[ds99ds]

Hi, thanks for the opportunity to put this out there. I'm very interested in hearing any of your thoughts on my intentions as I don't know just how many elements of my plan would indicate that I am out of my mind.

I am about to go into the garden design business in a few weeks and am doing it cold! As if that were not bad enough I am 56 yrs old, in good shape but certainly do not have the stamina that I once had. I have a beautiful set of gardens and a pond and 50ft stream that I built myself - I am a gardening and even more so, a plant/horticultural fanatic. I have taken many landscape design courses at the NYBG (NY Botanical Gardens) and I'm quite knowledgeable in marketing, sales, contracts, client management in general, and reasonably knowledgeable about garden design and NE range of plants for most horticultural segments: ground cover/perennials/shrubs, etc.

My goal is to stay small by creating small gardens for homeowners. My goal is to make a profit of about $20,000 the first year, $40,000 the second year and plateau at about $50-$60k thereafter. I live in an affluent area - Fairfield county, CT, so all costs, prices, expectations would be more at the high-end of any $ range. I would hope to do this for maybe the next 6-8 years. That’s it.

I don't want to compete with the more professional services so I'm looking for a niche where I can survive. My primary service would be to sell designs for, and install as needed, perennial flower beds. Additional services would be creating more natural-looking residential properties using some massing of ornamental grasses and understory trees, and building small ponds and streams. I would use day laborers, as I have in the past for my property and a few small jobs I've done for others. I know that might be an issue where I haven't fully considered all the ramifications. Overhead would hopefully be extremely lean.

My primary advertising "angle" would be to advertise a "plant by numbers" service to homeowners who think they want to do the garden themselves. I would come to the property, locate and design a bed, and offer to acquire, sell and ship the plants to the homeowner, mostly through specialty nurseries. I would charge $200 for the single visit and garden layout. I would expect some of these buyers would turn back to me to do the install. I will have a website, and will advertise through: direct mailers, local paper, penny saver, buy some google adwords, and try to speak at local libraries, try to network through local nurseries and people in the trade.

I expect some huge learning curve this first season along with surprises, exhaustion, and who-knows-what-else, but expect to be in decent shape come 2009 which begins in just a year from now. I expect to be fairly slack in the summer months and nov-feb, of course.

Can this be done? I'm I delusional? What do you think I’ll find come late april, no sales? Deluged by cheap-ass customers? Angry wife?

thanks so much for taking the time to read this and for your responses. David

[Stonehenge]

Not at all. If you have some connections with some affluent folks in nice neighborhoods, there's no reason you can't do exactly what you want to do. Case in point - my folks used to live in a really nice neighborhood in Clarkston, MI. In that neighborhood there were a few residents who had their landscaping done by an old woman by the name of Ethel. Ethel was in her late 50's or 60's with a reportedly slight build. And she did all of her landscaping from out of her Lincoln continental.

Yes, her Lincoln. And yes, these were high end scapes. My folks probably ended up spending $70K to have their yard "Ethelized." She had helpers do the grunt work and used subs for anything really large. The projects usually took longer to complete, but she was such a joy to work with that the clients didn't seem to mind.

I believe she had extensive experience in horticulture, and her forte was the plantings. But I always got a chuckle hearing about how my folks were having this smallish older woman, working out of her older model luxury car, doing scapes worth up to six figures.

So yeah, it can be done.

[Dot Pecson]

Sounds like you're enthusiastic for your new direction - that'll carry you far!

It's good that you have the prospect of getting some very nice photos of your work. And your educational credentials are impressive as well. Shouldn't be too hard for your prospects to accept you as an expert.

I also like that you'll be targeting smaller jobs for homeowners. That right there could be a nice USP. Don't limit yourself to "plant-by-numbers" or perennial beds only - I like your concept of natural-looking yards, personally. Incorporate all these into your USP as your "areas of specialization" or something like that.

Hey, I'm on my 3rd career - and will turn 59 this spring. Good for you on tackling what you love.

GOFER IT!
Dot

[Fine Edge]

David,
It doesn't seem nuts at all to me. Remember, in this world, being nuts seems like part of the norm.
Go for it, it seems like you know exactly what your niche will be. That's a good thing.
Let us know how the venture goes or feel free to post any other questions. You'll find this forum one of the most professional on the web.

[Ston Wurks]

Yeah, you're nuts

[Terre]

Ok so there are two of us ready for the nuthouse. But my thought is, when they lock me away, if I'm really really nice, they might let me dig in the window box with a teaspoon?

Your business plan is exactly where I was last year. Only yours is more thought out, and mine was pretty much accidental. I did my yard, and a neighbors, and then a friends, and then someone asked how much to do theirs, and it kind of mushroomed from there.

By the end of the summer I was in business. At 53. I guess I'm kind of an Ethyl. Without the Lincoln. I use the 27 year old station wagon I raised my kids in.

I'm still totally amazed that people will actually pay me to play in the dirt and spend their money on flowers!

I focus on small jobs. Usually. Until the small jobs get bigger. And somehow, they usually do. I advertise myself as a gardener but still get calls for the full range of landscaping. It lets me pick and choose what I do.

There truely is a niche for us. Many of the larger companies have enough overhead they can't afford to do these type jobs. It isn't profitable. And I pick up a lot of jobs behind guys who are so focused on higher profit hardscape, that they fail to listen to what the homeowner wants.

Case in point, one of my current jobs is for a young couple who bought their home last fall, and want to hold their wedding in June in the back yard. Another landscaper quoted them a $50,000 redo of the back yard. Yes, it's a $400k home. But he obvoiusly didn't listen when they told him they were paying for their own wedding, and starting a business, and had recently closed on the home. $50K wasn't even in the ballpark. They just wanted a beautiful place for their wedding. For a whole lot less, I'm going to ensure their grass is lush and green, they have perimeter planting beds with lots of texture and color, and she will have a backdrop of giant blue delphiniums for her ceremony. Then next year, we'll do the rest of my design plan.

I do very much as you are saying. No free estimates. If they want me there, they will pay either a design charge or an hourly rate. With a minimum. It serves multiple purposes, but primarily eliminates the tire kickers who have gotten 7 'free estimates' and it presents you as more of an expert.

As a suggestion, do NOT preset your design fee. I learned that lesson this month. Mine was set at $250. I currently have a client in an area who should have had a postage stamp yard to design. It turned out to be a 10,000 sq ft back yard, that is a total scrape and redo, with the worlds biggest PITA clients. Set a limit on the # of changes to the plan you will do for your fee. If these people accept the latest revision to the plan, I'll probably have made about .50 per hour on this project. No way in hell am I doing their install.

Again, from my experience, I think your advertising plan is too broad. Penny saver will get you exactly that. Penny savers. Skip that one unless it's free. And I don't think you are big enough for google ads yet. Too widespread. Doorhangers in the neighborhoods you want to target, mailers, (more than once), are much more effective for what you want to accomplish this year. One thing I'm getting some milage out of is church bulletins. It targets the neighborhood you want since most people don't drive clear across town to go to church, and for some reason, there seems to be a built in layer of trust there. Go figure.

Market yourself as an expert in the 'unique' and 'distinctive'. One of my more effective ads asks "Are you tired of boring, cookie cutter landscapes you see with the same exact plants at every house?"

Another of my ads focuses on DIYers. I draw up the plans, they tell me which parts they feel comfortable doing for themselves either with or without supervision, and I do the rest. It is a big draw, especially for younger couples. It is also a bigger pain to bid. Build in an hourly rate for education and supervision. I'm still working on this one, but at the moment, I am simply bidding the job, and allowing for the homeowner what I would pay unskilled manual labor or I'm separating out and not bidding at all on the part they are going to do, i.e. laying sod.

Investigate the wholesale nurseries in your area. You might be surprised what they have, and at the savings. I use a combination of local nurseries, mail order, since most of Denver thinks there are only 6 varieties of things like hostas or heucheras.

Ok, way to verbose here. Feel free to email me. Maybe we can help each other learn.

Don't get scared. This really is fun!

[Malrex]

You aren't crazy at all! Go for it!

Being the "small guy" is alot of fun. I work by myself and love it. I've worked hard on developing relationships with the other landscape companies near me. They toss my name around for projects that are too small for them and sometimes sub contract out to me to help them build some nice ponds. It doesn't happen all the time, but I much prefer this "landscape business community" than a highly competitive dog eat dog situation.
Sounds like you have thought some things out and you have the enthusiasm...so far I think you are on the right track.

[fakie99]

Originally Posted by Stonehenge

Not at all. If you have some connections with some affluent folks in nice neighborhoods, there's no reason you can't do exactly what you want to do. Case in point - my folks used to live in a really nice neighborhood in Clarkston, MI. In that neighborhood there were a few residents who had their landscaping done by an old woman by the name of Ethel. Ethel was in her late 50's or 60's with a reportedly slight build. And she did all of her landscaping from out of her Lincoln continental.

Yes, her Lincoln. And yes, these were high end scapes. My folks probably ended up spending $70K to have their yard "Ethelized." She had helpers do the grunt work and used subs for anything really large. The projects usually took longer to complete, but she was such a joy to work with that the clients didn't seem to mind.

I believe she had extensive experience in horticulture, and her forte was the plantings. But I always got a chuckle hearing about how my folks were having this smallish older woman, working out of her older model luxury car, doing scapes worth up to six figures.

So yeah, it can be done.

clarkston, mi?! that's where i grew up (before it turned into the high dollar district). it's also where i got my start in the green industry. in fact, there were landscape companies there just tapping into the huge wealth coming into that area - a $200,000-1M landscape job was not unheard of. you're not from there originally are you jeff?

[Stonehenge]

No - I grew up in the Rochester-Utica area. But we did work in that area - also before the big houses started going up. I'd tell you the name of the subdivision and where it was located but I just can't remember. But I recall this - something in the covenants required grindstone (I believe that was what it was called - all grey, rounded corners) to be used whenever retaining wall or natural step work was done. Has to be 3,000 tons of the stuff in this subdivision.

[HardDaysKnight]

Go for it David.
Give them a shopping list, how-to's,
even set up deliveries for them.
Make good money and let the DIY-ers do the
dirty work!

[Stonehenge]

Well, look who stopped in?

[Lanelle]

Hey HDK! Good to see you here.

[Chris Heiler]

Congratulations David!

It can be done. A very good friend of mine is 74 years old and operates a large gardening company with over 20 employees. She started her company at 54.

I would suggest taking the advice from Malrex in the post above about building relationships with others in the landscape industry. Try to get referrals from these larger companies for the small projects they dont want. I have 2 or 3 designers I happily and confidently refer to homeowners all the time.

Are you also going to be offering on-going gardening services beyond design and installation? If so, I would recommend building strong relationships with the best designers in the area-both independant designers and the designers at design/build companies. Case in point, I refer my friend, whom I mentioned above, to all of my clients when I've completed their projects. Many other designers in my area refer her as well. This approach could give you long-term consistent work to go along with your own design and installation projects.

Think about spending your time and money focusing on building these relationships before you spend a dime on advertising. Offer to take the best designers in your area out to lunch and talk to them about how you can be of value to each other. What's the cost- $30.00 and a couple of hours?