Landscaping is one of those industries where, if you have some basic skills and a little knowledge, you can provide services that people might need but might not know about. If you’re looking to start a landscaping business, you may wonder how to get started without any money. As long as you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, plenty of opportunities are available for someone willing to work hard and learn a lot.
Starting a landscaping business with no money means you may have to start as a one-person army, use your existing skills, be prepared to take on any assignment, get the word out about your business, raise money, and bootstrap. No matter how you do it, starting a landscaping business with no money is possible.
It takes guts, but it can be done
You don’t need a lot of money to start your landscaping business. It is better if you don’t because your overhead will be low, which means more profits! However, there are some things that you do need to get started:
- A vision of what kind of company you want and how far it can take you
- The right attitude—you must be willing to work hard and make sacrifices
- Skill set (which includes knowledge of plants and their care)
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Start as a one-person army
Starting, you may not have the resources to hire employees. You can hire subcontractors or temporary workers once you have more money, but stick with doing everything yourself for now.
It’s a good idea to do the jobs that you know how to do and are good at doing anyway—you already have some experience! If those jobs include cutting grass and raking leaves (or other yard maintenance), then start there.
It would be best if you also looked into some of the more common landscaping tasks:
- Mowing grass.
- Planting flowers.
- Laying sod.
- Removing weeds from flower beds.
- Water plants when they need it (not too much, or they will die).
- Pulling out weeds as soon as they appear, so they don’t get bigger and more challenging to get rid of later on.
- Pruning trees so their branches don’t overgrow your property line (or fall onto power lines).
Put your existing skills to use
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be able to do anything they put their minds to? They can pick up a new language, learn a musical instrument, or even change careers at will.
The secret is that those people tend to possess a trait called “self-efficacy”—the belief in one’s ability to achieve goals and overcome obstacles. Highly self-efficacious people believe they have the skills and abilities necessary for success, whether those goals involve success on a test or building a business from scratch.
If you think about it, anyone can start a landscaping business with no money if they’re willing to put in the time and effort necessary for success—but only if they have high levels of self-efficacy will they succeed at becoming successful entrepreneurs!
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Be prepared to take on any assignment
One of the best ways to start landscaping is by taking on small jobs. You must be prepared to take on any job that comes your way and make it look as good as possible. This means taking on projects for free or low cost, working long hours and weekends, and being prepared to work hard.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you have never worked in landscaping and need some guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to experienced professionals. Ask them if they will let you shadow them for a day or two so that you can learn about the industry from the ground up.
If you can’t do this, then you might want to consider another path. Be prepared for mistakes and failures. You must understand that all businesses make mistakes, even landscaping businesses.
Get the word out about your business
Now that your business is running, it’s time to get the word out about your new landscaping services. Marketing is everything when it comes to growing a successful business. There are many different marketing strategies you can use, but there are some staples that every marketing campaign should be built around:
- Build a website and make sure it’s optimized for search engines
- Create a business page on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms
- Create flyers and hand them out in your neighborhood or post them on community boards (this is especially effective if you live in an area where many homes need landscaping services)
- List building: This means building an email list of people interested in what you do and who want to hear more from you. It’s important only to send emails when it is relevant information for them rather than cluttering their inbox with useless emails.
Some examples include sending exclusive offers or discounts on products or services they might be interested in buying from you later down the road (this is called “first contact”). The best way to build this list is through social media posts where people can opt-in by giving their email address on a form embedded in the post itself (this is called “second contact”).
Once someone signs up for your list, invite them to another platform like MailChimp, as we discussed earlier, where users have control over what types of messages they receive from companies such as yours using custom filters based on preferences set by users themselves. You will then have several points throughout which someone could opt out without receiving any mail!
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Raise Money
Raise money by taking on extra work. This can be as simple as a part-time job or as elaborate as starting your own business. The key here is to do something that will bring in revenue for you and your landscaping business, no matter how small.
Getting a loan or grant (you don’t repay grants) is possible. You can apply for loans/grants from banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions that provide this service at competitive interest rates with long repayment periods (anywhere from 5 years up). Instead of going through traditional intermediaries like banks or credit card companies, you could also look into peer-to-peer lending platforms like Lending Club or Prosper, which allow individuals to borrow money directly from other people who want to invest in them.
Raise money by getting a partner/investor/investor(s). If none of these approaches sound appealing right now, consider partnering up with someone with experience running landscaping businesses. So they can help mentor you through tough times. This way, both parties get what they want without putting all their eggs into one basket.
Bootstrap
Bootstrapping is a tried-and-true way to start a business on the cheap. It’s starting a business with little or no money and using profits from your initial sales to reinvest in more inventory, hire more employees, and expand your operations.
For example, let’s say you have $100 and want to start selling your services at local farmer’s markets. You can rent a booth space at one of these markets for maybe $25-$50 per day (depending on how many days per week you want to sell). You use the cash from selling your first batch of services ($20) as seed money for buying more equipment or tools like shovels from home improvement stores around town and some basic tools like saws ($30).
With these newly purchased supplies, you head back to the market where everything sells quickly—you make $350! Congratulations! That means you will have a bigger budget when it comes time to purchase new equipment or tools like a lawn mower or an edger; then, you’ll be able to handle large clientele volumes, which means more money coming your way.
So, there you have it. We’ve given you a step-by-step guide on how to start a landscaping business with no money—and even if it takes you years to get there, we want you to know that this is doable! But remember: one of the best ways to ensure your business succeeds is by doing good work and treating your customers well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to begin a landscaping business?
$5,000 is the recommended amount if you plan on having basic equipment like a lawn mower to start a landscaping business. If you want to start with a big budget, aim to start with at least $15,000, if not more.
How do I get started in commercial landscaping?
Make sure you have a business plan and the budget for employees and permits. Starting in commercial landscaping can be expensive, but the industry has a lot of big clients if you know where to market.
How much do you make as a landscaper in New York?
As a landscaper in New York, you can make between 26k-56k per year. Your salary can start at $19.01 an hour and go up to $48.83 an hour. However, the average pay is $29.91 per hour.
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.