Do you have a passion for gardening? If so, you might want to think about a career as a gardener as this can be rewarding work and people will always hire gardening businesses to care of their backyard. Not only this, but the steps involved in starting a gardening business are not too difficult.
So, how can you set up your own gardening business?
Write a Business Plan
As with any new business venture, it all starts with a business plan. This will involve careful research and planning so that you can set out how your business will operate and what you need to succeed. There are plenty of guides on how to write a business plan online with the key sections involving:
- Executive summary
- Products and services
- Marketing strategy
- Financial planning
- Budget
Get Qualified
To start your own gardening business, it is a good idea to earn qualifications. This is so that you can hone your skills to a professional standard, but also so that you can demonstrate to potential customers your level of expertise. There will be qualifications for all aspects of gardening services, so you should choose a few for the areas that you want to specialise in.
Register as Self-Employed
You will also need to register as self-employed before you get started. It is easy enough to register as self-employed with HMRC and make sure that you have an accounting system in place from day one so that you can complete a tax return accurately.
Buy Your Tools
When providing gardening services, there will be a wide range of tools that you need to complete the work to a high standard. Quality is key here, so you should always buy from reliable brands that other pros use. There are all kinds of tools that you might need for gardening work, such as a pruning saw for pruning trees, a lawnmower, shovel, pruning shears, a wheelbarrow and a garden hoe just as a few examples.
Design a Website & Business Card
These days, you need to have a professional website for your business so that people can research and contact you online. This website should contain the services that you provide, pricing information, qualifications and background, customer reviews and any other important information. Business cards are also useful as a way to spread the word and raise awareness about your business.
What to Charge
It is also important to establish what competitive pricing will be, which you can do with your competitor analysis. You want to set reasonable prices so that you are not pricing yourself out but still able to turn profit.
These are the key areas to focus on when starting a gardening business that should help you to lay the foundation for future success.
