It is hard to find a person that doesn’t appreciate a well-maintained yard. It is even harder to find a person with enough time and skill to actually make this ideal yard happen. These two simple facts allowed professional landscaping in US to grow by 5.8% during 2018 and become a $93 billion industry by the end of the year. Thought-provoking numbers for all ambitious entrepreneurs who are willing to explore fresh ideas. Let’s take a look at a couple of tips that should help you successfully start your own landscaping empire.
Acquire as much knowledge as you can
Keep in mind that you are joining a well-established industry and have a lot of things to make up for. Start by finding an experienced mentor or partner who can quickly familiarize you with all the intricacies of the job. Also spend a lot of times researching everything that has to do with your future profession, ranging from tools to sustainable architecture and garden plumbing. By doing this, you can get a very contemporary viewpoint and offer your customers something truly fresh and unique.
Consider narrow specialization
Narrow specialization cuts down the list of required tools and employees, reduces start-up costs and potentially opens the door to high-paying clients with specific needs. On the downside, this business model also narrows down your audience and prevents you from quickly putting your name into the public consciousness. Essentially, it all boils down to your skill, access to equipment and preferences. Keep in mind though, that starting with one type of offering is much better than overextending.
Create competitive prices
Start by doing some quick market research to see where your competition stands. Now try to figure out your skill set and how much time you need to accomplish particular tasks, and research the prices of labor, materials and equipment you need for these duties. If you need more time to perform the job, try lowering the hourly fee as much as you can to stay competitive. You will be able to charge more once you set the business on solid foundations.
Acquire necessary permits and licenses
The list of licenses and permits you will need to start your business may vary from country to country or even from state to state. Still, there are some general documents you should take into account regardless of where you live, such as the business permit, tax ID, surety bond, and liability insurance. Also, you have to make sure that all of your vehicles are covered with proper car insurance, and your employees are signed up for workers’ compensation in case of injury.
Write a business plan and secure funding
Now that you have all the papers in place, it is time to secure the funding for your future enterprise. In order to do so, you will have to write a business plan that should include a thorough market analysis, financial summary (start-up costs, inventory, payroll, advertising, etc.), pricing breakdown, and marketing strategy. Once you are done, you can start pitching your start-up to potential investors or associates.
Acquire the necessary tools
Landscaping is a business that features rather high upfront costs, so you should be careful when spending, especially if you’ve opted for some specialized niche. Your goal will be to make your business scalable and start only with the items that cover your general list of services. If the opportunity arises, you can always rent heavier tools required for the more specific and less frequent duties. Once the money starts pouring in, you can always expand your arsenal.
Reach out to customers
Finally, it’s time to find your first customers, and the means you will have to use to reach them are pretty standard – paid commercials, free promo items and low-cost guerrilla stunts. However, it is a good idea to go a bit outside the box and create a solid referral program that should ignite the much-needed word-of-mouth. Also, you can never go wrong with content marketing and SEO. If you manage to establish yourself as an authority in some particular field, customers will be much keener to pay more for your landscaping services.
We hope these few guidelines will help you set your small enterprise on strong foundations. Landscaping is a business that will never die out. If all it takes to jump this bandwagon is a good idea, sorting through some legal and financial issues and a will to succeed, we say it’s more than worth a try.