Gardening is a hobby for some people but for others, it’s a burden. They want to have a nice garden but they can’t be bothered to put the work in, that’s where landscapers come in. If you love doing practical work and you enjoy working outdoors, it’s the perfect job for you. Starting your own landscaping business isn’t too expensive either. You’ll need a vehicle and some basic tools before you can start taking on any work but that shouldn’t cost you too much. Then you’ll just need to spend a bit of money on advertising yourself but you’ll get a lot of your early work from word of mouth and connections from friends and family. If you want to start your own business and you think that landscaping might be for you, these are the most important things to remember when you’re first starting out.
The Work Is Seasonal
A lot of people run into trouble when they start a landscaping business because they don’t prepare for the seasonal nature of the work. Obviously, you’re going to get a lot more work in the summer months and you need to start preparing for the quieter winter months when you’re still getting a lot of work. If you don’t look ahead, the work will start to dry up and you’ll have no money left to get you through the winter. That’s why it’s so important that you save money as much as possible, even if you’re making a lot. Don’t get complacent and start spending recklessly because you’ve got a lot of work on. You’ll regret it in a few months if you do.
You Need Insurance
Landscaping doesn’t seem like a very risky profession so a lot of people don’t bother with insurance but that’s a big mistake. There’s always the chance that you can get injured and you’ll need insurance money to live on if you’re unable to work. The risk of injury isn’t the only reason you need landscapers insurance coverage either. You could end up causing some damage to a customers property if you make a mistake and if you don’t have insurance, you’ll have to pay for all of those repairs yourself. That can cause you some serious issues if you’re just starting out and you don’t have that much cash to play with.
You Need Licenses
People don’t often realize that you need a lot of licenses if you want to be a landscaper. But, depending on where you live, you might need a lot of different licenses. For example, if you’re going to be using potentially harmful chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides which could potentially contaminate local water sources, you need permission first. Most local authorities won’t just let anybody start using those chemicals. In a lot of places, you’ll also need a contractors license before you can start taking on any jobs. If you live in an area where the water supply is fairly scarce there are probably regulations about installing water features etc. You need to get in touch with all of the relevant local authorities and make sure that you’ve got all of the right licenses before you start doing any work.
It’s important that you sort these things out before you start looking for work as a landscaper, otherwise, your new business might not last that long.
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