Launch League

Full guide · Ohio

How to start a leaf raking business as a teenager

Leaf season is about six weeks long, it arrives at the same time every year, and every single house on a treed street has the identical problem within days of each other. That concentration is the opportunity: one afternoon of asking in early October can fill every Saturday until the snow.

Nothing to startFrom age 13First dollar: The first Saturday in October.

What it costs

What you actually need

A wide plastic rake
$15–$25

Wide and light. A metal garden rake is the wrong tool and will wreck your hands.

Paper yard waste bags
$4–$6 for five

Check your municipality — most require paper, not plastic. Charge these through at cost.

A tarp
$15

Rake onto the tarp, drag it to the bags. This roughly halves the time per yard.

Work gloves
$12

Blisters end a Saturday faster than rain does.

Borrow before you buy

Do your first three jobs with equipment you already have access to. Buy your own out of money a customer has already handed you, never out of money you are hoping to make.

What to charge

Pricing, honestly

Start at the lower end of each range. Raise it once five people have paid you without hesitating.

Small yard, raked and bagged
$30–$50

Walk it first. A small yard under one big maple is not a small yard.

Large or heavily treed yard
$60–$120

Quote by the job, never by the hour. People want to know the number.

Bags, charged through
At cost

Tell them what they cost and add them. Nobody argues with that.

Two visits, three weeks apart
1.5× one visit

Trees do not drop all at once. This is the honest offer and it earns more.

These are what people commonly charge, not what you will make, and they were first written for a Canadian market. Look up what adults near you charge for the same job, then start a little under it and raise your price once you have five happy customers.

Your first five

Exactly who to ask, in order

Warmest first. Your first attempt should be with someone who will be kind about it, because you will be bad at it.

  1. Person 1

    The house on your street with the biggest tree. They know exactly how bad it is going to be.

  2. Person 2

    Anyone elderly nearby — raking is genuinely hard on backs and it is the job people give up first.

  3. Person 3

    Everyone whose lawn you mowed in the summer. You already have their number and they already trust you.

  4. Person 4

    A neighbor who was still raking in November last year.

  5. Person 5

    The four houses either side of your first booking. Knock while your tarp is on their lawn.

Send this

“Hi Mrs. Delaurier — it's Ben from number 21. I'm doing leaf cleanups this fall. I'd rake and bag your yard for $45, bags included, and come back once more in early November for $25 when the rest comes down. Want me to put you in for a Saturday?”

Change the names and the price. Keep the shape: who you are, how they know you, what you do, the price, and an easy way to say yes.

Not optional

Staying safe

  • Never rake near the road without something bright on. Drivers are not expecting you in a pile of leaves.
  • Watch for what is under the leaves — sticks, dog waste, rocks, and in old yards, broken glass.
  • Wet leaves are slippery, and so are wet steps. Slow down on anything sloped.
  • Lift bags with your legs. A full paper bag of wet leaves is much heavier than a dry one.
  • Do not burn anything, ever, whatever a customer suggests.

Tell a parent or guardian where you are working and when you expect to be finished, every time.

The actual business

Getting them to book you again

  • Book the second visit while you are standing in the first one.
  • Take the bags to the curb on the right day for your municipality. That is half the favour.
  • Sweep the walk and the driveway before you go. Two minutes, and it is what they see.
  • Ask every leaf customer about snow in the same conversation. Same street, same season, same person.
  • Write down every name. Next October you are not starting from nothing.

Two things to know in Ohio

If someone hires you. Ohio generally requires a minor work permit (an age and schooling certificate) for ages 14 through 17 during the school year, and in summer break only for ages 14 and 15. It is not required in some common teen jobs, including snow shoveling, newspaper delivery and family farm work. See the Department of Commerce and the Legislative Service Commission.

If you work for yourself, that is a different situation, and the sources I read do not spell out how the permit rules treat a teenager running their own small business. If you are unsure, ask the Ohio Department of Commerce, Bureau of Wage and Hour.

Taxes. Money you earn counts. Net self-employment earnings of $400 or more usually mean self-employment tax, and in Ohio lawn care, landscaping and snow removal become taxable services once your sales reach $5,000 a year. The Ohio starting guide explains both.

Checked October 9, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules change.

More ideas are on the full list. Ready to make it a real business? Read how to start a business in Ohio.

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