Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
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I am probably one of the least ambitious on here. Never had a sign written van, minimal advertising(Small ad in Thompsons Local - don't even have that now!)) no website etc. We relied on a name board outside out jobs, word of mouth and the quality of our work to do the talking. Did it work? Well, in September we will celebrate our 40th year in business, from two of us, I employ 3 full time(4 in the summer), plus myself and that's enough for me to keep on top of things and earn a decent amount. We are never short of work and I have priced out 3 new maintenance jobs in the last week.
It doesn't work for everyone and your location will have a great deal to do with your sustainability and expansion.
Well done, 40 years is quite an achievement. Hope you are going to celebrate :)
I have a sign written van and a website, as those were things I could just do myself when it was quiet, but I don't plan on any other forms of advertising.
I suppose I a taking a long term view in that there are only so many hours we can work, and eventually those hours will all be full. Then I can pick and choose new customers, while dropping the ones that I don't want as much. Or take on staff, and eventually take a back seat in the business.
I had my landscaping/maintenance business for 21 years.
Growth (and contraction) came via different routes. In the early days I used a small amount of local newspaper advertising coupled with word of mouth.
Later on I took out magazine adverts, took first tee sponsorship at my local golf Prp/Am event, had bigger adverts in the local paper and did some local radio advertising. I even sponsored a prize at Sport Aid at the Grovenor House Hotel in London.
I also regularly sent letters of introduction to local office/factory facility managers and to bursars at private schools (private school work became a lucrative focus for our commercial maintenance operation).
I had different levels of success over the years but my biggest attribute was the quality of service we provided.
Above I mention contraction. Every 2-3 years I undertook a deliberate level of subtraction to re-focus. I alwasy tried to work out the least profitable contracts and ditch them and also re-focus on the juicier landscape contracts.
It's not always easy to hold an objective view when so close to ones business.
I certainly didn't have the internet or Landscape Juice to help me:-))
Well I'm certainly glad to have landscape juice to help me, it's such a fountain of knowledge.
I suppose I am just going through one of my many self reflective times. I am starting to put into place a FIRE plan (Financially Independent Retire Early) so I can enjoy my later years without working too much. I am assuming this is what you did Phil, or along those lines, is that correct?
"I am starting to put into place a FIRE plan (Financially Independent Retire Early) so I can enjoy my later years without working too much. I am assuming this is what you did Phil, or along those lines, is that correct?"
That kind of was the plan Graham. Although I still work long hours, often 7 days a week. I make rustic kitchens alongside of running LJN.
My plan when I sold my business and moved to France certainly didn't include re-visiting my old profession. However, 10 years later, here I am still in the thick of things:)
My wife and I own a 20 acre farm deep in rural France on the back of my 21 years of working in the landscape industry and together with her career has helped us be mortgage free (I as 39 when I sold my business). We still need to earn an income though.
I have to say that I do like to work, especially when I'm creatively working with my hands building kitchens.
My view might differ slightly to your FIRE scenario in the sense that I wanted to enjoy the whole journey rather than necessarily just seek financial security for when I retire.
My recent news has caused me to re-evaluate things once again.
By all means put your plan in place Graham, but when it comes to it, providing you are in good health, it's not so easy - I could retire tomorrow, but choose to carry on. Admittedly I have knocked the Landscaping projects on the head and concentrate on maintenance, but to be honest, I really enjoy getting out and about, restoring gardens, lawns and always looking forward. I now work 3 days a week, with a couple on the golf course and get away for weekends and 3 or 4 nice holidays a year.
When I say retire, I mean it in a 'retire from having to work' kind of way, which it sounds like you guys have accomplished. I plan to keep working in some form, I just want it to be a choice not a necessity :-)
I've had a website made as I want to focus on commercial work.
I'm sure if I'd pushed more advertised more I would have been at this stage sooner.
However it makes no difference if the phone rings or not as I've always got plenty to do.
As long as I continue to do a good job I will never be short of work now.