Landscaping can be a profitable, creative, and fun business to run. Many people who have an interest in landscaping design, trees, plants, or gardens want to start their own landscaping business. But figuring out how to start a landscaping business can be a bit tricky. In this article, we’ll walk you through some important steps to take when starting a landscaping company all of your very own.
Decide What Services to Offer
Starting out you’ll need to know exactly what services to offer clients. Without a clear-cut idea of what you can provide, it will be difficult to market yourself. You also want to make sure you avoid taking on projects that you aren’t equipped for. Do you want to offer basic landscaping services such as the installation and maintenance of lawns, trees, and shrubs? Are you veering into the world of landscape design, too? Make it clear what you want to offer your customers.
In order to provide the best possible service, start small and expand as your business grows and you gain experience. It can be tempting to offer a lot of services all at once, but if you can’t follow through on them, you’ll only end up with a bad reputation.
Equipment – Rent or Purchase?
Landscaping requires a lot of equipment. Once you have determined the services you’ll offer, you’ll need the right equipment for the job. But is it better to buy the equipment or rent it?
The smaller tools you need aren’t that expensive to buy, but larger pieces of equipment can run a big price tag, up to thousands of dollars for high end riding mowers.
When you first start out, renting is the cheaper option. It allows you to use high-quality equipment instead of trying to buy cheaper, lower-grade alternatives. However, as your business expands, purchasing equipment is often the better option. If you’re leaning in hard to the new business, then making an investment can pay off in the long run.
When opting to purchase equipment, don’t try to take the cheap route. Less well-made machines will only leave you spending hours on maintenance and frustrated when they stop working.
Obtain License, Business Insurance, and an EIN
Businesses require licenses, insurance, and an EIN, and landscaping is no exception to that rule. Insurance will be critical, particularly if you intend to hire staff. You need to make sure that you and your company are properly protected. Landscaping can also be dangerous. Obtaining the proper liability and damages insurance is critical. You can find yourself in serious hot water if you don’t have the appropriate coverage. When it comes to hiring your own labourers, you’ll likely need worker’s compensation insurance. Make sure to check your local guidelines for all insurance requirements.
Set up your Business Finances
A huge number of businesses get up and running successfully only to fail a short time later because they didn’t properly manage their finances. Between 50% and 80% of business partnerships fail within a year. When starting a business, keeping your finances in line is absolutely critical. It’s more than just tracking expenses and income, you’ll need to accurately file taxes, keep records, and create a budget.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a certified accountant to manage your business’s finances successfully. These days, there are numerous business apps, software, and accounting resources to help you out. Consider doing plenty of research on bookkeeping and how to keep a proper budget in order to make sure you don’t find yourself in financial hot water.
Open a Business Bank Account
A business bank account is an essential aspect of owning any business. You can’t just use a personal account, unless you are operating as a sole proprietor, as it will be nearly impossible to properly track all incoming funds and outgoing expenses. Not to mention, without a business bank account, you could run into some serious difficulties when it comes to filing your taxes at the end of the year. Fortunately, opening the right business bank account is easy if you know where to look. NorthOne’s business banking app is specifically designed to help small business owners manage their finances.
Hire Staff
Landscaping is a labour intensive business. This means you’ll need to hire staff to get the job done. Hiring staff requires you to figure out labour rates to ensure that you’re paying them fairly and competitively. Do some research to see what comparable wages are in your local area for landscaping labourers. You can then go about searching for staff.
Don’t forget, hiring means it’s even more important that you have your business finances, insurance, licenses, and bank account in order.
Create a Business Plan
A good business starts with a good business plan. Why? Proper planning and organization are necessary when it comes to getting a company up and running smoothly. A business plan will also be an essential requirement if you intend to seek funding for your business. In your plan, you’ll detail what your company is about, how you’ll achieve your goals, and how you’ll set yourself apart from competitors. Business plans also include critical elements such as financial analyses — how you intend to be profitable — and a SWOT analysis.
Develop a Marketing Plan
Jumping through all the hoops to set up your business is only the beginning. If you want to actually be successful, you need to market properly. This means getting set up on social media, as well as using Facebook and Google ads to promote your landscaping company. It’s also worth considering creating a professional website so you’re able to use SEO to direct traffic and market your company through the website.
Once you have established yourself as a business and have a few clients under your belt, word-of-mouth marketing can work wonders. Providing professional, high-quality services from the get-go will ensure your clients recommend you to their friends and family.
Hit the Ground Running
Once you’ve got the back-end of your landscaping business up and running, you’re ready to get to work. Home services software like Jobber can help you keep track of clients and properties, dispatch multiple crews, and manage billing details with less effort. Whether you’re at the office or in the field, make sure you have the tools you need to organize your team, communicate with customers, attract new clients, and grow your bottom line.
FAQs
Is a landscaping business profitable?
If set up and marketed correctly, landscaping can be a very profitable business. The key is in how you run your business, how you find clients with successful marketing techniques, and how professional your services are. Landscaping companies often rely heavily on word-of-mouth marketing, so if you don’t get great reviews with clients from the offset, your business will likely struggle to succeed.
How do I start a landscaping business?
Starting any business can be overwhelming, but if you seek out reliable resources and follow the right steps, like the ones listed above, you’ll have your landscaping company up and running in no time.
What do landscaping businesses do?
Landscapers provide a wide variety of different services. From installing and maintaining private lawns, trees, gardens, and patios, to working on commercial properties and even golf courses and parks. Essentially, landscaping businesses modify the visible features of a certain area of land. This could also involve things such as terrain shape and elevation and adding in bodies of water.
