This chapter looks at other gardening businesses.

The Benefit Of Spin-Offs

Every business has what are often referred to as ‘spin-off’ opportunities. This is where you offer additional services that complement your existing business.

How Does It Work?

In the autumn you will invariably be asked to dig over and prepare the ground for next year's planting. In most cases it would be beneficial if you enhance the soil with some quality compost, and depending on the quantity of perennial weeds apparent in the soil, it may be necessary to include in the job some weed eradication. For example, covering the prepared ground with black polyethylene to prevent further weed growth.

So in addition to digging over the soil in preparation for the winter frosts, you could also offer your client:

• quality compost
• weed preventative membrane
• if the ground is particularly hard, you could also include a dressing of sharp sand to enhance drainage.

 

Thus what started out as a simple digging over job can include the sale of sand, compost and weed membrane, all of which you should have no difficulty obtaining at trade prices, allowing you sufficient mark-up for profit.

Clients Will Appreciate What You’re Doing

If you have any reservations about introducing spin-offs into your business and feel that it’s all a bit too pushy, then let me set your mind at ease. Many, if not all, of your clients will not be gardeners. This is why they will be employing you. What better way to help your client than suggesting what they need and offering to provide it? Nothing will frustrate your clients more than telling them when you’ve finished digging over their garden that the ground could do with having compost dug through it, or a dressing of sand applied to improve drainage.

Now is the time to review the services you are proposing to offer and see what extras you can include.

You Can Specialise

Gardening by its sheer diversity offers so much in terms of flexibility that you can make any one of the businesses that follow fit comfortably into a few hours or days a week, whatever is compatible with your lifestyle. You don't have to offer a general gardening service.

Here are some of the services that you can offer:

• lawn-cutting service
• build it and fix-it service
• mobile plant nursery
• gardening coaching service.

Lawn-Cutting Service

By far the most price sensitive and cut-throat of all the gardening businesses, lawn-cutting can be profitable and enjoyable, the main drawback being its seasonal nature. Some of the operators I know work every daylight hour available during the lawn cutting season and spend their winters holidaying and enjoying themselves. If you're reading this book in the winter, then this lifestyle has its appeal.

The Spin-Off Factor

There are a number of additional services that you can offer to complement your main business and make sure that you have enough work to see you through the dormant period when lawns are not growing:

• aeration
• scarification
• turf laying
• repairing worn or damaged areas
• weeding.

There’s no reason for your business to be quiet just because the lawns are not growing.

Pricing

Lawn-cutting is a volume business. Prices tend to be keen, with larger operators taking over complete neighbourhoods. They arrive with a fleet of lawn mowers and an operator for each mower. Lawns are cut in double quick time, cuttings are thrown into high-sided trailers, or wheelie bins carried in the back of the van. Their service resembles that of a refuse collection in terms of speed and quality.

The name of the game is to cut as many lawns as quickly as possible and move on. There’s little time for brushing up afterwards, although many do have someone brushing up as they go. However, they too are under the clock and with so little time and so much grass they struggle to do the job efficiently. What amazes me is that people are willing to pay for what is generally a poor service. Of course there are those who do a wonderful job and leave everywhere looking tidy and free from clippings. Some even cut the lawn edges. But this is rare.