CANOPY

What we're building CANOPY to be — and what the UK green industry deserves in 2026

Most of us in this trade are running our businesses the same way we did 10 years ago. Spreadsheets that fall over. WhatsApp threads three deep. A diary in the van. An accountant we pay £80 a month to translate the chaos at year-end.

Meanwhile every other trade has been making do with the same generic field-service software. Tradify out of New Zealand. ServiceM8 out of Australia. Jobber out of Canada. Between them they'll happily sell to plumbers, sparks, cleaners, HVAC and yes the green industry too — same product, different industry tag in the dropdown. None built FOR the UK green industry. None built FOR the UK at all. None on HMRC's MTD recognised list for April 2026 — they're job management tools, not accounting tools, which means you still need separate software just to file. None understand that day-rate staff cost works differently to hourly, that a maintenance round and a landscape build are different financial animals, or that we live and quote out of our pockets.

And honestly, most of you reading this aren't even on those tools. You're running a paper diary, a Google Calendar three colours deep, WhatsApp groups with staff, separate texts to clients, photos in your camera roll, a spreadsheet at home that needs Sunday-night maintenance. It works. Just about. It doesn't tell you which jobs make money. It doesn't capture your numbers for MTD. It doesn't scale when you bring on a third or fourth pair of hands. It just barely holds.

Here's what we're building CANOPY to be:

The #1 job management portal for the UK green industry. Built for garden maintenance teams, landscape contractors, grounds management firms — anyone running visits, staff, clients and quotes from a phone. Everything in one place: scheduling, quoting, invoicing, project tracking, photos, notes. Mobile-first because that's where the work happens.

Honest numbers, in real time. Real labour cost per visit, day-rate or hourly. Materials at actual cost. Running costs daily, weekly, monthly. Your own pay accounted (most of us forget to factor this in and wonder why the year doesn't add up). Business profit per client, per visit, per period — surfaced in real time, not at year-end when it's too late to fix. See your real margin before you send the quote.

Stay ahead, not behind. Set revenue and profit targets you can actually track. Analytics that mean something for a green industry business. Built-in AI business coach that flags what to fix and where to grow — based on YOUR numbers, not generic SaaS advice from a Canadian vendor.

Compliance handled, accounting easier. Straight talk: we're new, not on HMRC's MTD submission list yet — that takes time and we'll earn it. What CANOPY does from day one is close the gap between your business and your accountant. Quarterly MTD-ready figures captured as you work. Clean CSV and PDF summaries your accountant submits from directly. And no separate QuickBooks or Xero subscription needed alongside your job management tool — CANOPY does both in one place.

The bigger ambition: the #1 tool for the UK green industry. Not "another option in a market dominated by foreign software" — the DEFAULT. Built here, by people who actually do this work, with feedback from the people who use it every day.

As the Founder I Genuinely Created this to solve my own business headaches, stress tested it for 6 months on my own business.

Built carefully, used daily, priced fairly, sold honestly, 30 day free trial NOW!

Founding member spots still open at 50% off for life. Link in profile.

What do you think this trade actually needs?

— Max Founder, CANOPY ·

thecanopyapp.com

Hi Peter,

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Honestly, 45 years in this trade is something else. That's not a career, it's a craft — the kind of instinctive feel you build over decades, where you can read a bank statement and just know what a job was worth before any app or spreadsheet would tell you. Keeping blue-chip clients that long with zero churn isn't luck either — that's quality and trust earned the right way. Someone with your years of experience would honestly be invaluable in shaping an app like this into the number one admin tool for the industry and helping the next generation in the trade.

For companies like yours — settled routine, trusted clients, regular staff, 45 years of intuition — it's entirely possible you're already in a good place and don't need to dial in the finer details to plan team growth or client round expansion. That's totally fine.

For what it's worth, I run my own garden and landscape company too — Mini Acres Garden co, alongside building Canopy — so I'm not pitching at the trade from the outside. Canopy isn't built to replace systems for people who've already cracked it. It's for operators trying to develop the instincts you've spent 45 years sharpening, and for the Making Tax Digital changes from April 2026 that are forcing digital records on the rest of us whether we asked for them or not.

Real respect for the years you've put in. If you ever find yourself needing software because of MTD, feel free to reach out directly and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Kind regards, Max

Replies

Peter sellers May 25, 2026 at 8:25am

How on earth have I managed to build and run a business which has a six figure turnover over the last 45 years with blue chip clients and zero churn rate without any of this tech crap . No spreadsheets. Whats app. Google calendar here , no need I have natures gift of a brain that can read a bank statement, works out the profitability of each and every job. Have the time or inclination to input the info when I can use that time to make money, no thanks.
- Max alam > Peter sellers May 25, 2026 at 2:03pm
  
  Hi Peter,
  
  Thanks for taking the time to reply.
  
  Honestly, 45 years in this trade is something else. That's not a career, it's a craft — the kind of instinctive feel you build over decades, where you can read a bank statement and just know what a job was worth before any app or spreadsheet would tell you. Keeping blue-chip clients that long with zero churn isn't luck either — that's quality and trust earned the right way. Someone with your years of experience would honestly be invaluable in shaping an app like this into the number one admin tool for the industry and helping the next generation in the trade.
  
  For companies like yours — settled routine, trusted clients, regular staff, 45 years of intuition — it's entirely possible you're already in a good place and don't need to dial in the finer details to plan team growth or client round expansion. That's totally fine.
  
  For what it's worth, I run my own garden and landscape company too — Mini Acres Garden co, alongside building Canopy — so I'm not pitching at the trade from the outside. Canopy isn't built to replace systems for people who've already cracked it. It's for operators trying to develop the instincts you've spent 45 years sharpening, and for the Making Tax Digital changes from April 2026 that are forcing digital records on the rest of us whether we asked for them or not.
  
  Real respect for the years you've put in. If you ever find yourself needing software because of MTD, feel free to reach out directly and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
  
  Kind regards, Max
  - Peter sellers > Max alam May 25, 2026 at 2:18pm
    
    Thanks for your considered reply Max
    
    Trade as a partnership so escaping MTD at mo and will be retiring soon so hopefully will escape all this nonsense that governments want to burden us with.
    - Max alam > Peter sellers May 25, 2026 at 4:40pm
      
      Appreciate you replying back Peter. Sounds like you've got the timing just right — partnership structure plus retirement on the horizon is perfect timing for you.
      
      Wishing you a well-earned retirement after 45 years in the trade.
      
      All the best, Max
    - PRO
      
      Simon Land > Peter sellers May 27, 2026 at 9:21am
      
      Hi Peter and Max,
      
      Peter - unfortunately I don't think you have received a considered response to your feedback to Max's post. When I read it the first thing I noticed in his first paragraph was 'this sounds like an AI response', mainly because of the language style, but also because it has been copied and pasted in. So Max hasn't responded to you with his own words...no doubt tweaked it...but not an authentic response. Is that right or wrong? Who knows, certainly not me, but possibly you deserve a little more.
      
      Max - Fully respect what you are trying to build and do. Far beyond anything I could manage so I'm not throwing shade. But if you are trying to sell your product to people, they will respond better of they get the authentic you and, speaking only for me, it would put me off a product that otherwise could be interesting, if I was talking to a bot and not Max.
      - Max alam > Simon Land May 28, 2026 at 1:06am
        
        Hi Simon, Appreciate your valued feedback and response.
        
        Ai can help in many ways but it cannot replace authenticity, so i honestly do agree, however i will also be honest, and ( this is just me personally ) whenever i have to send a formal, well thought out message i do tend to get Ai to proof read it and check for spelling errors etc, but the thinking behind every response is mine. My main aim is to help other professionals in the trade, so im just trying to remain professional at all times, i will definitely take your feedback on board Simon, thank you.
        
        Kindest Regards