business

[markstuarttosdevine]

hows bussiness going for all of you guys i am considering the jump into doing things for myself i dont no the best way about it tho in finding work. do i spend hundreds on website design and advertising without earning alot of money? and how long would you say it takes to become established?

[Jimbob87]

Hi i started gardening and landscaping 3 yrs ago i delivered leaflets to local town and villages printed them my self and delivered with my girlfreind. Picked up enough work in first year to take a lad on part time. Now have 2 vans 2 full time and a lad through summer while he was of uni. guna av a aprentice next season. Iv spent alot advertising some good some bad you soon learn what works. I still leaflett drop evry spring works great. Imo a website is best for when ur established so you can showcase your work. Stick to geting ur name out there cheaply and efectivly local advertising mags are good. good look only thing i would say is if ur guna do it throw yourself at it 110% and dont let up i work as hard now looking for work as i did at the start even though we have a lot of regulars. good luck mate shure ul do arite

[David Goss]

You might want to try freelancing to start with, try any companies you have worked with before and while doing that keep looking for your own work as well. Nothing like the freedom of working for yourself but you gotta be committed and work hard at it.

[easy-lift guy]

Mark I would suggest that you carefully invest your Working Capital with the bare Minimum

of kit you can afford. Build off of your strengths and learn from others and keep your mistakes to a Min. There usually more expensive than most are willing to admit. Observe the KISS method for your advertising and establish a budget for all of your expenses. This may sound silly and trivial but many people go into business with the best intentions and after one season if their equipment is worth 5 cents on the Dollar and no reserves left to draw off of things start to appear pretty bleak in a hurry.

All that being said I would suggest having at least 1 years worth of funds available to take care of your day to day bills. This is not a rainy day fund, it is $$$$ that you should have any way in the event that things don't pan out!. I concur with jimbob that advertising should be concise and to the point. Don't waste money on fluff and whistles. The customer wants basic service to start out and always honor you customers wishes, unless the property is covered with Poo in which case "I believe you should stay away from at all cost". I do not believe at this time you will need a Web-Site since your only getting started. I believe if you can see a 20% growth from year to year use funds from said growth to expand with a web-site and with your customers permission allow them to brag about your good work. It will pay back better since they will be happy to help and they like to net-work with friends/neighbors.

There is no one that can Pimp yourself better than YOU!. All the best.

easy-lift guy

[Old Mill Tree Care]

I've been running my biz for 7 years and it's going fine. Flyers worked a bit until the recession, now every single desperado from every trade does it and it doesn't work.

 

Competition between me and the cowboy/Gypo contingent is rife with no controls from local authorities or government. This is due to the publics mind set of thinking they can get 'the same thing, cheaper'.

 

If I was about to set up a new tree business knowing what I know now, I wouldn't.

I work more for less now and every one I know is in the same position.

 

Sorry for the negative outlook.

[Tree cutter Stu]

I've been running my biz for 7 years and it's going fine. Flyers worked a bit until the recession, now every single desperado from every trade does it and it doesn't work.

 

Competition between me and the cowboy/Gypo contingent is rife with no controls from local authorities or government. This is due to the publics mind set of thinking they can get 'the same thing, cheaper'.

 

If I was about to set up a new tree business knowing what I know now, I wouldn't.

I work more for less now and every one I know is in the same position.

 

Sorry for the negative outlook.

 

Good advice you and me are in what must be the two most populated area's for tree surgeons, Im in Guildford but work all over London and the se.We are lucking in a way as we live in town after town rather then a spread out area such as winchester where it is village after village.

 

My advice would be start of with a 200t and a 046 blower and hedge trimmer thats all you need at first.