Pricing Strategies That Actually Scale (How Million-Dollar Lawn Businesses Set Their Prices)
- Malachi Sherwin
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Pricing is one of the most misunderstood parts of running a lawn care business. Most owners base their prices on what competitors charge, what "feels right," or what clients expect. But million-dollar lawn businesses? They price strategy - not emotion. Whether you're just starting or scaling past $200K (the plateau we covered in The Growth Ceiling), choosing the right pricing model is the difference between staying small or building a powerhouse. Let's break down the pricing strategies that actually scale.
Stop Charging Based on What You Would Pay
One of the biggest traps lawn care owners fall into is pricing emotionally instead of strategically. Million-dollar businesses understand:
You are not the customer
What you would pay has nothing to do with what the market will pay
Your job is to charge based on value, not your feelings.
What Scalable operators do:
Use square footage pricing
add fees for overgrowth
Charge premium rates for same-day or next-day service
Increase prices annually without apologizing
If you don't raise prices, your costs rise anyway - and your profit margin disappears.
Use a Tiered pricing model
You already use this concept with Lawnly:
Tier 1: Simple on-demand mow
Tier 2: Subscription
Tier 3: Automation + advanced features
Million-dollar lawn businesses use tiers because customers love options.
Here's a simple example:
Basic Mow
Mow, trim, blow
Low price, high volume
Premium Lawn Care
Mow, trim, blow
Low price, high volume
Elite Care
Everything above
Fertilizer + weed control
Monthly check-ins
Director customer support line
Not everyone wants Elite - but the ones who do generate massive profit
Charge More for Inconvenient Properties
Now all lawns are equal, and your pricing shouldn't be either.
Charge more for:
Corner lots
Backyards with limited access
Steep hills
Heavy debris or overgrowth
"Pet cleanup required" properties
Gate locks and obstacles
Yard clutter that slows down your crew
High-level businesses use complexity multipliers. Low-level businesses lose money by treating every lawn the same
Introduce Minimum Service Pricing
A profitable lawn business does NOT take every job. If your minimum job price is $40, and it costs you $55 to deploy a crew, you're losing money - no matter how fast the crew works. Million dollar businesses set a minimum and stick to it.
Examples:
Minimum service fee: $75
Minimum leaf removal: $250-$300
Minimum cleanup: $200
Minimum monthly subscription: $89
This eliminates time-wasters and protects profit margins.
Use Seasonal Price Adjustments
Spring = overgrowth
Summer = maintenance
Fall = leaf removal
Winter = cleanups, holiday lights, snow (in some states).
Seasonal pricing is essential. The market changes - so do your costs. Smart operators raise prices during peak demand and keep clients locked in with subscription pricing for stability (exactly what Lawnly Tier 2 is built for).
Charge for Speed and Convenience
You know why companies like Uber, Instacart, and DoorDash exploded? Because people pay extra for convenience. You should too.
Examples of convenience fees:
Priority service fee: +$15-$45
Same-day service: +$20-$60
Next-day guarantee: +$10-$30
This isn't upselling - it's revenue optimization. Customers expect to pay more for faster service.
Track the Data (Your Pricing Must Evolve)
Million-dollar operators constantly ask:
Which services make the highest margin?
Which neighborhoods are the most profitable?
Which customers cause the most headaches?
Which lawns should be dropped?
Tools like Lawnly help track:
Revenue per job
Cost per job
Average completion time
Crew efficiency
Customer retention
Data makes pricing scientific - not emotional. As we highlighted in 5 Critical KPIs Every Lawn Care Business Owner Must Track, the business owners who know their numbers win every time.
Automate Your Quotes (This is Where Everyone Else Falls Behind)
Most small operators lose money because their quoting process is slow and inconsistent.
Million-dollar businesses automate quotes:
Square footage-based formulas
Built-in pricing logic
Automatic upsell options
Pre-set minimums
Travel time surcharges
This is exactly what Lawnly helps with - the second quoting goes automated, everything scales. Your time is freed up, your pricing becomes consistent, and your margins become predictable.
The Bottom Line: Pricing Should Scale With You
Most lawn care businesses stay small because they never evolve their pricing. Million-dollar lawn companies get there because they price strategically. When you combine these strategies with automation (Lawnly), you stop guessing and start scaling.
Want to build a million-dollar lawn business the smart way? Book a demo with Lawnly today.
Related Articles (Series 1 and 2)
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