Anyone know a good software for a new lawn care business?

Business Forum
1

Hey everyone… my husband and I just started a lawn care business this year. Business has been good, but our way of tracking things is all over the place and it’s taking up too much time.

Here’s how we’re doing things right now:
I use Google Calendar to schedule clients, which is handy because we can both see it on our phones.

I also use Google Sheets to keep track of income, expenses, and all client details. I made these sheets myself, but it’s really time-consuming moving info between Google Docs, Sheets, and Calendar.

Invoices are a mess too. I make them in Google Docs and change everything manually (dates, services, etc.) for each client. It’s just not practical.

I’m looking for software where, once I add a client to the calendar and my husband completes a job, the service is recorded automatically. Ideally, at the end of each month, it would generate an invoice for any unpaid services, or let me mark it as paid if they’ve already paid in cash.

In my job in healthcare, we use a system where you can add notes and track client history. I’d love something similar where I could note things like, ‘This client doesn’t want an invoice.’

I’ve heard QuickBooks might do some of this, but I’d love to know if anyone here has suggestions. I looked at Wave but it doesn’t have the client notes feature. Any thoughts?

2

QuickBooks is solid for accounting, and QXpress works with it for scheduling. You add jobs in QXpress, and it sends them to QuickBooks to handle the billing.

3

Davi said:
QuickBooks is solid for accounting, and QXpress works with it for scheduling. You add jobs in QXpress, and it sends them to QuickBooks to handle the billing.

That sounds perfect… thank you.

4

A lot of folks I know use Jobber. Maybe check it out?

5

I’d say just go with QuickBooks.

6

Honestly, you might not need software yet. Maybe hire a bookkeeper just for the accounting part… software can get pricey fast, especially early on. Your current setup may be fine for now.

7

I have a friend who works at Aspire Software. They specialize in landscape business software. Not sure if it’s exactly what you need, but worth a look.

8

Teegan said:
I have a friend who works at Aspire Software. They specialize in landscape business software. Not sure if it’s exactly what you need, but worth a look.

Thanks for the suggestion.

9

I totally get the spreadsheet headache. Have you looked into Jobber or Housecall Pro? They both help with scheduling, invoicing, and client notes (like reminders not to invoice certain clients.).

Also… thought about a website? A simple site could make it easier for people to book and learn about your services.

10

@Sawyer
We’ve thought about a website, but they’re so expensive. Thanks, I’ll look into those options.

11

Aman said:
@Sawyer
We’ve thought about a website, but they’re so expensive. Thanks, I’ll look into those options.

Yeah, some places charge like you’re building the next Amazon. :joy: But honestly, you can make a decent site with WordPress and a couple of plugins without spending a fortune.

12

Aman said:
@Sawyer
We’ve thought about a website, but they’re so expensive. Thanks, I’ll look into those options.

You can actually build a basic site now without coding. Check out builder.io and similar tools.

But definitely get a bookkeeping setup going for tax time… some online banks even offer tools to help manage it, like Found.

13

I’d be interested in creating a custom software for lawn care. I recently made one for landscape design, so this would be a nice addition. Feel free to message me if QXpress and QuickBooks don’t work out.

14

QuickBooks is a solid choice for your needs.

15

I could build something from scratch if you have a budget for it. Let me know if that’s something you’d consider.