How to Start Your Own Gardening Business

by Power, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781845281755
• ISBN10: 1845281756
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-07
• Publisher: How to Books Ltd

Summary

You don't need pots of money to start your own gardening business. With this book and willingness to learn, you could soon be enjoying a profitable and enormously satisfying career doing something you love. CONTENTS: Preface Acknowledgements A growing opportunity 2. Essential planning for you and your business 3. What's involved in starting and running a gardening round? 4. The general gardening business 5. Seasonal opportunities 6. Launching your business 7. Bookkeeping and administration systems 8. The gardening calendar 9. Avoiding seasonal blues 10. Growing your business Help directory & index.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
A Growing Opportunity	p. 1
Why start a gardening business?	p. 1
Who will want your services?	p. 5
Your skills and aptitudes	p. 7
Have you got what it takes?	p. 10
How much time will your business need?	p. 13
Finding your niche	p. 15
Carrying out some initial market research	p. 16
Summary	p. 19
Essential Planning for You and Your Business	p. 20
The importance of business planning	p. 20
Planning a strategy	p. 23
Writing your business plan	p. 25
Detailing your business idea	p. 28
Preparing an initial cash flow forecast	p. 35
Preparing a profit and loss forecast	p. 40
Contingency planning	p. 43
Is your idea viable?	p. 47
Summary	p. 49
What's Involved in Starting and Running a Gardening Round?	p. 51
Knowing what you're letting yourself in for	p. 51
Working out the costs of providing your service	p. 53
Getting started	p. 59
Coping with the paperwork	p. 60
Limitations of a gardening round	p. 69
Offer domestic maintenance contracts	p. 70
Summary	p. 74
The General Gardening Business	p. 76
The inner workings of a general gardening business	p. 76
Some services offered by a general gardening business	p. 77
Getting started	p. 83
Tools	p. 83
Vehicles	p. 88
Financing your business	p. 91
Getting the business - quotes and estimates	p. 94
Some other issues	p. 105
Summary	p. 111
Seasonal Opportunities	p. 112
The benefit of spin-offs	p. 112
You can specialise	p. 113
Lawn-cutting service	p. 114
Build-it and fix-it service	p. 117
Mobile plant nursery	p. 120
Gardening coaching service	p. 122
Always something to do in a garden	p. 125
Summary	p. 126
Launching Your Business	p. 127
Preparing for growth	p. 127
Creating the right image	p. 135
Standing out from the crowd	p. 141
Business stationery	p. 143
Bank accounts	p. 147
Getting your first customers - the gardening round	p. 150
Launch strategy for other businesses	p. 155
Summary	p. 167
Bookkeeping and Administration Systems	p. 168
Tax for the self-employed	p. 168
Value Added Tax	p. 171
Bookkeeping - the options	p. 173
Completing your annual tax return	p. 178
Getting paid every time and on time	p. 178
Staffing issues	p. 182
Summary	p. 185
The Gardening Calendar	p. 186
A year in the gardening business	p. 186
January	p. 187
February	p. 189
March	p. 190
April	p. 191
May	p. 192
June	p. 194
July	p. 195
August	p. 196
September	p. 197
October	p. 198
November	p. 199
December	p. 200
Summary	p. 202
Avoiding Seasonal Blues	p. 203
When things don't always go to plan	p. 203
Factors outside your control	p. 206
Difficult people and situations	p. 211
Handling complaints	p. 212
Motivation - keeping going	p. 216
Building your knowledge	p. 219
Successful selling	p. 222
Growing Your Business	p. 230
Expansion is good for your business	p. 230
The commercial market	p. 236
One last thing	p. 243
Summary	p. 245
Help Directory	p. 247
Index	p. 251
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