Starting your own business in the gardening market is a lucrative endeavor despite its many pros and cons. With so many new people moving from apartment living to condo living, there is a lot of demand for lawn upkeep and garden maintenance. To help you in this venture, consider these steps.
1. Location
Your choice of location for your business is important. Is it easy to get to by the clients you will be working for? It should be near a major artery making it easily accessible for your customers. Also, consider things like visibility and parking. Make sure that you are in an area where people can see your signage easily while driving, and make sure you provide free parking.
2. Supplies and Garden Equipment
Although you might already have a selection of tools for gardening or landscaping, consider what types of equipment your customers will need. For example, if you’re going to offer tree pruning services, then include saws like loppers and pole pruners. If you will work on lawn maintenance, consider battery-powered cultivators and mowers, especially with large patches of land.
You may also need to work with gardening chemicals like herbicides and fertilizers. There are various types of chemicals that you can use for growing flowers, trees, or vegetables. These should be kept in a safe place away from the reach of your customers’ children and pets to avoid accidents.
3. Clients
Your clients will be those who want lawn care and gardening services done by you, whether it is once a week, bi-weekly or monthly. When setting up the business, make sure you have enough customers to maintain a steady flow of income and keep your business afloat. Consider partnering with commercial businesses that you think will need your services for their greenery as they may be your most loyal customers with steady pay.
4. Business Licenses and Permits
Before you can begin business operations, you will need a business license and any permits for zoning or noise. Gardening can be a loud task when working with high-tech equipment, so this will apply to you. If you are planning on using chemicals for your gardening services, then you will need the appropriate permits there, too.
5. Insurance
One of the biggest risks in your business is damages to property from your work on it so make sure that your business has good liability insurance from a reputable company. You will also need to get worker’s compensation and injury insurance for any employees as they will be working with potentially dangerous equipment like lawnmowers and weed whackers.
6. Employees
If you are not experienced in landscaping or if your business is new, you might want to hire employees for this business. You should consider hiring people that you can train yourself because your business will succeed faster if you know what the employees are doing, and you might want to consider hiring younger workers to teach them landscaping skills. But there are other experienced workers out there that can help you grow your business if you have zero experience whatsoever.
7. Pricing
It’s important to set your prices fairly and competitively. Make sure that you are charging enough to cover all of your expenses while minimizing profit loss so that you can be successful in this business. For example, when hiring staff for this company, make sure you take into account factors like their training, experience, and time needed to complete work. For licensing purposes, you will need to set yourself apart from others in your area who offer similar services.
8. Business Plan
Gardening is a seasonal business so it might be wise for you to have a plan of how long your company will run during each season. For example, if you are planning on opening your business in April to offer leaf raking services, then it should close by September so that equipment can be serviced. You might also want to take into account things like the slowest season for your industry and plan accordingly.
9. Advertising and Promotion
Your business start-up should include promoting your business, whether it is through flyers or word-of-mouth advertising. Consider one or all of the following: direct mailings, newspaper advertisements, billboards, and online ads on social media sites.
Starting a business in the gardening market can be profitable if you have the proper licenses, insurance, and employees. You will also need to set your prices fairly and competitively while ensuring that you cover all of your expenses. When advertising and promoting your business, consider using flyers, word-of-mouth, or online ads on social media sites. With a well-thought-out business plan, you can be successful in this industry!
