Grass Cutters USA is a full-service lawn maintenance company that allows customers to offer a bid for the price of lawn care. The Columbia business is owned by Caleb White, whose goal is to present a service that maintains both commercial and residential properties in the Columbia metropolitan area – but with a twist.
“I was urged to start a business after I read a book about two guys who started a junk removal business,” White says. The idea took off, and they were multi-millionaires at age 27.
With that inspiration, White says he wanted to market a common service. “Everybody needs grass cutting,” he says.
His service allows customers to go to his Grass Cutters USA website and offer a bid for how much they are willing to pay for lawn care. The customer fills out the bid information and includes contact information, with details about the needed lawn maintenance. Customers can request a free estimate if they are unsure of a bid. After reviewing the request, Grass Cutters USA either accepts it or counter offers if the bid is too low.
It’s like the Priceline for lawn care, and it’s local. “I’d love to have Grass Cutters be called the Priceline of lawn care services,” White says.
After the deal is complete, and the lawn service rendered, customers pay using the online PayPal service.
Caleb’s father, Art White, owns a law firm, and he uses the service. “The entire process is easy and simple. I named my price and now I have weekly yard service for the summer and as needed during the winter,” he says.
It’s an opportunity to offer something new,” Caleb White says. He says since most people now use an Internet search engine for referrals, he wants to be able to find customers that way, and get them to service providers.
In his first year of business, White says he has made a profit. Most of the jobs he completed have utilized individuals he has become comfortable relying on. “But I want to market the service to companies now. I want to partner with larger lawn maintenance companies and bring in more commercial work.
White says once he has brokered with more affiliates, it will just expand his operation to where it’s more of a clearing house for jobs. He expects the accounts will just get bigger and the companies he is now bringing in to offer more lawn services.