Small-Business Advice: Tips For Running a High-Volume Landscaping Business

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So, you went into the landscaping business full-throttle, but you didn’t expect to get so much work so quickly. In fact, you probably thought you’d get a job or two here and there, and maybe even have the weekends to relax.

Well, congratulations! You’re obviously so good at your job that you’ve now found yourself with so much work that it’s becoming difficult to keep up. Don’t worry. Many Landscapers would love to be in your position. So, before you turn down that next job, let’s think things through a little bit.

The fact is, there are many ways you can keep up with the pace of business and not lose out on any contracts. Here, we’ll outline a few strategies you can implement to keep all of your contracts and keep that cash flowing into your bank account.

Expansion Doesn’t Mean Big Spending

Many business owners, whether in the hospitality industry or in blue-collar trade, all tend to have the same knee-jerk reactions when they find themselves swamped with work. The first instinct is to spend more, buy more equipment, or hire an entire platoon of workers.

Though this might be a suitable strategy in some industries, as a landscaper, you don’t want to spend all of the money that you’re making just to be able to take on other jobs. Essentially, this type of strategy defeats the entire purpose of being in business.

You might be surprised, but you really don’t need to spend a whole lot more when you find yourself with more work than you can handle. All you need to do is amp up your efforts a little, and make a few tweaks to what’s already working.

This is where a little ingenuity is required, along with using several available tools.

Equipment

Getting more jobs is naturally going to mean that you’ll need more equipment. If this is the case, and you find yourself needing to supply an additional crew, you don’t have to go out and buy an arsenal of brand new tools immediately.

If you find yourself in this situation, take advantage of equipment rentals. You can rent lawn mowers, weed eaters, and the like for far cheaper than buying them outright. In addition, you can also rent trucks. You can find ½ ton trucks and trailer rentals instead of buying them, which will prove to be highly cost-effective over time.

Employees

Naturally, you can’t expect to take on every job all by yourself, especially when you’re faced with a colossal workload. Hiring employees is a necessary expense that many business owners try to forego, but when the reality of your work schedule sets in, you’re going to have to seek help.

Again, you don’t have to go out and hire the best, most experienced landscapers in the business. These individuals might know what they’re doing, but they also expect to get paid accordingly.

Here, you can take advantage of your largely seasonal business and hire younger, less experienced help on a part-time basis. Consider this, high school students and college students are generally out of school in late spring and in the summer, and these are your peak business seasons. Many students will jump at the chance to grab a part-time summer job for a modest wage.

You don’t have to lowball a less-experienced worker, nor should you, but you also don’t have to pay them top dollar either.

Keeping the Cash

You’re going to want to keep one thing in mind; business will eventually slow down. This is just the natural ebb and flow of any business venture. You have peak times, and you also have downtime.

The best strategy is to capitalize on the good times when things are going in your favor and the cash is flowing. If you get a big windfall in between, that’s when you can buy that extra equipment you have your eye on, or hire a seasoned assistant for a higher wage. But, this isn’t something you want to do just to keep up with a workload.

Play the smart business game. Spend little, earn more, and there will come a time for you to finally relax on the weekends.

At the end of the day, you have the power to go into any business you choose, however, it’s still important to understand the ins and outs of what it takes to not only run a business, but a successful on at that. The landscaping business is a very lucrative industry if done right. You too can reap the benefits of a successful landscaping business by adhering to the tips listed above for they will indeed give you all the tools to start your business right. Before you know it, you’ll be booked through the next year!