Start your lawn and garden care business with a ?success? advocate approach so you can recognize opportunities when they come. Seek out successful mentors, look for successful business plans to emulate, and follow successful business practices.

In a nutshell, it's common sense to put into practice what already works? what is already successful.

Know the lawn care business inside and out? Do you know what's involved in this business? Do you actually know how to use a lawn mower and the other tools of the trade? Do you know how to service them? Do you know anything about lawn care and maintenance?

If you don't, find out. If you think you do, be sure you do. Go to the library and book store. Search the internet (perhaps that's how you ended up here). The point is, you have at your immediate disposal all the information you need.

There's also an easy solution to finding any professional help you may need. Enlist the help of retired professionals? accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, business planners. Imagine having these retired professionals working on your business. All that personal attention, packed full of years of experience. It's a win-win answer.

Don't quit your job? This is one of the real benefits of starting up a lawn care business. You can develop it while you're still working.

Put pencil to paper and determine how many customers you need in order to support your family, and then slowly build up to that.

Be patient, because you're still not quite there.

Continue at this level until you've accumulated enough NET profit to support your family for a minimum of six months.

Or, work out a part-time situation with your boss. If this doesn't work, consider finding a part-time job with another company.

The point is, be patient. Be secure financially before committing to your new lawn care business full time.

Be as debt free as you possibly can? Focus on this in the section above. Make it a goal before you quit, or at the very least follow the advice from your accountant or financial adviser.

Gather up the equipment and tools you need? You probably already have most of what you need: Pickup truck, or van, or at least a station wagon; lawn mowers; edger; leaf blower; brooms, rakes, shovels, and other hand tools; garbage cans for debris.

TIP: As soon as you can afford it, get a back-up for each of the above. While the above equipment is necessary to your business, don't forget these essential tools: Common sense; good work ethics; working knowledge of human nature; good customer relation experience.

There's one last thing you need? Actually, there are two things you need when you finally do start your lawn care business full time? courage and confidence!