Gardening 101: How to initiate and expand your business

A day redolent with rose fragrances along with the crisp scent of those dollars as you initiate your gardening business and work those green thumbs using our sure-fire tips for success! 

A gardening business is one of the most fruitful endeavours and is guaranteed to reap good profits however there are a few limiting factors.

A business in its initial stages needs meticulous management for it to flourish and develop into an established firm. This stage is crucial in the expansion of your venture and becomes either the dealmaker or deal-breaker.

We have compiled here a detailed guide to not only commence your gardening business but also provide strategies to ensure it is prosperous.

Initiation:

Here are some tips to launch your business and secure a place amidst established entrepreneurs.

Business Plan

Every building starts from a blueprint and every business needs a solid plan that covers all important aspects from finances to marketing. It is important that you devise a good plan on your business before setting it into motion.

Make sure to have a chat with established entrepreneurs and implement their advice so you don’t repeat their mistakes in the initial stages.  Be informed about business specifics and possess a wealth of knowledge about the specific sector you are going to initiate your business in. 

Finances

Assets are valuable when it comes to launching a business. Check your financial standing before taking the big leap. Consider aspects such as supply costs and stock items along with worker salaries and other expenses. 

Compile a chart for you ease and calculate if you have enough funds to initiate your business.  You must have enough money to afford the initial supply of stocks before more revenue is generated.

Hire workers

Assemble a crew that is divided between office staff and field staff that will manage the respective jobs easily. You need to consider their salaries and expenses while hiring them as well as their qualifications and expertise.

Other important tasks include taking inventory of the stocks and supplies you require to initiate your business.

Expansion

In order to maintain smooth working of your business and steady growth, check out these tips,

Marketing

Advertise effectively. In order to let your business be known to potential customers you need to create posters, ads and offers to attract client’s attention.

Create discounts that offer solutions to a variety of problems all under one roof so your clients don’t have to go to multiple businesses to get the job done.

It is also suggested for you to join a gardening forum and advertise regarding your skills, qualifications and expertise.

Digital Software

Take advantage of wiz-techs and boost your business’ profitability using digitalized software. These smart apps guarantee a surge in productivity and cut-down wasted time by a large margin and manage all your work efficiently.

 The market is chockfull of such software however we suggest you to prefer Workever.

This simple but innovative software is ingeniously designed using state-of-the-art, cloud-based technology which is the pinnacle of digitalization. A few of its coveted features include:

Paperwork Elimination

Workever has digitalized all documents, plans and blueprints which not only can you easily access but also share and send with your team. You can create invoices and send them while you can pay unpaid invoices as well.

There’s also a feature that allows you to send your clients quotes and budgets for specific tasks. Moreover using the Field app you can even complete commercial and domestic compliance forms too!

Convert all your documents to PDFs on-the-go and you can even request an overview of all your jobs and work progress for future references.

Easy Task Assignment

A live location map updates you about your field staff’s locations while an easy popup allows you to assign workers new jobs according to their expertise with ease. Not only can you track your staff but also provide them with accurate GPS routes.

You can create tasks or a recurrence of projects in mere seconds and log them on while a simple drag-and-drop scheduler allows you to quickly give tasks to certain individuals. This not only saves time but also boosts productivity and professionalism.

Simple Interface

Workever boasts an aesthetically pleasing yet easy-to-understand interface that can easily be taught to new workers and staff. Moreover it also has an excellent customer service that promptly resolves any issues that you face in mere seconds.

The tools are innovative but simple and it doesn’t take long to get a hang of this software.

Communication

A thriving business has its foundations laid in good communication and coordination. Workever offers seamless communication between your field staff and office staff using their unique, collaborative tools.

 Once a job is assigned, your gardening team can even attach notes, photographs and customer signatures which are then automatically synced back to the office.

Other features include a handy customer database that saves the information of your clients, suppliers and contractors in one organised system for easy acquirement. There’s also a feature to manage stock items and costs efficiently. 

This is the virtual assistant every gardening business needs to shoot for success.

Portfolio

As soon as you start gaining orders, compile your progress along with customer reviews and evidence of job completion into a comprehensive portfolio that you must display on your respective website. This will also highlight your business specifications so customers know exactly what they are getting.

Not only will this persuade customers to trust you but also flaunt your professionalism regarding your business.

Conclusion

The commencement of any business is a difficult task especially if it is as taxing as a gardening business. This task will not only soak up your time but also drain your finances if not managed properly.

Authored by: Angela Davis