Advertise, Network for Success in Landscaping

More Americans are hiring professionals to do their landscaping, which means that a lucrative business opportunity has emerged. By owning your own landscaping business, you can work on the houses you want and set your own hours. You can enjoy the fresh air and not have to travel far. Here are some guidelines on how to set up your own landscaping business.

Know your clientsFirst, determine your clients and how many you will have. Experts recommend starting out with approximately 20 to 30 clients. Look for homeowners who lack the time, energy, skills and resources to garden themselves. Ask around and try to get an idea of how much demand exists for these types of services in your business location.

AdvertisingSince lawn maintenance is a seasonal business, run your advertisements through the spring so that you have enough clients in the summer. You can also offer services like snow plowing in the winter. Make sure you advertise exactly what types of services you  offer, such as mowing and fertilizing, and how much you charge for each.

PricingSince the lawn care industry is competitive, it is important not to overprice your services. You can decide on whether you would like to charge per cut or a flat rate per month or per hour. The best way to set prices is to call a few lawn care companies in the Yellow Pages for an estimate. Use these figures to decided on what you would like to charge your own clients.

Beyond the lawnA typical workday will not only include physical work in a client’s yard. Administration work will also play a huge role in your operation. A customer service representative will need to take in requests for estimates and schedule appointments. Someone will need to buy supplies for the business. A manager will need to deal with employees, oversee their work and set up their schedules.

WeatherKeep in mind that the weather can change without any warning. Have a plan in case it begins to rain while you are working outside. Most importantly, make sure you make up any missed work by putting in longer hours on another day. You want to keep your clients happy and ready to use your services again in the future.