Gardening business...start up advice.

They've asked for a garden tidy at first which is fine, it's just the shear amount of work. It's a huge amount. i just feel for myself starting it would be in at the deep end and then some The customer seemed very particular in what she wanted and asked what qualifications I have etc. Which I don't really blame her, you know when you just have a feeling about something ?

 

If your gut feeling says no then follow it. You could suggest a weekly plan with the customer so you have regular visits but I don’t personnally entertain one off jobs and much prefer regular visits.
It takes a while to build up experience and tools so sometimes as you start it’s not all ways great to get into a position that’s beyound your capabilities but you could tackle it over time and you can normally work out customers on how they react as you run through options. It’s all part of the learning curve.
I normally quote within 2 days as a rule of thumb.

 

Don't be afraid to turn a job down. Do you have any decent sized populations nearby? Garden tidy ups are a pain, generally low paid and thankless tasks.

And don't be put off if anyone says "the going rate in this area is only...". That's all THEY know, but I'll bet there are garden professionals in every corner of the UK earning good proper rates.

You want to build a website and work on the SEO as this will find you quality customers rather than old fashioned pensioners with the dated mindset of a gardener being a lowly job.

 

I’ve been reading quite a few of the previous posts. I am what some people would call an “old fashioned pensioner” that said, I would be happy to pay a good rate for a knowledgeable gardener but would feel less inclined to pay a high fee to someone who is basically a labour with little or no knowledge of horticulture. I wouldn’t expect to pay the same rate to an experienced cabinet maker as a basic joiner.
Where I live now the previous owners had employed a gardener for some years. Not 1 of the Spring flowering shrubs flowered the 1st Spring we were here, why? because the whole lot had been “tidied” in the Autumn and all the flower buds had been pruned off. The hybrid tea Roses the gardener had been looking after were in such a state I dug up and binned the lot. He wanted to continue working here when we moved in, I politely declined his suggestion.





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I agree with Liz, spot on what I would of said. Have you got any gardening books Newbienoidea , Dr D G Hessayon are easy book to navigate through and lots of info on pruning times / soil conditions etc and cheap off amazon - ebay, they are getting on a bit now but still good books.

I do a job for nice lady but she is very impatient, I normally just the cut grass cause I cant drop everything and be there on tap like she want me to be. So she had quite a few other gardeners over the years doing tidy ups and pruning the hedges , her most recent gardener fully qualified trained at Myercough collage ( horticultural collage ) she told me, has been to tidy the shrubs about 4 -5 weeks ago, he only pruned off most of the Camelia buds on multiple shrubs and the odd other spring flowering shrub . Does half job on the shrubs as well where he thinks you cant see them. I dont know if he lying about the quantifications or just not very good

 

This is typical of my luck at this time of year.
Ive just returned yesterday from a weeks holiday in Porth, Cornwall. Had a lovely break and spent some time looking at properties as well but my companion is fussy and must have great sea views. Amongst the high lights was a lovely meal cooked by Aaron at the Hourbour which overlooks the working harbour in Newquay and sitting outside in a tee shirt. Scared the hell out of me though as it’s right on the cliff
I returned home yesterday at about 2.30pm and at 5 a knock on the door which a chap asking if I was interested in a property with 5 acres of garden work. I gave the chap my card to pass on to clients so they can contact me and then I noticed my landline was dead so after a brief online chat with BT they confirmed and touch wood it’s back up by the end of play on Friday.
The chap who knocked mentioned chainsaw work, I replied I’m not trained in that and while I do use one for my own firewood I’m guessing they want some trees removed but the going rates round here for tree work is high so employing me would be cheaper. I’m not keen on that so I’m thinking hard about how to handle it when the call comes through and I pop up for a visit.
I know roughly where the property is, multi million pound properties but I also know that sadly many want cut price work which I’m not into. The clue is chainsaw work and wanting a gardener rather than a tree surgeon company.
Normally the old money are the best to work for where new money is in a polite way is not always worth my time.
Ive also recently turned down work for a family who’s husband is a director of possibly the largest online shops of today as they wanted to penny pinch. I can’t stand them as a business point of view as if you earn such an insane amount and show it then want to penny pinch with someone who is trying and working hard for a living it’s just a plain no no. I’m a fair chap and that goes both ways. This one family have now asked me 3 times and on the first occasion I quoted and they said no and tried to lower me on the quote. I never lower my quotes unless it’s for a special person who needs help and is struggling.
As for qualifications, it’s debatable. There are some who love the work and strive to learn and have qualifications, there are those who use qualifications as a way of gaining work but are not interested in fully learning but more towards the income produced. You have many gardeners who have worked for years with no qualifications but are fantastic, you have those with none and simply want to earn a living.
Some recognised training is required for some aspects like chainsaw and herbicide use.
Should qualifications dictate a wage, that’s open to debate. My companion pays her cleaners nearly £20 an hour and they don’t have any equipment as an example of pay for my area so you would expect a gardener to earn a considerable amount more.

 

Without meaning to sound patronising @Liz the pot, over the many years I have I been on this earth I have found the least generous people are those that have A LOT. They will usually have made their millions by being neither generous nor likely to agree to anything without hard bargaining.....how after all did they become so rich!
My older brother is revoltingly rich but has a good going colony of moths in his pockets.
Some years back my next door neighbours decided to move back down South and bought a £2,000,000 plus property in Stow in the Wold. Before they left I was asked if I would like their solitary goldfish ( on it’s last legs)and cheepo small bowl that it was in for my young daughter. Rather that it being flushed down the toilet I said ok I’d give it a home. When I went to pick said fish up I was asked for £10 for it. I was so taken aback I duly stumped up, it was only when I recovered from the shock I felt as tho I should have told them where to stick their fish. To add salt to the wound the damn fish legged up about 5 days later and my daughter was upset so, I then had to go out and buy 2 more (“ mummy if we only get 1 it might be lonely”).

 

I don’t think it’s patronising at all. Sadly it’s the truth many times.
My companions family were in business in the car manufacturing trade with a well known British manufacturer and they had the Irish business side as well as several other companies. I earn a fair amount for what I do where she’s retired and shall we say comfortable. She tried to buy me a place near her twice now, the last property was 1.2mil and I went potty.
She’s very down to earth but I will confess the temptation to retire is tempting.
She’s old school, no need to show and dare I say she sounds like the queen when she speaks yet will mingle with anyone.
Perhaps I’m mad in a way doing what I do but I believe in being fair but at the same time my old body is feeling the strain of constant gardening and there’s no way I can keep it up long term.
I met her through my work which just goes to show you never know what’s round the corner.

 

Anyone busy this time of year?
Having not so many regulars at the moment I'm really quiet, with not a lot going on.

 

Quiet and enjoying it. Though I do have a few days worth of tree work and big hedge trims. I earn enough March-December to see me through the winter months without the need to work. I even manage to get a ski trip or three in, and rest the body as much as possible.

It's a hard job and you need down time.

 

Thanks guys.
Work has been slow. Ive been to quite a job earlier this week, but not had confirmation to go ahead. Also been to a regular, but other than that things are slow. I'm trying to use Facebook to my advantage and advertising in local groups and even though I may not get any work at this period, my thinking is if I get my name out there now come the time when the weather gets better and people perhaps start to think about the garden a bit more, my name will be remembered. We shall see. Also been doing a few leaflets here and there and will probably concentrate on that in the coming few weeks.

 

It start to pick up soon Newbienoidea around March normally, once you have more regular customers it will be easier and you know where you stand year after year. Most people turn off from the garden at this time of year, unless you work for a very keen gardener like shiney. I think its a little bit early for leafleting late Feb / March I think would be more suitable.

I have a bit of work to do yet mostly hedges and odds jobs, done a leylandii conifer hedge today which hasn't been cut for 3 or 4 years. I wished I stayed at home brewed up and sunned myself in the greenhouse instead. I got rashes and itchy arms now , and a mountain of woodchip

 

I can't remember, but do you have a website? Work on the SEO on there for your local area.

I ended up with a fully booked January and have been getting more enquiries for regular maintenance from new customers this past week. It's mainly from google hits.

I'll be quitting a commercial job from end March so i will be fitting in a few new domestic jobs. Plus getting rid of two grannies I work for as they take so long to sort payment each visit.

I would definitely do leaflets. Double drop the same streets now and mid March.