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choicelandscapes · #1 01-15-2008, 03:06 PM

Hey guys wanted to take a second to introduce myself. I currently teach ag sciences just outside of Birmingham AL and have recently have opened up a landscape business and hoping to grow the business to the point that I can quit teaching and make some real money doing what I enjoy. All without going to the bank to get a loan. I left a fairly lucrative job with Monrovia Growers as a sales rep to move back to Alabama. Several reasons played into my decision to leave and come back to Alabama. However I feel that this is not the place to talk about that.

I graduated with a BS in hort from Auburn and studied hort abroad in England. Competed in national compitions (irrgation design, trouble shoot, etc.) while in school and placed in the top 5 in all. I like to think I have some knowledge to share while at the same time hoping to gain some. I am not really on the maintenance side of the business I do installation and quarterly maintenance. However, I have found many items on this site that I feel can help me suceed. I am currently in the process of building a web site and that is how I found this site. The templates are awesome!

Hopefully I can be of help to others and find some help along the way.

Best of Luck
Tom

jeffslawnservice · #2 01-15-2008, 06:47 PM

Lawn care business tips

Thanks for joining and good luck with the biz.

__________________
Chesapeake, VA

Steve · #3 01-15-2008, 06:54 PM

Hi Tom,

Welcome to our forum!

Can we see your new website?

Also, how do you feel your background in sales has effected your ability to sell your landscaping services? Can you give us any suggestions or lessons you learned that apply?

choicelandscapes · #4 01-15-2008, 07:30 PM

My web site is not up yet. I am actually still trying to figure out how to use the template. The experience I gained at Monrovia was very valuable. I worked outof their North Carolina location and basically managed a territory from Maine down to Alabama and out to the Dallas area. I wa ahead of my sales goals 85-90 percent of the time. One thing that helped me was staying ahead of the curve. Letting people now what was budded up in the nursery and by the time I was able to ship it to them it would be prime for their garden center. If I had advice I would say stay ahead of the curve. Know your target market and let them know of services coming up for any given season well in advance. For example I plan to start advertising color change out and irrigation start ups in february and mpush into early March. So that when spring begins here usually around mid to late March I will have things lined up and ready to go.

Can anyone help as to how to put my logo and info into the web templates and once I do that the process behind finding someone to host the site? I am very confindent in my landscaping skills however when it comes to the web I am a little shaky.

Thanks in advance
Tom

Steve · #5 01-15-2008, 07:34 PM

Hi Tom,

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]For example I plan to start advertising color change out

Could you tell us a little about this service?

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Can anyone help as to how to put my logo and info into the web templates and once I do that the process behind finding someone to host the site?

For this we need to find you a web host first. Let me send a few messages out and see if someone can jump in and help.

choicelandscapes · #6 01-15-2008, 08:07 PM

What I mean by color change out is annual color. Most people here have out panies and ornamental kale cabbage etc. I am wanting to advertise on pulling those out and putting in spring color. Go in pull out the fall color, add some fert., mulch the area, and replant with spring color. if done correctly there are good profit margins in this and I usually include this in the quarterly maintenance clients that I have.

Steve · #7 01-15-2008, 08:10 PM

Tom,

This is fantastic! It seems like many smaller start up lawn care business owners don't offer this service!

Do you have any advice or suggestions on how to charge for this?

Also if one wanted to do this, what should they be considering to plant in the spring?

choicelandscapes · #8 01-15-2008, 08:24 PM

Plant complementary colors. Orange with Blue, Purple with Yellow etc. (example purple iris with daffodils). Use color combinations and be creative!

As far as actual plants that is going to very with which heat zone you live in. Here in Bham we are between a 7 and 8. I like mixing yellow lantana with purple wave petunias or something to the equivilant. Further north this my not work due to temp.

As far as cost what I do on the color is take my cost and multiply it by 3.5

Example.
10 bags of premium potting mix at 3.OO a bag= 30.
2lbs of 10-10-10 say 2.00
5 flats of annuals at 11.00 =55

So I have about 90 bucks in it and charge
around 300. A 200 dollar net income for half a day.

So lets sa

Steve · #9 01-15-2008, 08:55 PM

Hi Tom,

That is very interesting!

How much of the color change plantings do you do in pots (large or small) and how much are planted in the ground?

Do you find customers have a preference of one over the other?

accesslawns · #10 01-15-2008, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (choicelandscapes @ Jan. 15 2008,8:30)]*

Can anyone help as to how to put my logo and info into the web templates and once I do that the process behind finding someone to host the site?

Tom,
Check out this link, you can purchase a domain name here for about $6.00 a year and run your own website with email address for as little as $9.99 per month and its real easy to use.
Good Luck!!!
http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=15212340

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