Landscaping is a profitable business. Although it may not be cheap to get started, considering the cost of buying tools and equipment, as well as registering your business, it is worth it in the long run.
These days landscaping involves more than mowing the lawn or pulling out weeds in your garden and front yard. While it doesn’t require any official training, landscaping offers plenty of room for growth while the business is in progress.
In this post, we’ll show you how to get started in landscaping and start your very own firm.
What Is Landscaping?
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including planting trees and shrubs, tilling the soil, installing irrigation systems, building walls, fences, or walkways, creating gardens, and laying down sod.
In other words, landscaping is the process of making a piece of land more aesthetically pleasing. This can be done through the addition of plants, flowers, rocks, and other features.
Pros and Cons of Owning your Landscaping Business
There are several pros and cons of owning a landscaping business that you should consider before deciding to start your business.
Pros:
- Landscaping businesses are profitable.
- It’s relatively easy to start, with little formal training or certification required.
- It offers flexibility in terms of hours and workload.
- You are your own boss.
- You choose the type of services to render.
Cons:
- It is physically demanding.
- Initial purchasing of equipment may be expensive.
- The business is seasonal.
- Competition from other landscape businesses.
Why Start a Landscaping Business?
There are many reasons why you should start a landscaping business. Here are some things to consider:
Profitability
Landscaping businesses generate significant profits each year. With so much money to be made, it’s no wonder that landscaping is such a popular business venture.
And with the right tools and marketing strategy, you can get a piece of the pie yourself.
It’s Easy to Start
You don’t need any formal training or certification to get started. As long as you’re familiar with the basics of landscaping, you can start your own business.
Of course, it helps to have some experience under your belt. But even if you don’t, there are plenty of resources (such as this post) that can help get you started.
Flexibility
You can choose to work part-time or full-time, and you can set your own hours. This is perfect for those who want to start a business but can’t commit to a traditional 9-to-5 job.
What’s more, you can choose to work from home, so you won’t have to worry about renting office space or paying for other overhead costs.
And if you decide to hire employees, you can decide when they work and how often they work.
Less Risk
Starting a landscaping business is relatively low-risk. Unlike other businesses, you won’t have to worry about inventory, shipping, or returns.
And because you can start small and grow at your own pace, you can minimize your financial risk.
It is a Physical Business
Landscaping is a great option if you enjoy working outdoors and being active. You’ll get to work with your hands and get plenty of fresh air and exercise.
What’s more, you can take pride in knowing that you’re helping to make people’s homes and businesses more beautiful.
It Can Be Relatively Easy to Find Clients
There is always a need for landscaping services. Whether it’s springtime and people are getting their yards ready for the warmer months, or fall and they’re preparing for winter, there will always be a demand for your services.
In addition, landscaping is a relatively easy business to market. You can start by creating a website and/or social media page for your business. Then, you can use these platforms to reach out to potential clients in your area.
Low Starting Capital
Unlike other businesses, you don’t need a lot of money to get started in landscaping. You can start with just a few basic tools and equipment.
As your business grows, you can then invest in more expensive equipment. But to get started, all you really need is a lawn mower, trimmer, and other basic landscaping tools.
It’s a Creative Business
If you have a knack for design, landscaping offers plenty of opportunities to be creative.
From choosing the right plants and flowers to designing elaborate outdoor spaces, there’s a lot of room for creativity in this business.
Now that you know the benefits of starting a landscaping business let’s take a look at how to get started.
How to Start a Landscaping Business
If you enjoy the outdoors and have green thumbs, landscaping could be a fascinating business opportunity. We’d offer you a simple start-up guide to make starting your own landscape business easier for you.
Choose your services
When starting a landscaping business, you’ll need to decide which services you’re going to offer. Some common landscaping services include lawn care, tree care, landscaping design, and landscaping installation.
Get advice from someone who knows the ropes of the landscaping business, as landscaping involves a large variety of services ranging from mowing lawns and landscape designing.
Make sure your list is based on what you’re comfortable with. Also, keep in mind what is most in demand in your area.
As landscaping offers room for growth, you would also be able to learn new skills and gain more experience as you grow in the business.
Your list of services could contain services like;
- Landscape designing/maintenance
- Tree trimming/removal
- General lawn maintenance(mow and trim)
- Spring clean-up and mulching
- Fall cleaning
- Snow removal
- Salting driveways and entrances
- Irrigation system upgrade/maintenance
- Turf installation
- Gravel installation
- Deck or patio construction/installation
Pro-Tip
Offer seasonal packages for your clients to be able to access your services bi-weekly or monthly, you can have clients for longer periods.
Create a business plan
Once you’ve chosen your services, you’ll need to create a business plan. This will help you map out your business goals and how you’re going to achieve them.
Your business plan should include;
A description of your business
- The landscaping service you offer
- The target market
- Your pricing
- Marketing strategy
- Your financial goals
It’s very crucial to plan your business carefully before you begin. Learn how to write a successful business plan in this blog post.
Choose a business name
After you’ve created your business plan, you’ll need to choose a name for your business and register it with the state.
The name you choose for your business can make or break the business while it grows. Your business name is the first impression your clients have of your business.
Typically the name of your business should be creative and unique, but still, pass on the nature of your business when it is heard. Business names are a dime-a-dozen, but with our guide, you’ll be able to pick a unique name for your business that will make it stand out from the rest!
Choose a business structure
When starting a business, you’ll need to choose a legal structure. This will determine how your business is taxed and how you can raise money.
The most common structures for landscaping businesses are sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations.
States have different requirements for different businesses, depending on where you set up. There could be different requirements even at the municipal level as well.
As you choose your structure, understand the state and industry you’re in. it’s not “one size fits all”.
Get appropriate license and permits
Before you start a landscaping business, you need to make sure you comply with all the relevant laws and regulations. This varies depending on your location.
Taking care of the legalities such as acquiring the right licenses and permits, getting insured if necessary, having your financial papers ready, and sorting out tax documents.
All of it will assist your business in being successful and avoid any future legal issues or difficulties.
N/B: Most landscaping businesses worth less than $500 aren’t usually required to get licenses, so the license depends on the size and scale of your business.
Open a business bank account
You’ll need to establish a company bank account after you’ve registered your corporation. This will allow you to distinguish between your personal and business finances.
Before heading to the bank, be sure to bring your business registration documents and tax ID number. This will ensure that you are not held liable for any fraudulent activity associated with your account in the future.
Get business insurance
Before you can start operating your landscaping business, you’ll need to get business insurance. This will protect you and your business from liability in the event of an accident.
Finding the right insurance for your landscape business can be a bit confusing. You must select which insurance you require and which forms to utilize for various purposes.
You should always consult your state’s department of insurance and read their regulations before signing up for any type of policy. But let’s look at a few steps to consider
- You need to decide which state you want to run your landscaping business in as each state has different insurance laws and policies so you should choose one that suits your needs.
- If you choose not to get a real estate license, then you will need to obtain liability insurance, general liability insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance.
- You’ll need workers’ compensation insurance for employees who may be injured while working on your job sites, as well as any other special equipment or machinery that is used in the course of your business activities.
Decide on your prices
Deciding on the prices for your landscaping business is an important step you need to take. You should understand how much people are going to pay for each type of work you do, and how much more than that you want to charge.
It is a good idea to understand the size and nature of the landscape market where you reside and what your potential earnings would be so that you could determine the financial viability of your venture.
Your best option is to first determine the costs of everything before choosing your price points. Deciding on prices for your landscaping business can be an important decision you don’t need to make in a hurry.
Pricing is the most important aspect of your business, and not pricing it out of the market could mean that you miss out on a lot of customers, especially during the spring and summer months when people are looking to spruce up their lawns and landscaped gardens.
Prices are always going to be at a premium at certain times of the year and in certain locations, but as a general rule, you should aim for prices around 10% higher than normal, but this will vary depending on seasonality.
Purchase the necessary equipment and supplies
Once you’ve obtained all the necessary licenses and permits, you can purchase the landscaping equipment you need to get started.
Your equipment will vary depending on the type of business you wish to start and the level of experience you have.
You can either rent or purchase all of the equipment required for your landscaping business from a local supplier. But, it ultimately depends on what you want to specialize in.
So, choose the types of equipment that would suit the area of landscaping you plan to specialize within.
Sign up with third parties companies
To start a landscaping business, you’ll need to sign up with a third party that has the tools for tracking job activities and generating reports.
The type of report you create will depend on what operations are included in your contract with the service provider.
Many companies also provide online scheduling tools to help manage tasks and track timings. If you’re ready to start your own landscaping business and need help getting started, third-party landscape companies can be of big help.
While you will likely have to do some of the work yourself at first, you’ll have the benefit of learning on the job before building a team.
And when it’s time to expand or hire more people, third-party landscape management companies can help you find and recruit professionals who specialize in your industry.
Market yourself
After you’ve obtained the necessary equipment, you’ll need to create a marketing plan. This will help you reach out to potential clients and market your business.
There are tons of ways to market your landscape business to reach a wider audience and get customers. We would look at a few:
Using social media
Never downplay the importance of social media in today’s world you can create a profile where you upload clear pictures of your work for potential clients to see.
And bear in mind that most social media platforms have the option to share, so chances are if your work is great people get to share them with their friends who might give you a shot if they like what they see.
Running ads and campaigns before the busy season
The need for landscapers hit its peak from spring all the way to fall. The demand is flexible according to where you find yourself. The best time to market yourself is definitely before that time so you stay ahead of your competition.
Put yourself on listings
It’s very important to include your landscaping business in some well-known listing sites.
Potential clients visit these sites in search of the right services. So, your chances of getting hired are even higher on these sites.
You’d need to do your research so you know which listing sites are highly rated in your locality so you can set up a profile on them.
Don’t forget to pay serious attention to your business profile on these listing sites and do well to regularly upload new pictures of projects you’ve worked on in your profile to keep up with the new and modern designs and needs of clients.
On listing sites, positive reviews are crucial, therefore make sure you acquire pleased consumers to offer you constructive evaluations of your work.
it will assist you in the future if you have a website where you may include a link on your profile so that people who visit the listing site can be directed to your website and learn more about it.
Conclusion
Although starting your own landscaping business is relatively simple, you will need the right tools and equipment to get the job done correctly.
Do well to identify what you already have and make a list with a budget of what you would need to buy before you start.
If you have questions that weren’t properly attended to in the blog post please leave a comment, We will be happy to give more insight.
