Hazelford Funding, a small-business funding service in Lebanon, Tennessee, helps landscaping, lawn care and hardscape companies in Wilson County, TN request equipment financing for mowers, trucks and trailers, lines of credit for uneven months, and working capital for crew payroll while invoices are outstanding. Partners review equipment quotes, contracts and bank statements, and make their own decisions.
| Landscape firms paying wages, Wilson County, TN | 63 (NAICS 561730), CBP 2023 |
|---|---|
| Landscapers under five staff | 69.8%, CBP 2023 |
| Solo landscapers and lawn-care operators | 364 no-payroll firms in the 2024 NES file (NAICS 56173) |
How a landscaping company's cash cycle runs
Landscaping is equipment-heavy and labor-heavy at once. Zero-turn mowers, string trimmers, blowers, trailers and trucks are needed before the first contract starts, and crews are paid weekly. Residential customers often pay per visit; commercial and HOA accounts pay on invoice terms. Installation jobs such as patios, retaining walls and plantings need materials bought up front.
The result is a business that can be fully booked and still short of cash. Working capital for a landscaping business covers payroll while invoices are out; equipment financing spreads the fleet cost over its working life.
Landscaping in Wilson County, TN
Wilson County, TN had 63 landscaping services employers in 2023, with 259 employees and $12.1 million in annual payroll; 69.8% had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns 2023). ZIP 37087, the main Lebanon, TN ZIP, had 19 (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023).
Owner-operators far outnumber employers: the county had 364 landscaping businesses without payroll in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 56173, a slightly broader code than the employer figure). Employer and nonemployer counts come from separate Census surveys and years, so this page keeps them apart.
There is no local seasonal series in the Census data used here, so this page makes no claim about which months are busy here. Your own deposit history is the better guide.
Landscaping and lawn care equipment financing
Typical requests include commercial zero-turn and stand-on mowers, aerators, skid steers and compact track loaders for hardscape work, dump trailers, enclosed trailers and work trucks. Lawn care equipment financing usually works item by item with a dealer quote; a fleet package can be financed together. Used equipment can be financed, and partners will ask for hours and condition.
Leasing and buyout options are explained on the equipment financing page.
Matching landscaping needs to funding
| Need | Funding shape |
|---|---|
| Mowers, loaders, trailers, trucks | Equipment financing |
| Crew payroll while commercial invoices are out | Working capital |
| Months where costs outrun receipts | Line of credit |
| Pavers, block and plants for a big install | Line of credit |
Getting a Wilson County, TN landscaping company ready for a request
- List the expense: a mower quote, a truck, or the payroll total for the gap.
- Pull recent bank statements that show deposits by month.
- Gather contracts for commercial or HOA accounts, if you have them.
- Note existing equipment loans or dealer financing.
Pricing jobs so the cash need is visible is half the work; how to bid a landscaping job in Lebanon, TN walks through it step by step.
Illustration: a second crew
Illustration only: a lawn care company adds a second crew of three at $2,900 a week combined, plus a used zero-turn mower and an enclosed trailer quoted together at $21,000. The equipment is a single equipment financing request. The payroll gap depends on how quickly the new accounts pay: on 30-day terms, the company carries about four weeks, or $11,600, before the new revenue arrives. These are example figures, not offers.
Hardscape and installation jobs
Installation work changes the cash need. A patio, retaining wall or irrigation system requires pavers, block, stone, pipe and plants bought before the job starts, often with a deposit from the customer that covers only part of the cost. Commercial installs on new construction may follow a builder's draw schedule, which puts landscaping squarely in the same cash pattern as other trades.
For installation-heavy companies, a line of credit for materials and a compact track loader or skid steer on equipment financing are two typical requests.
From owner-operator to first employees
The county figures show how many landscapers work alone: 364 nonemployer landscaping businesses in 2024 against 63 employer establishments in 2023 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024; County Business Patterns 2023). Moving from a one-person operation to a crew is a funding moment. The first employee adds payroll before the extra accounts are signed, and a second mower and trailer may follow. A request that shows the accounts the crew will serve, and the equipment it needs, reads as a plan rather than a hope.
Lawn care business loans for a first crew: a checklist
Wilson County, TN landscaping employers averaged about 4.1 employees in 2023, and 69.8% had fewer than five (County Business Patterns 2023). Another 364 landscaping businesses ran without payroll in 2024, with receipts averaging about $50,580 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024, our division). The step from owner-operator to a paid crew is a natural point to plan a request.
- Signed maintenance contracts, with start dates and billing terms.
- The mower, trailer or truck quote, new or used.
- Expected weekly payroll for the new crew.
- Bank statements showing how current customers pay.
- Any existing equipment loans or leases.
Landscaping equipment financing covers the machine; working capital for a landscaping business covers the crew's wages until the new contracts bill. A line of credit fits owners whose install jobs and maintenance billing alternate through the year.
Landscaping within the construction trades
Landscaping sits alongside the building trades: hardscape and site work follow the same draw and invoice patterns that contractors and builders manage. The industries page covers related trades, and county figures are on the Lebanon, TN page.
