How Much Can a Firewise Landscaping Owner Make? $95k+ Plan
You’re planning owner pay before crews, trucks, insurance, and seasonal cash needs eat the upside In the base five-year model, firewise landscaping revenue grows from $2424M in Year 1 to $13260M in Year 5, with planned owner-operator compensation best anchored to the $95,000 General Manager salary before taxes, debt, and distributions
Owner income$1.19MNet margin45% to 63%Revenue for target pay$202k/moBusiness difficultyHard
Want to test your owner pay?
Owner income calculator
Estimate owner take-home and the target-pay gap from revenue, margin, costs, reserves, and target pay.
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Planning note: This is a researched planning estimate, not guaranteed salary, tax advice, or owner distribution advice. Actual owner income depends on demand, margins, payroll, taxes, debt, reserves, and how much cash the business keeps back.
Want to check the owner income model behind the numbers?
Yes — Firewise Landscaping Service can scale, but only if crews stay booked and pricing covers the added overhead. The model grows from 7 FTE in Year 1 to 26 FTE in Year 5, while revenue rises from $2424M to $13260M and EBITDA from $1096M to $8378M. If utilization slips, quality control weakens, insurance tightens, or equipment capacity lags, owner take-home can fall even as headcount climbs.
What supports scale
7 FTE grows to 26 FTE.
Revenue rises from $2424M to $13260M.
Payroll rises from $419,000 to $1,361M.
EBITDA climbs from $1096M to $8378M.
What can break scale
Weak utilization cuts owner take-home.
Poor quality control hurts repeat jobs.
Insurance pressure can tighten margins.
Equipment limits can cap job volume.
What profit margin can a firewise landscaping service earn?
A Firewise Landscaping Service can keep 71% of revenue after direct and variable costs in Year 1, and 78% by Year 5, before payroll and fixed overhead. If you want the planning side too, see How Do I Write A Business Plan For Firewise Landscaping Service?. The catch is simple: owner take-home drops when labor hours run long, dump fees rise, fuel use climbs, equipment breaks, insurance increases, or routes spread out.
Protect Margin
Use scoped estimates.
Follow crew checklists.
Plan disposal before work.
Raise prices for higher risk.
Cost Pressure
Long labor hours cut take-home.
Dump fees can spike fast.
Fuel use hurts route-heavy jobs.
Repairs and insurance raise costs.
Can you make a living with a firewise landscaping service?
Yes, you can make a living with a Firewise Landscaping Service if it reaches enough job volume and the owner replaces the paid manager role early; the base model carries a $95,000 General Manager salary, $2.424M Year 1 revenue, and breakeven in Month 4. For the operating drivers behind that pay path, see What Are Firewise Landscaping Service's 5 KPIs?.
What supports owner pay
$2.424M modeled Year 1 revenue
Month 4 breakeven timing
$95,000 manager cost replaceable by owner
Maintenance plans add repeat revenue
What puts pay at risk
$716,000 minimum cash need
$287,500 startup capex
Seasonality can squeeze payroll
Insurance, hiring, and utilization matter
Want the six drivers behind owner income?
1
Project Mix
$8.1K
A Year 1 design-and-install job runs about $8,075, so more high-ticket projects lift owner take-home fast.
2
Crew Utilization
12.5-15h
Raising active customer hours from 12.5 to 15 a month adds revenue per account without much extra fixed cost.
3
Direct Job Costs
29%-22%
Cutting direct job costs from 29% of revenue to 22% keeps more gross profit in the business.
4
Recurring Maintenance
30%-65%
Growing subscription mix from 30% to 65% makes income steadier and less lumpy.
5
Local Risk Demand
$450-$350
As local wildfire-risk demand improves, CAC can fall from $450 to $350, which lowers the cost to win each customer.
6
Overhead & Cash
$96K
$96K of annual overhead, a $716K cash floor, and $287.5K of capex set how much profit reaches the owner.
Firewise Landscaping Service Core Six Income Drivers
Project Mix And Pricing
Project Mix And Pricing
This driver is the job mix: more design, installation, pruning, fuel-reduction, and defensible-space work means higher revenue per client than small cleanup jobs. Here’s the quick math: Year 1 design and install is 85 hours × $95 = $8,075 per project, and by Year 5 it’s 95 hours × $120 = $11,400. That mix lifts owner income because one client can generate far more billable value.
Assessments also matter. At 6 hours and $150 to $180, each assessment bills about $900 to $1,080. Price has to cover labor intensity, disposal, property size, risk, and owner take-home. If the quote is built like a small cleanup job, gross profit gets squeezed and cash available for pay drops fast.
Price By Job Type And Risk
Track revenue by service line, not just total sales. If the calendar fills with low-value cleanup work, revenue per client stays flat even when crews are busy. Build a simple quote sheet that separates assessment, design, install, pruning, and fuel-reduction work so the higher-value jobs carry the time, disposal, and risk they create.
Use three checks before you book: billable hours, disposal load, and property size. If any job needs extra time or risk, raise the price before work starts. That protects gross margin and helps the owner keep a real draw after payroll, trucks, and fixed overhead.
Track hours by job type.
Separate disposal in every quote.
Raise price for larger lots.
1
Crew Utilization
Crew Utilization
Utilization is the share of paid crew hours that becomes billable work. In this business, that means crews stay on scheduled jobs instead of sitting in the yard, driving empty miles, or fixing avoidable mistakes. When average billable hours per active customer rises from 125 in Year 1 to 150 in Year 5, revenue per FTE climbs from about $346,000 to $510,000, which is what protects owner pay.
Idle time, rework, missed routes, and bad scheduling cut margin before the cash crunch shows up. Here’s the quick math: if paid labor stays the same but billable hours fall, gross profit drops fast because labor is already paid. Tight calendars and job closeout checks keep each crew hour producing revenue instead of leakage.
Track Billable Hours First
Track paid hours, billable hours, active customers, and rework hours every week. The core ratio is billable hours ÷ paid hours. If billable hours per active customer stalls below 125, route density, scheduling, or job scope is the problem, not demand. That is the first place owner income leaks.
Use closeout checks on every job: confirm scope, photos, disposal, and punch-list items before crews leave. That cuts return trips and missed work, and it keeps the same crew hours turning into more billable output. Even a small drop in rework can lift revenue per FTE without adding headcount.
2
Direct Job Cost Control
Direct Job Cost Control
Owner income rises when each job stays inside the estimate. Here’s the quick math: direct and variable cost load improves from 29% to 22%, so on $100,000 of revenue that is $7,000 more gross profit before overhead. The biggest swings come from listed fire-wise plants and materials, fuel, crew supplies, referral fees, equipment repairs, and any extra dump run or subcontractor hour.
Keep an eye on the parts that move fast: plants and materials from 14% to 12%, fuel and crew supplies from 6% to 4%, referral fees from 5% to 3%, and repairs from 4% to 3%. If route length, waste hauling, or rework creeps up, gross margin drops fast and less cash is left for owner pay.
Track the Job Cost Leak
Measure cost by job, not by month. Compare estimate vs actual for materials, fuel, dump fees, referrals, repairs, and subcontractors on every project. If a job is supposed to land at 22% direct and variable cost but finishes at 26%, the owner gives up margin that should have become profit or a draw.
Log dump runs on every job.
Track fuel by route and crew.
Approve repairs before work starts.
Match subcontractor hours to estimates.
Use the variance report to raise price, change routing, or cut waste on the next bid. If the same job type keeps missing target, the estimate is too low or the crew plan is too loose.
3
Recurring Maintenance Revenue
Recurring Maintenance Revenue
For a firewise landscaping service, maintenance contracts turn one-time defensible-space jobs into steadier cash. The mix rises from 30% in Year 1 to 65% in Year 5, and pricing moves from 4 hours at $75 per hour, or $300 per service, to 5 hours at $90 per hour, or $450 per service. That lifts revenue quality and helps cover payroll, but it does not erase seasonality.
The cash risk is retention. Local fire season timing, compliance checks, and follow-up pruning decide whether maintenance stays on contract or drops off. Here’s the quick math: more recurring work means less scramble for new projects, but if a client only buys once a year, owner pay still swings with the calendar.
Track Retention, Not Just Bookings
Measure the share of revenue from maintenance, the repeat rate, and the average service price per visit. If the maintenance mix is below 30%, cash will stay lumpy; if it reaches 65%, the business can forecast labor and owner draws with more confidence. Keep pricing tied to hours, pruning scope, and disposal time so margin does not leak.
Watch three controls each month: renewal rate, service frequency, and route density. If retention slips after fire season, send follow-up pruning offers early and document compliance needs clearly. One clean metric matters most: recurring billings per active client.
Track maintenance share of revenue.
Price by hours, not guesswork.
Renew before fire season peaks.
Log pruning and compliance needs.
4
Local Wildfire-Risk Demand
Local Wildfire-Risk Demand
When wildfire risk is high, more homeowners, HOAs, insurers, and local rules push for assessments, installations, and maintenance. That can lift booked work and keep crews busy, but it only helps income if leads turn into jobs. Here’s the quick math: marketing spend moves from $45,000 to $100,000, and CAC improves from $450 to $350, so the business can buy more customers if close rates hold.
The real driver is not just demand volume. It’s lead quality, permit friction, insurance changes, and route density by service area. Strong risk zones can support higher project flow and recurring maintenance, but a weak close rate or long permit cycle will drain cash and delay owner pay.
Track Risk-Zone Conversion
Measure leads, booked assessments, close rate, CAC, and gross profit by service area. At $45,000 of marketing and $450 CAC, you buy about 100 customers; at $100,000 and $350 CAC, you buy about 286 customers, before permit delays or no-shows. The point is simple: more spend only helps if local wildfire risk is producing usable, closeable demand.
Split results by neighborhood and job type, then price for access, slope, disposal, and code work. Watch which areas create fast approvals and dense routes, because that cuts drive time and protects margin. If insurance or local rules change, shift budget toward the zones that still convert into assessments, installations, and maintenance.
5
Overhead, Reserves, And Reinvestment
Overhead, Reserves, and Reinvestment
Owner pay comes after the $8,000 monthly fixed overhead and the cash buffer. That overhead includes $4,500 rent, $1,200 liability insurance, $900 vehicle insurance, $650 software, $400 utilities, and $350 supplies. If revenue is up but cash is thin, the owner still has to hold back on draws.
The capital load is also heavy: $287,500 of launch capex and a minimum cash balance of $716,000 in Month 2. Here’s the quick math: take-home income equals cash left after direct costs, fixed overhead, and reserves. Reserves and reinvestment are not optional distributions.
Track Cash Before Pay
Track monthly overhead, capex spend, and ending cash against the $716,000 floor. Set owner pay only after those numbers are met, and keep reserves separate from operating cash. That keeps growth from eating the paycheck.
Watch three inputs each month: billings collected, direct job cost, and fixed overhead. If overhead stays at $8,000 and collections slip, pause draws fast. A clean rule helps: no owner distribution until next-month work is funded and cash is above target.
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Compare owner-income scenarios for a firewise landscaping business
Owner income scenarios
Owner income swings with crew size, capex, and reserve needs. Year 1 is salary-led, Year 3 adds scale, and Year 5 tests whether more crews and marketing turn demand into draw.
How owner pay changes as the model moves from launch to scale.
Scenario
Lean LaunchLean launch
Base GrowthBase growth
High DemandHigh demand
Launch model
This is the lower earnings path, where the owner mainly takes a salary while the business builds cash and capacity.
This is the modeled middle path, where higher revenue starts to support a steadier owner draw.
This is the stronger earnings path, where multi-crew volume can support the highest owner draw.
Typical setup
Year 1 models $2.424M revenue, $1.096M EBITDA, about 71% gross margin after direct and variable costs, 7 FTE, a $95,000 operator salary, and a $716,000 minimum cash point.
Year 3 models $7.238M revenue, $4.130M EBITDA, about 74.5% gross margin after direct and variable costs, roughly 16.5 FTE based on the wage plan, and $75,000 marketing.
Year 5 models $13.260M revenue, $8.378M EBITDA, about 78% gross margin after direct and variable costs, 26 FTE, and $100,000 marketing.
Cost drivers
Crew payroll
fuel and supplies
marketing spend
reserve cash
More crew labor
higher service mix
lower CAC
marketing efficiency
More crews
higher ticket volume
repeat maintenance
marketing scale
Owner income rangeBefore owner reserves
Salary-floor income onlyCash tight case
Salary plus profit shareScale build case
Strong draw and distributionsReserve-sensitive upside
Best fit
Use this to stress-test opening-year pay when cash is tight and the owner still runs day-to-day work.
Fits a year-3 plan where repeat maintenance and consultations start to support a real owner draw.
Fits a multi-crew push where demand, repeat work, and higher prices can fund the strongest draw.
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Planning note: These scenario ranges are researched planning assumptions, not guaranteed earnings, salary promises, tax advice, or distributions.
