First off apologies as I am sure this has been asked before time and time again but I am considering gardening as a second career.
I retire from the police in April 2025 and although I will have a pension I will still need to work and want to work. I could get a civilian job within policing fairly easily BUT I am not sure I want to spend anymore years behind a desk.
I have always hanckered after running my own business in addition my 14 year old son has some educational issues so building a business I could eventually pass to him is interesting.
In a previous life many years ago I was a bricklayer and I am in the last throws of building a big extension on my house. I will be 53 when I retire so not a young man but I am not scared of hard work. Property maintenance is perhaps the obvious choice as a business but I wonder if it is too generic and I should focus on something more specific. I wonder if I should focus on becoming really good at something rather than a jack of all trades.
With just over a year to plan I could get my head into some serious prep with some qualifications if required. I am thinking more of garden maintenance but I would like to be knowledgeable enough to know what are weeds and how certain plants should be treated.
I guess my main concerns are around a saturated market and getting enough work. When I see a post on Facebook with someone requesting some garden work there always seems to be a raft of recommendations. I know there are a whole bunch of people working out of their cars for next to nothing. I don't want to be that person I want to charge a fair price good work but how do you compete with someone working for £15 an hour.
I live in Gloucestershire with a mix or big rural houses and housing estates.
Sorry for rambling on but happy to listen to advice.
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Well when I started I was a bit older than you... (by about 7 years!) . I had always been a hobby gardener, having learnt off my Mum (an excellent gardener). I'd come out of 30 years in IT + a mixture of things before that. When I started I would do virtually anything to keep my days full - but as the gardening took hold I actively avoided all those internal hanyman jobs.
THere are normally people selling their rounds, or its easish to start up from scratch - I'd join this group as a Professional, you will then have access to stuff behind the scenes, and get more help from people
Good luck
Thanks Adam that is interesting to know that you think that joining as a professional is worthwhile. I guess buying a business is a possibility but bizarrely I quite like the idea of starting from scratch.
Did you go for any formal qualifications or was it just using and building your experience.
Rob, as Adam says decide on a core business whether that be property or garden maintenance. Can't advise on the property option but knowing what I know now after 40 years plus in the trade I would go down the property maintenance route as you already have a knowledge base to build on whereas from what you say you have little knowledge of gardening? Yes these things can be learned but do you want to enroll on courses ? I learn't the trade from doing the job , initially part time and blagged my way through the first few years gaining knowledge from books, but even if you take formal education it takes some years to gain the experience, yes with the internet and a smart phone you can get by , taking photos on the job to get pruning advice etc.
The other things you need to consider for the garden option is capital which can be sizeable for a vehicle and decent quality kit, assume you will have tools already for property maintenance apart from a suitable vehicle?
Is there a market for garden maintenance in your area? As you have already alluded to it's a crowded market with a race to the bottom on price in the domestic market , we pulled out of this area a long time ago as the commercial market is far more lucrative, albeit with higher entry level costs.
Talking from experience trying to get a tradesman to do household repairs is akin to buying a winning lottery ticket ! There is a substantial market there, and I'm sure you will find it far easier to enter this market rather than garden maintenance and it appears you already have the skill set? Also less weather / season dependent.
Hope that helps.
Thanks Pete in someways Property Maintenace would make sense but I think chancers offering cheap labour effects both services.
I am happy to enrol on courses and I do enjoy learning.
Please keep the replies coming to entice me in or drive me away.
Rob, I've tried to make you aware , based on a very long time in the industry of the problems that face you. I don't wish to put you off should you decide that garden maintenance is the way to go but as John says you will be competing against all the cash in hand chancers.
I would forget the courses and concentrate on reading books to improve your knowledge, in my experience domestic customers are on the whole firstly concerned with cost and secondly reliability very few will expect an exhaustive plant knowledge nor be interested they just want their lawns and hedges cut. I see your biggest problems as getting work and secondly making it pay . The only way to get a decent rate is price work and you will find it difficult to gauge this with no experience, once you start quoting say £30 hour which is the absolute minimum you should be charging you"ll find that the potential client will not pay what they perceive as expensive but will happily pay £70 hr plus vat to have their car serviced !
No much appreciated Peter I don't want anything sugar coated and I think all your points are valid.
If you have a passion for gardening then I highly recommend reading "" start and run a gardening business by Paul Power ) The later edition is more up to date with online marketing advice
If you have a passion for business and want to hit the ground running you have to seriously consider your existing skill set as Peter points out there is a huge demand for property maintenance and if it's something your son could be involved with it's worth exploring and investing in courses more specialised such as plumbing , electrical skills etc .
Gardening is low entry and so many people are making it a life style choice or it's a side hussle so there is lots of competition out there today but there is also a huge demand but translating that demand into a viable business requires attention to the quality and opportunity which exists within your market or area no matter how much knowledge you have or how hard you work .
I found no matter what van I drove or how smart I turned up or what branded kit I invested in they were all for my benefit .
The customer only asks one question and that is how much will it cost ? Often followed by ow much ??
End of day the maths has to add up
Also forgot to add some of the RHS day courses fruit pruning etc are worth exploring I find mentally they get me into the zone .
Thanks John I have been looking at the RHS level 2 Horticultural Course
I've done parts of the course as other courses.
But to do the whole course you need to take 30 Fridays off work. When I was looking at it I had too much work on
to do that. Now I only work 4 days anyway.
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