Seasonal working capital, equipment financing, and crew payroll for landscaping and lawn care businesses.
We fund landscaping & lawn care businesses across the country. One application gets your file in front of 70+ lenders competing to offer you the best terms — no collateral required, all credit profiles considered.
Landscaping businesses concentrate roughly 65–80% of annual revenue between April and October, with the bulk in June-August. December and February can run at 10–20% of peak monthly revenue. Snow removal contracts help in some markets but rarely fully offset summer-skewed cost structures. The seasonality combined with equipment-heavy operations creates a specific funding pattern: load up on equipment financing before peak season, use working capital to bridge the slow months, repay aggressively from the spring/summer cash gusher.
Equipment financing is the standout product for landscaping. Trucks, mowers, trailers, skid steers, dump bodies, salt spreaders — all standard equipment with predictable resale value, which lenders price aggressively. Beyond equipment, the landscaping funding mix tilts toward LOCs for cash management and MCAs for emergency working capital during off-seasons. SBA 7(a) fits established operators acquiring smaller competitors or buying property for their yard.
| Product | Fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment Financing | Best fit | Trucks, mowers, trailers, dump bodies. 8–15% APR for new equipment, 12–20% for used. Equipment-secured = best rates available. |
| Line of Credit | For seasonality | Draw during slow months, repay during peak. 14–22% APR. Best for 2+ year operators with 650+ FICO. |
| Working Capital MCA | Off-season bridge | For 6mo+ TIB operators. Funds 24–72hr. Repayment matched to cash flow if structured well. |
| Term Loan | For acquisitions | Acquiring another landscaping company, buying yard property. 11–22% APR depending on credit. |
| SBA 7(a) | Best for >$250K | Acquisitions, yard real estate, fleet expansion. 9.75–13.25% APR. 45–90 day underwriting. |
| Invoice Factoring | Commercial only | For B2B commercial landscaping (HOAs, property managers). Bridges net-30/45. Less common in landscaping than other service industries. |
The 6 most common capital deployments we see across our landscaping clients, with the funding product that fits each.
New mowers, trimmer fleet, replacement truck. Typical $20K–$150K. Equipment financing — rates lock for 36–72 months.
Plows, salt spreaders, possibly dedicated trucks. Equipment financing or short-term LOC.
Keeping crew employed through Dec-Feb to retain for spring. $25K–$100K. LOC if pre-approved is best; MCA if not.
Roll-up of $400K–$1.5M revenue landscaping company. SBA 7(a) for cheapest.
Buying the equipment yard or commercial property you've been renting. SBA 504 if real estate.
Adding hardscaping, irrigation, or tree services. Equipment + marketing. Equipment financing + small LOC combo.
Beyond the standard credit + revenue + time-in-business thresholds, landscaping businesses face industry-specific underwriting variables.
Yes, often. Equipment financing is more credit-tolerant than unsecured products because the equipment itself secures the loan. Sub-prime borrowers (FICO 580–619) can typically finance equipment at 16–22% APR with 10–15% down. Below 580 FICO, in-house dealer financing or specialty equipment lenders fund at 22–30% APR with larger down payments.
Equipment financing covers up to the equipment cost (sometimes 100%, sometimes requiring 10–15% down). Typical landscaping equipment loans range $15K–$300K. For full fleet financing or yard expansion combined with equipment, SBA 7(a) goes up to $5M.
Difficult. Most lenders want 6+ months of bank statements showing real revenue. Pre-revenue landscaping businesses typically fund through personal credit cards, friends-and-family, equipment financing with a strong personal guarantor, or SBA Microloans. Once you're past 6 months and 1 full season with $10K+ monthly deposits, the broader funding market opens.
Sometimes. MCAs price 60–110% effective APR and require daily ACH repayment, which conflicts badly with the no-revenue Dec-Feb period. Better off-season options: Pre-approved LOC drawn down only as needed (interest only on drawn balance). Equipment financing on existing equipment (cash-out refinance). MCAs make sense only when you're bridging a known peak-season recovery and the math works.
For 2+ year operators with 650+ FICO and $250K+ annual revenue: typical LOC limit $25K–$150K at 14–22% APR (variable, tied to Prime). Some lenders charge $25–$75/month maintenance fee. Interest only accrues on drawn balance — so an LOC kept open all year but only drawn during slow months can cost dramatically less than a term loan of the same size.
Yes. Commercial trucks (work trucks, dump trucks, flatbeds) are standard equipment financing collateral. Rates typically 8–14% APR for new trucks at 720+ FICO, scaling up to 20–25% for sub-prime credit. Terms 48–84 months. Some lenders specialize in commercial vehicle financing specifically (Ally, Wells Fargo Commercial Vehicle, manufacturer captive finance arms).
4–6 months of business bank statements, voided business check, photo ID, EIN letter, business formation documents, equipment quote (for equipment financing), commercial auto insurance certificate. Larger amounts ($150K+) require last 2 years of business tax returns, year-to-date P&L, and equipment list. SBA loans require business plan, lease for the yard, equipment list with values, personal financial statement.
Yes — landscaping is SBA-eligible. The 7(a) program is most flexible: working capital, equipment, acquisitions, real estate purchase, debt refinancing all allowed. The 504 program fits real estate (yard property purchases). Landscaping businesses generally pass the SBA size test ($16.5M revenue cap typical for landscaping NAICS codes).
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