"Mike" wrote in message
...
"Tracey" wrote in message
...
Hi All. I hope you don't mind me asking the following question, but I
really don't know where else to ask. My fiance is planning on leaving
his
present employment (he's already a gardener) and setting up by himself,
doing garden maintenance, renovations, clearance, hedge reductions etc.
He
has done quite a bit of research, but doesn't know how much to charge -
he
doesn't want to go round under-cutting other established gardeners, but
then
doesn't want to charge too much. We thought perhaps £8-£10 per hour (we
are
in Midlands region), would be a reasonable charge. Any thoughts or
advice
on how we could find further help in deciding on costs would be very
much
appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Tracey


Hi Tracey

Starting up on your own is a huge minefield in that there are many
problems
which until you atart, are not seen. It's rather interesting in that in a
book I wrote quite some time ago called 'The New Business Minefield' I
actually used a gardener who worked for the local council in the Parks
department, as an example on how to start. Still on the computer somewhere
and I have been meaning to get it published.

1) Can he start on his own in the evenings, (bit difficult now that the
evenings are getting shorter) and weekends and built up a customer base
slowly?
2) Contact the local Chamber of Commerce and see if they have any advice
or
leaflets on starting a business.
3) Get in touch with your local Technical Colledge and see if they do
courses. I used to lecture on a Business Startup Programme.
4) Make a few enquiries as to what the going rate is and the best way of
this is to ask. If you see a Gardener working on someone's garden and you
are able to talk to them, ask them what they charge per hour for general
grass cutting and tending to borders "As you are thinking of getting
someone
in to do yours, do you have a card please?"
5) Many areas have Small Business Clubs, join one. These are cluibs where
business people meet and discuss local topics, and one which I was on the
committee, we would discuss the bad payers!!
6)Advertising. Henry Ford once said "Hald of my advertising budget is
wasted, the trouble is, I don't know which half" so monitor your
advertising. Do very small adverts to start with, use the same format, and
make the advert regular and if you can state your experience in years,
then
do so. (Don't forget to add anohter year to the advert as they roll by)
7) Don't get a special bank account. Use an ordinary account, possibly
with
a Building Society. Keep ALL of your receipts, even when you go into a
cafe
for a cuppa half way through the morning, you 'might' be able to book that
agains expenses, even if it is only 5 minutes from home.
8) Don't go and buy a new van a load of new equipment and have big flashy
signs made. Don't bother with headed paper and business cards, you can do
them yourself on the computer.
9) Talk to an Accountant with regards to Insurance, not an Insurance
Agent,
he will be biassed towards his pocket.
10) Holidays. Who pays for your holidays now? Who will pay for them when
self employed? Too much work? Get friendly with a fellow gardener and see
if
you can come to an agreement to offload, but be careful, if he is better
than you, you may lose a customer :-((
11) Who will service your customers if you fall ill?
12) STAY ON YOUR OWN, do NOT even contemplate a partnership. Stay small
where YOU are in control

Some to be going on with?

Plenty more where that came from, gained from my own experience as a Sole
Trader, a Partner, and as MD of a Limited Company, and from friends and
collegues who either are or have been in business.

Finally, working for yourself is great.......... when it is working! When
things go wrong you ask yourself, 'Why the hell did I do this?'!!

Mike


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Thank you, Mike, for your thorough and excellent advice, I'll take a print
out of it and show my fiance when he gets in from work.

He already has six people lined up who would want regular work doing, so
it's a start. Originally he thought it would be best if he took a part-time
job doing whatever and slowly build up the gardening, eventually making this
a full time thing, but he is having more and more requests as the weeks go
by when he tells people he's thinking of going it alone, so we really think
he can make a go of it straight away. I have designed him some business
cards on the computer and will do some leaflets for him too, so we are
keeping costs to a minimum. He is going to use the Chamber of Commerce and
a local business club.

My fiance has worked hard all his life (twenty years or so out there in the
workforce) and is sick and tired of working his butt off with little
appreciation from the fat cat boss and for little pay. The job he's doing
at the moment has him tending to around 260 gardens - he is paid little
over the minimum wage and my fiance and his work-mate did the maths and
worked out they are getting paid around £1.20 per garden!

I truly believe he can make this work, we realise there is a risk involved
when setting up on your own, but I think sometimes in life it's worth taking
a risk! He's a damned hard worker, is organised, thorough and never has
days off sick, so I'm sure if anyone can make it work he can. Fingers
crossed anyway!!!

Thanks again for your advice, it's much appreciated!

Tracey