Running a business in landscaping may be lucrative, imaginative, and enjoyable.
Many people who are passionate about gardens, trees, or other types of landscaping aspire to launch their own landscaping company.
However, it can be challenging to ascertain how to start a landscaping business or company.
Thus, this article shall go over some crucial actions you should follow to launch your own landscaping business and how to start a landscaping Business.
Key Takeaways
- Owning and operating a landscaping business needs perseverance, meticulousness, and drive.
- Nigerian landscaping has changed throughout time. New inventions and designs are unveiled annually. These designs make use of water conservation, ecology and land protection, etc.
Table of Contents
What Services Do Landscaping Businesses Provide?
There are many various services that landscapers offer.
Working on commercial properties, golf courses, parks, and even planting and maintaining home lawns, trees, gardens, and patios are among the many tasks that can be done.
The visible aspects of a certain piece of land are essentially modified by landscaping enterprises.
Adding in bodies of water and changing the elevation and shape of the terrain could also be part of this.
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How To Start A Landscaping Business
Having already talked about landscaping and the businesses owning a landscaping company provides, this heading shall discuss how to start a landscaping business.
The steps on how to start a landscaping business are;
- Select the services you will provide
- Renting or buying equipment?
- Obtain a license, business insurance, and an EIN
- Set up the finances for your business.
- Set up a business bank ccount
- Staff Up
- Construct a business plan
- Develop a marketing plan
- Start off strong
- Create a marketing strategy
- Streamline your administrative procedures and financial records
Step 1. Select the Services You Will Provide
You must first decide exactly what services to give customers.
It will be challenging to advertise oneself without a precise understanding of what you can offer.
Additionally, you should be careful not to accept tasks for which you lack the necessary skills.
Do you wish to provide basic landscaping services and start a landscaping business like the setting up and upkeep of trees, shrubs, and lawns?
Are you also straying into the field of landscape architecture? What you wish to give your customers should be made clear.
Start small and gradually increase as your firm develops and you gain expertise in order to offer the finest service possible.
The temptation to offer many services at once can be great, but if you can’t deliver on them, your reputation will suffer.
Consider your applicable abilities, knowledge, and credentials as a good place to start when deciding what services to provide.
Then you know whether you have what it takes to provide this service, for instance, if you have a certificate in landscape design.
Identifying service needs in your neighborhood can also be done by reviewing the market.
This aids you in figuring out what sets you apart from the competition in terms of your unique selling proposition.
To focus on a smaller target market, it can be helpful to think about who your clientele are. Are they business clients or private citizens?
If you’re starting a one- or two-person firm, homeowners might be a smart place to start.
Larger teams can provide greater service for commercial clients because their properties often have larger yards and more landscaping requirements.
Step 2. Renting or Buying Equipment?
A lot of equipment is needed for the landscaping business. You’ll need the appropriate tools for the job once you’ve decided on the services you’ll provide.
But is buying or renting the equipment better?
The little items you require don’t cost much to purchase, but larger equipment may be very expensive, costing up to thousands of dollars for high-end riding mowers.
Renting is more cost-effective when you initially start out. Instead of attempting to purchase less expensive, inferior substitutes, it enables you to employ high-quality equipment.
However, investing in equipment is frequently the superior choice as your company grows.
Making an investment may pay off in the long term if you’re fully committed to the new venture.
Further, don’t strive to cut costs while choosing to purchase equipment.
Less well-built machines will simply make you frustrated when they break down and require hours of upkeep.
Step 3. Obtain a License, Business Insurance, and an EIN
The same rules that apply to businesses apply to landscaping, including the need for licensing, insurance, and an EIN.
Particularly if you plan to add staff, insurance will be essential.
Make sure you and your business are adequately covered.
You must obtain general liability insurance before establishing a landscaping firm.
It includes legal fees, repairs, and replacement costs for any mishaps involving your company that result in third-party injuries or property damage.
For any additional required business insurance, check your state’s regulations.
For instance, a number of states mandate that companies purchase workers’ compensation insurance.
Workers’ compensation pays any related expenses, such as missed earnings or medical bills, if one of your employees suffers an injury at work.
Moreover, you might also think about purchasing commercial umbrella insurance and commercial car insurance to further safeguard your company.
The latter will pay for extra expenses not covered by your previous insurance policies.
If you don’t have the right coverage, you could find yourself in some really hot trouble.
You’ll probably require worker’s compensation insurance if you hire your own laborers.
Lastly, for a complete list of insurance requirements, check your local regulations.
Step 4. Set up the Finances for Your Business
Because they didn’t properly handle their cash, a great number of businesses launched and succeeded only to shut down soon after.
Between 50 and 80 percent of commercial partnerships end in failure within a year.
Managing your finances well is essential when beginning a business.
You must carefully file your taxes, maintain records, and develop a budget in addition to tracking your expenses and revenue.
Fortunately, you can successfully handle your company’s finances without being a certified accountant.
There are a ton of accounting resources, business apps, and software available today to assist you.
To ensure that you don’t find yourself in financial trouble, think about conducting extensive research on bookkeeping and how to maintain a suitable budget.
Step 5. Set up a Business Bank Account
Being the owner of a business requires having a business bank account.
If you aren’t a sole owner, you can’t merely use a personal account because it will be difficult to keep track of all incoming money and outgoing expenses.
Furthermore, you can have significant challenges when it comes to completing your taxes at the end of the year if you don’t have a business bank account.
It’s fortunately simple to open the appropriate business bank account if you know where to seek.
Small business owners may better manage their finances with the help of NorthOne’s business banking app.
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Step 6. Staff Up
A labor-intensive industry is landscaping. This implies that you’ll need to employ personnel to complete the task.
To make sure you’re paying your employees properly and competitively after hiring them, you must calculate labor rates.
Do some research to find out what the going rate for laborers in the landscaping industry is in your neighborhood. After that, you can begin hiring new employees.
Remember that recruiting makes it even more crucial that your company’s finances, insurance, licenses, and bank account are all in order.
Step 7. Construct a Business Plan
What business structure to choose is a crucial choice to make when thinking about how to launch a landscaping firm.
Seeking professional guidance is a smart idea because this choice could have significant legal, tax, and other financial repercussions.
A sole proprietorship is the business structure of choice for many landscapers.
A sole proprietorship can be a desirable option because it is one of the easiest and most cost-effective business structures, but it also has significant risks.
Since you and the firm are inextricably linked as a single proprietor, you may be held legally accountable for the debts, taxes, and other obligations of the company.
A partnership arrangement can be appropriate if you’re starting a firm with one or two other owners.
Depending on how you wish to organize the investment and liability of each partner, you can select from a variety of partnership structures, such as limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships.
For small business owners in the landscaping sector, a limited liability company (LLC) is one of the most common options.
An LLC additionally provides reduced responsibility due to its streamlined tax and accounting obligations.
In the case of bankruptcy or legal action against your firm, this will protect your personal assets by separating your personal liabilities from those of the company.
Also, You might need to register your landscaping business with state authorities, depending on the business structure you select.
For tax purposes, the majority of firms also require an employer identification number (EIN), which is a federally mandated number.
Step 8. Develop a Marketing Plan
Jumping through all the hoops to set up your business is only the beginning .
If you want to actually be successful, you need to market properly.
This means getting set up on social media, as well as using Facebook and Google ads to promote your landscaping company.
It’s also worth considering creating a professional website so you’re able to use SEO to direct traffic and market your company through the website.
Once you have established yourself as a business and have a few clients under your belt, word-of-mouth marketing can work wonders.
Therefore, providing professional, high-quality services from the get-go will ensure your clients recommend you to their friends and family.
Step 9. Start Off Strong
You must be prepared to begin operations once the back end of your landscaping company is operational.
You can handle invoicing information, send various teams, and keep track of clients and properties with the use of home services software like Jobber.
Make sure you have the resources you need, whether you’re in the office or out in the field, to manage your staff, interact with clients, draw in more business, and increase your bottom line.
Step 10. Create a Marketing Strategy
It’s time to spread the word about your new landscaping company now that you’re prepared to go public.
You can achieve this by creating a marketing plan that increases public knowledge of your company and its offerings.
The naming of your company is an essential component of this process.
Your company name should distinguish you from the competition and convey the products and principles you uphold.
Make sure the domain name is available before selecting one so you can launch your website.
To increase brand identification and awareness, you can create a logo to use on your uniforms, stationery, electronic signature, and cars.
The majority of landscaping businesses employ a mix of conventional and digital marketing strategies to expand.
Social networking networks like Facebook and Instagram, which are excellent for building a portfolio of your work, as well as online marketplaces like TaskRabbit and Airtasker are examples of digital marketing channels.
A free or inexpensive website builder like WordPress or Squarespace can also be used to create an online presence for your company.
Moreover, traditional marketing techniques include putting up flyers at your neighborhood businesses or contacting prospective local customers personally.
Lastly, remember that your first few clients will be great reference sources.
Step 11. Streamline Your Administrative Procedures and Financial Records
Setting prices and a budget before you open your landscaping business will help you make sure you can make enough money to pay your bills and turn a profit.
Planning for the off-season is crucial given the seasonal nature of landscaping work.
Think about how you may prepare your budget for slower times, such as by including them in the cost of your services or by providing alternative services at various times of the year.
Investment is needed to launch a landscaping company because expenses like staffing, marketing, equipment, and permits must be paid upfront.
You must make a decision regarding how to get money for your company.
Also, you may decide to use your savings or ask friends and family for investments.
In order to help a small business get off the ground, the government offers grants and loans.
These additional monetary factors are listed below:
- To keep your personal finances and business finances apart, open a business account.
- establishing an accounting platform or software solution to control your invoices and payments
- submission of annual tax reports and payment of any owed corporation taxes
- obtaining a lease for an office to conduct business from
In order to manage duties like timesheets, payroll, and allocating work and equipment to personnel, you as the owner of a landscaping company must also set up internal systems.
This calls for the use of a landscaping company app.
What is the Start-up Cost for a Landscaping Company?
Numerous factors affect landscaping costs in Nigeria. It mostly relies on the project’s nature. Urban landscaping, for example, is probably going to be more expensive than in less developed areas. The cost of landscaping in Nigeria is also influenced by the size of your property, labour costs, and landscape design.
You’ll spend the majority of your money on equipment purchases and personnel salaries.
How much money can you make in the landscaping industry?
Alongside the construction industry, Nigeria’s landscaping business is growing quickly. Nigeria’s construction industry is expected to increase by 7.5% a year on average through 2025, according to research from companies like Price Waterhouse Coopers. The need for landscaping is being fueled by this increase in activity.
Depending on the size of your company, the range of your services, and your profit margins, you might be able to earn considerably more as a business owner of a landscaping company than this.
Conclusion
As you can see, a landscape business may be launched with only a small amount of funding to pay for setup expenses and equipment.
You can eventually hire more staff members and make more equipment investments as your services and clientele grow.
Owning a business needs a lot of effort, careful attention to detail, and a desire to expand.
But by using the aforementioned guidelines as a starting point, you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful landscaping company.
Therefore, this article has succeeded in dissecting and disseminating the different steps and ways on how to start a landscaping Business.
Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the starting investment for a landscaping business?
There are certain upfront costs to setting up a shop when beginning a landscaping firm.
It could cost between ₦100,000 and ₦500,000 to launch a landscaping firm, depending on the size of your enterprise, the services you provide, and your location.
The two biggest expenses you’ll have are buying equipment and hiring staff.
What am I going to need to launch a landscaping company?
You may simply need a few pieces of basic equipment and one or two people to launch your landscaping company, depending on the kind of services you provide.
To be successful in the landscaping business, you need ideally have some experience or credentials.
References
- How To Start a Landscaping Business in 7 Steps: The Ultimate Guide
- How to Start a Landscaping Business in 13 Steps
- How Much Does Landscaping Cost in Nigeria? (A Complete Guide to Landscaping Prices)
- How to Launch a Profitable Landscaping Business in Nigeria
Joan Chinyere is a dedicated content writer with nearly two years of experience writing for a financial and business-oriented blog. A graduate with a strong passion for entrepreneurship, grants, youth empowerment, and business ideas, Joan has honed her skills in social media marketing, social media content development, research, and digital marketing. Her work is focused on providing actionable insights and empowering readers with the tools they need to succeed in the business world.
