Winter and late fall are considered slow seasons for landscapers. Unless you include ice control in your services, you can use the slower season to plan for the upcoming busy one. Fall and winter can be a great time to start your landscaping business too. With the slower season, you can formulate a business plan, hire employees, and start to obtain clients before it gets busy. Read below for 5 of the best tips on how to start a landscaping business.
How To Start A Landscaping Business
- Write a very detailed business plan. Business plans include what your business will be about, what you plan to make the first year, what equipment you will need, and more. Having a detailed business plan not only helps you, but it also may increase your chances of obtaining a startup loan from the Small Business Development Center. There is a saying that goes, businesses that don’t plan should plan to fail.
- Put a budget together for the equipment you will need. Mowers, trimmers, blowers, trucks and many other pieces of landscaping equipment are often the most expensive part of starting a landscaping business. It is a good idea to have some cash saved beforehand to make these purchases.
- Write out a marketing plan. You’ll need to hit the ground running with marketing in order to be ready for the spring. You’ll need to either outsource or build your own website. Wix and Squarespace offer an easy website builder for beginners. After the website is built, make sure to create some social media channels and let customers know you will be offering services in the spring. You can also do a direct mailing campaign to potential customers.
- Hire your employees. You’ll need an experienced crew to start in the spring. Start posting the position on job boards on the internet. You can also submit the positions to the local newspaper. If the potential employees already have certifications such as a pesticide applicator license, they will be a good hire.
- Start pricing out your services. You will need the business plan to do this. You will have to price your services in accordance with your financial projections for the year. You will also decide if you want to do package pricing or hourly services. Making too little can throw off expenses for keeping the business going next year.
Valley Green Incorporated has all the supplies you need to start a successful landscape business. Visit one of our northeast locations today.