Many components go into opening a business. Hiring employees and getting them trained is one of the most important ones. Below I’ve listed five different methods that will help you easily find and hire employees to build an amazing team. Let’s take a look at what they are.
The five best ways to hire employees for a landscaping business are word of mouth, advertising on social media, networking, job sites, and asking for referrals. These tried-and-true methods are sure to help you build up a team, and get your business started.
Below I’ve listed all five of these methods and go into detail on how to use each to your benefit. Even if you’re not an expert on these topics yet, I assure you, by the time we get to the bottom of this article you will be. Read on below to learn more about how you can use each method to build up your team in no time!
Using Word of Mouth
Number one on our list, and the oldest tool of marketing, word of mouth. Even with all of the fancy tools we have at our disposal these days, the tried and true method of word of mouth can still be the most reliable one. Start with your inner circle and work your way out.
Many people say you should never work with friends, so this one is up to your sole discretion. But if you do have friends that you would feel comfortable hiring, why not reach out to them? Or if having close friends work for you is not an option, still reach out to them to see if they know anyone else in their circle who could be a good fit. You never know who you know, until you get the word out there.
Why stop at just close friends, and put the word out when you are out purchasing tools, working on jobs for clients, or even at a social event or gathering? It can’t hurt to drop the idea that you need help for your company as often as possible. Even if no one there is currently looking for a new position, you never know who they know that could be a good fit.
Advertising on Social Media
Next on our list, is social media. People’s phones are an extension of their bodies these days, they check their social media like mothers checking on their children. So, if you post something on social media, people are going to hear about it.
One good option would be Facebook, where you can post an ad letting people know that you are hiring. Like I said above, even if no one in your direct circle or friend group is interested, you never know who they may reach out to on your behalf, casting out a much wider net than just your immediate friends and family.
Another good option would be Instagram, there’s pretty much a hashtag for everything these days. You can tag your company’s name, where you are located, how much you pay, benefits, etc. to ensure that it shows up in as many people’s searches as possible. This gives you a much larger and pretty much global reach, which guarantees you a much higher chance of finding good matches.
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Leveraging Networking to Your Benefit
Now let’s take a look at networking. I bet your brain immediately conjures up some college event where you were forced to come dressed up while recruiters asked you some serious questions. Don’t worry, networking doesn’t always have to be this scary! Sometimes, the best workers can be found in plain sight.
Since you hiring for a landscaping business, a good place to start might be a garden center, or a store like Home Depot or Lowes where the workers would have a lot of knowledge on landscaping jobs. You never know who you may find that has gotten bored of answering questions on landscaping for others, and is just itching to get down and get to work themselves. This is where you come in, ask them a few simple questions to get to know them, and once they open up and show interest, flat out let them know that you are hiring and if they’d like a job! If it sounds easy, it is. But the trick is to get out there and be social and talk to as many people as you can. You are rarely going to find the perfect candidate right off the bat.
Now, remember earlier when I said workers with knowledge of the industry would be a good place to start? They are, but that doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to only them. Sometimes, the best employees are the ones who come in with zero knowledge about the industry but are hard workers with a passion for learning and a go-get-em attitude. They’re a blank canvas with no prior experience or ideas on how things should or should not be done. So, whatever you teach them is what they will do, and what boss doesn’t want that?
Most importantly though, never stop recruiting. It doesn’t matter if your team gets to the point of being fully staffed, never hesitate to make a genuine connection with people you meet and slip them your business card. Your team may be fully staffed at the moment, but you never know what things will look like down the road. This doesn’t mean hiring a bunch of extra people and going over payroll, but just maintaining tabs on people who you think may be a good fit. That way, if someone quits, you have five people lined up who can take their place.
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Posting Ads on Job Posting Websites
Next, there are always the traditional job posting sites that you could use such as Indeed, or Glassdoor. Just type up a job description, what qualifications you are looking for, and an expected salary range. This one isn’t as simple as posting the listing and leaving it though. You have to continuously manage the posting because a week after you post your job listing, it’s already been pushed far down the line by all of the other job listings that came after yours.
The trick is, to take it down and post it back up every few days or so, or if you have the time, even every day. This ensures that your job listing is always near the top of the list in your category, and you have a much higher chance of it being seen by candidates. Ask yourself, who scrolls to the second page on Google to find the answer? Anyone? I didn’t think so. Let’s move on to our last recruiting tool.
Asking your team for Referrals
Last but not least, once you have a few members on board, ask your existing team for referrals. Good workers know good workers, and sometimes you don’t have to look any further than your team to find a new team member. Talk to them individually about what you are looking for in a new team member. They won’t risk recommending anyone bad, because not only does it look bad on them, but they have to pick up the slack of a bad worker if their referral isn’t such a great employee.
If you need to incentivize the team further, offer up a referral bonus. This is a great way to give the team more reason to want to find someone for the team. They may not always feel the pressure of low staffing like you do as a business owner, but most people like the idea of a few extra hundred in their wallet. It doesn’t have to be any large sum either. Sometimes even a hundred dollars or a fifty-dollar gift card to a nice restaurant can be a nice little incentive, and it makes your team members feel valued for their contribution.
Bringing it all Together to Build your Team
Building up a team is not an easy task, it takes diligent and consistent effort. It’s a long game, not an overnight endeavor. You now have five different methods, which if you utilize them properly, will help you build up a team of solid workers! If you take only one thing away from this whole article (which I sure hope is not the case) it’s that you should always be working at these tools and growing your pipeline of people. You can continue to grow your pipeline, your team, and your business!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many team members do I need for my team?
This is an important question and will depend largely on the size and scope of your business. If you are just getting started and have a smaller payroll, you may be able to get by with just yourself and one or two others. You can always increase the number of employees on your payroll as the business grows, and recruit as needed. On the flip side, you might want to jump right in and get started on larger projects right off the bat, and if payroll allows, will want to get 10-15 employees right away to manage multiple large projects at one time.
How much should I pay my workers?
This largely depends on the state in which you live, as minimum wage differs by state, and by what other businesses in your area are offering. You can’t reasonably expect someone to choose your business over others if the competitor is offering $18.00 an hour compared to your $15.00 an hour. So, scope out the competition and the area where your business is and make a reasonable call on how much you can afford to spend per person, while still giving a competitive wage and keeping your business profitable.
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.