| Guidelines For Starting A Successful Lawn Care Business Author: Susan Nelson Hopkins Are you nervous about starting your own lawn care business? While it’s healthy to have a bit of the “devil’s advocate” approach to starting a new business, don’t let it guide you. Start your lawn and garden care business with a “success” advocate approach so you can recognize opportunities when they come. Seek out successful mentors, look for successful business plans to emulate, and follow successful business practices. In a nutshell, it’s common sense to put into practice what already works… what is already successful. Know the lawn care business inside and out… Do you know what’s involved in this business? Do you actually know how to use a lawn mower and the other tools of the trade? Do you know how to service them? Do you know anything about lawn care and maintenance? If you don’t, find out. If you think you do, be sure you do. Go to the library and book store. Search the internet (perhaps that’s how you ended up here). The point is, you have at your immediate disposal all the information you need. There’s also an easy solution to finding any professional help you may need. Enlist the help of retired professionals… accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, business planners. Imagine having these retired professionals working on your business. All that personal attention, packed full of years of experience. It’s a win- win answer. Don’t quit your job… This is one of the real benefits of starting up a lawn care business. You can develop it while you’re still working. Put pencil to paper and determine how many customers you need in order to support your family, and then slowly build up to that. Be patient, because you’re still not quite there. Continue at this level until you’ve accumulated enough NET profit to support your family for a minimum of six months. Or, work out a part-time situation with your boss. If this doesn’t work, consider finding a part-time job with another company. The point is, be patient. Be secure financially before committing to your new lawn care business full time. Be as debt free as you possibly can… Focus on this in the section above. Make it a goal before you quit, or at the very least follow the advice from your accountant or financial adviser. Gather up the equipment and tools you need… You probably already have most of what you need: Pickup truck, or van, or at least a station wagon; lawn mowers; edger; leaf blower; brooms, rakes, shovels, and other hand tools; garbage cans for debris. TIP: As soon as you can afford it, get a back-up for each of the above. While the above equipment is necessary to your business, don’t forget these essential tools: Common sense; good work ethics; working knowledge of human nature; good customer relation experience. There’s one last thing you need… Actually, there are two things you need when you finally do start your lawn care business full time… courage and confidence! _____________________________________________________________________ Your Kids Can Have Fun Landscaping Author - Joshua Santor The patio, the garden and the front yard are usually landscaped to make the house look better and inviting to visitors. Landscaping, aside from being a decoration, can also be an alternative recreational activity for kids. Here are some suggestions to make landscaping a form of recreational activity for children: 1. Landscaping is a family activity. It may be used to spend time with the family and a way to bond together. The time may be used to motivate kids to learn gardening. Kids will be very productive as they help in removing weeds and watering the plants. 2. An area may also be allotted in the garden as the kids' play place. They can decorate the place and put their toys in the playground. The playground can add design to the landscaped garden and make the place welcoming to the kids. 3. Landscaping a garden may be a way to communicate with kids the importance of taking care of plants. While gardening, a parent can show how to take care of living things like plants and butterflies. This is one way to educate them and prepare them in becoming responsible individuals. 4. The children may make use of the landscaped garden as their play area. This will benefit parents since they can spend time in the garden and watch their children at the same time. This is an effective way to spend quality time with children rather than doing the gardening by yourself. 5. Parents can also motivate their children to start a garden of their own. They should be encouraged to plant in flowerbeds and small pots. This will also help parents in organizing the garden while the children are enjoying their time. 6. Landscaping may also be a way to discover any skills the children have with plants and their passion for nature. Kids may find out that enjoy the spending time in the garden and may make landscaping their hobby. Landscaping as a hobby for children will prepare them for exploring their talents, passion and love of nature. Landscaping is not limited to older people. It is also for kids and young teens. Parents should be creative in introducing this new alternative way of spending time and having fun at the same time. Kids will enjoy this new activity as they will be able to discover new things. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Landscape Planning – Include a Fountain for Impact Author: Ian Patterson Now that winter is upon us, it is time to start planning your landscaping project for the coming months. Apart from cutting back the shrubs and raking up the old debris, there is not too much that can be done outside. Now is the time to get out paper and pencil and draw up plans for giving your yard or garden a face lift. Even if you only have a small courtyard or patio you can still redesign the look of it. Outdoor fountains make an impressive and beautiful sight. For those of you who are looking to add elegance and sophistication to your outdoor environment this year, you just cannot beat a beautiful outdoor water fountain. Garden fountains have become popular for several reasons. The soft soothing sound of running water makes a fountain one of the most appealing additions to a garden. The comforting sound of cascading water brings about tranquility and peace satisfying both the senses of sight and sound. A garden water fountain is perfect if you want to add style to your backyard and are available in many materials such as resin, copper and stone with so many features available to enhance the appearance of our yards. Outdoor water fountains are available in many shapes and sizes and could be small structures or quite large. Freestanding, central pieces with several tiers may dominate the center of the landscape. These are probably the fountains that we are most familiar with and the larger ones are seen in parks and on corporate or hotel entrances. It is possible to have a similar style on a smaller scale in your own yard. Wall mounted outdoor water fountains take up less space but can be just as dramatic when placed in a prominent position and can be the focal point of your landscape. Alternatively place an outdoor water fountain on a secluded wall somewhere in the landscape, perhaps in an atrium or patio. Wherever they are placed, garden fountains enrich the look of any garden or patio. The exquisite designs available for outdoor fountains and garden fountains add a look of authenticity and create character for your outdoor area. Add some small garden ornaments to compliment the fountain and the surrounding plants and your garden will change dramatically. Hunter Kenroy is a popular choice for outdoor fountains as are solar powered garden water fountains. Both are available at serenityhealth.com. Solar powered garden fountains are a popular alternative when there is no electric source to run the electric pumps. The solar panel must be placed in a sunny location, in order to utilize the power of the sun. Solar powered water fountains are available that only require water and a source of sunlight and there are ready to go. Outdoor fountains in ponds have an air of mystery and magic about them especially at night with subdued lighting strategically placed to enhance the sparkle of the cascading water. Fountains in ponds will add an elegant backdrop to your next garden party. Garden fountains are an impressive and beautiful sight. For those looking to add elegance and sophistication to their outdoor environment and garden you just cannot beat a beautiful water fountain. Adding outdoor water fountains to your garden, deck or patio is one of the best ways to add beauty and character to your outdoors. The tranquility of a soothing outdoor fountain will relax you after the stress of a long day. Start today and draw up your landscaping plans to include an outdoor fountain. About the Author: Now emerging from the mist of a colorful and varied career, Ian Patterson was born early in is life somewhere in a long forgotten postal code. The mantra that he learned from his parents, while growing up on their farm was “if you want it done right, then do it yourself”. That’s just what he did. Ian Patterson is someone who’s been there, done that, printed the T shirt and wrote the book. A firefighter, soldier, yachtsman, skier, climber, mechanic, plumber, electrician, data technician, business continuity planner, and web writer are just some of the things he’s been. He was a pescaterian before it was fashionable and is an avid animal lover and a longtime dog handler. He has travelled to most countries around the world. Set up home in three of them and learned their language and culture. Now he is the founder and CEO of http://www.write-research-office.com since 2004 |
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