| Providing garden services to private and | | | | You must provide a service that's worth the |
| business companies is a booming industry. | | | | price you're charging, you must turn up on |
| From general garden maintenance to full-blown | | | | time and work for the hours you're contracted |
| landscaping services, the demand for | | | | to carry out, and you must have enough |
| professional garden services is growing and | | | | gardening knowledge to give advice when |
| it's an attractive option for anyone thinking | | | | asked. |
| about starting their own business. | | | | |
| | | | If this all seems a bit daunting, don't be |
| If the garden services sector attracts you, | | | | put off. There are mentors out there who have |
| you should make sure that you know as much as | | | | the landscaping and horticultural experience |
| you can before you start. You may think it's | | | | you need to get your business off to a flying |
| straightforward to cut the grass and trim the | | | | start. Working with you from the first |
| hedges, but the more you know about the work | | | | concepts of your business to helping you get |
| you take on, the better placed you are to | | | | the right customers and growing your business |
| provide a wide range of useful services to | | | | in the right direction. They can help with |
| your customers. What do you know about | | | | practical issues such as choosing and looking |
| feeding lawns, or encouraging growth in | | | | after your tools, getting the best deals on |
| hedging, or keeping borders clear of weeds? | | | | plants, and soft and hard landscaping, and |
| | | | they can be on call to help you sort out |
| Private and commercial customers are looking | | | | problems or provide on-the-job training so |
| for three key things in a gardening service: | | | | that you can promote your services with |
| | | | confidence. |
| - Value for money | | | | |
| | | | If you're thinking of setting up a garden |
| - Reliability | | | | services business, make a point of finding a |
| | | | mentor who can set you off in the right |
| - Knowledge | | | | direction. It's an initial investment that |
| | | | will pay off in the long-run. |