How to Succeed in a Landscaping Business
Operating a successful landscaping business is like any other business. You need skills related to landscaping as well as business management, human resources and marketing, The information you need is available from many sources. Expertise can be hired or acquired through training, but you cannot buy a love for the business. If you love landscaping, you have a far better chance of turning the the hard work and long hours that you invest in your new business into success. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Write a business plan for your proposed landscaping business. Contact your local Small Business Administration office for help. They can help you do market research to help you find out who are your potential customers, who your competition is, how much potential business is available, how much market saturation there is and how much it will cost you to get started. The SBA can even help you find affordable loans to help you get started.
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Set up a business team. This means identifying potential employees with the expertise you need. Don't forget to include a bookkeeper and/or office manager to make sure the proper record keeping will get done. Get the hiring paperwork all done before the startup date indentified in your business plan.
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Obtain startup funding. Your business plan will help you identify how much equipment you need to buy and when, how much you will need to spend on marketing and advertising, employee wages and benefits, fees, licenses and supplies. Set up credit card service accounts with your bank to receive and process credit card payments, checks and cash.
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Register your business name with the county and Internal Revenue Service for tax purposes. You will need to apply for an employee identification number from the IRS in order to file your tax forms.
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Set up a shop and office. Your business plan and budget will help you decide whether to rent or buy a shop. You may, if your neighborhood is zoned properly, be able to set up a shop in your backyard or garage and an office in a spare room at your home at first. A formal office isn't absolutely necessary for a startup landscaping business. You may even be able to operate from your truck and a cell phone for a time. Again, keep your costs low at first until you reach a level of cash flow that can support a separate shop and office facility.
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Prepare a complete equipment list for the business, but only purchase what you need to complete the kinds of jobs you obtain at the beginning. You don't want to spend money on expensive equipment that will just sit about the shop unused during the early months of operation when you are building your cash flow.
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Buy liabiltiy and accident insurance for the business to protect your investment. Set up worker's compensation insurance for your employees. Don't skip the insurance. A single accident or incident can cost you your business if you aren't covered by insurance.
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Advertise, market and search for customers. Your business plan should include adequate money to pay for advertising and marketing. Get some professional help creating a marketing plan and continue investing in advertising throughout the life of your company. It is important that your company's name be widely known and associated with landscaping services among your potential customers.
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Make your customers happy. This seems obvious, but tens of thousands of businesses fail every year because they fail to meet their customers' expectations. Attention to detail, meeting deadlines, guaranteeing your work--all these help establish your reputation and win you customers.
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References
Resources
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