lady gardener starting out

Hi everyone - new to this site - great site ! i was made redundant at the end of last year and i have decided to pursue my life long passion for gardening and set up a small local gardening business in the next couple of months.

I am trying to get a business plan together and have been reading up on pricing strategies on this forum and other sources. A number of people have suggested NOT quoting an hourly rate, but pricing up each job. I have no problem with this suggestion, especially for one off projects, but how does this work in practice for more regular customers - with my friends and family the EXPECTION is for gardeners to give them hourly rates between £10 - £15 (here in the east midlands).

Any advise from the experienced on how to tackle (get around this issue!) would be appreciated, as i know that it is essential to get the pricing right (to stay in business!) and more importantly to feel confident when selling your services, especially to your first potential customer.

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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Claire Brown on June 26, 2011 at 22:11

Hi Trish, i'm guessing if you're at Merrist Wood College, you're in my part of the world, and we're lucky in that the market here will take a decent figure, AS LONG, as your quality and customer service merits it.

 

Don't Ever blag what you don't know, Always return calls, Never make a promise you can't keep. Always exceed expectations and then i'd say no, you are not being naive, you are being realistic that you need to make a living.


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Gary Hedges on June 26, 2011 at 22:19
Great advice Claire.
Reliability, punctuality and honesty are often overlooked. You can have a sparkling van, great website etc but once you start letting people down word soon gets around
A good reputation is key to business success

PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Claire Brown on June 26, 2011 at 22:50
And that's why we're both up late on Sunday night getting ready for the coming week......

Gary Hedges said:
Great advice Claire.
Reliability, punctuality and honesty are often overlooked. You can have a sparkling van, great website etc but once you start letting people down word soon gets around
A good reputation is key to business success
Permalink Reply by Trish Reynolds on June 27, 2011 at 11:56

Hi Claire and Gary, great advice indeed.

I am banking on providing a great service, so would like to think I can charge what is a good rate but one that I can make a living from, I am sure I will not get some contracts because of this, but I have found that so many people you speak to seem to think gardening (professional or otherwise) is an unskilled labour, maybe because anyone can have a go, even if it's hacking something down.  I still think a lot more can be done to market the professionalism of gardening, people respect designers because a lot of people aren't "creative" and wouldn't know where to start. It would be good at some point in the future to get a group together at a show or fair to market the skills of great gardening (even though most gardeners survive well by word of mouth). It would help elevate peoples minds to look for someone with integrity, knowledge and experience, when considering employing one and understand better why they charge what they do. 

Anyway thanks heaps for your advice, I appreciate it.

P.S. I live in the Dorking area.

Permalink Reply by Nicki Jackson on June 27, 2011 at 13:30

Hi all,

Great discussion I think the points raised here are really great and above all reputation, honesty, credibility and punctuality can set you aside from your competitors and I try as much as possible to offer all of those. 

Although, I would love to price some jobs up by the job rather than by the hour but am unsure where to begin as often when you are doing a clearance job you find things that you hadn't expected to find or something took so much longer than you anticipated.  In my experience I do feel that a lot of one off jobs people prefer to have one cost but I do shy away slightly as I don't want to over or under charge as one of us will suffer. 

Permalink Reply by Trish Reynolds on June 27, 2011 at 17:00

Hi GL

Thanks for the advice, and I wouldn't take offence, I understand what you are saying completely. That is why when I start up, I want to ensure I have myself well sorted and charge according to my skills and understand the pitfalls as I learn from others. I am not going into design, but garden maintenance and was trying to explain (not clearly) that in my view, friends, family, colleagues would more likely pay a designer to come up with a design plan if they had to, than pay a gardener to maintain it.  I feel they see the design work as more of a learned skill than the gardening itself, which they can always have a go at themselves if they won't spend the money.

 

Permalink Reply by Bridget Zorn on November 15, 2011 at 21:34

Hi all

Thought I'd add to this thread as it is exactly what I am at the moment (ie. 'lady gardener' starting out)!  I went to quote on my first 'proper' job lead today and I was wibbling last night about how to tackle pricing after reading so much advice on here.  In the end I said what my 'daily rate' was and that it would be for between x and x number of hours which would be more in the summer months than winter (it was for regular maintenance).  Anyhow, said I'd email it across in writing so better get on and do that now....  When I got home I had a new email enquiry in too... I'm starting to believe that the enquiries might start trickling in now!


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Dan Frazer Gardening on November 15, 2011 at 22:10

good bridget, how have you been advertising?

Permalink Reply by Bridget Zorn on November 15, 2011 at 22:33

Hi Dan

I had some Vistaprint cards done and put them round locally (cafes, post offices and the like).  Also last week got a basic web site up and running.  Put myself on Freeindex.  Oh, going to see a lady on Friday who posted for a gardener on a local residents' association site.  Today's quote was from 'getagardener.co.uk' that I went on with the free trial (won't be paying for it though, think that was just beginner's luck!).  Am considering putting myself in a couple of the local free things we get round here in the new year too.   


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Dan Frazer Gardening on November 16, 2011 at 7:18

My advice is always going to be don't push the lady thing too much. If you saw an advert saying 'male gardener' you'd think it was an odd way of putting it right? Same applies.

Focus on your strengths and show what you can do for your clients.

The cards and website will eventualy bring you in enough work, but not until well into next season.


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Austin Powell-Allen on November 16, 2011 at 13:12

good replies i have changed my stratagy as start of last year I used to be hourly and one thing  i have had is some people only want you for a couple of months (partiularlly with a couple of newbies) but never tell you this in advance and the the fixed rate you give them. Afterwards is not so good on you as you might end up a  bit out of pocket because you divided it all by the year or 6 months. Hoping they will at least keep you for the six months.

People do not want to be fixed into a contract for six months to a year. So this is not really an option, wish more people were more honest but thats life.

So ensure your profit and margins are big enough to cope with this. as you don't want to end up out of pocket. I think its tricky times and better with the fixed price so people can budget for you. I have started submitting a yearly schedule so they know the dates i am coming and can budget although with the warmer weather I have had to slip a couple of extra visits in to keep weeds and lawns down. But the customers are usually very understanding about this as its mother nature good luck.


PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Austin Powell-Allen on November 16, 2011 at 13:17

This is where terms of business come in I am sure many of us have gone to dig a border over to replant to  find that old concrete pad for the oil tank or  a path and it needs removing prior to planting. Just makesure the customer is aware that any unforeseen items my incurr extra costs or allow a 20-30% extra in your quotes for this that you are happy to discount if it is not needed.

Nicki Jackson said:

Hi all,

Great discussion I think the points raised here are really great and above all reputation, honesty, credibility and punctuality can set you aside from your competitors and I try as much as possible to offer all of those. 

Although, I would love to price some jobs up by the job rather than by the hour but am unsure where to begin as often when you are doing a clearance job you find things that you hadn't expected to find or something took so much longer than you anticipated.  In my experience I do feel that a lot of one off jobs people prefer to have one cost but I do shy away slightly as I don't want to over or under charge as one of us will suffer. 

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