt. Because they couldn't pay their gas bill, mower, or truck payment ect. I operate in the urban areas around Indianapolis. You operate in your own retirement community in Florida. How would you know what it's actually like out of your little safety bubble.

TaskForceLawnCare said:

That's basically it, i bid fair, we do top end service. It has and does work for us and I'll say it again i wont drop the tailgate for less then $40.

@Ric i stated you gave good advice, why are you busting my balls for the advice i gave? The guy will try a few things and figure out works for him. I know what it cost me per minute to operate. Good for the customer if they find a guy to do the quality of work we do for half the price. I'll get that customer back and more next year when the low baller goes bankrupt. Because they couldn't pay their gas bill, mower, or truck payment ect. I operate in the urban areas around Indianapolis. You operate in your own retirement community in Florida. How would you know what it's actually like out of your little safety bubble.

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Lol

Wow, you guys are giving me flashbacks! After 12 years of apprenticeship, then working as a foreman for others, I went into the electrical contracting business in 1980 and gave it up during the 'Great Depression' of 92!! My two major customers, which included 7-11 went bankrupt at the same time and cut our work so bad I took a gummint job until 99.

I thought electricians were the most cut throat group, don't want to start a competition here, but sounds like you guys may give us a run for our money, no pun intended.

That said, there was a time where excellence and fair price normally won the day. I keep in touch, and advice, with old friends and can say there has been a paradigm shift where it all comes down to price and little else.

Then, like electrical contractors, you've got the poor guy who may be out of work, or just trying to make a few extra bucks, with an old truck, and some used mower who can eat you alive on price. Why? Because he is NOT paying licensing fees, insurance, payroll, or other business expenses that you have as a legitimate business. This guy will always eat into your profit margin, so be prepared for some of your good clients to say they are going to use Ol' Dave down the road. If you're fairly gracious about it, they may come back to you when Ol' Dave loses a couple fingers in his mower and can't do it anymore!!

The good news is that there is almost always room for a good guy in business to make a living, it just may be a roller coaster so be ready for it!

Just my .02 cents, I love to see people succeed in business when they work hard and their heart is in the right place!

Good luck to all of you,

George

George - you are correct in every way. Thank you for the read

Cutting grass doesn't cut it! Most startup lawn care companies try to make money with just lawn care, and figure out pretty quickly that it doesn't pay. Then they try to raise there price and then "don't put down the gate for less than $40", this type of attitude is absolutely destined to fail...sorry! You cannot make money cutting grass because as you expand to pick up more jobs, your overall cost to run the company becomes cost prohibitive. Meaning, you can only make money cutting grass if you are a single man operation cutting a few lawns per week, but it's just not scalable. Keep in mind that it's JUST lawn care and any 14 year old with a lawn mower can do it. The trick is, figure out how to do those things the 14 year old can't do. You cannot charge a premium for lawn care, but you can charge a premium for practically everything else, provided your company has a good reputation, and your standards remain high.

Solution, you cut grass to gain access to quality clients that might want more, like landscaping, hardscaping, powerwashing ect...these other services produce a higher profit margin and enable you to make money with your sell up services. This also enables you to charge LESS for lawn care, not more. Quality customers will eventually have you do everything from mulching to fertilization. If you won't drop the gate for less than $40, you have already failed as a lawn care business, you just don't know it yet.

Mark

RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

I'm not talking about Task Force Lawn Care, I'm talking about 1st year rookies BTW. Even Task force will probably tell you that they cut for a whole lot cheeper than 40 until they built up their clientele. I'm referencing that this was bad advice because we're talking about startups here and you can't price fix yourself as a startup. No disrespect intended for Task Force.

RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

Well said sir

rvalandscapes said:

I'm not talking about Task Force Lawn Care, I'm talking about 1st year rookies BTW. Even Task force will probably tell you that they cut for a whole lot cheeper than 40 until they built up their clientele. I'm referencing that this was bad advice because we're talking about startups here and you can't price fix yourself as a startup. No disrespect intended for Task Force. RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

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We cut a good bit of grass. Run a 3 man crew most of the time. Starting Monday AM we are going to run a 3 man crew and a two man crew. We started up in Aug of 2012. As with anybody else we have to cut grass as cheap as it takes to get the job many times. I have cut $20 and $25 yards. Very seldom now do I take one for less than $40 unless it is somebody disabled or elderly on a fixed income. Some times I just flat out ask one of those people what can you afford to pay and what ever they tell me I take and put a crew to work there. On the other hand if it is a $150K house with a Lexus in the front yard and they want to low ball me I walk away.

I ran into a guy in my area last week at the gas station that said he had been in it lots of years. I am guessing 15 to 20 possibly more. He said they would not drop the gate for less than $65............

This thing of pricing is always a major discussion. The reason being there are so many variables involved. Where is one located? What kind of equipment is one running? What other companies are there in the area offering similar services How long has one been working on a client list building clientele are a few of those variables......

One thing I have found that works for me also is if I can get a yard in a new area, even if it is not profitable to do it, I still take that one yard. I use it as an anchor to get others in that area. Some times in a short while I will have several in that area and some times I never get anything else.

For me it has been a learning process.

This guy makes my point perfectly. One 3 man crew is not a business yet, it's a hobby. I agree it can be worth it to "wait" out the higher priced clientele if your a small single crew trying to just make a living....which is respectable and just fine for some. My advice is more centered around those who want to make a bigger impact and grow. You will NEVER see a lawn care company running multiple crews that charge a lot for lawn care and don't do much else. These are the guys you are competing with for grass cutting clients, and they can't figure out why you would possibly do what they refuse to do for the amount they refuse to do it for. Let them continue to believe they are maintaining some type of pricing standard, and continue to grow as you add more services to your ability and make the real money doing everything else BUT grass cutting;-) my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth.
Mark

RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

jekjr said:

One thing I have found that works for me also is if I can get a yard in a new area, even if it is not profitable to do it, I still take that one yard. I use it as an anchor to get others in that area. Some times in a short while I will have several in that area and some times I never get anything else. For me it has been a learning process.

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Good point and I agree with this.

RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

Ric said:

I don't think the size of the crew has much to do with it. You can be a solo operator or have a 3 man crew or run multiple crews and trailers and it doesn't matter. It all comes down to what you are willing to put into the business and what you expect to get out of the business.

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I agree with you Ric, no disrespect intended.

RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

rvalandscapes said:

I agree with you Ric, no disrespect intended.

RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

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None Taken. I think the biggest problem is that the guys that are starting a LCB don't know what to expect or what's all involved. It's things like the book keeping involved and keeping records of expenditures and sending out those bills at the end of every month and if you market the business who's going to be answering your phone while your on a mower and a missed call is a missed client cause if you don't answer they call the next guy in line or on there list. It takes a lot to start and build a business and get any type of respect.

rvalandscapes said:

This guy makes my point perfectly. One 3 man crew is not a business yet, it's a hobby. I agree it can be worth it to "wait" out the higher priced clientele if your a small single crew trying to just make a living....which is respectable and just fine for some. My advice is more centered around those who want to make a bigger impact and grow. You will NEVER see a lawn care company running multiple crews that charge a lot for lawn care and don't do much else. These are the guys you are competing with for grass cutting clients, and they can't figure out why you would possibly do what they refuse to do for the amount they refuse to do it for. Let them continue to believe they are maintaining some type of pricing standard, and continue to grow as you add more services to your ability and make the real money doing everything else BUT grass cutting;-) my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth. Mark RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

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We have had customers call us wanting to know if we trim shrubs. When I said sure not only did we get the shrub job but also their grass as well. They would say I used this guy to cut my grass but he said he did not do shrubs.

Also there have been times when we got a customer who had a yard that for what ever reason was overgrown and had not been cut for an extended period of time. They wanted an estimate to clean it up and put it on a schedule. There will be people waiting in line to just cut grass but they will run like roaches when a light is turned on when it comes to cleaning up a property.


One question. How many of what size do we need to be a business?

For our part of the world I would say we have grown the fastest to the point we are at of any crew out there. We live in a kind of rural area of South Alabama. If we can continue to grow at our current rate two more years we will be one of if not the largest around us.

rvalandscapes said:

Cutting grass doesn't cut it! Most startup lawn care companies try to make money with just lawn care, and figure out pretty quickly that it doesn't pay. Then they try to raise there price and then "don't put down the gate for less than $40", this type of attitude is absolutely destined to fail...sorry! You cannot make money cutting grass because as you expand to pick up more jobs, your overall cost to run the company becomes cost prohibitive. Meaning, you can only make money cutting grass if you are a single man operation cutting a few lawns per week, but it's just not scalable. Keep in mind that it's JUST lawn care and any 14 year old with a lawn mower can do it. The trick is, figure out how to do those things the 14 year old can't do. You cannot charge a premium for lawn care, but you can charge a premium for practically everything else, provided your company has a good reputation, and your standards remain high. Solution, you cut grass to gain access to quality clients that might want more, like landscaping, hardscaping, powerwashing ect...these other services produce a higher profit margin and enable you to make money with your sell up services. This also enables you to charge LESS for lawn care, not more. Quality customers will eventually have you do everything from mulching to fertilization. If you won't drop the gate for less than $40, you have already failed as a lawn care business, you just don't know it yet. Mark RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC RVA Landscapes LLC

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When TFLC started, I started without knowing what any other LCB was doing or charging. I had already run and sold an established sign business. I understood the administrative requirements of a business and how to budget a new business. I set a minimum based on what my time was worth, my cost, ect and it wasn't $40 it was $25. We also don't have many tiny properties, 95% of the properties we service are 1/2 acre up to 6 acres for residential properties and 6 to 15 acres for HOA's. HOA's are there own nightmare and everyone is different because of the people you have to deal with, but someone new will deal with them in their own way.


We do offer bed defining, mulch, decorative bed stone, turf treatments, and other property maintenance services. I don't pressure wash or build decks, both good money makers I'm sure. However, there's tons of handyman services in this area and if a customer ask about it I've a few i refer them to. I focus on specific services and being among the best at those services. If a customer is happy with the job of the 14 year old thats great. that kid is learning a skill and learning business. I do disagree that you can't make money mowing, i do agree that you need to offer more to build black ink. A start up with good equipment, a good work ethic, good budgeting, and understanding there will be struggles can make it.

I'm new to this forum but not new to the game. I would advise you stay away from these residential zero turn mowers like time cutters and such. I see many using them daily and also see many of them in the dealer's line of servicing (not from scheduled maintenance but "unexpected repairs"). I invested in a scag 48" walk behind SW as my first "new" mower 10 years ago. Bullet proof mower. Picking up a Toro Z Master 2000 series 52" deck with suspension seat next week. They run $6999 for a 48" deck new average with 4 year/600 hour warranties on them which is worth it. If you buy a timecutter, you'll replace it in 2 year and they run $2K-$4K. Just invest in a commercial grade mower. Buying used is great too. I know a guy in my area who picked up a Scag Turf Tiger 52" EFI, suspension seat and all with 150 hours for $7500... They are new like that for $13K at least. Observe your new client's properties too. If they have tiny gates, make sure you have something to get through them. I have a 21" commercial grade Toro mower for 2 of mine with tiny gates that even a 32" wouldn't get through..

jekjr said:

We have had customers call us wanting to know if we trim shrubs. When I said sure not only did we get the shrub job but also their grass as well. They would say I used this guy to cut my grass but he said he did not do shrubs.

Also there have been times when we got a customer who had a yard that for what ever reason was overgrown and had not been cut for an extended period of time. They wanted an estimate to clean it up and put it on a schedule. There will be people waiting in line to just cut grass but they will run like roaches when a light is turned on when it comes to cleaning up a property.


One question. How many of what size do we need to be a business?

For our part of the world I would say we have grown the fastest to the point we are at of any crew out there. We live in a kind of rural area of South Alabama. If we can continue to grow at our current rate two more years we will be one of if not the largest around us.

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You are a business when you can be absent for a month or more and nothing changes for the worst.
When we kicked off our first courier company ( and you think garden care is cut throat ) I made a big mistake choosing my partners.
Every time I was not there for a week or more we lost customers so I just walked away and started up again.
Company no 2 ran for 22 years which included an 18 month absence with a major leg fracture.
While there were only 16 of us at its peak , this was a business. The original partners collapsed around year after I left & we picked up most of their customers.
We were the 2nd most expensive company in Sydney and the 4th most expensive nation wide but we gave an excellent service and treated our customers with great respect.
It is all about finding a niche and doing the extra bits even if it is at a loss originally.

As for equipment, we ran this company with a fleet of vans that were 20+ years old and motorcycles a similar age but we kept 2 spare vans and 1 spare motorcycle so no matter what happens we were never short on the road.
Our competitors demanded a vehicle 4 years old or less. I could purchase, insure and maintain a vehicle for less than the price of insuring a new van and the good do not know the difference.

I would advise you doing something similar, look for garage sales, bankruptcy sales , civic authorities auctions etc,etc,etc.
get as much gear as you can store and make yourself familiar with them and keep vital spares on your truck, belts, blades etc etc.
After you have been running for a year or so you will work out what you are doing, where your are going and what equipment you really need, then think of buying some new gear.
No good with a 48" you beaut ZTR if you end up doing 95% residentials with 30" access gates. Or having a fab mulcher when your customer wants the clippings removed.
Most customers will not know what you mowed their lawns with because they will be working when you turn up.
Uniforms look good but can cost a bomb. We never wore uniforms and we regularly carried well over $ 1,000,000 (retail value) to & from photo locations .
By not wearing uniforms our customers & their clients had to know us as individual people and that makes a big difference. It is the personnal thing.
It is easy to give a robot the boot or replace them with cheaper robots but not if he is known as a friend.
Uiforms can come latter but for start ups neat & clean is the order and charity shops are a good place to find work cloths. Every one of my drivers kept or for the motorcyclists had access to, a clean change , cleaning wipes & towels so we always walked in clean & fresh.

As for phone contact we set up our phones to cascade so if I was on the phone or could not answer the call diverted to another partner, then another , then the individual drivers, thus the phone always got answered by a human, even if it is the wrong human, people like to talk to people, I would advise you to set up something similar. If the call goes through to one of the team, he then sends your a text so you can get back to the customer, Answering machines are a no no and voice mail should be considered a last resort.
And yes this will make the phone bill a bit on the big side but 1 new customer is worth a lot of phone diversions.

So good luck.
My most successful customer is a one man operation dose mainly residential and has 2 government contracts for cutting pensioners lawns.
He runs 4 Honda self propelled, domestic models and 2 Cox ride on tractors 24" & 32" a couple of Honda trimmers, an Echo pole saw , Stihl hand held & back pak blower ( 2 each ) and 4 Sthil chainsaws
He buys his Honda blades from me in 100pr trade packs @ $ 4.00 /pr and changes them daily in peak season. I keep his 44 gal of oil here and do most of his maintenance , around $ 14,000 /pa including parts.
In season it is 14 hour days 6 days a week , he turns over the ride ons every 2 years so they are in good nick when sold & he gets a good resale and buys a new walk behind every year, same reason.
Locally he is called Flash because he always seems to be running, but that is how he makes such a good living. No uniform, no name on the truck, all word of mouth.
Started the business with nothing more than an add in the local paper 6 years ago and is looking at selling out in another 4 by which time the morgage will be paid off.
All this because he was laid off when the company he worked for went under so he had nothing, not even his last weeks pay.

If you want to be successful as a natural, organic gardener — or grow a healthy, organic lawn — you may need to think differently about your soil. When the soil is healthy, fed with natural materials and not compacted, those natural processes allow fertilization. Organic fertilizer is actually soil food that nourishes the organisms, whereas chemical fertilizer feeds plants directly — but much of the chemical fertilizer runs off into lakes, oceans, rivers and groundwater. Growing grasses and other plants in healthy, living soil will make the plants more drought-tolerant, disease-resistant and maintenance-free.

if you're also new to the lawn care business and want to bounce ideas off each other