The UK’s appetite for gardens has been unceasing for generations, but seen particular growth in recent times – with considerable thanks to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and the birth of a new hobby for a great many people.
Indeed, there’s never been a better time to be in the gardening business, where horticulture and landscaping contributed £28 billion pre-pandemic alone. But starting a business is easy; growing it is the hard part. What do you do with your gardening business in that awkward period after initial growth?
Listen to Your Existing Customers
One of the best things a growing business can learn in the pursuit of sustainable improvement is how to listen to its customers. ‘The customer is always right’ is an adage often repeated in retail and consumer-centric services, but its meaning has been lost in translation for many. It is often used to justify customer complaints and unreasonable demands, but is in fact a reference to customer requests. That is, if there is customer demand for a different product or service, you as a business should consider expanding to meet that demand.
You can achieve this in a number of ways, from picking up on cues from speaking to your clients in-person to examining your sales figures for different landscaping services throughout the year. Perhaps the best way to discern what it is your customers want is to send out a questionnaire periodically.
Invest in Quality Equipment
Next, any gardening business in it for the long haul needs to be able to rely on its tools. It is no good gambling with rusty hand tools that could break at any moment; investment in good quality equipment will see you reduce costs on repairs and replacements, and improve your quality of work.
Investing in the right power tools can also make your work easier. For example, a cordless hedge trimmer would enable you to work your way around a garden faster, and reach difficult spots without getting tangled.
Utilise Marketing Strategies
Even for the most old-fashioned, hands-on team of gardening professionals, marketing is an unavoidably important facet to your business. The act of neighbours talking to one another about your handiwork is marketing, just the same as targeted social media adverts are marketing. So, creating a robust marketing strategy can help you play to your strengths and grow awareness of your business organically.
For word-of-mouth marketing, your work will speak for itself – but putting a sign with your brand name and logo on it by the garden you are working on will enable local residents to put a name to your work. For digital marketing, hiring a professional is often the best port of call. However, a simple strategy can be drawn up through the creation of social media accounts and the promotion of posts to your chosen demographic.
Expand Your Team
Lastly, a growing business means growing demands on your time and energy. The more clients you take on as a gardener, the harder you might find it to spread yourself and your energy between them. At this point, hiring another pair of hands could be hugely beneficial to your operation – preserving your quality of work and saving you valuable energy. With a little more investment, your extra pair of hands could turn into a second team entirely – enabling you to service two customers at once.
