Landscaping Business: Tips for Startups

Landscaping Business: Tips for Startups
  • Opening Intro -

    Landscapers, gardeners and lawn service providers are among the most sought-after occupations when it comes to home maintenance.

    Baby boomers are entering their 70s and many of them have large estates with lush gardens.

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This is where landscapers are most wanted. From this point of view, it seems that launching a landscaping business is a smart business move for the future. But let’s have a look at some features that a landscaper-entrepreneur should pay attention to.

Gain experience

After this sweet-talk introduction, it is time to get to know some basics of the landscaping niche. First of all, if you are a rookie in this business, get ready to make some serious compromises. At the beginning, you will have to charge less than an average landscaper would, to get trust and popularize your landscaping startup. As your network of clients keeps growing, you will be able to increase your prices and get financial satisfaction.

Owners of richly decorated gardens will not let a beginner mess up with their beloved plants. Therefore, it is important to gain experience. Also, bear in mind that landscaping is a physically demanding profession. If you have never done any physically challenging jobs, get a gym membership card as soon as possible and gain some muscle mass.

Determine your target audience

Just like entrepreneurs in every other field, owners of landscaping startups should avoid being all-round players. Keep your focus narrow during the initial phase of your business story. That way it will be easier for you to determine your target audience. For instance, if you aim at retirees with smaller and mid-sized gardens, stick to that target audience and improve your cutting, trimming and pruning skills. In that case do not accept offers to clean neglected backyards and gardens. Although cleaning messy gardens might bring you more money, this kind of landscaping might be too difficult for a startup landscaper. Moreover, if you fail to bring the area into a perfect condition, your startup could get a poor reputation, too.

Invest in equipment

When it comes to initial investments, landscaping is one of the least expensive niches. Basically, you can buy everything you need for a few hundred dollars. Tools such as spades, shears, hoes, rakes and, most importantly, a lawn mower can be bought at affordable prices. For instance, you can buy some of them via websites that sell used tools.

However, those basic landscaping items will suffice only for the first few projects. If you do your work properly, you will get more job offers. This will demand investing in more expensive equipment. You will definitely need a larger car – a van is recommended – as well as a trailer, so as to have enough space for all your equipment. Speaking of space, every landscaper should also get a couple of quality portable diesel tanks for fuel storage, as well as one of those built-to-last capacious cartage units, to be able to transport their fertilizers in a safe way.

Earnings perspective

When you are about to found a company, it is important to have a vision and a development plan. So, if you decide to take the plunge and start a landscaping business, a recent report suggests that an average annual salary of a landscaper in the USA is about $30,000, while landscape architects make about $50,000 a year. Therefore, if you invest in your skills and further education, you can make a significant breakthrough in this market.

Experts for landscaping will definitely have a lot of work in the time ahead. But even if you are not an educated landscape architect, you can still become a successful business owner in this field. Start with practical work, learn landscaping skills and invest in your education. Such a combination of experience and knowledge should make your startup a true landscaping brand, which should be your end goal.

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