I work full-time (M-F) and want to start a landscaping business on the side. What is the best way to begin?

Question

I'm not in a position to leave my full-time job. My question isn't related to getting clients, a business plan, or start-up capital. I'm not sure how I balance starting and growing this type of business while working full-time. I landscaped for a municipality throughout college. Also, are people open to having landscaping done on weekends? Thank you for you help.

Answer 1

Easy!  After you have all the things you don't want answered (clients, business plan, and start up capital), you begin doing landscaping on the evenings and weekends when you are not working.

I know, you are going to be tired!  But, if a landscaping company is your dream - you will love every second of it, and before you know it you will be able to tell your current boss that you quit!

Yes, people are very open to having landscaping done on the weekends!  I see it all the time.

Good luck, and congratulations on your new venture!

Answer 2

Hi, a couple of points that might help you.  

Firstly if you have the relevant skills and equipment (or can hire it in cost-effectively) and have the time to be able to fit this work in then go for it!   The time question is maybe the biggest issue.   What hours can you work?  will your day job let you work shifts so that you can have some time during each weekday?

2 If the price is right you can work anytime, pay me enough and I'll work 24/7!  If someone's garden is looking cruddy then they would rather you were working in it than they were sitting out in it!   But obviously you can't work unreasonable hours that will inconvenience your customers - and what about disturbing the neighbours - and what about having some time off for yourself!

3 You need to think forward and you need to think customer service tho.   what if you get a job that needs 10 days worth of work?   if you just work weekends then this means the job lasts 5 weekends, will your customer put up with a building site instead of a garden for that long?  What if you build up a regular 20 hours per week of garden maintenance and then you want to take a week off?  How seasonal is the income going to be?

4  It is worthwhile thinking what you want out of this in say 2 years time.  Is this going to build up into a full time business or is it going to stay as a part-time income?   If you want it to be a full-time business then even though you are doing it part-time at the moment you need to treat it as a smaller but very professional business - in other words to start as you mean to go on.   So you have business cards, letterhead stationery, a website, written proposals for new business, contracts for customers to sign, and make sure that you do a good and professional job.   But most importantly, you need to charge as you mean to go on.  If you start out as the cheapest guy around then as soon as you need to put the prices up so that it pays a full time wage everyone will get upset with you and some of them will leave.

5 Finally, a reality check.   Find out how much your competitors charge (what sort of cars do they drive?), then look at what your costs and taxes would be and work out what your net takehome would be.  Is this going to be financially viable.

Jonathan

Answer 3

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