starting a business

[turbojolt]

I'm thinking of selling up the nova and all the parts to try and start a gardening business, i was going to do it a few years ago but got a job at British gas instead :roll:


whats the best way of getting my name out there?

i was going to make a facebook page and post it on all the derby free and cheap pages etc, list it on gumtree, preloved and what ever other free listing pages i can

does anyone on here have any dealing with estate agents? i wondering how tided up and hard it is to get in with a few of them

is it worth getting a bunch of leaflets made up and posting them all around my local area, i know i just throw them in the bin with out even reading them but surely some people must read/keep them, also whats the best way to have them made with out them looking like cheap Microsoft art printouts?


NAMES

L.A.I gardening and landscaping services

L.A fencing and gardening

IRWIN landscaping and gardening


I was looking at little vans like the corsa combo etc.. but I'm thinking i would be better of with a estate car either way none of them will fit fence panels so i will need a roof rack (i want the mk2 astra estate down the road but the guy wont sell it lol) im just not sure if arriving in a estate looks as good as showing up in a clean sign written van :tard:




-soft landscaping (turfing, grass cutting, boarder control, planting)
-garden clearance
-decking and patio installation, repairs and cleaning
-fencing and fence repairs (feather edge, panels, concrete)
-shed erection and repairs

no job to big or to small, free estimates



(atless if this ****s up i can only blame my self lol)

[turbojolt]

can only find one old photo of some fencing ive done :(

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/2580_58375997117_7665030_n.jpg

[maddogdaz666]

It's always hard to get started, I tried starting my own roofing business a few years back, I advertised in the local paper and a local advertising mag that got posted through every door in the area. I did get some regulars through it too.
Only advise I can say is don't expect to be rich straight away, don't rely on it for a good wage for a good 6 months, maybe more maybe less. I tried to work it round the job I had at the time which worked for me.

[burgo]

You would be better with an mpv like a zaf than an estate car

[turbojolt]

You would be better with an mpv like a zaf than an estate car

is that because your selling one lol

[L33 LEG]

First thing I would do is post leaflets around your local area and see what happens. If you're good then you'll get recommended to other people. No harm in advertising in the local paper as well :)

[Edd]

I know many good friends that have started their own businesses over the years, some have been successful some not

If you expecting a regular wage to pay rent mortgage bills etc, think again IMO lol from what I've seen takes a good few years to build up custom

All the people I know either lived at home and then bought their own place when business went well, or were quite sorted financially in the first place

But every situation is different, good luck with it if you do it

[L33 LEG]

I agree with Edd. I'm hoping to start something up this year but will be keeping my evening job to guarantee a wage each month. Would never quit and go straight into your own business.

[8valve-craig]

You will get out of it what you put in. As stated above you wont be rich for a while, as you will be buying tools and machinery.

I personally wouldnt want to turn up to a customers house in an estate car with their expensive oak fence panels tied to the roofrack and 8ft posts hanging out the back, but it might work for a small period. Transit's arent expensive though, and a clean one will see that a good first impression is made every time.

Also worth considering where you want to be in a few years time, as self employment is deemed risky by the banks. They will only consider you for a mortgage after 2 years concurrent trading with good profits, so you could find that if you are renting at the moment you could be there a lot longer.

I have a friend who does exactly the same as what you have outlined above, and during the winter work is incredibly slow, so he makes up for it in the summer and puts a little cash away to see him through the tougher times.

[Stuart]

local van place has tippers/closed vans etc for about £5K....

Do some local research to see how full the market is already. Something to also consider is artificial lawns, they are getting popular with lazy folks :D

[dc1984]

Dont waste your time and money with leaflets mate. For the cost and effort going round the doors most folk just put them in the bin. I found gumtree to be one of the best places for my tyre business as its quick to post on it and most of all its free:))

Next best thing is word of mouth mate. Tell all your friends, co-workers etc.
Try site managers if there are any building sites or the likes around your area.

David.

[turbojolt]

local van place has tippers/closed vans etc for about £5K....

Do some local research to see how full the market is already. Something to also consider is artificial lawns, they are getting popular with lazy folks :D

then i could do fly tipping when it all goes tits up lol

[Stuart]

See, diversification lol

[turbojolt]

what about setting up a company email address where is the cheapest place to do that? i dont want to use my hotmail.co.uk one on a business card!

[turbojolt]

ordered 1000 business cards rather then leaflets and started a AOL email account, as IMO it looks better then a hotmail one and im not paying 5 quid a month for a bussines one lol

[burgo]

No my one is sold. I only surgested it as they are pretty big inside. Its a van without having to pay van insurance

[Jon_nova1]

I started my own welding business summer last year, since then i've managed to get all new equipment and was in profit well before christmas.

The best way to go is word of mouth, the majority of my work has come from people recommending me and seeing my quality of work.

Don't get leaflets to post, i paid the paperboy to post a couple of hundred and heard nothing, obviously being a paperboy i asked people i knew if they had gotten the leaflets.

I found the best place to start was on Facebook and posting on the local sale pages, obviously for me it's convenient to post on the car enthusiasts pages too.

Next would be google, you can set up google business so if you type in gardener in london you'll show up in decent results and on google maps, you can also use google sites and add a link to the information on google businesses. I also have leaflets and cards in the car so if there's an occasion they'll come in handy i can just pass one over, i also have an advert on the car too.

I even put jpg's of my flyer on EBay listings lol

[MK999]

Talk loudly about it at the pub... amount of times I got bugged for a business card at the pub lol

I would definitely go for a pickup if it was me, looks more professional and a lot easier to get rid of any rubbish clearing gardens, move turf etc... having the right vehicle helps a lot, amount of times I had to screw about at work trying to move engines/parts in a Rover 216 or my own car, and watch next door unload 3 whole engines/looms etc out of their van lol

[Andy]

go for it,a customer of mine was telling me he started this type of work when he got out of prison and printed 10,000 leaflets,work came in,did a few jobs,money went out of his dikk in the pub and failed.
Leaflets,make a point of talking to people if theyre about when you are delivering them.
Be confident,dont let people talk you down.
Never ever price low to get work,you wont have the heart and believe me it shows!
Do it as a sideline weekend thing to gauge the interest,as its a fairly seasonal thing,so going in with 2 feet 1st before seeing how the land lies (sorry lol) is a bad move.
Good luck!

[meritlover]

i need my bush trimming. do your prices include VAT and a VAT receipt?

[Jack]

started a AOL email account, as IMO it looks better then a hotmail one
rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl aol is way worse than a hotmail one. Its like you can't even use a free web based email, so have to use your home ISP email lol GMail would have been better.

Friend of mine started out doing fencing work on someone else's books, then went solo on that for a while - made good money. Then went onto agricultural work with machinery, again on someone else's books for a while then solo. Now making big money for himself, but he's based primarily down here so there's plenty of agri work about lol

[turbojolt]

I would definitely go for a pickup if it was me, looks more professional and a lot easier to get rid of any rubbish clearing gardens, move turf etc... having the right vehicle helps a lot, amount of times I had to screw about at work trying to move engines/parts in a Rover 216 or my own car, and watch next door unload 3 whole engines/looms etc out of their van lol

im going to start off with a small van like a combo, escort, astra or similar then if it all goes well save up for a flat back, the landscaping business i use to work for use to use nissan cabstars there great little things lol

[Liam]

Leigh, if you want a dedicated email address I can set you one up for £10 a year! And then in the future when you're well off you'll have the domain there ready for a bespoke website at an affordable price ;)

[turbojolt]

Leigh, if you want a dedicated email address I can set you one up for £10 a year! And then in the future when you're well off you'll have the domain there ready for a bespoke website at an affordable price ;)

ive just ordered 1000 cards with that email adress on them lol when there gone and i have some more made up i will let you know mate