Starting a landscaping business could be a great way to combine a love of the outdoors with entrepreneurial freedom.
You can get paid to beautify people’s backyards while getting to decide your own hours and rates.
If this sounds like the perfect start up venture for you, here are some tips on how you can get started.
1. Select your target market
Who will your landscaping business be aimed at? While you could just offer general services, some landscaping companies prefer to find a niche.
Examples of landscaping niches include lawn care, fence installation, patio installation, hedge maintenance and pond installation.
You could also exclusively target homes or try targeting commercial premises.
To help choose your target consumer, consider where your skills lie and look at what services are already available in the area (you may be able to identify a gap in the market).
Here are some 15 Gardening Business Ideas to help you as well.
2. Lay the financial groundwork
Create a financial plan to work out how much your company will cost to run and how much you want to make each month.
This will help you determine your pricing. It could be worth taking out a loan to fund any equipment you need.
You may also want to look into downloading accounting software to help you track your income and expenses so that you can calculate how much tax you owe.
3. Fork out on the right equipment
You’ll need to invest in some equipment. While some clients may be able to provide their own supplies, buying your own can help you to choose tools that are durable and efficient.
A few types of equipment to look into include lawn mowers, grass trimmers, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, trowels, shovels, rakes and aerators.
You can buy landscaping kits that include all of this, or you could hand-pick your own tools from different manufacturers.
Consider the fact that you may also need your own vehicle – ideally one large enough to carry all your tools in.
4. Tend to the legal stuff
Taking on certain landscaping tasks may require applying for a license in some states.
However, for the most part, small tasks like planting shrubs and mowing the lawn don’t require any license.
You will need to register your business with your state and it is recommended that you take out general liability insurance too to protect yourself against accidents that may harm other people or damage their property.
If you decide to take on employees, other legal measures will need to be taken (more about this later on…).
5. Cultivate a marketing strategy
A good marketing strategy is necessary to attract customers. Start by establishing a presence online by setting up a website and social media pages.
The benefits of social media for business cannot be underestimated.
You can hire someone to create a website for you or build your own – paying someone to build a website for you may cost more, but you’ll be able to benefit from ongoing maintenance and SEO.
Traditional marketing tactics could also be worth trying such as handing out business cards or posting flyers through people’s doors (you can target homes with yards that look like they need some TLC).
Make sure that you have a memorable company name and strong brand image.
6. Nurture your customers
You could build a lot of customers simply through referrals from existing clients – providing that you nurture your customers.
This involves providing consistent high quality service and offering perks for loyalty such as reduced rates or free extra services.
Building loyal customers is important for maintaining a steady income and these are 26 innovative ways to improve customer experience.
Of course, you can still take on extra one-off projects on the side, however these alone may not pay the bills – especially during the winter months when fewer people have the money to spend on backyard projects.
7. Grow your business by hiring help
While some landscapers are happy to maintain their business as a solo operation, others have the urge to grow their business.
This typically involves taking on employees so that you can take on extra ongoing jobs as well as bigger one-off projects that may require multiple pairs of hands.
Hiring employees does come with a lot of extra admin – you need to register as an employer, set up a payroll, take out worker’s compensation insurance and make time for training.
However, it’s worthwhile in the long run if you want your business to grow bigger and more profitable.
With enough dependable employees working for you, you may even be able to take a step back from your business so that you’re not working as many hours.
Just make sure to hire and retain the right people.
