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Arrange your work hours so that you have time to start your part-time business. You can start on week-ends, but an ideal schedule would be to have two or three weekdays off and work nights so that you can put in some hours on
other days.
By now you should have time, equipment, and knowledge (or working on that by studying). Now you need work. To get this you need to advertise. How and where you advertise depends on your budget and your market.
For gardeners and landscapers I would recommend that you start with residential work and add commercial work later. For interiorscapers work is almost all commercial.
To acquire residential work there are several ways. They are presented below in order of cost and are rated for effectiveness.
*Word-of-mouth. Recommendations. Cheapest and best, but requires that you already have done some work. *Door-to-door. Cheap, but ineffective and time consuming. If you have no alternatives then pick new areas with new homes and upper income areas. *Flyers. More costly than door-to-door, but no more effective. *Newspaper classified ads. Very effective. Try to use a small direct mail weekly that allows you target specific zip code zones. Weekly direct mail publications with names like Pennysaver, Advisor, etc. are your best bet. Your money will be better spent than in large city daily. *Yellow pages. Very Expensive. Not a good place to put limited dollars when just getting started, but effective at later stages of your business growth.
Most successful service business that are growing get most of their leads (prospective customers) from word-of-mouth and newspaper ads. A classified in a direct mailed weekly can be as low as $30.00 per zip code zone. I would recommend type of weekly that consists mainly of classified ads and display ads.
To acquire commercial work is completely different. This requires print advertising in local business magazines or upscale monthly magazines that reach upper income people in your city. It also requires direct mail campaigns to businesses you are trying attract as customers and direct (door-to-door) solicitation. An ad in Yellow Pages is a must for attracting commercial work.
If you advertise in Yellow Pages use phone company Yellow Pages and not an imitation. You money will be much better spent.
Once you start advertising you will not immediately get work. First you must bid on job, that is give prospective customer a summary of what you intend to do and what it will cost. This is part that will make or break you.
The lowest price does not always get job. In fact, we don't recommend trying to get work by price alone. Charge what you are worth, what you what, and what quality work will pay in your market. Let competition work for less. The person that gets job is usually person who gives most professional presentation. This means knowing what you are doing. Being able to estimate time and materials necessary for job. Presenting yourself and your service in a professional way.
Always be on time for a bid. Never miss a bid (if something does come up, call and change appointment). I won more jobs because nobody else showed up then you would care to know about. Just being there is half battle.
Dress neatly. Wear a uniform, if possible. Sears sells uniform shirts and pants in many different colors. It does not have to have your company name on it to look like a uniform (although that is a nice touch). Be conservative in your appearance and hair style. Remember, even in your own business you are not completely your own boss — customer is. Often job goes to person customer felt most comfortable about.
Look professional. Carry a clipboard to take notes. Have some sort of pre-printed estimate sheet to provide to customer. Use a brochure (if you can afford it) to describe your services. Have business cards.
If you have done all this, then do not sell yourself short. Charge an appropriate rate. Don't worry about those who will not pay your price. You only need those who will.
From here on in it is simply a matter of acquiring work and doing it. Do an excellent job and you will have more work then you can handle. As work fills up your available work hours start considering your move to leave your present job. Perhaps find a part-time job to fill gap. Eventually you will have no need for an outside job. Your business will provide for all your needs.
As your business grows you can grow with it. Move carefully and do not overextend yourself. Keep your overhead low. Only spend money when it is an investment that will return profits. Eventually you may hire employees, salespeople, rent an office, etc., but by that time you should be making enough money to afford it.
Once you have started and are moving successfully forward, your next problem will be growth and how you handle it. Rapid growth has killed many businesses. But if you keep a close eye on your books, watch which jobs are profitable and which are not, know exactly why and where you are making money or losing money then you should have no trouble.
Good Luck! __________________________________________
About Author:
Jack Stone is a Contributing Editor for ProGardenBiz Magazine, an online magazine for professional gardeners and landscape contractors. Visit ProGardenBiz to find out how you can get a free subscription, start-up guidance, business ideas and inspiration at http://www.progardenbiz.com.
Jack Stone is a Contributing Editor for ProGardenBiz Magazine, an online magazine for professional gardeners and landscape contractors. Visit ProGardenBiz to find out how you can get a free subscription, start-up guidance, business ideas and inspiration at http://www.progardenbiz.com.
