Gardening is a quintessentially British pursuit, and an incredibly popular one at that – 27 million of us have a tinge of green to our fingers, a number sure to have increased since our extended period of time spent at home. But what if you could turn a passion into a business? Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your own gardening business.
Create a Business Plan
Before you lift a finger with regard to building your business, you need to sit down and draw up a concrete plan for your gardening business. It can be tempting to buy some tools and get stuck in, but with careful planning, and an understanding of each step in your business’ growth, you won’t be faced with any nasty surprises.
Firstly: will you be working alone, or do you intend to create a workforce? If alone, you can apply to become a sole trader through HMRC, saving you the costs of running a limited business and treating any and all profit as your income. If you intend to hire staff, you will need to set up a limited company. This incurs some costs, but also entitles you and your employees to the benefits provided by contracted employment – automated Income Tax and National Insurance deductions through PAYE, and the protection of your personal assets in the event of business failure.
Next, what services do you intend to offer? Will you carry out basic landscaping maintenance tasks, or will you take on more involved garden design projects? How about larger tasks such as tree surgery? Some services may require expensive education and accreditation, but may increase your customer base and revenue as a result.
Speaking of expenditures, how much money do you have to kickstart your business, and how much will you need? Draw up a rough budget for your vehicle, tools, accreditations if necessary, and insurance. With these figures, and your overall business plan, you can approach lenders for business loans to realise your business proper.
Lastly, how do you intend to grow? How many customers do you intend to start off with, and what is your maximum capacity? This will tell you something about the earnings you can expect to make, as well as the kind of growth you will need to sustain the business.
Acquire the Tools of Your Trade
With the planning complete, you can look at the more practical task of gathering the necessary equipment for your endeavour. You may want to purchase the essentials for basic landscaping work, such as a battery powered cordless trimmer for hedges, a commercial lawnmower for large gardens, and a range of electric saws for tree branch and hedge management. Will you need more specific equipment, such as harnesses and winches for tree surgery? A vehicle for carrying your tools and any waste products should also be considered as part of your acquisition programme.
Promote Your Business
Now your business is kitted out and ready to trade, the last step is to generate custom. To do this, you should market your business effectively, both locally and digitally. Create a Google My Business profile so that your contact details are available on search engines, and reviews of your service can be found easily. Take out advertisements in local newspapers, and create flyers advertising your business for placement in local venues. With your first customer also comes the potential for word-of-mouth business – and the fact that you have successfully launched your gardening business.
