Starting a landscaping business doesn’t necessarily require that much – but running one is a whole different story. To begin with, you might not need much more than your own skilled hands, a truck, a power mower, and a bit of experience.
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Over time, however, you won’t stand a chance unless you’re able to get ahead of the competition and prove yourself to be the most skilled landscaper your customers could hope for.
Here is a handful of tips to give you a running chance so that you’re not only able to get started, in the first place, but also knowledgeable enough to lay a solid foundation for your new landscaping business. It just makes it a bit easier to survive, in the long run.
What is your set of skills?
While a lot of entrepreneurs starting up in the landscaping business will have a degree in a similar field, such as landscaping architecture, this isn’t really a requirement. You should have a skill to specialise in, though, and make sure that you market this skill thoroughly.
This might be land mowing, for example, or trimming and pruning. Try to excel in the area you’re already quite skilled and use this as your first selling-point. Without this, you won’t really have anything to compete with the other landscaping businesses with.
By identifying your own strengths and what you would like to build on, you’re also able to identify your weaknesses; look for people to hire who can take care of the areas you’re not as knowledgeable in so that you end up with a well-rounded business.
Brush up on your business skills
One of the most important things to keep in mind before you start your own company is that most landscaping businesses don’t fail due to a lack of landscaping skills. They simply run out of money as they’re not used to managing a business and planning for the low season.
You should definitely treat yourself to an accounting course or just brush up on some of the most basic business skills in order to give your business a chance. Plan for the off-season as well, by the way, make sure that you have enough financial security set up to get you started and remember to keep track of everything you spend.
It may sound elementary, and it really is in terms of business management, but a lack of business skills is the most common reason to why these types of startups fail.
Focus on equipment
Now that you’re ready to get started, you need to think about your biggest expenses, first of all. A landscaping business depends on solid equipment and good relationships with their suppliers; find a reliable source of mulch delivery as well to give your business that extra edge.
You can definitely do with the most basic equipment, though, at least to begin with but it all depends on the type of landscaping business you’re in. The costs will increase if you want a hedge trimmer, for example, and you need to take the maintenance of the equipment into consideration as well.