How to Start a Successful Gardening Business

With the summer officially upon us, you’ll most likely be spending a lot more time outside in the garden. If this is one of your favourite parts of the year, you may have even considered making a full-time business out of it. The dream job scenario for everyone is a successful business in an industry that they love working in, but it won’t be easy. Here’s what you need to know to get started.

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Assessing Your Skills

While having enthusiasm for the job is always a great place to start, it’s not enough to drive a successful business. You’ll also need the necessary skills. While there are no specific qualifications needed to operate a gardening business, you’ll likely benefit from completing a nationally recognised horticultural certification. This will show your customers you know what you’re doing, and will go a long way in securing consistent work. Remember, the type of person interested in maintaining their garden likely already has a keen interest in the hobby, but, for whatever reason, can no longer keep up with it themselves. They’ll be able to spot someone who knows what they’re talking about from a mile away.

Investing in the Right Equipment

They say a good tradesperson is nothing without the right tools, and gardening is no different. Before you can start taking on work, you’ll need to invest in the right equipment for the job. You likely already own most of the essentials, such as a fork, a spade, a trowel, watering cans, and a wheelbarrow, but you’ll also need larger equipment like a lawnmower. When you’re buying all of these necessities, make sure to double-check that the pieces are in good working condition. Especially in the case of a wheelbarrow, you should ensure that the tires are working fine or you might have to invest in high-quality pneumatic and flat free wheelbarrow tire. In the case of the lawnmower, unlike your personal mower that you use at home, you may want to consider buying something more efficient since you’ll be using it much more regularly.

While it may cost more upfront, you should buy something from a reliable manufacturer, like these Hyundai models at SGS Engineering, which have a proven track record of good performance. Something else you might want to do is get a Field Service Management software so you can keep your customer appointments and work orders in order to ensure that your workflow is organized.

Analysing the Market

Like any new business venture, it pays to take your time and analyse the market before you commit to anything. First of all, you’ll need to know if there are any similar businesses in the area. If there are, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to abandon the idea, but you should think of some ways that you can differentiate your service from them, whether that’s is through price or added services. For example, rather than simply offering maintenance services, you may wish to consider expanding into landscaping and design. Finally, you should also investigate the kind of demographic living in your area. Many gardeners find that the majority of their clients are retirees, as they are no longer physically able to do the job themselves.

Ken
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