how to write a business plan for a landscape company

Landscaping Company Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Landscaping Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your landscaping business plan.

We have helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their landscaping companies.

Landscaping Business Plan Example

Below is a sample landscaping business plan and template to help you create each section of your landscaping business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service is a startup landscaping business located in Dallas, Texas. The company is founded by John Martinez, an experienced entrepreneur who has gained valuable knowledge on how to manage a landscaping business during the past five years while working as the manager at Lake Landscaping & Lawn Care. Now that John has experienced managing a landscaping business, he is ready to start his own company, Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service. John is confident that his landscaping skills, combined with his understanding of business management, will enable him to run a profitable landscaping company of his own. John is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of residential landscaping – sales and marketing, scheduling, customer service, financial management, and landscaper training and support.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will provide a variety of professional landscaping and lawn care services for residential customers in Dallas, Texas. Beautiful Gardens will be the go-to landscaping business in Dallas for high quality landscaping services of all kinds. The company will be the ultimate choice for prompt, reliable, and courteous customer service that goes above and beyond the competitors.

Product Offering

The following are the services that Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will provide:

• Lawn Care and Chemical Application
• Landscape Maintenance
• Landscape Design
• Landscape Construction
• Trimming and Pruning
• Trees and Ornamental Planting and Care
• Perimeter Pest Control
• Vegetation Management
• Gardening and Plant Care Consulting Services

Customer Focus

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will target homeowners in Dallas. The company will also target owners of multi-family residential buildings such as apartment complexes and condominiums. No matter the customer, Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will deliver the best communication, service, and high quality landscaping.

Management Team

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will be owned and operated by John Martinez. John is a graduate of Texas University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He has over five years of experience working as a manager for another local landscaping business. John will be the company’s Chief Executive Officer. He will steer the vision of the business and provide direction for the other managers and executives of the company.

John has recruited a landscaping expert, Lisa Smith, to be the company’s Chief Operating Officer and help oversee the business operations. Lisa will handle the day-to-day operations, including training the landscape personnel, providing consultation services, and overseeing the landscape design process. Lisa is a graduate of California University with a degree in Landscaping Design.

John and Lisa have recruited an experienced marketing director, Robert Johnson, to become a member of the Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service management team. Robert is a graduate of the University of Maine with a Master’s degree in Sales and Marketing. John and Lisa rely on Robert’s expertise to execute the company’s marketing plan and advertising strategies.

Success Factors

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Skilled team of landscaping experts who will oversee the process and conduct inspections regularly to ensure all landscapers are adhering to stringent quality standards.
• Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service makes it easy for customers to obtain its services. The company uses a proprietary software application to engage with customers and ensure transparency throughout the process. Customers can use the app to schedule service, pay their bill, monitor the work being done, leave feedback, and receive customer support. For customers who prefer to communicate in person or over the phone, the company maintains an office space with a customer support representative available during regular business hours every day of the week.
• The company offers competitive pricing and discounts for regular customers.

Financial Highlights

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service is seeking $350,000 in debt financing to launch its landscaping business. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the office space and purchasing landscaping equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff and marketing expenses. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Office space build-out: $120,000
• Landscaping equipment, supplies, and materials: $80,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, utilities): $130,000
• Marketing costs: $10,000
• Working capital: $10,000

Company Overview

Who is beautiful gardens landscaping service.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service is a newly established landscaping company in Dallas, Texas. Beautiful Gardens will be the go-to landscaping business in Dallas for high quality landscaping services performed by expertly trained professionals. The company will be the ultimate choice for prompt, reliable, and courteous customer service that goes above and beyond its competitors. Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will be able to provide a wide variety of landscaping and lawn care services for homeowners who value high quality, reliable service and easy-to-use communication systems.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will be able to guarantee the quality of its services thanks to the latest and most innovative landscaping project management technology and stringent quality control standards. The company’s team of highly qualified professionals are experienced in landscaping, lawn care, and gardening, thus will be able to provide exceptional results for a wide variety of services from routine maintenance to new landscape design and build-out. Beautiful Gardens also provides consulting services in the areas of landscaping, gardening, and lawn care.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service History

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service is owned and operated by John Martinez, an experienced entrepreneur who has gained valuable knowledge on how to manage a landscaping business during the past five years while working as the manager at Lake Landscaping & Lawn Care. Now that John has experienced managing a landscaping business, he is ready to start his own company, Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service. John is confident that his landscaping skills, combined with his understanding of business management, will enable him to run a profitable landscaping company of his own. John is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of residential landscaping – sales and marketing, scheduling, customer service, financial management, and landscaper training and support.

Since incorporation, Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service, LLC to transact business in the state of Texas.
• Has signed a lease to rent the office space.
• Reached out to numerous contacts to include previous employees, landscapers, friends, family, and professional networks to inform them of the new business.
• Began recruiting a staff of accountants, landscapers, and sales personnel to work at Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service Services

Industry analysis.

The United States Landscaping Services industry is valued at $128.8B and is expected to increase by 2.3% this year. There are more than 600,000 businesses and over 1M people working in the industry nationwide. The states of Florida, California, and New York have the most landscaping businesses of all the states, while Texans spend the most on landscaping services of all states.

Households with higher than average levels of disposable incomes (over $100,000 per year) spend the most on landscaping services for their homes. While these households reduce their spending on non-essential items during times of economic downturns, they are still more consistently spending on landscaping during these times versus lower income households. The number of households in the U.S. in this higher income bracket is expected to increase this year, resulting in growth opportunities for operators in the landscaping industry. Additionally, there is a rising demand for residential landscaping services from millenials and Gen Z consumers as more of them are participating in gardening activities.

The industry faces several challenges including shortage of quality labor, numerous price-based competitors, economic downturns, and high insurance costs. Industry operators can overcome these challenges and find success by researching their competitors, providing quality service by capable personnel, implementing a targeted marketing campaign, and charging fair prices for customers and employees.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

The precise demographics for Dallas, Texas are:

Customer Segmentation

Beautiful Gardens will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Homeowners with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more
• Owners of multi-family residential properties such as apartment complexes and condominiums
• Millennials and Gen Z homeowners who need help starting their own gardens

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Leif’s Lovely Landscaping Service

Leif’s Lovely Landscaping Service has been operating in the Dallas area for over ten years and has gained a loyal customer base for its excellent service and low prices. Leif’s provides residential homeowners with general landscaping and lawn care services. The company is a small operation and the founder does most of the landscaping work himself. Customers come to Leif’s for reliable, friendly service and the lowest prices in Dallas. The company offers lawn care and chemical application, mulching, tree trimming, and debris cleanup services.

Lake Landscaping & Lawn Care

Founded in 1990 by Henry Lake, Lake Landscaping & Lawn Care is a well-known landscaping and lawn care business that serves all of Dallas-Fort Worth and surrounding areas. The company offers a wide variety of landscaping services for residential homeowners. Services include regular lawn care, trimming, and maintenance, design, construction, and maintenance of landscaping features, and pool service. Lake Landscaping & Lawn Care is owned and operated by Henry Lake, an experienced contractor who designed some of the most prominent outdoor spaces in the area before starting his own business over 30 years ago.

Pete’s Perfect Landscaping

Pete’s Perfect Landscaping is a new Dallas-Texas based company providing landscaping services to customers throughout the city. The company was founded by Peter Smith, an experienced gardener who has been working in the landscaping industry for over 20 years before deciding to start his own landscaping company. Pete’s Perfect Landscaping provides a variety of landscaping services including pruning, trimming, planting, mulching, debris removal, and lawn maintenance.

Competitive Advantage

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will be able to offer the following advantages over its competition:

• Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service uses a proprietary software application to engage with customers and ensure transparency throughout the process. Customers can use the app to schedule service, pay their bill, monitor the work being done, leave feedback, and receive customer support.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service makes it easy for customers to obtain its services. The company uses a proprietary software application to engage with customers and ensure transparency throughout the process. Customers can use the app to schedule service, pay their bill, monitor the work being done, leave feedback, and receive customer support.
• For customers who prefer to communicate in person or over the phone, the company maintains an office space with a customer support representative available during regular business hours every day of the week.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service is as follows:

Social Media Marketing

The company’s marketing director will create accounts on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. He will ensure Beautiful Gardens maintains an active social media presence with regular updates and fun content to get customers excited about the company’s landscaping services.

Professional Associations and Networking

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will become a member of professional associations such as the Landscaping Association, American Gardening Society, and the Texas Lawn Care Association. The leadership team will focus their networking efforts on expanding the company’s vendor and client network.

Print Advertising

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in programs or flyers at industry networking events. The company will also invest in ads to display in industry publications and local newspapers.

Website/SEO Marketing

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will utilize the in-house marketing director that designed the print ads to also design the company website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services that Beautiful Gardens is able to provide. The website will also list information on the company’s events and testimonials from satisfied clients.

The marketing director will manage Beautiful Gardens’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that when someone types in a search engine “Beautiful Gardens” or “landscaping business near me”, Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will be moderate, but higher than low-end competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing the Company’s services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service.

Operation Functions:

• John Martinez will be the CEO of the company. He will oversee the management team and lead the direction of the business. John has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
• Lisa Smith – Chief Operating Officer who will manage the design and build process, train landscapers, and oversee the activities of the staff.
• Sam Garcia – Bookkeeper who will provide all accounting, tax payments, and monthly financial reporting.
• Robert Johnson – Marketing Director who will oversee all marketing strategies for the company and manage the website, social media, and outreach.
• Joe Williams – Quality Control Manager who will oversee all inspections of the landscapers to ensure stringent compliance with quality standards are met.

Milestones:

Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

11/1/2022 – Finalize lease on office space.

11/15/2022 – Finalize employment contracts for the Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service management team.

12/1/2022 – Begin build-out of the office and purchase equipment.

12/15/2022 – Begin networking at industry events and implement the marketing plan.

1/15/2023 – Finalize contracts for initial landscaping product suppliers and employment contracts for landscapers.

2/15/2023 – Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service officially opens its office up to customers and starts taking appointments.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Beautiful Gardens Landscaping Service are the fees charged to customers in exchange for the company’s services. When it comes to pricing, the business will monitor operational costs, average prices charged by competitors, and local market demand to ensure its prices will generate a healthy profit margin.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff a landscaping business. The expenses will be the payroll cost, utilities, landscaping equipment and supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Average number of appointments per month: 600
• Average fees per month: $15,000
• Overhead costs per year: $400,000

Financial Projections

Income statement.

Balance Sheet

Cash Flow Statement

Landscaping Company Business Plan FAQs

What is a landscaping company business plan.

A landscaping company business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your landscaping company business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your landscaping company business plan using our Landscaping Company Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Landscaping Companies?

There are a number of different kinds of landscaping companies , some examples include: Commercial, Residential, and Arborists.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Landscaping Company Business Plan?

Landscaping companies are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding. This is true for a business plan for landscaping  and a lawn care business plan.

What are the Steps To Start a Landscaping Company Business?

Starting a landscaping company business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Landscaping Company Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed landscaping company business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your landscaping company business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your landscaping company business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Landscaping Company Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your landscaping company business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your landscaping company business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Landscaping Company Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your landscaping company business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your landscaping company business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful landscaping company business and how to write landscape business plan :

• How to Start a Landscaping Company Business

Where Can I Get a Landscaping Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free landscaping business plan template PDF here . This is a sample landscaping business plan template you can use in PDF format.

Landscaping Business Plan PDF Example

• July 23, 2024
• Business Plan

Creating a comprehensive business plan is crucial for launching and running a successful landscaping business. This plan serves as your roadmap, detailing your vision, operational strategies, and financial plan. It helps establish your landscaping business’s identity, navigate the competitive market, and secure funding for growth.

This article not only breaks down the critical components of a landscaping business plan, but also provides an example of a business plan to help you craft your own.

Whether you’re an experienced entrepreneur or new to the service industry, this guide, complete with a business plan example, lays the groundwork for turning your landscaping business concept into reality. Let’s dive in!

Our landscaping business plan is designed to encompass all critical components necessary for a holistic strategic approach. It outlines the company’s service offerings, marketing efforts, analysis of the market and competitors, organizational structure, and financial forecasts.

• Executive Summary : Offers an overview of your landscaping business concept, market analysis , management, and financial strategy.
• Services and Rates: Lists the range of landscaping services offered, such as landscape design, lawn care, hardscaping, irrigation systems, and seasonal maintenance, with a clear pricing structure.
• Key Stats: Shares industry size , growth trends, and relevant statistics for the landscaping market.
• Key Trends: Highlights recent trends in the landscaping industry, such as the emphasis on sustainable and eco-friendly practices and technological advancements in landscaping tools.
• Key Competitors : Analyzes main competitors in your area and differentiates your service in terms of design creativity, service range, and environmental sustainability.
• SWOT: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis tailored to your landscaping business.
• Marketing Plan : Specifies marketing strategies to promote your services, including digital advertising, local trade shows, and partnerships with local suppliers.
• Timeline : Key milestones and objectives from the initial setup to the first year of operations, detailing steps such as market analysis, legal setup, facility selection, equipment procurement, and launch marketing activities.
• Management: Information on the management team, highlighting their expertise in landscaping design, operations management, project execution, and client relationship management.
• Financial Plan: Projects the five-year financial performance of the landscaping service, including revenue targets, profit and loss statements, fundraising needs, cash flow projections, and balance sheet forecasts.

Landscaping Business Plan

Fully editable 30+ slides Powerpoint presentation business plan template.

Download an expert-built 30+ slides Powerpoint business plan template

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary introduces your landscaping business plan, offering a concise overview of your company and its services. It should detail your market positioning, the range of landscaping and garden care services you offer, its location, size, and an outline of day-to-day operations. 

This section should also explore how your landscaping business will integrate into the local market, including the number of direct competitors within the area, identifying who they are, along with your company’s unique selling points that differentiate it from these competitors. 

Furthermore, you should include information about the management and co-founding team, detailing their roles and contributions to the company’s success. Additionally, a summary of your financial projections, including revenue and profits over the next five years, should be presented here to provide a clear picture of your company’s financial plan.

Make sure to cover here _ Business Overview _ Market Overview _ Management Team _ Financial Plan

Dive deeper into Executive Summary

Business Overview

Detail the range of landscaping services offered, from routine lawn maintenance and garden care to specialized services like landscape design, hardscaping, or irrigation system installation.

Outline your pricing strategy , ensuring it reflects the quality of services provided and aligns with the market you’re targeting. Highlight any service packages, seasonal deals, or loyalty programs that provide added value to your clients, encouraging repeat business and fostering customer loyalty.

Market Overview

Industry size & growth.

In the Market Overview of your landscaping business plan, start by examining the size of the landscaping industry and its growth potential. This analysis is crucial for understanding the market’s scope and identifying expansion opportunities.

Consider factors such as the increase in residential and commercial development, the growing emphasis on outdoor living spaces, and the rising awareness of the environmental benefits of well-maintained landscapes.

Key market trends

Proceed to discuss recent market trends , such as the increasing consumer interest in sustainable and eco-friendly landscaping practices, the demand for outdoor living spaces equipped with features like fire pits, outdoor kitchens, and entertainment areas, and the growing popularity of native plant gardens that require less water and maintenance.

Highlight the demand for services that cater to specific landscape design and maintenance needs, alongside the rising popularity of smart irrigation systems to conserve water.

Key competitors

Then, consider the competitive landscape, which includes a range of providers from high-end landscape architects to budget-friendly lawn care services, as well as DIY landscaping trends.

Emphasize what makes your landscaping business distinctive, whether it’s through exceptional customer service, a unique range of design and maintenance services, or specialization in sustainable landscaping practices.

Make sure to cover here _ Industry size & growth _ Key competitors _ Key market trends

Dive deeper into Key competitors

First, conduct a SWOT analysis for the landscaping business, highlighting Strengths (such as expertise in water-conserving landscaping techniques and a unique offering of drought-tolerant designs), Weaknesses (including potential limitations in plant variety or challenges in client education about the benefits of  landscaping), Opportunities (for example, increasing awareness and regulation around water conservation leading to a higher demand for landscaping solutions), and Threats (such as climate unpredictability that may impact project scopes or competition from traditional landscaping businesses expanding into landscaping).

Marketing Plan

Next, develop a marketing strategy that outlines how to attract and retain clients through targeted advertising that emphasizes the environmental and economic benefits of landscaping, promotional discounts for water-saving landscaping projects, an engaging social media presence showcasing successful projects and water conservation tips, and community involvement in local sustainability efforts. Highlighting the aesthetic appeal and low maintenance of landscapes can also attract clients looking for sustainable yet beautiful outdoor spaces.

Finally, create a detailed timeline that outlines critical milestones for the landscaping business’s launch, including initial market research , website and portfolio development, community outreach efforts, first client acquisition, and subsequent project completions. Set benchmarks for marketing initiatives, client base growth, and expansion objectives, such as offering new services or entering new markets, ensuring the business progresses with clear direction and purpose.

Make sure to cover here _ SWOT _ Marketing Plan _ Timeline

Dive deeper into SWOT

Dive deeper into Marketing Plan

The Management section focuses on the landscaping business’s management and their direct roles in daily operations and strategic direction. This part is crucial for understanding who is responsible for making key decisions and driving the landscaping business towards its financial and operational goals.

For your landscaping business plan, list the core team members, their specific responsibilities, and how their expertise supports the business.

Financial Plan

The Financial Plan section is a comprehensive analysis of your financial projections for revenue, expenses, and profitability. It lays out your landscaping business’s approach to securing funding, managing cash flow, and achieving breakeven.

This section typically includes detailed forecasts for the first 5 years of operation, highlighting expected revenue, operating costs and capital expenditures.

For your landscaping business plan, provide a snapshot of your financial statement (profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow statement), as well as your key assumptions (e.g. number of customers and prices, expenses, etc.).

Make sure to cover here _ Profit and Loss _ Cash Flow Statement _ Balance Sheet _ Use of Funds

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Landscaping Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Landscaping businesses run the gamut from one-person lawn care services to huge companies with dozens of locations. As long as people and businesses have lawns, there will always be work, yet many landscapers fail in the first year, often due to haphazard and unsustainable growth. A written business plan can help you avoid this trap by delineating a clear road map for organized growth. In addition, if you plan to seek outside funding, your business plan is essential to convincing investors or lenders to take a chance on your company.

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 2,000 entrepreneurs create business plans to start and grow their landscaping companies. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a landscaping business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Landscaping Business Plan Template here >

What is a Landscaping Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your landscaping business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Landscaping Company

If you’re looking to start a landscaping business or grow your existing landscaping business you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your landscaping business in order to improve your chances of success. Your landscaping business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Source of Funding for Landscaping Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a landscaping company are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

The second most common form of funding for a landscaping company is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a landscaping company.

Your business plan should include 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of landscaping company you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a landscaping business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of landscaping companies.

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the landscaping industry. Discuss the type of landscaping company you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of landscaping company you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types:

• Commercial : this type of landscaping company provides services to commercial facilities, municipal buildings, and campuses. This type of business provides lawn maintenance, as well as tree and shrub services and exterior landscaping installation.
• Residential : this type of landscaping company typically focuses on lawn maintenance for households and multifamily properties.
• Landscape design : this type of landscaping company includes the construction of embankments, terraces and retaining walls used in landscape structures, in addition to walkways, decks, fences, ponds and similar structures.
• Arborist services : Arborists undertake the cultivation and management of individual trees or trees within a small area, as opposed to similar professionals in the forestry industries. Arborist services also include tree felling and surgery.

In addition to explaining the type of landscaping company you operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new store openings, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the landscaping industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards residential outdoor kitchens, it would be helpful to ensure your plan calls for employing plenty of skilled labor.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your landscaping business plan:

• How big is the landscaping industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your landscaping company. You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your lawn care business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: families, baby boomers, businesses, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of landscaping company you operate. Clearly baby boomers would want different pricing and product options, and would respond to different marketing promotions than businesses.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most landscaping companies primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other landscaping businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to choose from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes DIY platforms such as TaskRabbit, or doing the landscaping themselves. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone uses a landscaping business for lawn maintenance.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other landscaping businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be landscaping businesses located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What products/services do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide superior landscaping services?
• Will you provide landscaping services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to schedule your services?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a lawn care business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section you should reiterate the type of landscaping business that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to mowing and trimming lawns, will you offer services such as insect and weed control?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your landscaping business. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your landscaping business located near a garden supply store, or greenhouse, etc. Discuss how your location might provide a steady stream of customers.

Promotions : the final part of your landscaping business marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
• Pay per click advertising
• Local radio advertising
• Banner ads at local venues

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your lawn care business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your landscaping business such as serving customers, procuring supplies, keeping the equipment maintained, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to serve your 100th customer, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch in a new city.

Management Team

To demonstrate your landscaping business’s ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in the landscaping business. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in landscaping businesses and/or successfully running retail and small businesses.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you serve 100 customers per week or 200? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your landscaping business (purchasing equipment, etc.), that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a landscaping business:

• Cost of equipment like mowers, trailers, weed trimmers, clippers, etc.
• Cost of maintaining an adequate amount of supplies (i.e. bug and weed killer, etc.)
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your store design blueprint or location lease.

Landscaping Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for your landscaping business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the landscaping business, your competition and your customers. You will have developed a solid lawn care business plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful landscaping business.

Download Our Landscaping Business Plan PDF

You can download our lawn care business plan example pdf here. This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format to help you get started on your own business plan.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Landscaping business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to hire someone to write a business plan for you from Growthink’s team.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

How to write an effective landscaping business plan

Key takeaways

• An organized business plan paves the way to launch a successful landscaping company
• Landscaping business plans are just as important for new companies as they are for established companies seeking investors
• There are seven core sections of a landscaping business plan that can help you succeed and reach profitability

A landscaping business plan is a must if you’re thinking about starting your own landscaping company or seeking funds to grow your business. More than just a document, a business plan is a valuable tool all small business owners should rely on to plan a successful company.

Business plans benefit companies of all stages—whether you’re just launching your lawn care business or already have a few years under your belt. In fact, companies that take the time to write a business plan typically grow 30% faster than those that don’t .

Although writing a business plan takes a significant amount of planning and research, the process doesn’t need to be overly complicated. There are seven core sections to include. Learn how to write your landscaping business plan so you can set your company up for success and secure the funding you need from potential investors.

7 core sections of a landscaping business plan

A landscaping business plan allows you to set your company up for success. It helps you figure out if you have a viable business idea, creates a roadmap for launching your business, and organizes your thoughts.

Your landscaping business plan should include the following seven sections:

• Executive summary
• Business description
• Market analysis
• Services or product line
• Operations and management
• Marketing and sales
• Financial factors

Let’s review the specific details you should include in each section of your business plan.

1. Executive summary

An executive summary gives an overall description of your company and kicks off your business plan . It describes who you are, what you do, and why your landscaping company will succeed.

You can keep this section brief and high level, but make sure to include the following:

• Mission statement
• Description of your business
• Leadership team and number of employees
• Services you offer
• Where you’re doing business
• Why you’ll succeed

It’s good practice to write your executive summary after you’ve filled out all other sections of your business plan . This will help you first figure out all the details regarding your business, allowing you to then craft an effective executive summary .

2. Business description

The business description goes more in-depth and covers the finer details of your landscaping business . This is where you explain your competitive advantage, which problems you solve, and why your company will succeed in your market.

Highlight the value you bring to consumers and what sets you apart from your competition. Be clear about what makes you better than competitors and outline your company’s strengths.

Do you have employees who have many years of experience in the landscaping business ? Is there an opening in the market that makes you uniquely fit to fill a certain niche?

Also, discuss which customers you plan on serving. Is your target market more focused on residential customers, like homeowners ? Or will you go after commercial customers, such as offices and larger business accounts?

3. Market analysis

Before jumping into starting your own landscaping business , you must take a look at the overall industry and your competition . Analyzing the market helps you determine if there’s enough room in your area for another business like yours to be successful.

Take a look at the landscaping industry as a whole. Is consumer spending within the landscaping industry on the rise? 

You can estimate market saturation by simply taking a count of how many landscaping businesses are operating in your area. Figure out where these landscaping companies serve and determine if there’s an opportunity for you to enter the market and win over new customers.

Analyze what these competitors are doing well and find areas for improvement. Reading through your competitors’ Yelp reviews is an easy way to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are from a consumer standpoint.

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of other landscaping companies will enable you to optimize your business practices and earn market share when first starting out.

4. Services or product line

The services and product line section of your landscaping business plan tells readers how you expect to make money. Specify the exact lawn care services you’ll provide customers and which niche you’ll serve.

Landscaping companies can offer more than only lawn mowing, but it’s best to choose only a few services you can adequately offer without overextending yourself. Service options may include:

• I nstalling sod or mulch
• Planting flowers and other plants
• Fertilizing
• Pest control
• Landscape design
• Ongoing lawn maintenance

Pick the landscaping services you’re qualified to offer and list them in this section. It’s also helpful if you discuss the frequency of your services. For example, are most customers receiving weekly lawn cutting or will you provide services on a bi-weekly basis?

5. Operations and management

The operations section of your landscaping business plan highlights what type of business structure you’re forming and how your leadership team is organized.

Explain what type of business you’re forming. You can choose between a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation. You can find more information by reading through our guide on registering your business .

You’ll then need to provide an organizational chart that introduces the leaders of your company and provides a hierarchy of your team. Detail who holds which responsibilities and the hierarchy of your leadership team. If you’re the only member of your company, you can give a professional overview of yourself.

Talk about each employee and give each person’s years of experience and qualifications. Highlight areas that show why they’re the right fit for the job and how they’ll help your business succeed. You can even include brief resumes of your key employees to strengthen this section.

6. Marketing and sales

The marketing and sales section of your landscaping business plan tells readers how you’ll find and retain customers. There are many different landscaping marketing strategies that can help you find new leads and build lasting relationships with current customers.

A professional-looking website is a significant aspect of your marketing strategy . It will serve as the face of your company online. Most marketing channels will direct potential customers to your website.

You’ll also need to find ways to capture the attention of potential customers and encourage them to visit your website or contact you directly via phone or email. Some effective marketing strategies include:

• Email marketing
• Referral program
• Pay-per-click digital advertising
• Social media marketing
• Claiming your Yelp Business Page
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Content marketing

Choose the appropriate strategies, create a marketing plan , and highlight them in this section. Explain how you expect to find new leads to grow your business and how you plan on building trust , retaining current clients and earning customer loyalty . 

Get a free Yelp page

Promote your business to local customers.

7. Financial factors

The finance section of your lawn care business plan offers realistic financial projections for your company. You’ll need to show readers that your business will be financially stable, especially if you’re seeking funding .

Analyzing your financials will help you determine if a landscaping business is worth pursuing. It’s important that you’re realistic with your expectations and have the appropriate funds to launch your business.

List all of the startup costs you expect to encounter. This can include expenditures like a lawnmower , work vehicles, edgers , or trimmers . From there you can determine the pricing of your services.

You can include financial statements like income statements, balance sheets , and cash flow statements if you’ve already launched your business. This will give tangible evidence for potential investors or lenders to determine if you have a viable business idea they’re willing to put money into.

You can also add a funding request if you’re seeking investment from a third party. Just be sure to include how much capital you’ll need, what you intend on doing with the funds, and how long investors can expect for your company to reach profitability . The time it takes you to reach profitability will depend on startup costs, pricing, and how quickly you can build your customer base.

Build a strong foundation with your business plan

It’s in your best interest to write a business plan before you embark on your entrepreneurial endeavor. It will serve as the foundation of your company and guide your future decisions. A well-thought-out business plan allows you to confidently navigate uncharted waters with a roadmap to follow.

Once you’ve organized your landscaping business plan , you can hit the ground running. After your business starts picking up, claim your Yelp Business Page and begin receiving reviews from happy customers.

The information above is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice and may not be suitable for your circumstances. Unless stated otherwise, references to third-party links, services, or products do not constitute endorsement by Yelp.

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Home » Sample Business Plans » Real Estate

How to Write a Landscaping Business Plan [Sample Template]

Are you about starting a landscaping company? If YES, here’s a complete sample landscaping business plan template & feasibility report to help you get started. Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a landscaping business. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample landscaping marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for landscaping businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.

A Sample Landscaping Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

It is not enough to own a property that is well designed and built; the hallmark of any property is the beauty of the lawns and gardens. Landscapers are in the business of giving total esthetic effect in and around our neighborhoods. It is not enough to plant flowers or have a lawn in your compound and just watch them grow; you need to hire a professional landscaping company to help you bring out the beauty in your environment.

Landscape architecture is all about the art, planning, designing, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of a large man – made concepts; it beautifies our environment. Landscaping business just like Lawn care business is not one of those businesses that you can start and make big money from without truly working pretty hard and smart.

Any entrepreneur who intends to start his or her own landscaping business with the aim of making huge profits from it must be very creative and ready to go the extra mile to convince clients that he or she can deliver an excellent job. Furthermore, you have got to prove beyond every reasonable doubt that you are competent.

In a publication released by a Professional Land-care Network (PLANET), an international association serving landscaping professionals, lawn care professionals, exterior maintenance contractors, installation/design/building professionals, and interior scapers, there are approximately 12,000 landscapers in the united states of America.

This statistics covers independent operators, franchises and large corporate chains. They also stated that the number of professional landscapers could actually be considerably higher because there are so many people doing landscape maintenance on part – time and on a pay as you go basis.

Lastly, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published in 2006-2007 (U.S. Department of Labor), is that almost 1 out of every 4 landscaping, grounds – keeping, nursery, greenhouse and lawn service workers is self-employed and provides maintenance services directly to customers on a contract basis. Of these, about 1 out of every 6 works part time.

Although, landscaping business might not be amongst the money spinning businesses in the US, but they have a very large market that is readily available for them if they can convince property owners to patronize their services.

As a matter of fact, statistics has it that the United States green industry (landscape and lawn maintenance, landscape contractors, landscape architects, irrigation contractors, and lawn and landscape product suppliers) generates roughly $67 billion to $69 billion annually. PLANET estimates that the landscaping services sector alone generates about 704,000 jobs and $35.6 million in value-added services annually in the US; it is indeed a growing industry.

Landscaping business also falls in the category of seasonal businesses. The industry experiences downtime during the winter period and in most states in the US. In general, the demand for landscaping services is usually at its peak in the spring and generally between April and October. Which is why landscaping companies are always everywhere sourcing for business deals within this period of the year.

If you are familiar with the landscaping industry, you will notice that most landscaping companies do not restrict their services to only landscape architecture et al; they ensure that they add additional services such as lawn care services, snow plowing services (during winter season), fumigation services and any other similar services just to ensure that they maintain steady in – flow of income during peak and off peak periods.

As such; any entrepreneur who wants to start a landscaping business in the US should be aware that the landscaping and lawn care industry is a closely regulated industry that requires practitioners to earn certifications that permit them to handle hazardous compounds; most especially when they also offer fumigation services.

2. Executive Summary

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is a licensed landscape architecture company that will be based in Miami Beach, Florida –United States of America and will have active presence in other cities such as; Greenacres City, Miami, Jacksonville, Clearwater, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, North Miami, West Palm Beach, Palm Harbor, Deltona, Orlando, Palm Bay and Panama City et al.

We chose to operate in these cities because we know that our services will be in high demand due to the geographical nature of Florida. Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is in the business of beautifying in our environment by offering professional landscape architecture services. We know that the beauty of a city or property is not complete if the gardens or lawns are not properly designed and managed.

We know the importance of networking with the right set of people, which is why we have form partnership with stake holders (landlord associations, property managers and relevant government agencies) in Florida.

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is specialized in handling golf courses, beach houses, major roads and streets as well as residential buildings and public facilities et al. As a matter of fact, when it comes to giving golf course the professional outlook it deserves, we are on top of the game.

We have some of the finest landscapers, who are gifted and also have gone ahead to acquire the relevant trainings that will make them create esthetic effect in the environment that will be second to none.

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is fully aware of the seasonal nature of the business which is why we have made provision to engage in complimentary services during off peak period. We will engage in snow plowing during winter, sale of flowers, tree cutting, fumigation and other related services.

We will also provide consultancy services to homeowners, property managers and the government when it comes to creating the esthetic effect that will bring out the beauty in our environment.

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is a private registered company landscape company that is owned by Glover Carrington and family. The company will be fully and single handedly financed by the owner – Glover Carrington. The business will be managed by his son Gordon Carrington; he is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Mr. Gordon Carrington (Master of Landscape Architecture – MLA) is a core professional who has experience in sensitivity to landscape quality, ability to analyze problems in terms of design and physical forms, understands the arts and humanistic approach to design and he has skills in all aspects of professional practice including management and professional ethics. He has well over 7 years of experience in the industry.

3. Our Products and Services

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is in the business of bring out the beauty in our environment and our services will be carried out by highly trained professionals who know what it takes to give our highly esteemed customers value for their money.These are the services that Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company will be offering;

• Landscape architecture services
• Landscape care/maintenance services
• Trimming Landscaping
• Landscape design/contracting services
• Lawn mowing/maintenance
• Sod installation/hydro – seeding
• Weeding or fertilizer and/or pest control application
• Weekly lawn cut
• Weeding Beds
• Sale of flowers
• Spring Cleanup
• Fall Cleanup
• Chemical Treatment
• Snow Plowing
• Consultancy and Advisory Services

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our Vision is to become the number one choice of homeowners, property managers and government agencies when it comes to landscaping services in Florida, U.S.
• Glover and Greenhouse Landscaping Company is a business positioned to be the become the leaders when it comes to bringing out the beauty (esthetics) in our environment by offering top notch landscaping architectural services and other related services in Miami Beach and other cities in Florida, U.S.

Our Business Structure

Glover and Greenhouse Landscaping Company will be headquartered in Miami Beach, but will operate in other cities in Florida which is why we designed our business structure to support the nature of our operations. We want to create a team of dedicated workforce that will help the organization achieve its aim of becoming the number one landscape company in the whole of Florida.

Because we don’t have the required finance to manage the numbers of workforce that we would need, we have made provisions to hire some freelance landscapers to help us handle some contracts when the need arises. Here is the business structure of Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company;

• Chief Operating Officer (Owner)
• Sales and Marketing Executive

Landscape Architect / Landscapist

• Field Staff
• Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Operating Officer:

• Responsible for providing direction for the business
• Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for the day to day running of the business
• Responsible for handling high profile clients and deals
• Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Evaluates the success of the organization at regular interval
• Responsible for the planning, management and coordinating all projects on behalf of the company
• Supervises projects
• Ensures compliance during project executions
• Provides advice on the management of projects
• Responsible for carrying out risk assessment
• Uses IT systems and software to keep track of people and progress of ongoing projects
• Responsible for overseeing the accounting, costing and billing of every project
• Represents the organization’s interest at various stakeholders meetings
• Ensures that project desired result is achieved, the most efficient resources are utilized and different interests involved are satisfied. Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Handles all financial transactions for the company
• Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carries out staff induction for new team members
• Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• Oversees the smooth running of the daily office activities.

Sales and Marketing Officer

• Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
• Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
• Documents all customer contact and information.
• Represents the company in strategic meetings
• Helps increase sales and growth for the company
• Lists the property for rent / lease to the public
• Markets space; finds tenants; participates in lease negotiations.
• Provides property owners with a real property condition disclosure (if required by law) and other necessary forms.
• Prepares necessary papers describing the property for advertising, pamphlets, open houses, etc.
• Holds an open house to show the property.
• Serves as a contact available to answer any questions about the property and schedule showing appointments.
• Responsible for planning and designing of places such as residential development area, parks, campuses, cemeteries, resorts, commercial centers, water fronts and corporate and institutional centers.
• Responsible for designing and implementing projects that respect both the needs of people and our environment
• Offers training and consultancy services
• Responsible for analyzing problems in terms of design and physical form
• Responsible for translating designs into a built work
• Responsible from training of field workers and freelancers

Field Workers

• Responsible for Lawn mowing/maintenance
• Handles Sod installation/hydro – seeding
• Handles Landscape care/maintenance services
• Carries out task in line with the stated job description
• Handles snow plowing
• Handles tree cutting
• Assists in transport working tools and equipment from the office (store) to site and back to the office
• Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager

Front Desk / Customer’s Service Officer

• Receives Visitors / clients on behalf of the organization
• Receives parcels / documents for the company
• Handles enquiries via e-mail and phone calls for the organization

6. SWOT Analysis

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is in business for the purpose of making profits and building long lasting relationship with its clients and we know that in order for us to achieve these, we must be able to leverage on our strengths and take hold of all the opportunities that we come across.

We are aware that if effective strategies are not put in place, the weakness of a company and the threats that the business will be exposed to can strangulate the business which is why we have decided to take out time to conduct a SWOT analysis for Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company.

As a company, we look forward to maximizing our strength and opportunities and also to develop strategies that will help us effectively handle our weaknesses and threats. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company;

Our strength as a landscape company is the fact that we have healthy relationships with key stakeholders in Florida. We have some of the latest equipment that will help us deliver neat and excellent jobs. Our management team and workforce are highly trained and qualified to deliver excellent jobs within record time. We are well positioned and we have active presence in major cities in Florida.

Our weakness could be that we are a new landscaping company in Miami Beach, Florida and it will require consistency for us to gain the confidence of our prospective clients (homeowners, property managers and even the government).

• Opportunities:

The opportunities that are available to us cannot be quantified; we know that there are loads of homeowners, property managers and government establishment that will require our services in Miami Beach and other cities in Florida.

Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as a landscaping company are global economic downturn that can impact negatively on household spending, bad weather cum natural disasters and the arrival of a competitor ( a company that offer same service as we do ) within same location. There is hardly anything we could do as regards these threats other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for our good.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

It is a common trend in landscaping and lawn care industry to see loads of landscapers struggle to meet ends meet. This is so because a larger percentage of people who are supposed to patronize their services are reluctant when it comes to paying the true worth of the services rendered.

It is also a common trend to see landscape companies engage in other complimentary services to makes meet. The fact that there are off peak periods in the business makes it of necessity for landscape companies to look for other sources of income in order to maintain steady flow of income throughout the year.

If you are conversant with the landscape industry, you will realize that one of their major challenges is the challenge of accurately pricing services It takes a landscape company that has been in the business for a while to effectively charge clients in such a way that they will have enough resources to carry out the project, pay for labor and still make enough profits. It is important for any landscape company to first inspect the area they are to carry out their job so that they will be able to properly submit a quotation that will be favorable to both parties.

Usually, most landscaping companies ensure that they send their quotations to prospective clients only when they have been able to do their calculations based on per square foot of the property. Over and above, the creativity of the landscape architect will go a long way to determine the amount that can be charged and the inflow of business.

8. Our Target Market

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company was deliberately located in Miami Beach simply because we have a wide range of people and businesses that can hire our services; the geographical nature of Miami Beach is highly suitable for the kind of services we render. Our target market as a landscape company is not just restricted to only homeowners and property managers but also government establishment.

We are quite aware that the state government is one of the biggest clients in the industry, which is why we have structured our business to meet the expectations and requirements of the government when it comes to bidding for government contracts. This is the group of people that we will market our landscape business to;

• Facility managers for botanical gardens, historic buildings, municipalities and other government entities, universities, cemeteries and other public places with green spaces
• Homeowners who plan to put their home on the market and want to improve its curb appeal with fresh or updated landscaping
• Builders of both residential and commercial properties who don’t already have their own landscaper or staff
• New homeowners who wish to update the existing landscape of their property
• Homeowners who are frequently out of town on business
• Retirees who don’t care to do their own maintenance any longer
• “Snowbirds” with winter homes in warmer climates
• Golf course managers who may need help with maintenance
• Rental property or condominium association managers who are personnel-impaired
• Homeowners who don’t have the vision, skill or tools to design their own landscaping
• Managers of public facilities
• Government establishment

Our Competitive Advantage

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is fully aware that there is competition in the industry, which is why we decided to carry out thorough research and draft a killer landscaping marketing plan; so as to know how to take advantage of the available market in the cities where we want to operate.

We have done our homework and we have been able to highlight some factors that will give us competitive advantage in the marketplace; some of the factors are competence, trust, honesty, good network and excellent relationship management. One of the positive that we have as a company is the fact that we have some of the best hands in the industry under our payroll; our manager has a robust experience in the industry.

Another competitive advantage that we are bringing to the industry is the fact that we have designed our business in such a way that we can comfortably work with both the highly placed clients and the lowly placed clients; our prices are designed to fit into the budget of the lower class, the middle class and the upper class.

We are quite aware of the importance of taking proper care of our workforce which is why we have created welfare packages that will make all our employers willing to stay longer with us and also to always put in their best when carrying out their jobs.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company will ensure that we do not only generate income from our core service delivery but also from complementary services that we will render. Below are the sources we intend exploring to generate income for Posh Lawn Care and Landscape Company;

• Tree Cutting

10. Sales Forecast

From the survey conducted, we were are able to discover that the average landscaping business owner rakes in about $5,000 to $ 50,000 in their first year of active business, and a steady increase of $160,000 to $250,000 from subsequent year as long as they are consistent in what they do and have been able to create additional sources of income.

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company have perfected her sales and marketing strategies and we are set to deliver excellence services and designs. We know that if we structure our business properly and we have highly trained and motivated employees, we are likely going to meet or even surpass our set target of generating enough income / profits from our first three months of operations.

With the help of experts, we have been able to critically examine the landscape industry with more emphasis on Miami Beach, Florida and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some workable assumptions as well.

Below are the projections that we were able to come up with for the first three years of operations;

• First Year-: $150,000
• Second Year-: $250,000
• Third Year-: $500,000

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and natural disasters within the period stated above.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company will do all it can to ensure that we become the preferred choice as far as landscaping services is concerned in Florida. We know the effectiveness of properly positioning a business which is why we have chosen a corner piece location in a busy road in Miami Beach to locate our business.

We will ensure that we leverage on all available networks to source for business deals. In view of that, we will continue to find local real estate clubs and connect with them and also we will locate gathering where we can find homeowners within the locations where we intend operating and then connect with them.

We will ensure that we bid at the appropriate time whenever there is the opportunity to handle government contracts both at the community and state level. We will also enter business partnership with local contractors and property managers since they also interface with property owners regularly; through them we can secure business deals.

Over and above, we have perfected strategies to network with people who are likely to refer business our way. In summary, Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company will adopt the following strategies in sourcing for clients for our business;

• Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to stake holders in the real estate industry, government institution and also property owners.
• Promptness in bidding for contracts
• Advertise our business in real estate / properties magazines and websites
• List our business on yellow pages ads
• Attend related real estate expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver quality job for them.
• Leverage on the internet to promote our business
• Direct marketing
• Word of mouth marketing (referrals)

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We are quite aware that any business that wants to grow beyond the corner of the street they are operating from must be ready and willing to utilize every available means (conventional and non – conventional means) to advertise and promote the business.

We intend growing our business which is why we have perfected plans to build our brand via every available means. Below are the platforms Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company intend to leverage on to promote and advertise her business;

• Encourage our loyal customers to help us use Word of Mouth mode of advertisement (referrals)
• Advertise our landscaping business in relevant magazines (real estate magazines), local newspaper, local TV stations and local radio station
• Promote our landscaping business online via our official website
• List our landscaping business on local directories (yellow pages ads)
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Badoo, Facebook , twitter, et al to promote our landscaping business
• Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations around Miami Beach and other key cities in Florida.
• Direct coupon mailing approach to introduce our landscaping business to residence and property managers
• Engage in road show from time to time to create awareness of our landscaping business.
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas in Miami Beach, and other key cities in Florida
• Maximize our company’s website to promote our business
• Attend landlord and residence association meetings with the aim of networking and introducing our landscaping business.

These are some of the equipment that we would need to fully launch our lawn care and landscaping business;

• String Trimmer
• Edging Shears
• Turfing Iron
• Half Moon Cutter
• Leveling Rake
• Spring – tined Rake
• Wheel Barrow

12. Our Pricing Strategy

From our findings, the average cost of landscape services varies and it is dependent on loads of factors. For example, normal landscaping services include prices for services such as regular lawn maintenance which includes edging, mowing and blowing, fertilization, weeding beds, hedge trimming, shrub removal, replacement or moving, grass replacement, lawn care, irrigation among other landscape related services that may be required by a client.

Usually, these services are priced separately in most cases and in some instances; they may be priced together into one monthly service price.

We have been able to conduct effective survey and we were able to adopt a price format that is ideal for the kind of services we are going to be rendering.  Part of our business strategy is to ensure that we work within the budget of our clients to deliver excellent landscape services. At Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company, every client will find packages that will suite their budget.

• Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits. Here are the payment options that are available to all clients of Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company;

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment with cash
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for services rendered to them without stress on their part.

Generating Funding / Startup Capital for Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company ®

Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company is a privately owned business and it will be financed by the owner of the company; Mr. Glover Carrington. These are the areas where we intend sourcing for fund for Glover and Greenhouse Landscape Company;

• Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
• Generate part of the start – up capital from family members and friends (soft loans and gifts et al)
• Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the banks (loan facility).

N.B: Mr. Glover Carrington has been able to generate $30,000 ($20,000 from his personal savings and $10,000 as soft loan from his family members and friends. 50% of the start – up capital ($30,000 will be generated from the bank as loan)

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

• The Total Fee for incorporating the Business in Florida: $750.
• The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license: $1,500
• The Amount needed to acquire a small Office facility with space for storage of working tools and equipment in Miami Beach, Florida for 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive): $30,000.
• The Cost for equipping the office (computers, printers, fax machines, furniture, telephones, filing cabins, safety gadgets and electronics et al): $3,000
• The cost for acquiring the required working tools and equipment (walk-behind mower, a back pack blower, an edger, a weed eater and hand tools): $10,000
• The Cost of Launching our official Website: $600
• Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al): $1,000

Going by the report from our research and feasibility studies, we will need about $60,000 to set up a standard landscaping business in Long Beach, CA.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

Although Mr. Glover Carrington is the founder if the business, he is over 60 years old and since he intends building a business that will last, grow and expand, he decided to invest in training his son who is going to be the manager of the business. That is part of his sustainability and expansion strategy.

Glover and Greenhouse will ensure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that staff welfare is well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the top burner.

Integrity, competence, trust and good relationship management are major factor that can guarantee steady growth for any business and we will ensure that we are known for such qualities.

Check List / Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Renting of Office Facility in Miami Beach, Florida: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Start – up Capital Generation: Completed
• writing of business plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Purchase of the needed working tools and equipment: Completed
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety License Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with key players in the industry (networking and membership of relevant real estate bodies, landlord association): Completed

More on Real Estate

Free Landscape Business Plan Template (+PDF Download)

Read Time 6 minutes

Author Stephanie Figy

Published February 21, 2023

Table of Contents

1. Executive summary

2. company overview, 3. landscaping services, 4. landscaping pricing, 5. market analysis.

• 6. Competitor analysis
• 7. Marketing plan and sales strategy

8. Management plan

9. financial plan, set up your landscaping business for success.

A landscape business plan is essential for securing bank loans, managing startup costs, and maintaining cash flow. Even the most seasoned landscape business owner needs a dynamic roadmap to guide operations and inform goal-setting.

Annually reviewing and adjusting your company’s business plan helps you to scale your landscape business strategically. 

This article describes what to include in a landscape business plan and provides a free landscape business plan template to get started. 

>> Download Aspire’s FREE landscape business plan template. 

The executive summary serves as a strategic snapshot of your landscape business plan. It should be compelling to capture the attention of potential partners and lenders. 

The executive summary briefly describes the new business, its mission, and its goals. Summarize the most critical aspects of the plan, such as:

Market opportunities

Services offered

Financial projections

If you’re applying for funding, specify the amount , how you intend to use it , and, more importantly, how it will increase your profit margins .

Even though the executive summary comes first in the plan, write it last to identify and highlight the most crucial elements of your plan, ensuring that it presents a well-rounded and compelling case for your landscape business.

The company overview is where you start to dig into the details of your landscaping or lawn maintenance business. It should include specifics, such as:

Landscaping business name

Business address

Phone number

Email address

Business website

In addition to the nuts and bolts, a company overview is where business owners state their mission statement , vision statement , and core values . This gives the reader a comprehensive understanding of the company’s business identity.

In this section, list your various landscaping services, such as routine lawn care services, landscape design, or mulch installation. For each service type, detail the: 

Potential profitability

Scalability

Industry relevance

Strategic importance

List any specialized equipment or certifications that enable you to perform unique services or differentiate you in the marketplace. Also, determine whether you plan to provide these services to homeowners, commercial clients, or both.

Some landscape companies in colder climates pivot to snow removal during the winter. If that’s a part of your business model, include the related services in this section. This demonstrates your capacity to diversify and sustain your business during off-peak seasons, contributing to overall revenue stability and client retention.

Next, outline your pricing strategy, including the pricing model or models your business uses, such as flat-rate , project-based , or hourly pricing. Note that pricing depends on factors like:

Market demand

Competition

You may also list prices from a few competitors to show where your business stands in the marketplace. Include how your pricing strategy positions your business, whether as a cost leader , a premium service provider , or a value-driven option .

Explain if your pricing strategy allows flexibility, such as offering package deals or customizing services based on client preferences. If applicable, discuss strategies to attract and retain clients, such as:

Discount programs

Seasonal promotions

Membership programs

Referral incentives 

Include a market analysis within your business plan to show potential investors and partners what the landscape industry looks like in your area, such as:

Market size

Growth trends

Opportunities

Identify market gaps, whether certain services are not offered, or areas are not sufficiently served.

Discuss emerging trends and innovations within the landscaping industry. This could encompass:

Eco-friendly practices

Sustainable landscaping

Advancements in technology and equipment

Your awareness of industry trends indicates your readiness to adapt and stay competitive.

In addition, outline your target audience or buyer persona , including demographics and psychographics. If your key target market includes discerning families, this could help determine specific service offerings, such as organic cleaning products and methods. 

6. Competitor analysis 

In the competitor analysis section of your business plan, list the top landscape industry players in your service area and their strengths and weaknesses. Discuss competitive advantages that set the business apart and strategies for outperforming competitors, which may include capitalizing on the weaknesses of your peers. 

→ When performing a competitive analysis, due diligence requires consulting market research and industry benchmarks. This guides strategic decision-making .

In addition, detail the marketing and promotional tactics employed by competitors, including their:

Online presence

Social media engagement

Advertising campaigns

Customer acquisition strategies

Explain how your marketing efforts aim to stand out or compete effectively.

7. Marketing plan and sales strategy 

You’ve already established your target audience. Now, outline how you plan to reach potential customers and convert them into new customers. List your marketing channels and tactics, like direct mail, email marketing, and social media marketing.

When crafting a marketing strategy , consider each step of the buyer journey and how your company will effectively target customers through those steps, which include:

For your sales strategy, define your approach, such as value-based or consultative selling . 

In addition, define your follow-up strategy for unsold estimates–consider what will convert them–and how to utilize customers you’ve serviced to garner reviews and referrals. 

Your management plan provides an overview of the company’s business structure and key personnel responsible for executing the business plan. It acts as a roadmap for:

Making staffing decisions

Defining internal processes

Developing leaders 

You may start with an organizational chart, which provides an overview of the company hierarchy from the management team on down. Then, go into further detail, listing the roles and responsibilities of each team member. 

A company’s recruitment and retention relies on quality management. Discuss strategies for attracting and retaining talent and your plans for talent development and growing your landscape business . This could include mentorship programs , career pathing , and feedback mechanisms . 

The financial plan breaks down the numbers side of your landscaping business, outlining the company’s economic viability and the leadership’s financial acumen. 

For businesses seeking funding, outline the capital requirements to start the company and how the money will be used. Include personal income statements for each owner and major stockholder, showing assets and liabilities outside the business and personal net worth.

A financial plan should include financial statements, such as:

12-month profit-and-loss projection

Cash flow statement projection

Projected balance sheet

Break-even calculation

Take into account the average profit margins for a landscaping business . Also, list financial risks and mitigation strategies. 

→ Your financial plan is a moving target, as you can’t always predict and plan for changing economic landscapes. Regularly r evisiting and updating this section of your business plan is crucial .

You might use resources to help implement your financial plan, such as landscape business software like Aspire, which provides visibility into every aspect of operations. 

With real-time data readily accessible via custom reports and dashboards , and features to accurately and immediately calculate job costs, Aspire helps landscaping businesses make informed decisions to improve:

Productivity

Accountability

A landscape or lawn care business plan helps secure funding, uncover your business differentiators, and guide day-to-day landscape business operations. Check out our sample business plan to get started. 

Field service software helps implement the business plan, leading to growth, profitability, and landscape business success .

Aspire ’s end-to-end business management software delivers industry-leading features for:

Job costing

Labor management

Purchasing 

For more than a decade, landscape contractors have trusted Aspire’s tools to help them operate profitably and efficiently.

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How To Write a Successful Landscaping Business Plan + Template

Creating a business plan is essential for any business, but it can be especially helpful for landscaping businesses that want to improve their strategy and/or raise funding.

A well-crafted business plan not only outlines the vision for your company, but also documents a step-by-step roadmap of how you are going to accomplish it. In order to create an effective business plan, you must first understand the components that are essential to its success.

This article provides an overview of the key elements that every landscaping business owner should include in their business plan.

Download the Ultimate Landscaping Business Plan Template

What is a landscaping business plan.

A landscaping business plan is a formal written document that describes your company’s business strategy and its feasibility. It documents the reasons you will be successful, your areas of competitive advantage, and it includes information about your team members. Your business plan is a key document that will convince investors and lenders (if needed) that you are positioned to become a successful venture.

Why Write a Landscaping Business Plan?

A landscaping business plan is required for banks and investors. The document is a clear and concise guide of your business idea and the steps you will take to make it profitable.

Entrepreneurs can also use this as a roadmap when starting their new company or venture, especially if they are inexperienced in starting a business.

Writing an Effective Landscaping Business Plan

The following are the key components of a successful landscaping business plan:

Executive Summary

The executive summary of a landscaping business plan is a one to two page overview of your entire business plan. It should summarize the main points, which will be presented in full in the rest of your business plan.

• Start with a one-line description of your landscaping company
• Provide a short summary of the key points in each section of your business plan, which includes information about your company’s management team, industry analysis, competitive analysis, and financial forecast among others.

Company Description

This section should include a brief history of your company. Include a short description of how your company started, and provide a timeline of milestones your company has achieved.

If you are just starting your landscaping business, you may not have a long company history. Instead, you can include information about your professional experience in this industry and how and why you conceived your new venture. If you have worked for a similar company before or have been involved in an entrepreneurial venture before starting your landscaping firm, mention this.

You will also include information about your chosen landscaping business model and how, if applicable, it is different from other companies in your industry.

Industry Analysis

The industry or market analysis is an important component of a landscaping business plan. Conduct thorough market research to determine industry trends and document the size of your market. 

Questions to answer include:

• What part of the landscaping industry are you targeting?
• How big is the market?
• What trends are happening in the industry right now (and if applicable, how do these trends support the success of your company)?

You should also include sources for the information you provide, such as published research reports and expert opinions.

Customer Analysis

This section should include a list of your target audience(s) with demographic and psychographic profiles (e.g., age, gender, income level, profession, job titles, interests). You will need to provide a profile of each customer segment separately, including their needs and wants.

For example, landscaping business customers may include residential homebuilders, commercial developers, and residential homeowners.

You can include information about how your customers make the decision to buy from you as well as what keeps them buying from you.

Develop a strategy for targeting those customers who are most likely to buy from you, as well as those that might be influenced to buy your products or landscaping services with the right marketing.

Competitive Analysis

The competitive analysis helps you determine how your product or service will be different from competitors, and what your unique selling proposition (USP) might be that will set you apart in this industry.

For each competitor, list their strengths and weaknesses. Next, determine your areas of competitive differentiation and/or advantage; that is, in what ways are you different from and ideally better than your competitors.

Below are sample competitive advantages your landscaping business may have:

• Established industry relationships
• Comprehensive services
• Wide range of landscaping services
• Customized services
• Use of the latest technology

Marketing Plan

This part of the business plan is where you determine and document your marketing plan. . Your plan should be clearly laid out, including the following 4 Ps.

• Product/Service : Detail your product/service offerings here. Document their features and benefits.
• Price : Document your pricing strategy here. In addition to stating the prices for your products/services, mention how your pricing compares to your competition.
• Place : Where will your customers find you? What channels of distribution (e.g., partnerships) will you use to reach them if applicable?
• Promotion : How will you reach your target customers? For example, you may use social media, write blog posts, create an email marketing campaign, use pay-per-click advertising, or launch a direct mail campaign. Or you may promote your landscaping business via a mix of these channels.

Operations Plan

This part of your landscaping business plan should include the following information:

• How will you deliver your product/service to customers? For example, will you do it in person or over the phone only?
• What infrastructure, equipment, and resources are needed to operate successfully? How can you meet those requirements within budget constraints?

The operations plan is where you also need to include your company’s business policies. You will want to establish policies related to everything from customer service to pricing, to the overall brand image you are trying to present.

Finally, and most importantly, in your Operations Plan, you will lay out the milestones your company hopes to achieve within the next five years. Create a chart that shows the key milestone(s) you hope to achieve each quarter for the next four quarters, and then each year for the following four years. Examples of milestones for a landscaping business include reaching $X in sales. Other examples include adding new services, expanding to a new location, or hiring new employees.

Management Team

List your team members here including their names and titles, as well as their expertise and experience relevant to your specific landscaping industry. Include brief biography sketches for each team member.

Particularly if you are seeking funding, the goal of this section is to convince investors and lenders that your team has the expertise and experience to execute on your plan. If you are missing key team members, document the roles and responsibilities you plan to hire for in the future.

Financial Plan

Here you will include a summary of your complete and detailed financial plan (your full financial projections go in the Appendix). 

This includes the following three financial statements:

Income Statement

Your income statement should include:

• Revenue : how much revenue you generate.
• Cost of Goods Sold : These are your direct costs associated with generating revenue. This includes labor costs, as well as the cost of any equipment and supplies used to deliver the product/service offering.
• Net Income (or loss) : Once expenses and revenue are totaled and deducted from each other, this is the net income or loss.

Sample Income Statement for a Startup Landscaping Company

Balance Sheet

Include a balance sheet that shows your assets, liabilities, and equity. Your balance sheet should include:

• Assets : All of the things you own (including cash).
• Liabilities : This is what you owe against your company’s assets, such as accounts payable or loans.
• Equity : The worth of your business after all liabilities and assets are totaled and deducted from each other.

Sample Balance Sheet for a Startup Landscaping Company

Cash Flow Statement

Include a cash flow statement showing how much cash comes in, how much cash goes out and a net cash flow for each year. The cash flow statement should include:

• Cash Flow From Operations
• Cash Flow From Investments
• Cash Flow From Financing

Below is a sample of a projected cash flow statement for a startup landscaping business.

Sample Cash Flow Statement for a Startup Landscaping Company

You will also want to include an appendix section which will include:

• Your complete financial projections
• A complete list of your company’s business policies and procedures related to the rest of the business plan (marketing, operations, etc.)
• Any other documentation which supports what you included in the body of your business plan.

Writing a good business plan gives you the advantage of being fully prepared to launch and/or grow your landscaping company. It not only outlines your business vision but also provides a step-by-step process of how you are going to accomplish it.

This guide has provided you with a basic outline of what should be included in your landscaping business plan. Use this as a starting point and tailor it to fit the specific needs of your company.  

Finish Your Landscaping Business Plan in 1 Day!

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Starting a landscaping business can be a great way to break into the green industry, but it can also be overwhelming. Without a clear plan and the right guidance, it's hard to know where to start. Thankfully, there's now an easy-to-use template and guidebook designed to make crafting your business plan a breeze. Introducing The #1 Landscaping Business Plan Template & Guidebook—the essential package for anyone launching or wanting to grow an established landscaping business.

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How to Write a Landscaping Business Plan in 7 Steps:

1. describe the purpose of your landscaping business..

The first step to writing your business plan is to describe the purpose of your landscaping business. This includes describing why you are starting this type of business, and what problems it will solve for customers. This is a quick way to get your mind thinking about the customers’ problems. It also helps you identify what makes your business different from others in its industry.

It also helps to include a vision statement so that readers can understand what type of company you want to build.

Here is an example of a purpose mission statement for a landscaping business:

Our mission at ABC Landscaping is to create a beautiful and healthy outdoor environment for our clients that is both functional and affordable. We strive to provide excellent customer service and the highest quality of innovative landscaping design solutions to ensure that our clients' landscapes exceed their expectations.

2. Products & Services Offered by Your Landscaping Business.

The next step is to outline your products and services for your landscaping business. 

When you think about the products and services that you offer, it's helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my business?
• What are the products and/or services that I offer?
• Why am I offering these particular products and/or services?
• How do I differentiate myself from competitors with similar offerings?
• How will I market my products and services?

You may want to do a comparison of your business plan against those of other competitors in the area, or even with online reviews. This way, you can find out what people like about them and what they don’t like, so that you can either improve upon their offerings or avoid doing so altogether.

3. Build a Creative Marketing Stratgey.

If you don't have a marketing plan for your landscaping business, it's time to write one. Your marketing plan should be part of your business plan and be a roadmap to your goals. 

A good marketing plan for your landscaping business includes the following elements:

Target market

• Who is your target market?
• What do these customers have in common?
• How many of them are there?
• How can you best reach them with your message or product?

Customer base 

• Who are your current customers? 
• Where did they come from (i.e., referrals)?
• How can their experience with your landscaping business help make them repeat customers, consumers, visitors, subscribers, or advocates for other people in their network or industry who might also benefit from using this service, product, or brand?

Product or service description

• How does it work, what features does it have, and what are its benefits?
• Can anyone use this product or service regardless of age or gender?
• Can anyone visually see themselves using this product or service?
• How will they feel when they do so? If so, how long will the feeling last after purchasing (or trying) the product/service for the first time?

Competitive analysis

• Which companies are competing with yours today (and why)? 
• Which ones may enter into competition with yours tomorrow if they find out about it now through word-of-mouth advertising; social media networks; friends' recommendations; etc.)
• What specific advantages does each competitor offer over yours currently?

Marketing channels

• Which marketing channel do you intend to leverage to attract new customers?
• What is your estimated marketing budget needed?
• What is the projected cost to acquire a new customer?
• How many of your customers do you instead will return?

Form an LLC in your state!

4. Write Your Operational Plan.

Next, you'll need to build your operational plan. This section describes the type of business you'll be running, and includes the steps involved in your operations. 

In it, you should list:

• The equipment and facilities needed
• Who will be involved in the business (employees, contractors)
• Financial requirements for each step
• Milestones & KPIs
• Location of your business
• Zoning & permits required for the business

What equipment, supplies, or permits are needed to run a landscaping business?

In order to run a landscaping business, you’ll need a variety of supplies and equipment, as well as permits from local and state governments.

• Tools: shovels, hand tools, power tools, rakes, hoes, machetes, lawn mowers, edgers, trimmers, blowers
• Supplies: Fertilizer, Weed Killers/pre-emergent herbicides, mulch/stone/decorative materials
• Transportation: Pick-up truck and or trailer
• Permits: Business license from your local government and certifications from the state if applicable

5. Management & Organization of Your Landscaping Business.

The second part of your landscaping business plan is to develop a management and organization section.

This section will cover all of the following:

• How many employees you need in order to run your landscaping business. This should include the roles they will play (for example, one person may be responsible for managing administrative duties while another might be in charge of customer service).
• The structure of your management team. The higher-ups like yourself should be able to delegate tasks through lower-level managers who are directly responsible for their given department (inventory and sales, etc.).
• How you’re going to make sure that everyone on board is doing their job well. You’ll want check-ins with employees regularly so they have time to ask questions or voice concerns if needed; this also gives you time to offer support where necessary while staying informed on how things are going within individual departments too!

6. Landscaping Business Startup Expenses & Captial Needed.

This section should be broken down by month and year. If you are still in the planning stage of your business, it may be helpful to estimate how much money will be needed each month until you reach profitability.

Typically, expenses for your business can be broken into a few basic categories:

Startup Costs

Startup costs are typically the first expenses you will incur when beginning an enterprise. These include legal fees, accounting expenses, and other costs associated with getting your business off the ground. The amount of money needed to start a landscaping business varies based on many different variables, but below are a few different types of startup costs for a landscaping business.

Running & Operating Costs

Running costs refer to ongoing expenses related directly with operating your business over time like electricity bills or salaries paid out each month. These types of expenses will vary greatly depending on multiple variables such as location, team size, utility costs, etc.

Marketing & Sales Expenses

You should include any costs associated with marketing and sales, such as advertising and promotions, website design or maintenance. Also, consider any additional expenses that may be incurred if you decide to launch a new product or service line. For example, if your landscaping business has an existing website that needs an upgrade in order to sell more products or services, then this should be listed here.

7. Financial Plan & Projections

A financial plan is an important part of any business plan, as it outlines how the business will generate revenue and profit, and how it will use that profit to grow and sustain itself. To devise a financial plan for your landscaping business, you will need to consider a number of factors, including your start-up costs, operating costs, projected revenue, and expenses. 

Here are some steps you can follow to devise a financial plan for your landscaping business plan:

• Determine your start-up costs: This will include the cost of purchasing or leasing the space where you will operate your business, as well as the cost of buying or leasing any equipment or supplies that you need to start the business.
• Estimate your operating costs: Operating costs will include utilities, such as electricity, gas, and water, as well as labor costs for employees, if any, and the cost of purchasing any materials or supplies that you will need to run your business.
• Project your revenue: To project your revenue, you will need to consider the number of customers you expect to have and the average amount they will spend on each visit. You can use this information to estimate how much money you will make from selling your products or services.
• Estimate your expenses: In addition to your operating costs, you will need to consider other expenses, such as insurance, marketing, and maintenance. You will also need to set aside money for taxes and other fees.
• Create a budget: Once you have estimated your start-up costs, operating costs, revenue, and expenses, you can use this information to create a budget for your business. This will help you to see how much money you will need to start the business, and how much profit you can expect to make.
• Develop a plan for using your profit: Finally, you will need to decide how you will use your profit to grow and sustain your business. This might include investing in new equipment, expanding the business, or saving for a rainy day.

Frequently Asked Questions About Landscaping Business Plans:

Why do you need a business plan for a landscaping business.

A business plan for a landscaping business provides a roadmap for success, outlining goals and strategies for the future. It can help provide clarity on how to grow the business, identify potential challenges, and set realistic objectives and timelines. A business plan also helps to attract investors, secure financing, and build relationships with key vendors and stakeholders.

Who should you ask for help with your landscaping business plan?

An experienced business consultant, a financial advisor, an accountant, or a small business mentor are all good resources you could contact for help with your landscaping business plan.

Can you write a landscaping business plan yourself?

Yes, it is possible to write a landscaping business plan yourself. Writing a business plan requires researching the local market and competition, assessing the financial needs of the business, and creating a strategy for achieving success. Depending on how comprehensive the plan needs to be, it is possible to create a basic vision for the business and its finances without the help of an experienced consultant. However, for more specific or complex information, it is recommended to seek professional assistance.

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I'm Nick, co-founder of newfoundr.com, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs succeed. As a small business owner with over five years of experience, I have garnered valuable knowledge and insights across a diverse range of industries. My passion for entrepreneurship drives me to share my expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs, empowering them to turn their business dreams into reality.

Through meticulous research and firsthand experience, I uncover the essential steps, software, tools, and costs associated with launching and maintaining a successful business. By demystifying the complexities of entrepreneurship, I provide the guidance and support needed for others to embark on their journey with confidence.

From assessing market viability and formulating business plans to selecting the right technology and navigating the financial landscape, I am dedicated to helping fellow entrepreneurs overcome challenges and unlock their full potential. As a steadfast advocate for small business success, my mission is to pave the way for a new generation of innovative and driven entrepreneurs who are ready to make their mark on the world.

Landscaping Business Plans

Construction irrigation business plan.

Hass Irrigation Systems is a subcontractor providing home and yard irrigation systems for residentail new home construction.

Lawn Landscaping Business Plan

Greens Manicure Service is a start-up company providing residential lawn-care services.

Wholesale Landscape Products Business Plan

Glen Mar Forest Products will use forest wood by-products to manufacture and wholesale a color enhanced mulch/landscape ground cover.

Landscape Design and Maintenance Business Plan

Emerald Outdoor Design is a full-service landscape design and implementation firm with the goal to bring beauty to your home that adds to serenity in your life.

If you’re ready to take your landscaping knowledge and turn it into a business, you need a plan. Before you start writing a business plan for your business, though, take a look at a few sample business plans for nurseries, landscaping, and lawn and garden businesses.

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How To Create A Landscaping Business Plan

For those who love hard work, spending time outside, and being your own boss, starting a landscaping business may be a great fit.

But where do you start?

This guide will show you how to write a landscaping business plan, and address other important factors to consider when starting a landscaping business.

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Plan for success.

Having a business plan is important for several reasons. It serves as your guide for everything you need to run a profitable landscaping business .

Business plans help you avoid costly mistakes by forcing you to go over all the tough aspects of starting a business, not just the fun ones.

Three big reasons why landscaping businesses fail

A landscaping business isn’t guaranteed success. In fact, 20% of small businesses fail within their first year.

Here are some of the reasons why landscaping businesses don’t make it.

1. Too much overhead or underestimating jobs

Operational inefficiencies can bog down business. This could be too much overhead, such as buying a lot of equipment, but not having enough jobs to keep it in use.

Bad estimates also are frequent issues for landscapers. Underpricing a job could win you work, but you also want to make enough money to stay in business. On the other hand, overpricing a job could result in lost work. It’s a fine line to straddle.

Pro tip: Looking at past job hours and expenses using a landscaping time tracker can help you prepare better estimates.

Schedule and track landscaping jobs

Automated GPS time and location tracking

2. Not enough customers

The failure to get repeat customers leads many businesses to sputter out. Consistent jobs pay the bills and are a reliable source of income.

Without it, owners spend too much of their time working to find new customers. This is a lot more expensive than keeping the current ones happy.

3. Cash flow

Cash flow problems plague businesses that are growing fast. If you need more equipment to get more jobs done, you’ll need more cash to make that happen and still be able to pay your team.

Those are the most common problems that landscaping business owners run into.

Now let’s see how to write a great plan so you can avoid these pitfalls.

Writing your landscaping business plan: Step-by-step

A business plan is made up of a common set of sections that can vary in length. The more you add, the better suited you’ll be for the ups and downs that come with running a company.

The following sections are the most important, and could be considered the minimum to include in your landscaping business plan.

1. Executive Summary

This is the first thing someone will read in your business plan. It describes what you want to do and why you will be successful in doing it.

Keep this simple but powerful. If you are looking for money from a bank or other investors, this summary will set the stage for them to trust in your plan.

2. Company Description

This includes your mission statement, history, and an overview of team members.

This mission statement is an easy-to-read message that lets people know why your business exists.

For example “To grow and maintain naturally healthy lawns and gardens,” may be a mission statement for a landscaping company. Overall, keep it simple.

In your company history, describe how long you’ve been around, what services you offer, and what reputation you already have as a landscaper.

The last part of this section is an overview of team members. You’ll want to explain who will be part of the company, why they are skilled, and how they will contribute to the success of the business.

3. Market and Competitor Analysis

This is your chance to establish the status of the landscaping market in your area, and determine where you can stand out.

If there are already 30 tree removal companies in your area, you may not want to focus on that specific service.

On the other hand, you may find that many of those companies have bad reviews, and there is a need for higher quality work to be done.

This is all part of your analysis of the market, so you can find out where there is the greatest need and set up your services to meet that need.

Also consider how services are being priced so you don’t stand out for charging too much. See if your area has a need for more high-end work like gardening, or if there are more potential customers out there that just need lawn services.

Your objective here is to find out where you best can position your company to be successful.

If you’re looking for an easy way to research and document the competition, you can build a simple competitor analysis project board using Hubstaff Tasks simple project management tool .

Manage landscaping projects better

Assign tasks, add due dates, comments, and more

4. Services and Product

This section details the services you’re going to offer and details about them. Here’s what you’ll want to:

• Explain your services in detail
• Explain your pricing model
• Talk about which type of customer will use these services
• Describe how much time it takes to complete services
• Describe what makes your offering unique

5. Marketing Strategy

When you “open the doors” to your new landscaping business, customers won’t be able to find you if they’ve never heard of you. A marketing plan will put you in a position to get noticed.

Talk about the brand you are creating. Think about why it will be special. Describe what it will look like, display any logos or designs, and show the slogans or phrases you’ll use as a brand.

Your marketing plan should include, at minimum, how you plan to use social media, customer referrals, online ratings, in-person events like lawn and garden shows, and direct mail .

6. Financial Plan

The way you spend and manage money is one of the most important aspects of survival and growth as a business. Your financial plan needs to consider the following:

• Startup costs, or the amount of money you need to operate. You’ll need equipment like shovels and lawnmowers, but you also need cash for gasoline, car payments, or fertilizers.
• Employee wages should be broken down by position and skill level. This will keep you on budget when you start hiring.
• Funding sources are the places where you’re going to get the money needed to start. This could be personal savings, friends and family, bank loans, credit cards, or investors.
• Sales projections should be drafted to predict how much money you will spend and earn for at least the first three years of operation. This is an educated guess based upon all the other research you’ve done to build this plan. This should be an honest look at the earning potential of your company.

Drafting your business plan

Creating a landscaping business plan is a vital part of starting a landscaping business. Those who prepare and plan will stand a better chance of profiting and growing their operation for many years to come.

It can feel tedious going through each of the steps of this plan. Keep in mind the reasons why you wanted to start this business as you build your plan.

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Landscaping Business Plan Template

Published Feb.10, 2021

Updated Apr.23, 2024

By: Cynthia Turner

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Table of Content

Do you want to start a landscaping business?

Do you want to start a landscaping business? Well, this business primarily includes designing and maintaining peoples’ lawns by utilizing gardening skills and ideas to convert even the smallest spaces into impressive designs.

These days, lawns have become an integral part of houses, corporate buildings, and streets. Previously landscaping services were only utilized by people who loved to beautify their space. However, now more people are utilizing the service to also play their part in saving the climate.

Thus, opening a landscaping business plan is the right choice and it can become a profitable venture if you manage to plan and execute it effectively. If you don’t know how to open a landscaping business you can take help from this business plan for landscaping written for a startup, Land Care.

Executive Summary

2.1 the business.

Land Care will be a registered and licensed landscaping startup in Seattle . The business will aim at providing professional expertise to help people in installing and maintaining their lawns. In the initial phase, the business will serve its customers by providing the following services: lawn installation, sod laying, lawn care, and designing rock/ stone structures.

2.2 Management of Landscaping Business

To manage a landscaping business plan , you need to employ skillful gardeners and landscapers. Moreover, you’ll also need to invest in landscaping tools and machinery. Besides the general startup requirements, there is a lot more to manage to run your business plan landscape company  successfully. For example, advertisement plan, online presence, sales management, and finance management.

If you are looking for how to set up a landscaping business you can take help from this landscape business plan . In this landscaping business plan on how to start a business plan landscape company , we have provided all the details of Land Care.

2.3 Customers of Landscaping Business

The customers of a landscaping business belong to various walks of life. They include residents, home builders, businesses & corporates, government agencies, and educational institutions.

2.4 Business Target

Our target is to become the most renowned and popular landscaping business in Seattle. Moreover, through our high-quality service, we aim to achieve and maintain a CSAT score above 95%. Besides, our financial targets to be achieved in the next three years are demonstrated here.

Company Summary

3.1 company owner.

Land Care is started and owned by Judi Smith. Judi has done her graduation in Horticulture. She is well known for her ideas of upkeeping garden spaces. During and after her academic years, she has won many landscaping competitions.

3.2 Why the landscaping business is being started

Judi was always an enthusiast of garden structure design. She decided to start a landscape business plan  to utilize her skills and her passion for the benefit of her customers. As well as for earning a good living.

3.3 How the landscaping business will be started

Step1: Drafting landscaping business description

To ensure a successful startup it is essential to do everything with proper planning. Judi studied several landscaping business plan examples to make a landscaping business plan for her business. But due to a lack of experience in marketing and financial analysis, she decided to hire a professional to write a business plan landscape company  for her. The landscape business plan  she got written is provided in this lawn care business plan sample .

Step2: Define the brand

Judi acquired the licenses and permits required to start her own landscaping business plan . Meanwhile, she defined her services, business values & aims, and customer care policies to get identified by the target market.

Step3: Set up everything from machinery to workforce

After that, Judi started to back up her business with a strong workforce and the latest landscaping tools. She rented a building to set up her office. Meanwhile, she hired a co-manager to get some help in conducting interviews and tests to hire the most competent employees. Then she purchased the required inventory to run her business plan landscape company .

Step4: Promote, market, establish a web presence

The last thing to do was to reach out to the target market. Judi utilized the latest methods including online and social media campaigns to attract target customers. The detailed advertisement plan Judi employed to get introduced to a large audience will be provided in later sections.

When you are owning your own landscaping business plan you can implement your creative ideas to the fullest. However, it is still necessary to write down the services you want to provide your customers in a landscape business plan template. As it will enable you to get the required inventory and to hire the employees with the relevant skills.

• Stone walls
• Ground cover
• Landscape stairs
• Plant anchors
• Turf installation
• Rotovating soil
• Hydroseeding
• Grasscycling
• Maintenance of rock and gravel landscape
• Planting Trees/ Shrubs/ Flowers/ Vegetables Our last service will include cultivating plants on your lawn. We’ll plant trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, and fruits that would be considered best for your soil.

Marketing Analysis of Landscaping Business

Before opening a business plan landscape company  it is essential to carry out an accurate marketing analysis. This is to know the market opportunities and your target customers. Exploring the groups of your target customers should be done before even researching on how to write a business plan for landscaping. It is because a thorough knowledge of your customers will enable you in introducing the services that would interest them.

Marketing analysis is a stepwise process. If you are looking for a complete business plan for a landscaping company, you can take help from here. In this landscape business plan and landscaping business model we’re providing marketing analysis done for Land Care.

5.1 Market Trends

Landscaping services are in great demand. Firstly because they freshen and beautify the outdoor spaces. And second due to the awareness in people to keep their surroundings green. According to IBISWorld, the landscaping business plan has seen a growth rate of 1.8% during the past five years i.e. from 2016 to 2021. And the landscape business plan is expected to grow by another 1% in 2021.

The latest stats calculated in 2021 also reports the total market size of landscaping services as $99.7 billion. Thus, the market stats are satisfactory to initiate your startup.

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

The potential customers of Land Care are divided into the following groups:

5.2.1 Residential Community

Our primary customers will be the residents living in our vicinity. In our city, most of the families belong to the working class and others do not have a great number of young enthusiasts to install a lawn themselves. Therefore, to beautify and maintain their outdoor they’ll need to hire professional services.

5.2.2 Home Builders

Our second target customers will be the construction companies and contractors who build homes. Landscaping and lawn installation increases the value of the property. Therefore, they are expected to avail of our landscape design services.

5.2.3 Businesses & Corporates

Nowadays, all small and large buildings of businesses and corporates contain decorative landscaped lawns. As that helps in creating a refreshing environment. This group is expected to become our potential customers as they’ll also need regular maintenance and care.

5.2.4 Government Facilities

Government properties, offices, public parks, bus stations, and even some streets are also marked by landscaped lawns and designs. Therefore, they will also be hiring our services.

5.2.5 Educational Institutes

Almost all educational institutions ranging from schools to universities contain beautiful lawns. This is to create a pleasant and natural atmosphere to promote learning. Thus, such institutions are also expected to avail of all our services.

5.3 Business Target

• To earn a net profit margin of $10.7k per month by the end of the second year and $21.8k per month by the end of the three years of our launch
• To achieve an average rating above 4.8 within a year of our launch
• To achieve a Net Promoter Score above 80%
• To achieve and maintain a CSAT score above 95%

Immigration business plan

5.4 product pricing.

Our prices are a little higher than our competitors. However, we still expect to get more customers as we provide a 50% discount on the maintenance of lawns that are installed/ designed by us.

Marketing Strategy

No matter how efficient and skillful you are, you can never get customers without an effective marketing plan for the landscaping business plan . Thus, to make sure that your customers know about you, you should start advertising before starting a business plan landscape company . Here we’re listing how Judi decided to market her startup.

6.1 Competitive Analysis

The competitive aspects we’ll have to outperform our competitors are listed here:

• We’ll establish a website and social media account to display our works and to facilitate our customers in booking our services and in giving feedback.
• We’ll use the latest tools to ensure quick work delivery.
• We are highly client-oriented. Our skillful workers will be working in collaboration with customers to ensure that they get what they wanted.

6.2 Sales Strategy

• We’ll set up four different forms of landscaped lawns in our workspace to give an idea of what to expect from us.
• We’ll advertise our services through Google Local ads service and social media sites.
• We’ll make our website SEO to get topmost positions in Google searches.
• We’ll offer a 50% discount on all of our services for the first 20 days of our launch.
• We’ll offer a 50% discount on lawn maintenance/ care services for the lawns that are installed/ designed by us.

6.3 Sales Monthly

6.4 Sales Yearly

6.5 Sales Forecast

Personnel plan

While writing a landscape business plan you should include a detailed list of the employees you’ll hire to run your business plan landscape company . The list should also include expected/ average salaries so that you can arrange for the finances accordingly.

The personnel plan developed for Land Care is provided here as an example.

7.1 Company Staff

• 1 Co-Manager to help in overall operations
• 5 Landscapers to design, construct & beautify the outdoor area
• 4 Gardeners to fertilize the soil, mow lawn & plant plants
• 1 Social Media Manager to manage company’s sites
• 1 Technician to upkeep the machinery
• 1 Accountant to maintain financial records
• 1 Sales Executive to execute the marketing strategy
• 1 Receptionist/ Call operator

7.2 Average Salary of Employees

Financial Plan

The financial plan is a crucial component when you make a landscaping business plan. In your financial plan, you should analyze projected profits and losses, gross margins, cash flows, and balance sheets to find out

• Where to invest more in order to get the desired goals?
• What financial decisions should be taken to achieve long term success?
• How to ensure financial stability for your business plan landscape company ?

To help you in making a landscaping financial plan that satisfies all the above-mentioned requirements, we’re providing the financial plan sample made for Land Care.

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 Break-even Analysis

8.3 Projected Profit and Loss

8.3.1 Profit Monthly

8.3.2 Profit Yearly

8.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

8.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

8.4 Projected Cash Flow

8.5 Projected Balance Sheet

8.6 Business Ratios

Download Landscaping Business Plan in pdf

OGS capital professional writers specialized also in themes such as garden nursery business plan , janitorial services business plan , pressure washing business plan , real estate flipping business plan , handyman business plan and many other business plans.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Landscaping is one sector of the multi-billion dollar environmental horticulture industry. Even in stressed economic times, the horticulture industry continues to expand, reports Alan Hodges, an economist with the University of Florida. Savvy business owners can claim a profitable piece of the landscaping market pie by writing a plan that considers marketing strategies, financial feasibility and a specific mission statement.

Market Analysis

Before writing a business plan for starting a landscaping business, attending horticultural trade shows provides you with a snapshot of the green industry. This field research allows you to do your homework and determine the feasibility of moving forward with your business. If you already own a landscaping business, observing your competition at trade shows helps you evaluate your company’s “SWOT” rating -- strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Take notes and compile them into a market analysis that considers the current green industry, landscape trending projections, competition and customers.

Executive Summary

According to the Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s “Landscape Business Planning Guide,” an executive summary is the most important part of a business plan. In two pages or less, it provides the condensed version of a comprehensive plan. This is not the forum to detail every facet of your business, but rather to write a clear synopsis that defines why you're in the landscaping business or wish to enter it. A company’s mission statement precedes the executive summary and sets forth core values, business goals and a specific direction. Choosing a particular niche, such as landscape design or landscape maintenance, fine-tunes the executive summary.

Financial Summary

A financial summary helps determine whether a landscaping business is cost-prohibitive to start or too costly to maintain. For a new business, make a complete list of estimated start-up costs, including licenses, insurance, inventory, payroll and advertising. For an existing business, make a complete list of monthly operating costs, making sure to allow for seasonal income variations that are a part of any landscaping business. Seek advice from a certified public accountant as you write your financial summary.

Marketing Strategies

A four-pronged marketing strategy, commonly called the 4 Ps of marketing, outlines how to implement your business plan. Product, price, place and promotion consider specific ways to reach your target market that differentiate your business from your competition. For example, your products may include incorporating native plants into your landscape design instead of introduced species. Cornell notes that most landscaping businesses are deficient in their marketing efforts. An integrated marketing plan may include print advertising, Internet visibility and booth presence at home shows.

Victoria Lee Blackstone is a horticulturist and a professional writer who has authored research-based scientific/technical papers, horticultural articles, and magazine and newspaper articles. After studying botany and microbiology at Clemson University, Blackstone was hired as a University of Georgia Master Gardener Coordinator. She is also a former mortgage acquisition specialist for Freddie Mac in Atlanta, GA.

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How to Start a Landscaping Business (And Make $100K+/Month)

Do you love being outside and working with your hands? How about the idea of being your own boss?

If your answer to these questions is a resounding “Yes!” then starting a landscaping business could be the perfect career for you. It certainly was for Mike Andes, the founder of Augusta Lawn Care .

Mike started Augusta Lawn Care as Andes Lawn Care to pay for college, but it became so successful that today it’s one of the fastest-growing franchises in the U.S. with over 93 landscaping business owners operating under his business model. The franchise office makes between $65K and $112K per month, and the average franchise makes approximately $37K per month.

What Is a Landscaper?

What does a landscaping business do, step 1: get landscaping experience, step 2: choose your niche and services, step 3. plan for landscaping services success, step 4: choose a landscaping business name, step 5: establish your company, step 6: purchase landscaping equipment, step 7: build your team, step 8: attract customers with marketing efforts, step 9: deliver quality work, start your own landscaping business.

A landscaper is someone who uses their understanding of horticulture, building practices, and artistic design to beautify land. Landscape professionals perform tasks like:

• Leveling land
• Selecting plants and other materials that will thrive in the local climate
• Creating a layout that will create specific emotions, paths to follow, or lighting conditions
• Planting and caring for the landscape

What Is the Difference Between a Landscaping and Lawn Care Business?

A landscaping company is focused on the design and transformation of an outdoor area through planning, construction,  arrangement, and planting of trees, shrubs, grass, and other decorative elements like paths and water features.  

Lawn care services focus on mowing lawns, pest control, fertilizing land, and spreading seeds or sod.  

Lawncare and landscaping are similar, and many companies provide both services. 

Augusta Lawn Care is a lawn care company that provides landscaping services as well. Their list of landscaping services includes:

• Mowing: Cutting Grass
• Landscaping : Leveling services, design, planting new greenery
• Hardscaping : Creating pathways to encourage people to use when traveling through the lawn
• Lawn Care : Performing upkeep of customers’ lawns on a regular basis
• Property Cleanups :  Removing weeds and leaves, plus trimming bushes
• Snow & Ice Removal: Removing snow and ice from pathways

Another landscaping services list might look like the list below.

• Garden and lawn maintenance (mowing, fertilizing, weeding, etc.)
• Maintaining and trimming trees and hedges
• Grooming golf courses
• Laying sod and lawn planting service
• Planting flowers, trees, and bushes
• Corporate/company landscaping
• Designing gardens to customer specifications
• Laying out and constructing walkways
• Installing retaining walls
• Building decks and patios
• Irrigation system design

Basically, anything involving the land around a home or business is the domain of a landscape professional. While larger landscaping companies will provide all of these services, others specialize in one area, like lawn maintenance or flower bed design. 

Now that you know what landscapers do, let’s look at how to start a landscaping business.

How to Start a Landscaping Company

Starting a landscaping business is as simple as:

• Get Landscaping Experience
• Choose Your Niche and Services
• Plan for Landscaping Services Success
• Choose a Landscaping Business Name
• Establish Your Company
• Purchase Landscaping Equipment
• Build Your Team
• Attract Customers With Marketing Efforts
• Deliver Quality Work

Mike didn’t just wake up one day and decide to start Augusta Lawn Care. He grew up less than affluent and knew he would need to earn the money to pay for college. So he started mowing lawns at age 11 and kept doing it through his bachelor degree and MBA (He started college at 13!). 

Eight years later, he was making over a million per year and started building out his landscaping business. He told us the biggest difference in his business now is:

As you grow your landscaping business, you’ll be less hands on. At first you’ll be mowing lawns and working with customers. Then you’ll start being the sales person, then you’ll literally just be supporting your employees.

Check out our interview with Mike below.

Mike found podcasts and YouTube videos were one of the best ways to learn from other landscaping businesses. It gave him the knowledge and tips he needed to start his successful landscaping business. 

You might want to start providing lawn maintenance services to learn more about the lifestyle and gain some experience. Lots of people like the idea of working outdoors, but the reality is often less than pleasant.  

The workday usually starts between 6 and 7 AM, and the weather can be tough to adapt to. You never know whether you are built for starting a landscaping business until you’ve spent 4 hours moving rocks on a hot summer day.

Mike’s Courses and Franchises

Mike offers a business course to help you get into the landscaping industry. It provides lessons on:

• Starting a Business with $15,000
• Landscaping Business Basics
• Marketing Strategy
• Bookkeeping and Accounting
• Growing to $250,000 / Year
• Adding Retail Products
• Pay for Performance (P4P)

Plus, the course includes done-for-you templates and access to previous videos. It’s effectively providing you the same information he provides the franchisees, but you build your own brand. Check out what Mike has to say about the difference between his course and franchises.

Check out Mike’s Landscape Business Course !

As you saw above, landscaping covers a wide range of construction and lawn maintenance services. For a small landscaping business today, it’s often best to focus on just one specialty, like lawn care or landscape design, rather than trying to start off as a full service landscape company. Mike told us:

I tend to focus on the parts of the landscaping market that are easiest and most profitable.

A new landscaping business will reduce startup costs and business expenses if they specialize. You’ll only be purchasing equipment that you need for the jobs you do. You’ll also need fewer skills, which means a smaller crew to get the job done.

Common niches in the landscaping industry include:

• Landscape maintenance: Rather than building or installing landscapes, you’ll be the one pruning hedges, mowing the lawn, and watering the flowers to keep them looking beautiful. Maintenance companies require the lowest initial investment because they require less equipment. On the other hand, you won’t be able to charge as much per hour as you could for more creative and labor-intensive services.
• Fertilization, weeding, and pest control: This is a specialized form of maintenance that focuses on keeping plants and lawns healthy. It requires expert knowledge of plant and grass care. You’ll also be working with potentially dangerous chemicals, so you may need to obtain extra permits or training.
• Sod and lawn installation: Businesses in this niche lay sod, spread grass seed, and install lawns for customers. This often means more one-time contracts than the recurring services offered by maintenance companies.
• Deck and patio construction: Those who have skills with building and construction can put them to great use in a landscaping business. Along with installing the deck and patio, you’ll beautify the area around it. Since this often involves new construction, you’ll need an intimate knowledge of your region’s building codes and other regulations.
• Landscape architecture and design: Businesses in this niche both design and install landscape features for clients. This can include labor-intensive projects like building retaining walls, building terraced gardens, or contouring the landscape. Designers work with customers, using their input to create attractive, livable outdoor spaces, so creativity and vision are key tools of the trade. You’ll also need to have some horticultural knowledge so you can arrange plantscapes that last and thrive.

Mike sticks mostly to the first three tasks, but he’ll occasionally do pathways and more detailed landscaping jobs.

Commercial vs. Residential Landscaping

Along with deciding which specific services you’ll offer, it’s also a good idea to consider what kind of customers you’ll work with. Mike focuses on residential landscaping for two key reasons:

• Lower up-front costs: Residential landscaping companies typically take a deposit at the start of the project that covers the cost of the materials. In commercial landscaping, you often don’t receive your pay until the job is finished, so you’ll have to pay for the materials out of your company’s funds.
• More creative freedom: In commercial landscaping, you’re typically working from a plan provided by the company. Even if this plan has flaws, you don’t get any freedom to make changes or improve it. With residential landscaping, you can work with the customer and make recommendations, giving you more control over the quality of the end result.

Commercial landscaping also has its advantages . You can have fewer clients, since commercial projects are often larger both in regard to the area and the client’s budget. It can also provide a more consistent revenue, especially in the maintenance and lawn care niche.

Create a Basic Lawn Care Price Sheet

One of the hardest things for new landscaping businesses is knowing how much to charge for services. Mike’s advice:

Do a lot of research.

Different regions have standard price ranges for landscaping services, so that’s the first thing you should look up when you’re deciding on your prices. Each project is unique, though. Many new landscaping businesses have a tendency to under-bid for projects. They want all the work they can get and don’t want to be turned down by the client. 

Another business owner, Brian Linson, told us:

Go out and get your numbers down when you’re bidding projects. Don’t be afraid to walk around and measure everything out. Just take your time when you’re bidding because the last thing you want to do is go back to a client and tell them you need more money to finish their project. That’s something no one wants to hear.

Check out the rest of the interview with Brian below.

Check out Home Advisor’s list of costs for landscaping services : 

• Lawn mowing/maintenance: $130
• Removing a tree stump: $349
• Leaf removal: $400
• Sealing asphalt: $527
• Tree and shrub maintenance: $800
• Deck sealing and waterproofing: $919
• Concrete removal: $1,081
• Patio or path repair: $1,454
• Deck repair: $1,987
• Installing sod: $1,997
• Driveway repair: $1,714
• Resloping/contouring: $2,116
• Fountain installation: $2,673
• Pond installation: $3,352
• Landscape installation:  $3,300
• Patio and path installation: $3,900
• Landscape design: $4,569
• Installing a retaining wall: $5,933
• Building a deck: $7,650

A landscaping business owner needs to have a plan if they want their small business to be successful. It’s a seasonal business, so don’t forget to plan for reduced cash flow during the winter months.

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Landscaping Business?

Initial expenses for a landscaping company vary widely, depending on the size and scope of your operations. If you’re a one-person operation that only performs basic maintenance and mowing services, you can get started with as little as $1,000. Mike told us:

When we started, we started with $1,000 to buy a blower, a weed eater, and a lawn mower.

That said, most landscaping businesses will require a larger investment. The average start-up cost is between $15,000 and $20,000 if you’re starting from scratch.

There are ways to lower these start-up costs, though. Buying used rather than new equipment can cut down significantly on your expenses. Mike specifically suggests buying your work vehicle used because they get damaged easily and the business asset will be devalued more if you buy it new.

You can also rent much of the equipment from home improvement stores, typically for around $100/day. While this is less cost-effective in the long term, it can be an excellent way to save on initial expenses if your financial resources are limited.

If you don’t want to start a business from the ground up, your other option is to buy a franchise. While this often takes more money up-front, it can be a good option for a first-time entrepreneur since you won’t need to do as much leg work to get it off the ground.

How Much Does a Landscape Business Owner Make Per Year?

The short answer, again, is “it depends.” According to Lawn & Landscape Magazine ’s State of the Industry Report , the average annual salary of a landscape company owner ranges from around $31,000-$69,000 per year.

Mike hasn’t shared his salary, but with $699 to $1200 monthly franchise fees from 93 franchises, it’s fair to say he’s making decent money.

Writing a Landscaping Business Plan

A business plan is a living document that plans for the future of your company. You’ll definitely need one if you plan to apply for small business loans or other financing, since both bankers and investors will ask to see it.

Even if you’re opening the business with your own savings, a business plan is a helpful document. It’s where you’ll outline your company’s mission statement and long-term goals, along with detailing your initial and ongoing expenses.

If you’ve never written a business plan before, take a look through a sample business plan to get more guidance on what to include and how to write it. Among the things, your business plan should include:

• The business’s mission and objectives
• A description of the company
• The services you’ll offer
• An analysis of the market
• A summary of your sales and marketing strategy
• The business’s organizational and management structure
• Initial budget figures and financial projections

Mike even recorded a whole video about planning your own company. Check it out below.

It’s important to put some thought into choosing the name of your company. Your landscape business name is the first impression customers will get, so make sure the name explains what you do.

Once you’ve picked business names for a landscaping business, it’s a pain to change them, so that’s more motivation to get it right the first time. If you’re having trouble coming up with landscaping business names, a business name generator can help you get started. 

The best landscape business names are short, simple, and tell people exactly what your business does. It should be easy to remember but also unique enough to stand out from the competition.

Keep in mind that much of a business’s presence in the modern day is online. Check to see if the business names you’re considering are available as domain names so you can get one that matches. You can use the WhoIs LookUp to see if a domain is available with the business name you want. 

Once you’ve determined what kind of services you’re going to offer, you’ll be better able to do the logistical work of establishing a company. This includes:

• Creating a Business Structure
• Getting a Landscaping Business License
• Opening a Business Bank Account
• Getting Landscaping Insurance

Keep reading for more information on how to start a small landscaping business.

Create a Business Structure

Creating a separate business entity for your landscaping company separates your business assets and your personal assets. Most local landscaping companies choose to use a limited liability company (LLC), but there are other business models that will protect your assets. To create a business entity, just go to your Secretary of State business portal. 

Find out more about business entities .

Landscaping Business License Requirements

Every new business has to be registered before they can legally operate. First, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN). This is your business’ federal tax ID, which you’ll need to open a bank account, hire employees, or apply for local permits. You can apply for an EIN through the IRS website .

You’ll also need to register with the county clerk’s office for local business licenses. Depending on your state’s laws, you may also need to apply for a sales tax permit. Each state is different, so check with your local SBA.

The specific licenses and permits required for a landscaping business vary depending on your state. Check with your state’s business licensing association to find out what’s required in your area.

Get a Business Bank Account

Go to a local bank and open an account. That way when your clients pay an invoice, it goes straight into your bank. Then you can pay yourself, your business expenses, and your employees. Learn more about business bank accounts .

Get Business Insurance

Potential customers expect landscaping companies to be insured to cover job sites if they damage something while on the job. That means you need to have at least property damage and general liability insurance. Commercial clients might have other requirements. 

If you’re using your personal vehicle, don’t forget to get commercial driver’s insurance. 

The types of landscape services you’re going to provide will determine which specific equipment you’ll need. After you’ve decided on a niche, create a landscaping tools list.

If your start-up budget isn’t enough to cover everything on your list, you don’t need to fret. Start by renting more expensive tools, then buy them as you go. This was Brian’s approach when BL Landscapes was first starting. Even now, he says,

We buy the tools we need for the job, and when you sign another job you take some of that money and buy the tool you need for that job, and that way you just keep building up.

This can cut into your profits, of course. If you spend $500 on equipment for a $1,000 job, you’re not going to have much left over at the end. It’s worth it in the long run, though, because the next time a job calls for that tool, it’ll be pure profit.

Generally speaking, it’s better to buy fewer pieces of high-quality equipment than try to buy a full range of tools right off the bat. All tools wear out over time, but a well-made shovel with a fiberglass handle will serve you well for longer than the cheapest option on the shelf. 

Craigslist can be a good place to find used equipment if you want to save some money. For new tools, you can check hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes, as well as nurseries and farm supply stores. 

Landscape Tools List

Here is some of the equipment you’re likely to need as a landscaping business, along with each tool’s approximate cost:

• Manual gardening tools (shovels, rakes, shears, trowels, etc.): $10-$50 each
• Push mower: $200-$1,000
• Riding lawn mower: $1,000-$5,000
• Leaf blower: $100-$500
• Lawn spreader: $100-$500
• Sprayer (for fertilizer, pesticides, etc.): $50-$200
• Trimmer: $50-$300
• Edger: $80-$350
• Water saw: $500-$4,000
• Plate compactor: $300-$5,000
• Trailer: $1,500-$5,000
• Heavy-duty truck: $10,000-$50,000
• Portable generator: $500-$2,000

Check out this blog by Spyker to learn more about each tool.

Other landscaping companies might be one-man operations, but for larger jobs you’ll need some help. Hiring employees is one of the most difficult aspects of owning a business, and while you can find plenty of advice on the topic, there’s no substitute for experience.

Offering competitive pay is a good way to attract top talent to your company. There are a few approaches you can take:

• Mike uses Pay for Performance, which means the more effective the employee is, the more money they make.
• BL Landscapes pays $25 per hour.
• You can combine the two and give a minimum hourly wage plus commission.

You can find quality employees at a variety of places:

• Job marketplaces like LinkedIn and Monster
• Trade Schools and Colleges 

Sometimes, you’ll even meet them at lunch. We talked to a recruiter to find out how to hire.  

You’ve started your own business, but how do you find potential customers?

You’ll want to create a marketing plan that identifies your target market and how you’re going to communicate with them. 

You’ll also want to make sure you have:

• A Business Website 
• Landscaping Business Cards
• Truck Decals 
• Social Media

Mike told us:

Paid media allows you to control your lead flow. Just spend 1-2% of revenue for paid media when you’re slowing down. Painting trucks, uniforms, and brochures are also marketing. Everything we do is a form of marketing.

The first thing Brian did when he started BL Landscapes was reach out to local real estate agents. He also built relationships with his local suppliers, like nurseries and home improvement stores. As a low-cost marketing option, Brian says,

When we started, we had some cheap landscape business cards made. Go put them [out in your community], and start telling people and throwing your name out there. Really that’s the biggest thing, is just to get your name out there to anyone you can. Make yourself a Facebook business page and start going at it.

Mike encourages landscapes to share as much about their existing business as possible. The more you share what landscapers do, the more capable you are of benefiting from word-of-mouth marketing.

The absolute best advertising for a landscaping company is a well-completed project. If you consistently deliver long-lasting, beautiful landscapes, that will secure repeat business and bring in new clients when those happy customers tell their friends.

Make sure to make it easy for clients to recommend you. Give them some business cards, and provide the link to your Google reviews on your invoice. Don’t be afraid to ask. You can book clients for routine maintenance, too.

About 50% of BL Landscapes’s business comes from repeat customers. Continuing service and after-installation coverage is a huge part of this. They cover their work with a warranty, and will often help fix issues for customers even after this period has expired.

As Brian says:

Whether it’s a mistake we made or a product that failed, we try to go back and make it right.

This approach has paid off for him. In their six years of business, BL Landscapes has a 100% customer satisfaction rate. His customers know they can count on him to use high-quality materials that will stay beautiful for years to come.

We’ve answered your questions about landscaping companies, including:

• What do landscapers do?
• How much do landscapers make?
• How much to start a landscaping business?
• How to start a landscaping business with no money
• How to find what landscaping license you need
• How to come up with business names for landscaping

It doesn’t take a huge investment to start a lawn care company, and the revenue potential is high. As you can see from Mike’s success, the best way to financial success is to plan ahead and provide your company with a strong foundation.

Whether you start your own company or buy one that’s already up and running, the ultimate key to long-term success is to provide quality services. Starting a new business is never easy, but the effort you put in can yield fantastic results if you follow Mike’s advice about how to start a lawn mowing business.

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How To Write a Business Plan

Tips on the best approach to developing a document to guide your business

Let’s get down to the business of writing a business plan. There are a myriad of resources to help you with the process, each of them containing basically the same information with slightly different styles and formats.

Make the first plan your own

The book “How to Write a Business Plan,” by Mike McKeever, offers two routes: the comprehensive plan and the “quick plan,” which can be completed in one day. This comes in handy if you choose to write a preliminary plan for yourself, as recommended by several experts.

“The first business plan you write should be for nobody but yourself,” says Norm Bodsky in his book, “Due Diligence.” “You just need to answer four questions as honestly as you can: 1) what is the concept? 2) How will you market it? 3) How much do you think it will cost to produce and deliver what you’re selling? 4) What do you expect will happen when you start making sales?”

Bodsky says the main idea of this first plan is to spell out as clearly as possible how you think the business is going to work, and to test your assumptions before you try to raise money or present this plan to anyone else. This will help you keep mistakes and unrealistic expectations to a minimum.

Remember that any plan you eventually end up with is never really “final.” Business conditions are constantly changing, and new opportunities are always presenting themselves. Know that you can and should review and improve your plan to maximize its effectiveness as a guide for your business.

“Writing a plan allows you to see how changing parts of the plan increase profits or accomplish goals,” says McKeever in “How to Write a Business Plan.” “You can tinker with individual parts of your business with no cash outlay.”

That said, you will eventually want to write a full-blown plan. While we can’t provide a comprehensive description (there are whole books on the subject!), here are some steps that will help you through the process.

The introduction

According to “The Instant Business Plan: Twelve Quick and Easy Steps to a Successful Business,” by Gustav Berle, Ph.D. and Paul Kirschner, the introduction contains three elements: the cover letter, the cover sheet and the table of contents.

If presenting to a banker, the letter should include the highlights of your introduction. The introduction should touch on the most important points of the plan, giving the reader an idea of what they are about to get into. Though it should be brief, this section is very important because you are molding the reader’s impression of your business.

This summary is also included at the beginning of the plan. “The first page of your plan should state your objectives as simply as possible,” says David H. Bangs, Jr. in “The Business Planning Guide.” “If the plan is for your sole use, the statement can be brief. However, if the plan is also to be used as a financing proposal, the statement becomes more complex.”

If you are preparing the plan for a banker, Berle and Kirschner suggest including in the summary a description of your business, the amount of your loan request, your payback plan and what security you offer for your loan.

The cover sheet simply says something to the effect of “2016 Business Plan for Joe’s Lawn & Garden” in block letters or headline format. If presenting it to a banker, include another sentence below, saying, “Prepared especially for (lender’s name and name of institution).”

One of the most important factors of your business plan is to make it easy to use, so the table of contents is another important page. It will be referred to throughout the life of the plan. Organize it well, displaying every section of the plan with the corresponding page number. You will have sub-entries on the table of contents as well in certain sections that contain several key pages, such as your financial section.

Be sure to list every document you are including in the plan. Business identification, purpose, description Depending on what resource you use, this section is broken down differently. Berle and Kirschner, for example, break down business identification, purpose and description into three of their 12 steps. Others combine them.

Let’s start with identification. In addition to your name and tagline, you should also include all the identifiers of your business: your address, your phone and fax numbers, tax number, names of principals and more. Include the legal definition of your business and if you are incorporated.

Now that you’ve identified the dealership on a surface level, the business purpose and description will require a deeper, more thorough representation of your business.

In this section, Bangs says you will want to explain three points:

• What your business is
• How you run it
• Why you think your business will succeed

“Deciding what your business is — and what it will be in five years — is the most important single decision you have to make,” says Bangs. His book offers seven questions helping you pare the information down, touching on the business’ form, status, profitability, hours of operation and seasonality.

McKeever says you should develop a problem statement — describe the problem customers have, and how you solve it. He says that this part may take a little time and a few drafts before you’re happy with the statement. “The important thing is not how long it takes to do this, but that you end up with a realistic, well-thought-out business description,” says McKeever.

Market research and competition

This section of the plan is very important because this is where you prove the population around you needs your service, and that the market can support your dealership. If presenting the plan to a banker, this section of the plan is weighted heavily in the decision. Most bankers aren’t very familiar with the unique needs and services offered by a power equipment dealership. Here is your chance to draw a picture for them of how effective your business can be in the marketplace.

Berle and Kirschner say, “The more meaningful figures that you have at your disposal, the easier it will be to prepare a business plan that will work for you — and open the doors to potential loan demands.”

A significant part of this section should talk about your customer. Discuss not only the demographic makeup of the typical customer (and prospect), but also their buying tendencies. There are several surveys out there from marketing research firms that have already done national (and sometimes regional) research for you.

Research does not have to be expensive. There are several ways to get this information. First, start with your own built-in focus group: your current customer base. Second, check with trade journals like Green Industry Pros. The library and the Internet are two other excellent resources. And don’t forget your vendors. Many manufacturers, distributors and/or dealers conduct their own product and customer research that would lend itself well to your business plan.

Make sure this section demonstrates one important point: “You want to be able to identify your best (most profitable) prospects and understand them well enough to be able to satisfy their perceived needs,” says Bangs.

Although this section falls toward the middle of the business plan, the research you conduct should happen before you start writing, since the research may well affect your business direction.

When discussing the competition, be sure to include specifics. And, after demonstrating your understanding about their customer attraction, make sure you also emphasize how your business is different and/or better at attracting customers. How will you gain market share?

Make sure you maximize one of your biggest assets: you. “The person or persons who run the business will determine, more than any other factor, whether the enterprise has a chance to succeed or is doomed to crash with the first ill wind,” says Berle and Kirschner.

In this section, name each principal and discuss related business experience. It is, in fact, a good idea to attach a resume for each principal. Next, discuss the job descriptions, salaries and benefits. Also mention here what external management assistance you call on (marketing or business consultants, accountants, etc.).

Next, discuss your personnel. “The fiscal officer who might examine your business plan is especially interested in your commitments to hired personnel and its long-range implications on your cash flow,” says Berle and Kirschner.

This is also a good place to mention (and attach to the business plan) if you have a written employee policy.

Marketing Strategy

Now that you’ve proven your potential for growth and talked about your customers and prospects, you must show how you will market your products and services.

“Marketing is the strategic plan to put you in touch with the customer in order to satisfy their needs, wants or desires,” says Berle and Kirschner. “Figure out how to promote your company using all the tools available to you, including public relations and advertising,” says Bangs.

Financial information

“The heart of the operation is in the accounting system,” says Bangs, “Control is essential. If you don’t control your business, it will control you.”

“This is the make-or-break section,” says Berle and Kirschner. “It is the one a potential lender will understand best and will examine most closely for completeness, accuracy and realism.”

According to Berle and Kirschner, the financial section should include the following information:

• Capital requirements
• Depreciable assets
• Pro forma balance sheet
• Break-even analysis
• Projected income statement
• Cash flow projection and analysis

Supporting documents

The back-end of your business plan should include the supporting documents you discussed throughout the body of the plan. Put them in the same order as referenced in the plan, and clearly label them. You’ve got the ingredients of a winning plan.

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Writing a Business Plan for a Landscaping Business

Thinking about starting a landscaping company? Here are some tips on how to write a business plan for it.

A business plan is a written document that defines a company’s objectives. This plan also describes how to achieve these objectives and goals. A business plan is the cornerstone for success, so it is very important to get it right before launching your business.

Planning for a landscaping business shouldn’t feel like an uphill task. Although it may take a lot of time to get it to a place that you are happy with, knowing the key elements to include in your plan will significantly simplify the process. With that in mind, here’s how to write a business plan for a landscaping business.

The steps in outlined within can also be used for other types of businesses. While this article focuses on writing a business plan for a landscaping business, it can also be referenced for other types of companies.

Create an Executive Summary

An executive summary condenses the vital information contained in the entire business plan. This section highlights the key points. Ideally, it shouldn’t go beyond one page. This is where you can briefly mention the feasibility of your business. State the existing market gap and how your business looks to solve it.

Develop Your Business Profile

Your business profile is the first thing clients will see when searching for landscaping services. Therefore, it must be appealing. Here are some must-include items for the profile:

• A memorable company name
• Clear mission and vision statements 
• Physical address of your business location
• Staff capacity
• Services you are providing
• Company values
• Team member information

Modern technology will help you liaise with your customers and operate in a seemingly more professional way. Take advantage of this in being able to offer self-service options on your website to support existing customers. Landscaping management software from companies like Jobber can help you achieve this.

Summarize Market Research

The next step when writing a business plan for a landscaping business is to summarize all of your market research. Conduct thorough research into the potential market you would be looking to serve. Luckily, numbers indicate that the US landscaping industry has been growing annually at 2.5%, on average. This rate of grow was between 2016 and 2021. Moreover, the upward trend is likely to continue into the coming years making it an attractive investment option.

As part of the market evaluation, assess whether the services you’ll be offering in your landscaping business are marketable. You can also think about combining two or more services and offering them as a bundle. The market condition also determines how best to be pricing your landscaping services . The fees you charge depend on factors such as material costs, inflation, typical wages, overheads, and desired and acceptable profit margin.

Present the Competition Analysis

Another crucial part of a business plan for a landscaping business is the competition analysis. Landscaping businesses are very popular. Many business owners actually start a landscaping business as their first operation. This type of business is very attractive for those with small amounts of start up capital. However, a landscaping business can also be a lucrative business opportunity for established entrepreneurs.

With this in mind, you’ll have to grapple with the fact that your planned business may not be the only one in your area of operation. So, when drafting your plan, note down what other landscaping businesses are doing. Look into things like:

• The price of their services
• Business location
• The services they commonly provide
• How they source for customers
• Any shortcomings they might have
• Their strengths 

Having this information helps you to differentiate your brand in the aspects mentioned above.

Recruitment and Staffing Details

Identify how many team members you will need to carry out the expected level of work. What will your hiring process be if you need additional support? It will be a good idea at this stage to specify the roles you will be looking to fill. In addition to this, define what the ideal candidate would look like. 

Aside from that, you’ll also have to have a good idea of how much you’ll be paying them and whether this will be sustainable for you, especially at the start. Will there be a period of time required for your business to gain momentum before you start hiring? 

Finally, describe how you’re going to ensure employee retention once you find the right people. It’s no good merely hiring new staff, you want to be able to retain them too so that they can continue to add value to the business and support its growth. Details about recruitment and staffing is something you must need to include in a business plan for a landscaping business.

Outline Your Operational Plan

You will need to outline a practical operations plan for your business. Here, you need to detail how exactly you will be able to service your clients, maintain your equipment, and purchase materials where required. It is also important to outline and detail how you will be able to arrive on time for scheduled appointments.  

Are there any long-term goals that you may have? Do you intend to launch your business in three different states in the next 5 years for example? Put this in writing and clarify how you intend to achieve your goals.

You may also want to include language regarding what type of equipment you will need. For instance, mowing equipment, leaf blowers, weed-whackers, as well as a landscaping trailer. Also, you may want to address the question of if you should buy or lease a car for your business . In this case, it will most likely need to be a truck or a commercial van.

Develop a Marketing Strategy

In this section, describe how you intend to create awareness about your landscaping business. You can do this through:

• Social media marketing
• Establishing a business website and optimizing it for search engines
• Door-to-door flyer distribution
• Anything else?

Digital marketing can grow your small business , so think about ways to use this medium.

Analyze Your Finances

When drafting your business plan, the details of how your financials will work will be one of the most important sections. Clearly define your startup costs and initial investments. Some of the landscaping tools you’ll have to purchase include work trucks, mowers, trimmers, and protective gear. The good thing is that startup costs for a landscaping business are usually not as high as for other businesses. For instance, a starter pack, consisting of a lawnmower, trimmer, and leaf blower, may cost you about $500 USD.

Additionally, look into how you’ll get the startup capital to get going. You may source finances from friends and family, bank loans, mobile lenders, business credit cards, or use your savings. Just be cautious if you’re intending to take a loan. Be sure you can pay back the premiums plus the interest rates. Defaulting may put your newly launched business at risk. In short, proper financial planning is key to ensuring profitability. These are definitely details that you must include in your business plan for a landscaping business.

Compile an Appendix

Lastly, compile an appendix for documents with additional detailed information to supplement what’s included in the plan. These may include:

• Business permits
• Title deeds
• Certifications
• Memberships in landscaping-related organizations 

While you may not think this is an important step, you cannot look over compiling an appendix when you are writing a business plan for a landscaping business.

Writing a Business Plan for a Landscaping Business – Summary

Writing a business plan for a landscaping business that is effective will take some time. However, it is more than worth the effort.

Some of the must-have elements are financial analysis, market assessment, review of competitors, details of the management team, operations plan, and business profile.

By being able to plan for these accurately, will help you start your landscaping business on the right footing and increase your chances of success. 

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12 Easy Steps for Growing Your Landscaping Business

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Wendy Komancheck

There is always a mix of excitement and fear when you decide to open your own business … especially a lawn care or landscaping company. You have plenty of competition.

How can you grow your lawn maintenance company despite the competition?

12 Steps for Growing Your Landscaping Company

It’s thrilling to start your own organic lawn care company. Yet, you’ll find that you have some overwhelming challenges before you gas up your zero-turn mower. So, what is the best way for you to grow your new landscaping business (lawn care business owners, this information is for you too)? Here are 12 steps to get you started:

1. Start with your dream: Marty Grunder shares four thoughts from a GROW conference he led back in 2018. Start with your idea, plan your dream into practical steps, execute your vision, and then, lead others within your dream.

Many times, business growth blogs focus on the numbers, KPIs, and other data. And that’s not wrong. But we business owners forget where the idea to start our companies came from—our dreams and aspirations.

If you want to grow your company, go back and remember when you had that “Aha” moment to start your landscaping or lawn care business. What lead you to take that dream and move forward with it?

2. Get a SCORE mentor: I don’t know about you, but when I started the Landscape Writer , I knew what I wanted to do, whom I was going to serve, and how I was going to market my business blogging services.

I knew other bloggers who had SCORE mentors, but I didn’t believe I needed one right away. Well, I was wrong. I got a SCORE mentor within 18 months of the Landscape Writer opening, and Tim, my mentor, helped me get my business off the ground.

How? By coaching me to write a business plan, a marketing plan, and other essential ways to start a company. So, I now encourage others to get a SCORE mentor.

I know that there are a lot of great coaches and consultants in the green industry. But if you’re new to business, you can get your toes wet by seeing a SCORE mentor. All of the mentors are volunteers, and they don’t charge a dime for their time or wisdom.

A SCORE mentor will help you decide if you’re wired for business ownership as well as the first steps to take to birth your baby (your business baby, that is).

3. If you have existing customers, keep them coming back to you:

One of the best ways to stay in business is repeat business.

So, you need to figure out the best methods for keeping your current clients happy—not only for them to stick with you, but to refer you to more business.

4. Don’t wait to build marketing momentum: Start letting people know about your lawn care business by creating excitement through social media. See where your ideal customers hang out. Is it Twitter? LinkedIn? Facebook?

Also, don’t forget that a blog is a social media tool as well. Start getting some posts up focusing on common lawn care and landscaping problems people in your area deal with every summer. Examples include grubs, drought, heat stress, water usage, fungi, etc.

Read more: Why You Must Blog about Your Lawn Care and Landscaping Services.

5. Get those word of mouth referrals: If you’ve mowed some lawns or created flowerbeds that provide continuous color, ask your customers to refer you. You can add incentives, such as one free mow or 10% off your core aeration services.

6. Rebrand, maybe? If you’ve used the same logo or graphic for a long time—say a decade or more—it may be time to rebrand. But remember when you rebrand that means that your trucks and signs must reflect your rebrand.

7. Keep your website active: An active site helps people find you when they do a Google search. It also shows that you have the pulse on the lawn care and landscaping needs of your community.

8. Get social: Copy and paste specific points and tips from your blog and repurpose them on your social media channels. You can also get the conversation going with surveys, BBQ recipes, and latest news, such as what works to stop Spotted Lantern Fly.

9. Start organic, then pay for ads: When you’re new to the ballgame of business blogs and social media, start small. Don’t buy ad space until you know what you’re customers are looking for from a lawn maintenance company.

However, use as many “free” social media tools as you can. Examples include • HubSpot’s CRM tool to keep track of your leads

• Buffer so you can upload and schedule social media content

• Google My Business to get your company on the virtual map and help people find you faster

10. Open house: Host an open house one or two more times a year. Get on social media to encourage people in your area to come meet their local lawn service. Also, don’t forget to send postcards and put up flyers in local communities to build excitement.

Don’t forget to supply refreshments. Also, write down what you want to tell your visitors about your lawn and landscaping business. For example, if you hold a Fall Open House, you can talk about your core aeration and overseeding services as well as fall yard clean up.

11. Diversify your business: If you only provide lawn care, you may want to include some landscaping services. Conversely, if you live in an area where you get snow every winter, consider bidding on snow removal jobs.

12. Keep the off-season busy: If you provide late fall lawn fertilizer or you have an arborist on staff, consider off-season services such as shrub and tree trimming, fall yard cleanup, and other services.

Learn more: Don’t make these 7 mistakes as you grow your lawn and landscaping maintenance company.

How the Landscape Writer Can Help Your Landscaping and Lawn Care Company Grow

When you hire the Landscape Writer to help you grow your landscape maintenance or lawn care company, you’re investing in content marketing that will bring more people to your website. At the Landscape Writer, I deliver educational content that attracts local homeowners and commercial clients that need your services.

If you’re ready to move to the next level with your website’s content marketing, call or text me today at 717-381-6719 or fill out my free consultation form . All blogs are “custom-made.”

Sources: Caldwell, Dodd, “22 Ways to Grow Your Landscaping Business.” LawnandLandscape.com, “4 Steps Pros Take to Grow a Landscaping Business.”

Category: DNU , News & Resources Tags: best way to get landscaping clients , business growth , how to find landscaping clients , landscaping business , lawn care business , lawn maintenance companies

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How Much Does it Cost to Start a Landscaping Business

Startup Costs Worksheet

• July 26, 2024

10 Min Read

Are you passionate about transforming outdoor spaces and considering starting your own landscaping business?

Well before you dig into the soil and plant the seeds of your green empire, you need the answer to one question: How much does it cost to start a landscaping business?

Worry not. We have just the estimates for all costs associated with a landscaping business.

Let’s dive in!

What is the cost of starting up a landscaping business?

The startup costs of a landscaping business in the USA span between $15,000 (small scale) and $1,08,600 (commercial) . These figures can fluctuate based on factors like location, equipment, and licensing.

Landscaping businesses usually make profits between 5% to 12% . You can expect to enjoy even larger profit margins as you scale and optimize your operations.

Average costs for starting a landscape business

Before we dive into details, check out this startup cost checklist of landscaping businesses. It will help you plan your startup budget and know how much financing you need to get started.

Using this landscaping startup cost checklist, you can plan your startup budget and get an idea of how much financing you will need.

How to calculate the cost of starting a landscape business

You now have a list of potential expenses and a rough estimate of your startup costs. Let’s estimate your actual startup costs using these two proven methods.

The first, traditional method involves using a startup costs calculator to estimate the startup costs. However, the second, the Upmetrics method, is an innovative method that uses the Upmetrics financial forecasting tool .

Let’s understand both methods so that you can choose one that suits your requirements the best.

The traditional method—startup costs calculator

The calculator includes categories such as pre-trading, website setup, marketing, operations, and people. You can enter the estimated costs in each field and let the calculator estimate the costs for you.

Remember that many startup costs fall under recurring expenses, so cover those costs monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Calculate your startup costs using this calculator.

The Upmetrics Method:  Financial Forecasting Tool

It is an intuitive and efficient method of calculating startup expenses. Using Upmetrics will not just help you estimate startup costs but also help with financial forecasting.

All you need to do is enter your sales, costs, and other financial assumptions and let the tool calculate monthly/quarterly/ and yearly projections for you.

Check out the financial forecasting tool for accurate financial forecasting. Once you have an accurate estimate of startup costs, you can easily identify funding requirements for your landscaping.

Calculate Your Startup Costs

Raising funds for a new startup is nerve-wracking and time-consuming, but having a landscaping business plan can make things a lot easier.

Let’s move ahead and discuss the factors that affect your moving business startup costs.

Factors that affect landscaping startup costs

Various factors come into consideration while calculating landscape business startup costs. Let’s look at the key factors that greatly influence the initial investment for your business.

1. Vehicle costs

When it comes to a landscaping business, vehicle expense is one of the important factors to consider. You’ll need a reliable vehicle for transporting your equipment and crew to job sites.

So it’s wise to invest in a sturdy vehicle to save money in the long run like a truck. This can be a:

• New truck costing over $30,000 depending on the model you choose.
• Used truck priced anywhere between free to $20,000
• Rental truck costing $20-100 a day

If you’re getting a truck, make sure it has enough towing capacity and storage space for your equipment. If you’re using a trailer, factor in the cost of installing racks and storage solutions.

Also, remember to budget for ongoing costs like fuel, insurance, and maintenance in addition to the initial purchase price.

2. Equipment costs

When planning your landscaping business, equipment costs are a big consideration. Whether you’re working on residential or commercial projects, your equipment needs will vary.

For residential jobs, you might need smaller, compact tools, while commercial projects might require larger, more powerful machinery.

So, you can expect to spend around $5,000 to $25,000 on essential equipment like a lawn mower, hedge trimmer, leaf blower, and other tools. Also as a landscape business owner, remember safety gear like gloves and goggles, as well as maintenance tools such as sharpening kits and oil.

Choosing durable and fuel-efficient equipment can help you save money in the long run and make your landscaping business more successful.

3. Business registration and licensing

Registering your landscaping business and obtaining the necessary licenses are crucial steps that come with initial costs. Apart from the registration fees, you may need to allocate funds for legal consultations, documentation preparation, and licensing fees.

Generally, the business owner can consider budgeting approximately $150 to $600 for business registration and legal consultation fees.

Moreover, the costs for licensing for landscape companies can vary depending on factors like location, business structure, and coverage needs.

Here’s a rough estimate of expenses:

• Business License: $50-$500
• Landscaping Contractor License: $100-$500
• Pesticide Applicator Certification: $100-$300

If you need any additional guidance, seeking legal counsel is always recommended.

4. Business insurance

To safeguard yourself from financial losses and any unexpected situation, insurance is important. As a landscaping business owner, you’ll need a variety of insurances to protect your operation, staff, and customers.

Here are some of the other common insurance categories:

• General liability insurance: $500-$2,000 per year
• Workers’ compensation insurance: $500-$3,000 per year (varies based on the number of employees and payroll)
• Commercial auto insurance: $1,000-$3,000 per year (if using company vehicles)

These estimates may fluctuate depending on your unique situation and the insurance companies you choose. It’s crucial to conduct thorough research and gather quotes from several insurance providers.

5. Equipment and vehicle maintenance

Maintaining your landscaping vehicle is essential for ensuring smooth and efficient operations. Regular upkeep for engines, tires, and equipment servicing is necessary.

Maintenance expenses can vary depending on factors such as the age and condition of your vehicles. Newer equipment may require less frequent maintenance than older models, which could incur higher repair costs.

Fuel expenses are another significant consideration and can fluctuate based on factors like vehicle efficiency and the distance traveled for landscaping projects. If your business serves multiple locations, fuel costs may increase accordingly.

On average, landscaping businesses can expect to spend approximately $300 to $800 monthly on vehicle maintenance and fuel consumption while $50 to $200 on equipment maintenance.

Proper budgeting for these expenses is essential to ensure the smooth operation of your landscaping fleet while managing costs effectively.

6. Office space

Securing office space through rental or purchase is a major expense for a landscaping company startup. Location greatly influences these costs, impacting lease, or property prices.

As of 2023, the annual quoted rent of Class A offices in downtown areas was $53 per square foot , while for suburban offices it was $34.6 per square foot.

In addition to traditional office spaces, you might also require warehouse spaces for storage and managing lawn care equipment and supplies. And you need to pay an additional amount for this.

So you can expect to pay $500 to $3000 for your office setup.

7. Landscaping technology

Utilizing the right technology is vital for optimizing the operations of your landscaping business. This includes software for managing schedules, customer relations, and payments, as well as hardware to support field operations.

Hardware costs for essential equipment such as mobile communication devices, GPS navigation tools, and vehicle tracking systems can vary widely. Depending on your business size and needs, initial hardware expenses may range from $5,000 to $20,000 .

Selecting suitable software solutions becomes crucial once you have the necessary hardware in place. Prices for landscaping software plans vary, with monthly subscriptions ranging from $50 to $200 , depending on the features and functionalities required for your business.

Additionally, investing in quality equipment like robust landscaping tools and machinery can significantly enhance the efficiency and productivity of your operations.

Allocating resources for technological advancements ensures that your landscaping business remains competitive and well-equipped to meet the demands of your clients.

8. Marketing and advertising costs

Effective marketing and advertising are vital for your new landscaping business, as they help develop brand recognition and attract clients.

While these activities may require an upfront investment, they are essential for establishing a presence in the local market and standing out from competitors.

Here’s a breakdown of potential costs:

Digital and traditional marketing:

This may involve strategies such as email campaigns, search engine optimization (SEO) for your business website, distributing flyers, social media posts, and organizing community events.

Monthly expenses for these marketing efforts can vary, typically ranging from $500 to $1,000 , depending on the scale and channels utilized.

Website development:

Investing in a professional website is key for showcasing your landscaping services and attracting potential clients. Costs for website development can range from a few hundred dollars for a basic site to several thousand for a custom-designed website with advanced features.

On average, you can expect to spend somewhere around $500 to $5,000 for a well-designed and functional website.

These initial investments in marketing are important not only for attracting clients but also for setting a strong foundation for your brand in the landscape industry.

Tips for reducing landscaping startup costs

Minimizing startup costs for your lawn care business is crucial for its initial success and continued growth.

Here are some practical tips that can help minimize the expenses of your new business:

1. Opt for used equipment

Save money by purchasing used landscaping tools and equipment instead of investing in new ones. You can often find gently used gear at lower prices through second-hand sales or online marketplaces.

2. Start with a home office

Initiate your landscaping business from a home office to eliminate the overhead costs of leasing commercial space. Operating from home can significantly reduce expenses such as rent, utilities, and commuting costs, allowing you to allocate more resources toward growing your business.

3. Implement DIY marketing strategies

Utilize social media platforms and word-of-mouth marketing to promote your landscaping business. Building a strong online presence through platforms like Instagram or Facebook can attract potential clients without the high costs associated with traditional advertising methods.

4. Handle repairs and maintenance internally

Instead of outsourcing repairs and maintenance tasks, consider handling them yourself or with the assistance of friends or family members. DIY approaches to landscaping equipment repairs and simple maintenance tasks can help save on professional service fees.

5. Start with a small scale and expand gradually

Start your landscaping business with just a few basic services to keep costs low. As you gain more clients and see demand rise, you can slowly add more services and expand your business. This helps you manage expenses better while laying a strong groundwork for future growth.

And that’s a wrap! We’ve discussed the key factors influencing the startup costs of your landscaping business.

Now, it’s your turn to dive into estimating the specific costs for launching your own landscaping business in your local area.

So, what are you waiting for? Gather your team, and begin your mission to beautify outdoor spaces and make your mark in the landscaping industry. Your next step awaits – let’s get started!

Use Upmetrics for Accurate Startup Cost Projections!

Looking to estimate your startup costs? Dive into Upmetrics! Our business plan software makes financial forecasting a breeze

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you start a landscaping business with no money.

No, starting a landscaping business without any money isn’t feasible. There are various essential expenses like licenses, insurance, lawn care equipment, and marketing that require funding.

However, you can explore avenues like small business grants, loans, or partnerships to secure the initial capital needed for your new venture. These options can provide the financial support necessary to launch your lawn care services and set it on the right path.

What are the funding options for landscaping startups?

Several funding options exist to raise capital for your lawn care company. Here are some of them to consider:

• Bank loans: A private or government bank loan is a common option but needs a good business plan and credit.
• Personal Loans from Family & Friends: Seeking support from family and friends is the easiest way to secure funding for your moving business. Approach them to borrow funds or seek investment for your startup.
• SBA (Small Business Administration) loan: SBA loans are specially designed for small businesses and help secure bank approval.
• Angel Investors: These entities provide capital in exchange for equity in your landscape business.
• Crowdfunding: Here you can raise funds from large groups of people for your lawn care company online.

The ideal funding option should match your business goals, providing a stable financial base for a successful landscaping business.

Are landscaping businesses a good investment?

Yes, landscaping businesses can indeed be a solid investment, especially considering the steady demand for outdoor beautification services. So with the right business model, strategic planning, and effective marketing, a landscape business has the potential to generate steady income and long-term profitability.

How long does it take for a landscaping business to make a profit?

A landscaping business may require a year or five to achieve profitability. But it’s not a sure-shot answer. Factors such as building a loyal customer base, managing business expenses effectively, navigating competition from other lawn care companies, making timely decisions, and more influence the timeframe.

Determining the precise timeline for a landscaping business to become profitable presents a challenge due to significant variability.

What are the fixed expenses in a landscaping business?

Fixed expenses are the costs that remain steady regardless of the number of projects you take. These expenses may include rent or mortgage payments, equipment maintenance, software subscription, insurance premiums, and others.

They provide stability for financial planning and management, enabling businesses to allocate resources effectively.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

Reach Your Goals with Accurate Planning

A PIP means you've probably already been quiet fired, says management academic

• A management academic who was put on a performance-improvement plan called them a form of quiet firing.
• Catherine Rymsha explained that PIPs are often used by HR to push employees out legally and safely.
• She advises that PIPs are generally an indication to leave the company as soon as possible.

A management academic who was placed on a performance-improvement plan while working in the corporate world told Business Insider that it is just a roundabout way of your company quiet-firing you.

Catherine Rymsha, a lecturer in management at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, previously worked in the human resources department of a global software company. Prior to that, she worked in different marketing and communication roles.

Having received a performance-improvement plan herself, Rymsha understands just how brutal the process of getting one can be.

She said she was unexpectedly put on a PIP by her manager several years ago when working in marketing. Rymsha told BI that the pair did not get along professionally .

"There was no way no matter what I did that I was going to have the upper hand," she said. Her position in marketing did not survive the PIP .

She was then offered a job in human resources.

"In that case, having been in HR and having it happen to me, you can see how they are used to pigeonhole or to put somebody in a corner," Rymsha added.

'We know we don't want this person at the company'

PIPs help HR to cover itself if there were ever to be a legal issue, she said.

Rymsha explained that many of her former HR business partners hated putting people on them.

"It just spelled like we're doing this, and we know we don't want this person at the company, so it almost feels like a fool's errand," she said.

Related stories

"They had to go through the actions to protect themselves and protect the business, but ultimately, they were going to find a way to push the person out of the organization," she said.

Quiet firing

For Rymsha, a PIP is an invitation to leave a company.

"If you get that PIP, you've been quiet fired, probably three to six months ahead of time," she said.

Rymsha said often, before a PIP is even issued, employees will gradually see things being taken away from them. This is a sign that the company is hoping you will take the hint and leave on your own so they don't have to go through the process of giving you a PIP, she said.

"If you're not getting great feedback, you're being taken off projects, you're not getting put on new or exciting work or initiatives — those are all the subtleties that [a PIP] could be coming, or they just don't see as much value in you, and they don't want to invest in you as much, basically," Rymsha said.

Once you're on that path, it's time to leave your company, she advised.

Can a PIP ever work?

Despite seeing PIPs as a means of quiet-firing, Rymsha also said she has seen a PIP achieve its true purpose before, especially when someone has had issues at home or even just become a little bit complacent with their job.

She said some managers take a 50/50 approach, where half of the employees who receive a PIP the organization wants to keep and develop, and the other half it wants to fire but in the most legal and respectful way possible.

For other HR people, it's more like 80/20, Rymsha said, meaning 80% will be terminated, and only the remaining 20% will stay. It varies between companies, but she is still wary of their use.

"I see most not working in anyone's benefit ," Rymsha said.

• Main content

Whether your industry faces challenges from geopolitical strife, fallout from a global pandemic or rising aggression in the cybersecurity space, the threat vector for modern enterprises is undeniably powerful. Disaster recovery strategies provide the framework for team members to get a business back up and running after an unplanned event.

Worldwide, the popularity of disaster recovery strategies is understandably increasing. Last year, companies spent USD 219 billion on  cybersecurity  and solutions alone, a 12% increase from 2022,  according to a recent report by the International Data Corporation (IDC)  (link resides outside ibm.com).

A disaster recovery strategy lays out how your businesses will respond to a number of unplanned incidents. Strong disaster recovery strategies consist of disaster recovery plans (DR plans), business continuity plans (BCPs) and incident response plans (IRPs). Together, these documents help ensure businesses are prepared to face a variety of threats including power outages,  ransomware  and  malware  attacks, natural disasters and many more.

What is a disaster recovery plan (DRP)?

Disaster recovery plans (DRPs) are detailed documents describing how companies will respond to different types of disasters. Typically, companies either build DRPs themselves or outsource their disaster recovery process to a third-party DRP vendor. Along with business continuity plans (BCPs) and incident response plans (IRPs), DRPs play a critical role in the effectiveness of disaster recovery strategy.

What are business continuity plans and incident response plans?

Like DRPs, BCPs and IRPs are both parts of a larger disaster recovery strategy that a business can rely on to help restore normal operations in the event of a disaster. BCPs typically take a broader look at threats and resolution options than DRPs, focusing on what a company needs to restore connectivity. IRPs are a type of DRP that focuses exclusively on  cyberattacks  and threats to IT systems. IRPs clearly outline an organization’s real-time emergency response from the moment a threat is detected through its mitigation and resolution. 

Why having a disaster recovery strategy is important

Disasters can impact businesses in different ways, causing all kinds of complex problems. From an earthquake that affects physical infrastructure and worker safety to a cloud services outage that closes off access to sensitive data storage and customer services, having a sound disaster recovery strategy helps ensure businesses will recover quickly. Here are some of the greatest benefits of building a strong disaster recovery strategy:

• Maintaining business continuity:  Business continuity and  business continuity disaster recovery (BCDR)  help ensure organizations return to normal operations after an unplanned event, providing data protection, data backup and other critical services.
• Reducing costs:  According to  IBM’s recent Cost of Data Breach Report , the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was USD 4.45 million—a 15% increase over the last 3 years. Enterprises without disaster recovery strategies in place are risking costs and penalties that could far outweigh the money saved by not investing in the solution.
• Incurring less downtime:  Modern enterprises rely on complex technologies like cloud-based infrastructure solutions and cellular networks. When an unplanned incident disrupts business operations, it can cost millions. Additionally, the high-profile nature of cyberattacks, lengthy downtime, or human-error-related interruptions can cause customers and investors to flee.
• Maintaining compliance:  Businesses that operate in heavily regulated sectors like healthcare and personal finance face heavy fines and penalties for data breaches because of the critical nature of the data they manage. Having a strong disaster recovery strategy helps shorten response and recovery processes after an unplanned incident, which is critical in sectors where the amount of financial penalty is often tied to the duration of the breach.

How disaster recovery strategies work

The strongest disaster recovery strategies prepare businesses to face a wide variety of threats. A strong template for restoring normal operations can help build investor and customer confidence and increase the likelihood you will recover from whatever threats your business faces. Before we get into the actual components of disaster recovery strategies, let’s look at a few key terms.

• Failover /failback:  Failover is a widely used process in IT disaster recovery where operations are moved to a secondary system when a primary one fails due to a power outage, cyberattack or other threat. Failback is the process of switching back to the original system once normal processes have been restored. For example, a business could failover from its  data center  onto a secondary site where a redundant system will kick in instantly. If executed properly, failover/failback can create a seamless experience where a user/customer isn’t even aware they are being moved to a secondary system.
• Recovery time objective  (RTO):  RTO refers to the amount of time it takes to restore business operations after an unplanned incident. Establishing a reasonable RTO is one of the first things businesses need do when they’re creating their disaster recovery strategy.  
• Recovery point objective  (RPO):  Your business’ RPO is the amount of data it can afford to lose and still recover. Some enterprises constantly copy data to a remote data center to ensure continuity. Others set a tolerable RPO of a few minutes (or even hours) and know they will be able to recover from whatever was lost during that time.
• Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS):  DRaaS  is an approach to disaster recovery that’s been gaining popularity due to a growing awareness around the importance of data security. Companies that take a DRaaS approach to disaster recovery are essentially outsourcing their disaster recovery plans (DRPs) to a third party. This third party hosts and manages the necessary infrastructure for recovery, then creates and manages response plans and ensures a swift resumption of business-critical operations.  According to a recent report by Global Market Insights (GMI)  (link resides outside ibm.com), the market size for DRaaS was USD 11.5 billion in 2022 and was poised to grow by 22% in the years ahead.

Five steps to creating a strong disaster recovery strategy

Disaster recovery planning starts with a deep analysis of your most critical business processes—known as business impact analysis (BIA) and risk assessment (RA). While every business is different and will have unique requirements, there are several steps you can take regardless of your size or industry that will help ensure effective disaster recovery planning.

Step 1: Conduct a business impact analysis

Business impact analysis (BIA) is a careful assessment of every threat your company faces, along with the possible outcomes. Strong BIA looks at how threats might impact daily operations, communication channels, worker safety and other critical parts of your business. Examples of a few factors to consider when conducting BIA include loss of revenue, length and cost of downtime, cost of reputational repair (public relations), loss of customer or investor confidence (short and long term), and any penalties you might face because of compliance violations caused by an interruption.

Step 2: Perform a risk analysis

Threats vary greatly depending on your industry and the type of business you run. Conducting sound risk analysis (RA) is a critical step in crafting your strategy. You can assess each potential threat separately by considering two things——the likelihood it will occur and its potential impact on business operations. There are two widely used methods for this: qualitative and quantitative risk analysis. Qualitative risk analysis is based on perceived risk and quantitative analysis is performed using verifiable data.

Step 3: Create your asset inventory

Disaster recovery relies on having a complete picture of every asset your enterprise owns. This includes hardware, software, IT infrastructure, data and anything else that’s critical to your business operations. Here are three widely used labels for categorizing your assets:

• Critical:  Only label assets critical if they are required for normal business operations.
• Important:  Assign this label to assets your business uses at least once a day and, if disrupted, would have an impact on business operations (but not shut them down entirely).
• Unimportant:  These are assets your business uses infrequently that are not essential for normal business operations.

Step 4: Establish roles and responsibilities 

Clearly assigning roles and responsibilities is arguably the most important part of a disaster recovery strategy. Without it, no one will know what to do in the event of a disaster. While actual roles and responsibilities vary greatly according to company size, industry and type of business, there are a few roles and responsibilities that every recovery strategy should contain:

• Incident reporter:  An individual who is responsible for communicating with stakeholders and relevant authorities when disruptive events occur and maintaining up-to-date contact information for all relevant parties.
• Disaster recovery plan manager:  Your DRP manager ensures disaster recovery team members perform the tasks they’ve been assigned and that the strategy you put in place runs smoothly. 
• Asset manager:  You should assign someone the role of securing and protecting critical assets when a disaster strikes and reporting back on their status throughout the incident.

Step 5: Test and refine

To ensure your disaster recovery strategy is sound, you’ll need to practice it constantly and regularly update it according to any meaningful changes. For example, if your company acquires new assets after the formation of your DRP strategy, they will need to be folded into your plan to ensure they are protected going forward. Testing and refinement of your disaster recovery strategy can be broken down into three simple steps:

• Create an accurate simulation:  When rehearsing your DRP, try to create an environment as close to the actual scenario your company will face without putting anyone at physical risk.
• Identify problems:  Use the DRP testing process to identify faults and inconsistencies with your plan, simplify processes and address any issues with your backup procedures.
• Test your disaster recovery procedures:  Seeing how you’ll respond to an incident is vital, but it’s just as important to test the procedures you’ve put in place for restoring critical systems once the incident is over. Test how you’ll turn networks back on, recover any lost data and resume normal business operations. 

Disaster recovery solutions

Modern enterprises rely more than ever on technology to serve their customers. Even minor outages can cause critical downtime and impact customer and investor confidence. The IBM FlashSystem Cyber Recovery Guarantee is designed for anyone who purchases a new FlashSystem Array with IBM Storage expert care and IBM Storage Insights Pro.

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