Taking a business to next level
Discussion
I haven't - but I have run a few businesses that have scaled.
One of the biggest issues will be cashflow. Taking on a larger customer will mean hiring more staff combined with larger customers paying more slowly. If you can manage this aspect, then you're nearly there.
The second issue is trying to maintain your gross margin with increasing costs - it's doable, but something to watch.
One of the biggest issues will be cashflow. Taking on a larger customer will mean hiring more staff combined with larger customers paying more slowly. If you can manage this aspect, then you're nearly there.
The second issue is trying to maintain your gross margin with increasing costs - it's doable, but something to watch.
Estate agents are a good place to start. They usually have a list of properties that need looking after, some small some big. The money wont be great but it gets you out there. So long as your vans have good sign writing and you speak to your customers you can generate a bit of business. If you are just going to send 2 lads in a plain white van then forget it. You have to be there yourself and you have to be ready to negotiate on the spot.
For the larger stuff like schools, hotels, housing estates these jobs do come up from time to time. However you will need to be well known (IME) and have a good reputation. Also don't be shocked if you get asked for something in return. We often get asked to quote for bigger stuff and you would be shocked how often "you know I could do with my garden doing too..." comes into conversation.
Finally, don't underestimate the paperwork side of things. A lot of our clients now require RAMS for each site every 12 months, ISO9001, CSCS and at least £5m insurance. That can become a bit of a chew on when you have 20-30 large retail site and each one needs its RAMS updating around the same time with site visit and proper documented review...
HTH.
For the larger stuff like schools, hotels, housing estates these jobs do come up from time to time. However you will need to be well known (IME) and have a good reputation. Also don't be shocked if you get asked for something in return. We often get asked to quote for bigger stuff and you would be shocked how often "you know I could do with my garden doing too..." comes into conversation.
Finally, don't underestimate the paperwork side of things. A lot of our clients now require RAMS for each site every 12 months, ISO9001, CSCS and at least £5m insurance. That can become a bit of a chew on when you have 20-30 large retail site and each one needs its RAMS updating around the same time with site visit and proper documented review...
HTH.
Do you leaflet? You can get good results especially at this time of year with some well placed leaflets.
Facebook is also a good place to start just with your own page post before and after photos on a regular basis say one a week.
If you see people moving in go and introduce yourself as the local gardener... offer first mow for free. Also offer larger customers a free mow and tidy for every introduction they make.
Make sure you have a basic website and email address. Make sure your domain/email address is simple and easy to type not too long.
The number of landscapers I deal with who have email address that's something like james_smith1975@jamessmithgarden-designandpavingltd.co.uk
Avoid Hotmail / gmail addresses it puts people off. You may also want to consider doing CSCS as a minimum.
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
Do you have a WTL?
Facebook is also a good place to start just with your own page post before and after photos on a regular basis say one a week.
If you see people moving in go and introduce yourself as the local gardener... offer first mow for free. Also offer larger customers a free mow and tidy for every introduction they make.
Make sure you have a basic website and email address. Make sure your domain/email address is simple and easy to type not too long.
The number of landscapers I deal with who have email address that's something like james_smith1975@jamessmithgarden-designandpavingltd.co.uk
Avoid Hotmail / gmail addresses it puts people off. You may also want to consider doing CSCS as a minimum.
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
Do you have a WTL?
red_slr said:
Do you leaflet? You can get good results especially at this time of year with some well placed leaflets.
Facebook is also a good place to start just with your own page post before and after photos on a regular basis say one a week.
If you see people moving in go and introduce yourself as the local gardener... offer first mow for free. Also offer larger customers a free mow and tidy for every introduction they make.
Make sure you have a basic website and email address. Make sure your domain/email address is simple and easy to type not too long.
The number of landscapers I deal with who have email address that's something like james_smith1975@jamessmithgarden-designandpavingltd.co.uk
Avoid Hotmail / gmail addresses it puts people off. You may also want to consider doing CSCS as a minimum.
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
This in my opinion is super advice.Facebook is also a good place to start just with your own page post before and after photos on a regular basis say one a week.
If you see people moving in go and introduce yourself as the local gardener... offer first mow for free. Also offer larger customers a free mow and tidy for every introduction they make.
Make sure you have a basic website and email address. Make sure your domain/email address is simple and easy to type not too long.
The number of landscapers I deal with who have email address that's something like james_smith1975@jamessmithgarden-designandpavingltd.co.uk
Avoid Hotmail / gmail addresses it puts people off. You may also want to consider doing CSCS as a minimum.
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
EddieSteadyGo said:
red_slr said:
Do you leaflet?
.....
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
This in my opinion is super advice......
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
I've not done this myself yet but I'd say that the OP needs to start calling potential big clients initially. The issue in his sector is that it is a seasonal business and bigger clients will have maintenance contracts throughout the year potentially.
PPC with a good website will get these clients calling him too, if done right.
NDA said:
I haven't - but I have run a few businesses that have scaled.
One of the biggest issues will be cashflow. Taking on a larger customer will mean hiring more staff combined with larger customers paying more slowly. If you can manage this aspect, then you're nearly there.
The second issue is trying to maintain your gross margin with increasing costs - it's doable, but something to watch.
Not all larger customers pay slowly.One of the biggest issues will be cashflow. Taking on a larger customer will mean hiring more staff combined with larger customers paying more slowly. If you can manage this aspect, then you're nearly there.
The second issue is trying to maintain your gross margin with increasing costs - it's doable, but something to watch.
Government and agencies are often excellent payers.
Large commercial organisations can be bad.
It is important to agree terms with these new customers. Often they are imposed but sometimes they can be negotiated. At least if you know the terms you can plan your cash flow.
One aspect you will need to adjust to is that you will become a businessman rather than a garden maintenance man.
For anyone who has started their own business this is a fundamental shift and is often a huge hurdle
Good luck
Frimley111R said:
EddieSteadyGo said:
red_slr said:
Do you leaflet?
.....
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
This in my opinion is super advice......
Lastly it might be worth contacting a few larger local GM companies. Offer your services on a subcontract basis. Its a busy time of year from about now till September and finding good people can be difficult. I have several subbies on my books. The biggest being a team of 5. We have work for them year round.
I've not done this myself yet but I'd say that the OP needs to start calling potential big clients initially. The issue in his sector is that it is a seasonal business and bigger clients will have maintenance contracts throughout the year potentially.
PPC with a good website will get these clients calling him too, if done right.
Knowing the industry very well he needs to build his core clients first so he has a more stable platform to operate from.
He wont be able to get that kind of work without gaining a reputation and starting the process to at least get some creds.
To even be considered for most tenders you need
Safe Contractor
CHAS
ISO9001
Waste Transfer Licence (WTL)
Correct training for all equipment used, i.e chain saws, cutting discs, manual handling etc etc etc.
You will also need good insurance, membership of BALI etal helps, and correct docs in place such as Enviro Policy, Quality Policy, slavery policy etc.
He needs to build his smaller clients first. He only has 30 gardens at the moment, you cant just walk into the tendering process IME.
Not wanting to sound negative, in fact the opposite. Now is the perfect time to start to get a few estate agents on board and try and get a foot in the door. TALK to as many people as possible and get some good cards printed up. When doing your normal garden rounds pounce on anyone moving in or if you see someone eyeballing you mowing then offer them a free trim / tidy up. You are already there....
Its a fickle industry and it can be difficult to progress from small to medium scale landscaping / maintenance.
Again thanks for the advice,some very interesting points,I have always put flyers through doors which is how I started in 2010 ,we do it every off season as nov through jan are very quiet which of course brings down the average monthly income,we do painting and decorating amongst other things but gardening services seem to be what the majority are looking for.
I would do it now not in the quiet part of the season. You might be busy but its the main time you will get a return on your printing costs.
Tree trimming services are also in demand so that's something you could look into doing.
Can you do fencing? If there is a big winter storm coming it can generate a couple of weeks worth of work. That's where facebook and word of mouth comes into its own really. Estate agents who manage rental properties usually get a good few reports of damaged fencing during a big storm.
HTH
Tree trimming services are also in demand so that's something you could look into doing.
Can you do fencing? If there is a big winter storm coming it can generate a couple of weeks worth of work. That's where facebook and word of mouth comes into its own really. Estate agents who manage rental properties usually get a good few reports of damaged fencing during a big storm.
HTH
one of the hardest things is making enough profit to cover your time not on the tools.
To start with you will be doing paperwork, accounts, invoicing etc.... into the evening. But imagine corporate clients, they will need liaise with you monday to friday 9-5, this is probably when you need to be out on the tools making money.
I think you need more clients at the level you are currently at, that will allow you to employ someone else, to cover the time when you need to be off doing the 'business' side of things.
are there any local businesses you can approach with yours services- restaurants, hotels, pubs with outside areas that could do with a tidy/ spruce up before summer season kicks in?
also outside of summer, do you offer winter services- gritting, snow clearance etc...... I know most grounds maintenance companies i've used previously have also carried out the winter stuff for us too.
To start with you will be doing paperwork, accounts, invoicing etc.... into the evening. But imagine corporate clients, they will need liaise with you monday to friday 9-5, this is probably when you need to be out on the tools making money.
I think you need more clients at the level you are currently at, that will allow you to employ someone else, to cover the time when you need to be off doing the 'business' side of things.
are there any local businesses you can approach with yours services- restaurants, hotels, pubs with outside areas that could do with a tidy/ spruce up before summer season kicks in?
also outside of summer, do you offer winter services- gritting, snow clearance etc...... I know most grounds maintenance companies i've used previously have also carried out the winter stuff for us too.
Ive not read all the replies on this. But you want to be leaflet dropping now and not through the winter...
My Mrs is currently telling me that I need to consider getting the mower out now. But what she doesnt know is that I will likely have to get a new mower... so if your leaflet fell through my door now there is a good chance I would enquire... however if Id had it 2 months ago I would have laughed.
Another thing Id consider is hedges etc? My and my neighbour spend an entire day chopping our hedge back by hand - we'd have definitely paid a nice fella and sat back and watched him!
Also - again, no knowledge of your business/industry. Apart from the fact that a friend has a business which sits in the exact place you want to be in... he does a mix of domestic and commercial and I sometimes wonder how it works. One minute he is stood behind a mower in some random garden, the next he's sat on a £40k mower doing sports pitches?? Its all well and good saying you want larger projects, but is the equipment you own up to job or does the maths work out on the purchase of said equipment. One thing I do know is that this fella makes a half decent living - but he works like a slave for it.
My Mrs is currently telling me that I need to consider getting the mower out now. But what she doesnt know is that I will likely have to get a new mower... so if your leaflet fell through my door now there is a good chance I would enquire... however if Id had it 2 months ago I would have laughed.
Another thing Id consider is hedges etc? My and my neighbour spend an entire day chopping our hedge back by hand - we'd have definitely paid a nice fella and sat back and watched him!
Also - again, no knowledge of your business/industry. Apart from the fact that a friend has a business which sits in the exact place you want to be in... he does a mix of domestic and commercial and I sometimes wonder how it works. One minute he is stood behind a mower in some random garden, the next he's sat on a £40k mower doing sports pitches?? Its all well and good saying you want larger projects, but is the equipment you own up to job or does the maths work out on the purchase of said equipment. One thing I do know is that this fella makes a half decent living - but he works like a slave for it.
Just to clarify our situation ,we offer quite a varied selection from garden services to painting and decorating ,cleaning gutters and soffits,pressure washing and the always exciting flat pack assembly,ive always tried to be as diverse as possible thinking that the decorating for example would fill the gap in winter, of course it doesnt always work.
Something to consider
I was at the four seasons in hampshire with m'lady on a babymoon prior to the arrival of our son and one day there was this huge delivery of flowers. I mean huge huge
I said to the chap were they for a wedding. He smiled and said no. They were 'house flowers'
The hotel is lovely. There are fresh flowers absolutely everywhere which are always fresh. Never looking limp. Ive been four times and flowers always look excellent
Worth mentioning you can supply flowers as well if you contact places who have permanent flower displays
I dont mean to sound a knob about mentioning four seasons. It was relevant to making my point
I was at the four seasons in hampshire with m'lady on a babymoon prior to the arrival of our son and one day there was this huge delivery of flowers. I mean huge huge
I said to the chap were they for a wedding. He smiled and said no. They were 'house flowers'
The hotel is lovely. There are fresh flowers absolutely everywhere which are always fresh. Never looking limp. Ive been four times and flowers always look excellent
Worth mentioning you can supply flowers as well if you contact places who have permanent flower displays
I dont mean to sound a knob about mentioning four seasons. It was relevant to making my point
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