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So maybe you have a green thumb or perhaps you really know how to work a weedeater and lately you’ve been thinking about starting your own business. One with no office, just sunshine and fresh air. Before walking away from your current job, however, you might want to read the tips below first. Sure, while the landscape market will top $80 billion in 2015 according to a Global Industry Report, branching out on your own can be risky. Below, we’ve shared some tips from the smart people at Nerd Wallet to help you get started off the right foot.
- Get hands-on experience: Consider taking a few horticulture classes at a local college and brush up on your knowledge about the plants that grow in your area. The best thing you can do? Get a job at a local landscaping company to not just learn about landscaping, but also the structure and organization of the company and how to manage employees and contractors.
- Join a landscape trade association: An association can “help you learn how to hire the right contractors, get the skills needed for difficult lawn care jobs, and hear firsthand from other business owners about what works and doesn’t work in their companies.” Large trade associations like the National Association of Landscape Professionals also offer certification programs.
- Create a year-round budget: Paying for mowers and heavy equipment is one of the biggest challenges to get started. Couple that with the fact that landscaping businesses are generally seasonal and you can probably see why it’s so important to make a budget. If you take out loans or a line of credit, make sure your budget has a plan to make payments even during slower months. To save some money, consider renting equipment. Renting allows you to pay for equipment only when you have a job lined up and helps with budgeting because you can see how often you used certain pieces of equipment and then plan for the following year.
To read the rest of the tips from Nerd Wallet, click here.
Rent Lawn Dethatchers for your Landscaping Project
Want to get the ball rolling on that lawn-care project? Contact Rent It Today for the landscaping and lawncare tool rentals you’ll need to get the job done. You’ll find lawn lawn dethatcher for rent and find lawn aerator rentals to accomplish that picture perfect lawn you only see in pictures.
