Hello and business start up advice

Hello all, new to the site and lucky to stumble on as some great advice and knowledge on these boards.

My recent background has been more in habitat management doing scrub clearance etc sub contracting for for local contractors but have since started landscaping again as contracts are thin on the ground (winter work mainly nothing through spring-summer) and full-time employment in the conservation sector is difficult to break into to say the least (tried for two years since 2011 finishing my BTEC level 3 btec in countryside management to get full time employment even after full-time volunteering and contract work)

Previous to this up to 2009 I was landscaping and have worked for companies and a franchise - Scenic Blue landscapes but in went under in 2007 (anyone heard of them?)

I'm in the second month of going it alone in landscaping and fencing and have set up a small company in Norwich. Work has been a bit hit and miss and much has come from the likes of rated people and contacts with property management companies but not much domestic at present(hopefully this will change in the coming month)

How do you guys go about advertising and what works for you? Im starting to wonder whether online is actually worth it for the cost and maybe better proactive advertising with flyers ads etc locally or balancing a mixture of both?

I'm struggling with pricing jobs too as I want to be competative - I charge £12 -15 per hour maintenance but price up for fencing and bigger jobs. fencing is usaully £100 ish a day for panel fencing/concrete posts. I'm not not getting offers from property management companies for work after doing quotes on these prices but wonder if they want cheap labour most of the time or I need to lower from domestic prices?

Currently I have cs 30, 31 and brushcutter - is their any other worth getting ?

I'm looking at PA1 & 6 and B + E.

alot here but any comments/ pointers or advice welcome !

Alex

Alex Compton said:

Hi Matt and Phil, Thanks for you reply..Sone good advice here..I agree word of mouth is the best form of advetising..and I'm sure this will grow as some customers have been asking me what else I do after I have done fencing etc which has lead to continued work with.. although this has slowed at the mo..

I'm working on my online presence too and have a website i'm working on plus advertising on google and some ads with local guides and magazines etc.. I'm finding I cant actually afford to get more advetising at present but hopefully after a few more jobs I will.

I agree on pricing...I have started to accumulate overheads like said advertising, a temporary garage for storage of raw materials (I live in a flat !), transport, tools, plant hire etc ...I should look at increasing my charges to cover these over a month.

I live in the centre of Norwich so there is a lot of competition from local companies...maybe I should concentrate in targetting some larger towns/villages outside of the city with a leaflet campaign as you mentioned.

Phil - your right - I should take stock of strengths and weaknesses and build on them..I guess its building confidence in your delivery which in turn gives you the confidence in sales and pricing..basically what you think your worth.

Ive put out emails to some local fencing and landscape copmanies for subbing ..waiting to hear back...one established Norwich based fencing company said on there answer phone 'we are fully booked til the end April !' ...there odviously making a packet !

Replies

Matt Johnson February 22, 2014 at 6:07pm

I have only been in business for 6 months and nothing beats word of mouth.. however the next best thing for me is a strong online presence.. that has done my business wonders. A well targeted leaflet campaign can also do very well.

don't sell yourself short, People charge up to £30 an hour for maintenance and £100 a day is bordering on the cheap side too in my opinion. Just remember your business needs to turn a profit to cover overheads etc not just a daily wage for yourself.

If work is a bit short why not look into working as a subby as well for some larger companies just to fill up the diary while your business grows. Thats what i have done and now i am full to bursting point. 90% is my own stuff and a few days every now and then as a subby.
PRO

Phil Voice February 22, 2014 at 6:19pm

Hi Alex

Welcome to LJN:)

£12 is on the low side IMO, especially with your experience.

I would write down all of your strengths and weaknesses to determine where your strengths lie. I'd then create a marketing campaign that celebrates these skills and push them positively.
Alex Compton February 22, 2014 at 6:37pm

Alex Compton said:
Hi Matt and Phil, Thanks for you reply..Sone good advice here..I agree word of mouth is the best form of advetising..and I'm sure this will grow as some customers have been asking me what else I do after I have done fencing etc which has lead to continued work with.. although this has slowed at the mo..

I'm working on my online presence too and have a website i'm working on plus advertising on google and some ads with local guides and magazines etc.. I'm finding I cant actually afford to get more advetising at present but hopefully after a few more jobs I will.

I agree on pricing...I have started to accumulate overheads like said advertising, a temporary garage for storage of raw materials (I live in a flat !), transport, tools, plant hire etc ...I should look at increasing my charges to cover these over a month.

I live in the centre of Norwich so there is a lot of competition from local companies...maybe I should concentrate in targetting some larger towns/villages outside of the city with a leaflet campaign as you mentioned.

Phil - your right - I should take stock of strengths and weaknesses and build on them..I guess its building confidence in your delivery which in turn gives you the confidence in sales and pricing..basically what you think your worth.

Ive put out emails to some local fencing and landscape copmanies for subbing ..waiting to hear back...one established Norwich based fencing company said on there answer phone 'we are fully booked til the end April !' ...there odviously making a packet !
Benedict Simmons February 22, 2014 at 8:48pm

Hi Alex, Welcome to LJN.

Best of luck with the new start up. Lot's of great information hear. One of the best ways to find good information is using the search tool at the top of the page.

Agree with Phil on your pricing, your overheads will have to remain very low to maintain charging £12/h.

With a website, keep it simple and I would avoid the build your own website route unless you are good at it.

Best of luck
Lawncare-4u.co.uk February 22, 2014 at 10:27pm

how long were scenic blue operating?

are you offering maintenance also?
Russ Francis February 23, 2014 at 9:17am

Hi Alex, good luck in your new venture !

Costs and overheads build up surprisingly quickly, once you add up licences, insurance, vehicles, tools, accountants etc. and you'll need to figure out a pricing structure to take these into account.

If you're considering targeting flyers for more affluent areas, I found this link/map very useful posted I think by someone on here a while ago (thank you whoever you were !) Blue areas on the map are more affluent, red not so much.