The landscaping business is very profitable, so it is no wonder many people are going into it these days. There are thousands of lawns in your city waiting to be cared for, so there won’t be work shortage for the landscaper.
If you are ready to invest in yourself and start up your own business in landscaping, you are in luck because starting is not very difficult even if you have no experience.
Keep reading to discover how to start your landscaping business even as an armature.
Learn More About Landscaping
Landscaping is very diverse; it has a lot of branches and fulfils a lot of purposes. That is why the first question you should ask is ”what does a landscaper do?”.
Some basic landscaping services include lawn mowing, installation of walking paths, pruning shrubs, cutting overgrown tree branches, mulching services, lawn aeration, seed planting and many others. Because of the variety of Jobs landscapers do, there will always be opportunities for a new landscaping company.
It is a very good idea to either find a good mentor in the industry or work for a landscaping company for a little while. This will give you the skills and know how to accelerate your startup.
At the very least I would recommend watching a ton of youtube videos to get a feel for the business aspect of the lawn care industry. It is also a good idea to watch videos on the particular services you plan to offer.
Pick Your Services
There are very many services landscapers provide, after discovering what they are it is time to pick the ones your business will major in. You can’t provide all the services for various reasons like:
● They may require tools a new company might not have
● There might not be a need for such service your location.
● It might be too huge for you to handle at once
Picking a few services to major in should not be challenging because there are many landscaping branches to choose from. If you do not have any landscaping experience, you should pick a few to focus while you learn more about landscaping.
A few of the popular services are below:
- Lawn maintenance – mowing, trimming, edging, and blowing.
- Lawn Care/Fertilization – weed control and fertilization for lawns
- Landscaping – landscape design, pine straw, mulch, beds, retaining walls and more.
- Misc. – mosquito spraying, gutter cleaning, Christmas lights, landscape lighting, pressure washing, and more… get creative!
Know Your Market
Ask yourself the following questions before you begin.
● What kind of customers do I want to work with (business or individuals)?
● Who are the people that need your services?
● What locations are you going to serve?
When you know the answers to these questions, it becomes easier to make plans and arrangements for your business.
Survey the area to find out service gaps that you can fill with your business. Knowing your market will help you offer the right service to the right people, it can also help you anticipate your customers' needs and include them in your company’s services.
Know Your Competitors
There will be others who have been in the business of landscaping before you, if you are going to be offering the same service as them you should take time to find out what they do and how they do it.
Find out the areas they may be lacking in and be ready to provide those services when necessary.
The price for each landscaping service will vary according to the amount of labour and equipment needed to complete it. Know the fees that your competitors are offering for their services, this way you will not find yourself over or undercharging your customers.
Learn the Skills
To offer premium services to your customers, you have to learn and gain knowledge about the intricacies of landscaping that are necessary to succeed as a landscaper. You should know what tools and equipment are necessary for each aspect of landscaping. Some of the equipment might be complex, and one will need to be trained in using them.
There are also degrees and certifications in landscaping. Getting them can give you an edge over your competitors and increase your credibility to clients. Advertising to prospective clients is easier when you know what you are talking about.
The Pitfalls
Every business has its ups and downs, entering into a business without considering what might go wrong will leave you unprepared in the case of any eventualities. Some of the issues landscapers face include:
● Keeping up with new government regulations
● Getting quality employees
● Fierce competition
● Maintaining equipment
Some other issues are unique to locations and people, and any good business person will find them and think of ways to tackle them before diving into the business. Before you, other people have been in the industry had some of these problems and found ways to beat it.
Find out how they went about it and be always prepared.
Your State Laws Concerning Landscaping
This is usually where most new landscaping businesses meet their downfall. The laws that govern the practice of landscaping differ in each state, and you cannot apply the rules of one state in another.
There are laws and regulations covering the use of equipment, fertilizers, and pesticides. Some guidelines regulate green waste disposal and planting. These rules are updated regularly, and landscapers are supposed to keep up with them as well.
As a landscaper, you can create a checklist to ensure that your work process aligns with the rules and regulations and educates your staff correctly and supervises their work.
There are also landscaping business licenses that some states might require that you obtain before beginning your career as a landscaper.
Create a Business Plan
Your business plan will be your step by step guide to starting and running your landscaping business. It would include your market research, business goals, and actions you intend to take to reach them.
Your business plan should include some of the following:
● An Executive Summary
● The Company Analysis
● Customer Analysis
● Competitive Analysis
● Your Marketing Plan
● Pricing
● Operational Analysis
Your business plan captures most of the other points in this article. It is the drawing book for your business. If done well, it will help you understand the business and guide you every step of the way.
Buy Your Equipment
Your equipment is your best friend as a landscaper; almost every aspect of the business will require the use of some equipment or chemical. Once you have completed all of the above, it is time to start and what can prepare you further is having all of the right equipment.
Some necessary equipment includes:
● Hand Tools: Shovels, hoes, carts, shears, rakes, trash can, and other miscillaneous tools
● Power Tools: String trimmer, edger, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and chainsaws
● Heavy Equipment: commercial lawn mower, truck, trailer, and push mower.
● Personal Protective Equipment: Leather hand gloves, safety boots, and glasses
You can determine the type of equipment you need to purchase from the kind of landscaping you have decided to focus on. You cannot go to work as a landscaper without having any tools.
Below are some helpful articles on mowers for getting started:
Best Commercial Zero Turn Mower
Wrapping it up
Get ready to market your business after you have completed all the processes and set up. You need to create awareness of your existence and sell your business to potential customers.If you take all of the above into cognisance, it would not matter if you had no prior knowledge of landscaping and all it entails. You can successfully launch your business and begin to run it like a pro.
Do you want to start a lawn care/landscaping business? Let me know in the comment if you are and which service(s) you'll offer!
If you’re interested in staying up-to-date on reviews of the latest mowers, power equipment, and lawn care business stuff, sign up for our newsletter below!
Very much intresting information,
I just loved it. Really great and enlightening. I believe we shall walk together in this course that I’ve just began. Thanks big.