Landscaping is an in-demand industry. If you own any type of property, there’s a high probability you’ll need some landscaping. This constant need also means it can be easy to start a landscaping business especially since landscaping has a large umbrella of jobs under it.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 1.1 million people employed in landscaping, There are many different kinds of landscaping jobs including (but not limited to) general contracting, tree trimming and removal, groundskeeping, gardening, and pest control.
General Contractor
When a person is dealing with a big long-term landscaping project that requires a lot of work, they might find themselves calling a general contractor. A general contractor is the leader of the project. While they might do some of the hands-on work, a general contractor has a lot of other responsibilities. As a general contractor, you’re responsible for selecting subcontractors to handle other parts of the big job. Clients often let the general contractor handle the hiring decisions because they don’t know what to look for in a subcontractor. Knowing what to look for in a subcontractor will help you get more customers.
General contractors handle a lot of behind-the-scenes work. In a lot of places, you need to have various permits for any sort of major landscaping work (something that disturbs more than 2500 square feet of soil or more for example). Typically, the general contractor deals with this sort of paperwork. If you want to be a general contractor, you will have to get familiar with the kind of paperwork you’ll have to do both in your town and towns in your surrounding area (as landscaping often requires significant amounts of travel)/
As a leader, the general contractor is also responsible for the conditions of your worksite, including safety regulations. The general contractor is also responsible for things like workers comp if a subcontractor gets injured on the job. While running a safe worksite and enforcing safety protocols can prevent most injuries, accidents can still happen so you must prepare for that.
General contractors can make good money. On average, they can make around $59,000 Most general contractors run their businesses and there are more than 600,000 general contractors. If you’re going into the landscaping business but don’t want to be a general contractor, you’ll benefit from making friends and building your reputation with other general contractors in your area. That way you can have contacts that can employ you.
Tree Trimming and Removal
Tree trimming is an in-demand landscaping job. People often need trees trimmed or removed to protect their property. Untamed trees can grow into people’s houses, damaging people’s gutters and causing water damage. Or a large tree branch can grow over a driveway and fall on a car. Not to mention start disputes between neighbors.
Tree trimmers, professionally known as arborists, help prune trees or remove them if they become problematic. Arborists clear dead trees and branches for the safety of people and sometimes, the trees themselves. Many arborists are trained to spot tree diseases and help remove the diseased parts of the tree or cut trees down before the infection spreads to other nearby trees.
Arborists have a variety of clients. Many work on private properties but some can get contracts from local governments. Governments often need arborists to remove trees and hedges that are interrupting pedestrian traffic on sidewalks or keeping tree branches from damaging power lines. Phone companies may also hire arborists to protect their phone lines.
There are more than 20,000 arborists employed in the U.S. and they make around $40,000 a year.
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Groundskeepers
Groundskeepers typically work in places where a large area needs to be maintained. Schools, colleges, and major housing or commercial complexes are all places that can employ groundskeepers.
Groundskeepers don’t need much in the way of formal education beyond a high school diploma. However, a groundskeeper does need a working knowledge of plant life and how to care for it or remove it depending on the plant as well as a working knowledge of power tools and yard care equipment like lawnmowers. Additionally, many groundskeepers are called on to perform basic maintenance tasks. Most of this is routine preventative maintenance tasks and things that have simple fixes.
When you’re a groundskeeper, you can expect to work long hours in all kinds of weather. In general, you’ll have to clean the outside of a building but the jobs can change depending on the time of year. During the spring and summer, you can expect to mow, water, fertilize the grass, trim the trees, and clean up in the aftermath of storms. During fall and winter, you can expect to rake up leaves and shovel snow respectively. If you work around playgrounds, you will have to maintain those too. It is a physically taxing job that requires a lot of stamina and there are physical hazards often associated with outdoor work including heatstroke and falling on mud and ice.
While many groundskeepers are employed by big institutions and large firms, some are self-employed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 1.2 million groundskeepers in America and they can make between $28,000 and $46,000 a year.
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Gardeners
Professional gardeners do more than one would in their front yard garden. Professional gardeners typically work in large areas, often in public works projects like parks, zoos, and botanical gardens. Others may work at country clubs or have a route of private residences that they go on. While your average groundskeeper does some basic maintenance on a public garden, gardeners often have to design gardens from the ground up.
While you can become a gardener with just a high school diploma, getting a degree in horticulture can help. You’ll also want to get certification in hazardous chemical use because professional gardeners have to work with hazardous chemicals like pesticides.
There can be room for advancement depending on where you work. Some gardeners gain experience working at large facilities and become master gardeners, overseeing whole teams of gardeners on big job sites. This can be helped by getting a degree in horticulture. Others start their own business.
The job can be difficult. Like groundskeepers, they have to work outside. It also requires a bit more precision. While groundskeepers have to maintain what already exists, gardeners have to design things to exacting specifications as many clients want what is essentially a large outdoor art project. Additionally, the work is often seasonal so a gardener may have to take a job during the winter if he works in a place with winter.
There are more than 29,000 gardeners in the U.S. Typically, they make around $30,000 a year but people with more experience can make more.
Pest Control
Whether it’s a large farm or a simple garden, bugs, and rodents will always try to eat whatever plants your employer is trying to grow. As a pest control professional, your job is to stop that from happening, While a pest control professional doesn’t necessarily need a college degree, they will need licensing since they deal with hazardous materials. They need to be able to handle these chemicals safely. Since many pest control professionals go to different job sites, a good driving record is required.
As a pest control professional, your job is to remove pests from your clients’ property with traps or poisons depending on the pest and the laws of the area. Pest control professionals work long hours and can often work nights and weekends as some pests can only be dealt with at night. While this can be a drawback, the fact that pests are such a problem can be a good thing for someone who wants to get paid to kill them. Unlike many landscaping professionals whose jobs are impacted by the seasons, a pest control professional can find work year-round. The skills needed for outdoor extermination are easily transferred to indoor settings.
A big hazard that pest control workers have to deal with is the pests themselves. While killing bugs seems easy, many of them have various diseases. Rodents are also notorious for biting and scratching. This is a reason many pest control companies require their workers to wear safety gear. Plus, there is the potential for poison exposure. As long as the worker has proper safety equipment, they should be fine but the potential is always there and the safety equipment can be a big entry expense.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 85,000 pest control professionals and they make $40,000 on average. While some are self-employed, many work for big companies like Orkin.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are some advantages to starting a landscaping business?
One is that you don’t necessarily need a degree. You can learn most of what you need on the job or in classes needed for licensing. The other is that landscaping is in demand. As people get older, they don’t have as much ability to do landscaping chores. This is the ideal environment for new landscapers.
Are there other things I should have before starting a landscaping business?
Taking some business classes will help you handle the business end of things. That or get a business partner who can handle that sort of thing.
To learn more on how you can start your own landscaping business, check out my startup documents here.
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Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Landscape Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a landscape business owner at a job site, driving down the road or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Landscaping Business Boss: I want to help landscape business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.