Landscaping is a fantastic way to make money. It can be done as a full-time job or merely as a side hustle. If you ever wanted to have your own landscaping business but didn’t know how to start, this is the post for you! Before starting a landscaping company, you need to know some things (like finding subcontractors and insurance).
Having a landscaping business requires a lot of hard work and dedication to the company. You’ll also be dealing with people regularly, so you have to treat them fairly.
This piece of advice outlines ten tips to help you start your own landscaping business.
1. Get To Know Your Local Market
Know what people are willing to pay for some jobs. Also, know what kind of skills are lacking in your market so you can stand out from the competition by advertising yourself as an expert who specializes in those areas.
2. Be Prepared For The Worst
Always expect the worst-case scenario, no matter how positive you are about making good money during this new venture. Have some protection from rainy weather that might damage your equipment.
3. Build Trust
Get people to trust you by doing good work. A great way of increasing the number of clients you have is to tell your existing clients about other potential projects they need done around their homes. Having multiple sources of income will significantly decrease how much time it takes for you to make a certain amount of money each week, so this means more profit in your pocket!
4. Research And Purchase Property To Start Your New Business
It’s best to find a property not where your current house resides as this can lead to awkward conversations with neighbors or even landlords who might frown upon tenants using the vacant lot next door to run a business. This property should have enough room for the equipment you plan to purchase, be close to all necessary resources (water, sewer, gas, etc.), and be easily accessible to everyone in your area.
5. Create A Business Plan
A business plan is just a tiny notepad document outlining how you’ll start and run your business so there are no surprises down the road when unexpected expenses arise or a potential client asks a question about your process.
6. Purchase Your Equipment
After you’ve found a location for your new business, nothing is standing in your way from purchasing the tools needed to get started. Depending on what services you’ll offer, these items can vary greatly, but here are some general things most landscapers will need:
- Power generator: This is necessary to power any electrical tools or for a backup electricity source if the lights go out.
- Compressor: It can be used to power any air tools or provide compressed air and is extremely helpful when working with other landscaping equipment like irrigation systems.
- Backhoe/excavator: This will be needed for digging, moving soil, etc.
- Skid steer loader: For smaller projects, this may not be necessary. Still, it can be beneficial to move mulch and dirt around large property quickly without having to rent out larger machinery, which is more expensive in the long run.
- Mower/blower/trimmer: These depend on what services you plan to offer. But having at least one good working gas-powered mower will be needed for weekly lawn maintenance jobs and light brush trimming jobs around fence lines and trees.
- Irrigation supplies: Depending on what kind of work you plan to do with irrigation, you may need a variety of wrenches, nozzles, and other fixings that can fix sprinkler heads back together if they get broken by accident during normal wear and tear.
- Advertise With Signage
You can get fence banners, which are special types of banners. They can’t be used as hanging banners and will not follow their respective fence piece, but they will stay where they’re placed and always face the player. These fence banners are a very cost-effective way to catch a lot of attention.
8. Create And Print Flyers
Create flyers that list all of your offered services, prices, and how they can contact you to set up appointments for the work needed (email, phone number, etc.).
9. Employ The Right Personnel
If you plan to hire people, make sure they know what kind of person you’re looking for ahead of time so there are no misconceptions about your expectations during the interview process. It’s also helpful to have recent pictures or references from past employers available before their first day. Many landscapers find this business to be seasonal, with good months and bad months throughout the year depending on weather conditions.
10. Make Sure You Enjoy What You Do
If you find yourself dreading appointments, hiring people, and so forth, there’s a good chance this business will not be the right fit for you and your future goals in life. It’s best to enjoy all aspects of the job before putting your name on the side of a truck and driving around town with it.
People are increasingly turning to landscape companies for help with home exterior renovations. Firms are sometimes subcontracted by general contractors or other construction specialists to landscape homes, build decks, and construct patios or walkways. Many landscaping businesses have started offering these services because of their growing popularity. Landscaping can be a great business to venture into. Not only do you have the possibility of being self-employed, but landscapers are always needed.
Bottom Line
The great thing about landscaping is you can start on a small scale and grow your business as you learn. There are many valuable lessons to be learned in the world of lawn maintenance.
However, if this isn’t something you’re passionate about, it’s probably not worth starting with. You may want to reconsider what type of work or service you offer before jumping into an industry like landscape design without some knowledge first. If the prospect of owning your own company sounds thrilling but also intimidating, don’t worry! There are plenty of resources for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their businesses at various stages, so feel free to educate yourself online before you get into this business!