business start up - where to start

glas1234

Hi All

Long time boards member but have registered anon for the purposes of this post.

I work in an office and have been contemplating a change for the last 4 years or so. I love the outdoors and enjoy physical work. I have recently started to think about a move to something I might actually enjoy doing rather than slogging through the 9-6 until I am 68 or whatever the retirement age may be.

My thoughts are to provide garden maintenance\landscaping services. I drive a small Van which I own and have started taking on bits and pieces of work (for work colleagues, favors etc) Just a few hours here and there. To kind of to get a feel for it - without the pressure of using it to pay the bills.

I am physically fit, hard working and have a good head. Any garden\work related task I have taken on I am generally happy with the outcome and it is done to a high standard (Build raised vegetable beds, build fencing, grasscare maintenance etc.)

I do not have qualifications or certifications in this area which is a concern to me. While I am more then happy to work towards this my feeling is that study part-time 2 years to then maybe make a start at this will not suffice. Also some of the courses I'm looking at a quite costly (1 week chainsaw certificaton is 1k, digger driving 1k+). I currently do not have a tractor\ride on lawn mower. I currently do not have tow bar, trailer etc to carry loads etc. The cost of getting this immediately is prohibitive.

I'd really like to get working and turning over jobs, creating a client base and getting some happy customer stories and a bit of presence.

I'm currently working on a website through wordpress and understand Facebook\Instagram\Social media etc is very important these days. I live near to a regional city, and have had some success with getting some interest in suburban garden\lawn cutting etc (through a done deal ad I created).

Just looking for any input anyone might have based on the above scenario. I have no business experience. I will be staying in my current job for the time being as have to pay bills\mortgage and forsee this unfolding as a part-time\evening\weekend affair in the short term.

Thanks
Glas1234

antoinolachtnai

The big problem is getting an adequate price for the work.

What you are describing is basically doing skilled or semi-skilled labour.

I cannot see how you can make much money doing this. It will certainly be tough to ever pay bills and a mortgage out of it. Can you see yourself still doing this when you are 67? It is ok when you are young, but it is tough work for an older person.

I am sure what you are doing is very good work. But are you getting paid an appropriate premium? If you wanted to pay yourself 45000 euros per year before tax, you would have to be charging maybe 45000/150 days /8 hours a day = 37.50 per hour. That's before the cost of equipment, insurance, diesel, debt collection and all the rest of it. Are you getting enough to cover that?

By all means, you should find a way to do what you enjoy doing, but don't mistake a hobby for a business.

Business-wise, if you really want to work physical labour outdoors, you would probably be better off learning to erect antennae or pour concrete or lay bricks or drains or something and work on a site (I know that is probably not what you want to do, but I am just looking at it from a cold business point of view.)

mrcheez

I used to do this as summer work and the key was to get contracts with Business Parks or other industrialised zones, where you can earn a fair amount trimming the grass and tending to plants surrounding the office blocks.

Another option might be to do contracting (if your skills allow) and spending half the year working outdoors, then the other half working in an office earning 1 year salary in 6 months. I'm thinking of doing something like this as I too don't want to be office-bound the rest of my life!

glas1234

Antoin thanks for taking the time to reply.

-At 67 I would assume not, but if physically fit enough then yes - or move of a supervisor\management role over a team - if it was lucky enough to expand into something of that scale. TBH I have not been thinking that far ahead - But I would see myself doing the work to 47, 57 and further as long as health would permit.

- Agreed, looking at your calculations it is a contrast to the dreamy optimism I had at point of writing. On seeing this my thinking would be hopeful of some contract\recurring work. obviously I'd need to find and win the new business which is a concern to me. You make a valid point it I may be confusing a hobby\enjoyable work with real world earning requirements, and it may remain a part time seasonal venture (the extra cash is still handy)

glas1234

Thanks for replying Mrcheez
- Recurring work\business's etc would be ideal. My concern is there is someone doing this work already, I'd need to find the work and win. I have no doubt my work would be up to and above the standard required. But in a regional city - there may not be that level of work to win.
- My skills 'could' allow contract work and its an idea I hadn't thought of

antoinolachtnai

This is fun for you at the moment, and it might be a pity to ruin that fun by making it a job.

Maybe you could reduce your working hours to four days a week during the summer to do this? It might suit your employer, depending on your industry.

Being a supervisor/manager is all about having a larger contracting company. Employing people is quite a different thing from being a one-man-band. That is quite a different ambition really, and you need to go about it in a different way, from the outset really.

gargargar

I know someone who was doing this in the early 2000s. They started on their own business and had 5 people working for them over a few years. They made good money too. If you want to go into garden landscaping services area there can be good margin in this, however it is not about physical work (although that is part). You will need to know about plants/scrubs/trees, what growns in north facing gardens. What blooms when etc.

I do think that the economy has recovered sufficiently that people would pay for it. You may need to look into look into horticultural courses.

Moomat

glas1234 wrote: »

My concern is there is someone doing this work already, I'd need to find the work and win. I have no doubt my work would be up to and above the standard required.

I wouldn't worry about that. It's much easier to sell someone something they already buy (if you have an angle), rather than an entirely new product/service.

You sound like you have a passion for it. Your time would be better spent drumming up business and overseeing the work once you establish a small customer base. If you do that right, then the calculation in the reply above (45000/150 days /8 hours a day = 37.50 per hour) will be really easy to hit.

tommyirl

I would certainly focus on contract work. For example a school could pay you 18k per year to do the grass, that said you may need 3-4 people, equipment etc and be there for a half day each week. However, I do belive that there is an opportunity there. I know several people who own these type of business that are very well off, so it comes down to the contracts you can secure, not the random once off work.