How to Profit by becoming a Landscaping Contractor

Becoming a Landscaping Contractor can be a very profitable and rewarding way to work for yourself and manage your financial future. Organization is the key to any landscaping business start up and must be maintained throughout if the venture is to be successful. A service business like landscaping is one of the easiest to start up and has the best chance of success. By simply tending to the landscaping needs of your clients, you can grow your landscaping company into a multi-million dollar organization capable of supporting your wildest dreams. Estimated Start up Costs: The costs of a landscaping business start up are relatively low but they increase with the level of services you intend to offer. Essential to your start up will be: a truck or trailer of some sort capable of hauling your tools and equipment to client locations; a lawnmower and weed eater; a rake and broom; a cell phone; and a computer to help with invoices, bookkeeping, and marketing; and hand tools will all be needed to get your business started. Not including the truck or trailer, a person could reasonably finance a landscaping business start up for less than $2,500. Pricing Guidelines: Pricing definitely is dependent upon the range of services offered and how desperate you are to break into the market. A reputable Landscaping Contractor can reasonably expect to command anywhere from $25-50 per hour for residential services. Sometimes you will be forced to bid on entire projects and pricing depends on the level of expertise needed to complete the project. Recommended experience, skills, and training: Many states require certification for Landscaping Contractors in order to use certain chemicals and pesticides inherent to the landscaping business. This generally involves a 6-8 week course at a local college and costs less than $200 in most cases. Naturally, any experience or training in horticulture, agriculture, and business will greatly improve the chances of success for your landscaping business start up. Marketing tips: The most advisable strategy would be to being with residential accounts and build a good reputation before attempting to win the commercial accounts. To do this, word-of-mouth advertising will be key to the growth of your landscaping business start up. In addition, classified advertising in a local newspaper is also a great way to increase sales. Just make sure to create a professional looking ad for greatest effect and to enhance credibility. When you are ready to pursue commercial accounts, try using print ads in local business magazines and any other publication known to be read by upper income business members of your community. Also try using direct mail campaigns to local businesses offering discounts for using your service. Be certain that you already have an ad in the Yellow Pages before trying to pursue the commercial accounts. Financing sources: For people with great credit and some decent collateral, there are franchise possibilities to consider for your landscaping business start up. These business opportunities come with all the tools you will need to get started in your Landscaping Contractor Business along with plenty of customer service to help you through the challenges that arise along the way. But if you cannot afford a franchise opportunity, financing options are definitely more limited but the low start up cost makes landscaping a relatively easy business to start up and operate. Income potential Only working part-time on the weekends and a few nights during the week, a Landscaping Contractor Business might see $40,000 to 60,000 in the first year of operation. Fully dedicated to the business and building it full-time, a person can easily see six figures in the second or third year of operation. If you have always loved working outside and are ready to get serious about self employment and taking control of your financial future, then consider becoming a Landscaping Contractor as the road to your dreams!