How to Start a Local Landscaping Business
A local landscaping company is the perfect business for a motivated self starter with minimal capital to invest. A local landscaping business can be started from the home, and requires a small initial investment, and low overhead---lawnmower and hedge trimmers to start. Landscaping involves the planting and maintenance of trees, flowers, shrubs, and grass. Outdoor features like decks, walkways, patio, water/fire features, lighting and retaining walls are also involved in landscaping services. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics the demand for landscaping businesses is increasing faster than the national average for small businesses. The US Department of Labor says one out of four people in the landscaping and lawn care industry are self employed.
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Instructions
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Draft a business plan. Every serious business venture begins with a strong business plan. The business plan will illustrate the full spectrum of your landscaping company, and how it will be operated. The key elements in a business plan are: executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization/management, marketing plan, and financial plan. Write a couple of paragraphs on each topic and give specific details of how you will conduct business. There are a wealth of business plans online that can be reviewed for reference. The Small Business Administration (SBA) specializes in helping small business owners with structuring business plans and also seeking funding for businesses.
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Register your landscaping company. The Secretary of State's (SOS) office in every state, is responsible for registering all new businesses. You will first need to use the business name search feature on the SOS website to determine if the name you have chosen is available in your state. Once you determine that the name is available, you will need to obtain the proper registration forms from the SOS site and locate the site's fee schedule for business registration fee information.
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Obtain an employer identification number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Your EIN is essentially your Social Security number for your business, and it is used to establish your business' bank account. You will need to fill out form SS-4 and submit it to the IRS for your EIN. The IRS has an online EIN assistant that allows you to obtain an EIN number online instantly, by filling out the SS-4 via the Internet.
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Purchase or lease landscaping equipment. While all that is truly needed to start a local landscaping business is a lawnmower, hedge trimmers, and basic lawn and tree maintenance tools, there will be jobs where more sophisticated equipment will be needed to save time---for instance, a sod cutter. You can lease landscaping equipment for fairly reasonable rates at a local equipment leasing shop.
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Market you landscaping business. Invest in marketing materials to promote your business. Business cards, brochures/flyers, and local newspaper advertising space should be purchased. All of these elements will give your business the professional flair you need. Canvass your community and hand out your literature to local residents. T-shirts with your company logo on them also signify professionalism. In this hi-tech era, you will also want to have a website for your company---if only to give contact information and prices.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure to follow up on residents in your community periodically, to keep your business fresh on their minds.
Check with your local government to find out if there are any licensing or sales tax requirements for landscaping companies in your area.
Winters are slow for landscaping, so you want to either conserve your assets, or diversify with snow removal or salt services if your area is suitable.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit lawnmower man image by feisty from Fotolia.com
