Fieldhill Loans helps landscaping and lawn care companies in Columbus, IN and Bartholomew County, IN request equipment financing for mowers, trucks, trailers and compact equipment, lines of credit for uneven months, and working capital for crew payroll while commercial accounts pay. Partners review deposits and equipment quotes, then decide.
| Landscaping firms with employees, Bartholomew County, IN | 26 employer locations (County Business Patterns 2023) |
|---|---|
| Landscaping businesses without payroll | 134, Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (NAICS 56173) |
| Under five employees | 69.2% of employers, CBP 2023 |
How landscaping companies use funding
Landscaping cash goes to equipment and labor. Mowers, trimmers, trucks, trailers and compact loaders are the assets; crews are the cost that runs every week. Residential customers may pay per visit or monthly; commercial accounts, property managers and builders may pay on invoice terms.
The answer-first map: equipment financing for mowers and machines, a line of credit for uneven months, and working capital for crew payroll while commercial invoices are open.
Mowing and landscape crews across Bartholomew County, IN
County Business Patterns counted 26 landscaping services employer establishments (NAICS 561730) in Bartholomew County, IN in 2023, with 107 paid employees and about $4.1 million in annual payroll. Eighteen of them, 69.2%, had fewer than five employees, and 16 had a ZIP 47201 address (ZIP Business Patterns 2023).
Nonemployer Statistics counted 134 landscaping businesses without payroll in 2024 (NAICS 2022 code 56173), with about $4.9 million in combined receipts. Our arithmetic puts that at roughly $36,500 in receipts per nonemployer business on average. The two programs cover different businesses and years, so the counts are not added.
For context, the county's administrative and support services sector, which includes landscaping and janitorial work, had 98 employer establishments in 2023 (County Business Patterns); Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program, counted 529 businesses in 2024.
Equipment, crews and uneven months
Equipment
Zero-turn and stand-on mowers, trimmers and blowers, trucks, enclosed and open trailers, and for hardscape and installation work, compact track loaders and skid steers.
Crews
Crew payroll can be weekly, and adding a crew means a truck, a trailer and a full equipment set as well as wages.
Uneven months
Census data does not show how landscaping receipts vary through the year in this county, so Fieldhill does not assume a pattern. Your own twelve months of deposits show it, and partners read them for exactly that.
Matching landscaping needs to funding types
| Need | Where Fieldhill would start |
|---|---|
| Mowers and handheld equipment | Lawn care equipment financing |
| Truck and trailer for a new crew | Equipment financing |
| Compact track loader or skid steer | Landscaping equipment loan |
| Lean months in your own deposit history | Line of credit |
| Payroll while commercial invoices are open | Working capital |
Business loans for lawn care: one owner or a few crews
A business loan for lawn care at the owner-operator level can be an equipment request: one mower, one trailer, sometimes a truck. Partners look at deposits and the equipment's value. A small business loan for landscaping at the multi-crew level adds payroll, receivables and a fleet of equipment, and partners look for a contract or customer list that supports it.
Contracts, routes and what they are worth to a partner
A written maintenance contract with a property manager, a homeowners association or a commercial site gives a partner something concrete to read: the term, the price, the frequency and how either side can end it. A route of residential customers on verbal arrangements can be just as steady, but it is harder to show. Keep a simple list of recurring customers, how long each has used you and what they pay, and bring it with your bank statements.
Hardscape and installation work, such as patios, walls and drainage, is closer to construction: deposits up front, materials bought per job, and a final payment on completion. If your company does both, show the two separately.
How to buy a lawn care business when the route list is the asset
Buying a lawn care business can mean buying its customer list and its equipment. Ask for the route list with service frequency and price, how many customers renewed last year, and the age and hours of each machine. Partners may value the equipment as used and the customer list by how reliably it renews. A term loan funds the purchase; equipment can be financed on its own schedule.
What partners commonly review for a landscaping company
- Twelve months of bank statements, so lean and strong months both show.
- Equipment quotes with make, model and hours for used units.
- Commercial contracts or maintenance agreements, if any.
- Existing equipment payments.
A labeled example, not an offer
Hypothetical figures only: a two-crew company adds a third crew. A used truck, a new enclosed trailer and a mower package total $71,000. Equipment financing spreads that over the equipment's working life, and a modest line of credit covers the new crew's wages for the weeks before its route is full. The real figures come only from a partner.
Related pages
Contractors and builders are covered on construction funding, and the trade pages under it include plumbing and HVAC. All sectors are on the industries page, and the county figures on the Columbus, IN page.
By Fieldhill Loans · Updated
