Landscaping business

Demand for gardening and improvement grows every year as the number of the wealthy people wishing to see at themselves on a site not simply “three bushes and two trees” grows, and real is professional and, it is desirable, individually “painted” picture. Today the consumer comes to understanding that professionals have to be engaged in landscape projects. During the rudimentary period of landscape business by professionals of practically all who though understood plants a little, forgetting that landscaping, except “born talent”, demands also the corresponding education called. People who have on hands a diploma are not always experts. Serious practical experience is necessary. Landscape firms can render full range of services on improvement of sites among which the following: – Landing of plants. What the main thing on a site? Of course plants. Lawns, beds, trees, green hedges. – Paths, platforms. Promptly extending market of construction materials and new technologies of the device of road clothes allow to carry out a paving the most decorative. Drawing and the direction of a laying of paving slabs, an insert from a natural stone, color schemes in a combination to the built-in lamps can become a semantic dominant of the design project of a landscape. – Garden architecture. Arbors, pergolas, lanes, bridges, benches, children’s playgrounds, sculptural compositions. – Fencings, gate, gates. – Relief elements. Hillocks, Alpine hills, rosaries. – Systems of lighting. Recently more and more attention began to be paid to illumination of country sites. Competently located lamps give to a site solemnity and relevancy, focus attention on it. Illumination not only buildings, arbors and paths, but also illumination of any elements of a landscape – hills, mini-ponds, fountains, sculptures and even separate plants is popular today. – Regular services of the gardener. Someone has to look after all this magnificence. One more of popular services. Weeding, protection of plants against wreckers, podstriganiye of trees and bushes. – Projecting of rooms, winter gardens. – Artificial reservoirs. Systems of watering, pools, fountains. Mini-ponds, artificial streamlets, mini-falls (the water pump for this purpose is required). By the way, often in such reservoirs even breed small fishes, through reservoirs bridges are thrown, on their coast put a sculpture or construct a peshcherka, or a grotto. All this will be able to make agency of landscaping. Clients should not be owners of a huge site at all. For example, also the owner of six hundred parts can order a mini-pond; on any site there will be a place and for a small arbor, couple of benches; and of course, any owner does not do without beds, paths and lawns. With use of modern materials not really difficult and not really expensively to realize all this, margins on landscape services can make hundreds of percent. In a staff of agency, specializing in the device of landscapes, besides experts of the general profile (accountants, sales managers and to deliveries, customs brokers, loaders, etc.) narrow-purpose experts who are rather difficult for finding today are required. If the company assumes to be fixed for a long time in the market and declares itself as about the strong contender, will be necessary: landscape architect (designer), agronomist, dendrologist, specialist in protection of plants, surveyor and land surveyor. The designer is a key figure of the landscape company. It generates ideas which all other workers realize. Experience and skill of the designer is of great importance. You should not employ as designers of young graduates of institutes – they have big ambitions, but in practice can serve only as assistants to the real professional designer, they have not enough experience. Besides, the designer has to understand plants, have good knowledge in the field of dendrology. The customer makes all claim not to the designer, and firm. Therefore the mistake of the designer can turn back loss of reputation and the customer, so and there arrived firms. Seasonality – one more factor which the owner of firm should consider on landscaping. The majority of firms work in two modes – winter and summer. During the winter period in staff only the main workers – frame of firm which sit on a salary remain. And here in the summer when orders begin, a situation another – builders and foremen are gradually brought up, and the staff is increased many times. For office it is possible to rent the room. Here a lot of things depend on your ambitions. In the market there are “private traders” that work at the home or mobile phone and leave to potential customers. And there are firms which spare no expense and remove quite decent office, accept clients there, present the portfolios and in general in every possible way show own solidity. All this, whatever one may do, plays a role in adoption of the decision by the client – to agree to your services or not, to make an advance payment or to think once again. However, many customers can be subdued and otherwise. For example, to arrive to the settlement and to excellently “make” one site. And then to come to neighbors of the first client and to offer the services. Many agree … And nevertheless over time some office should get. At least normally to conduct accounts department. As for the equipment, experts recommend not to hurry with purchase of expensive equipment, and to get it gradually, in process of emergence of available funds and need. For example, you hardly at once need a tractor or a motor-plow, and tools here following will be necessary for implementation of the first order: – a lawn-mower – 50 US dollars; – secateurs – 8-9 US dollars or a brush cutter – 15-20 US dollars; – garden scissors – to 20 US dollars; – a power saw – about 60 US dollars for piece (it is usual, domestic. There are also more expensive foreign. They are capable of everything: from a file of firewood to professional the woods are shaky, but also cost from 160 to 600 US dollars; – an electroplane – 35-50 US dollars (if carrying out small joiner’s works is planned); – hacksaws, chisels, screw-drivers and other about 30-40 US dollars; – shovels, a rake, choppers – a total cost to 50 US dollars.
For reduction of cost of works make the plan schedule. Agree on this plan schedule with the customer. It is necessary in order that in the course of work there were no questions on financing and terms of work. Surely stipulate all details, especially those which seem unimportant, but can potentially detain implementation of the landscape project. After all coordination it is possible to start implementation of your plans. Works need to be carried out quickly, rationally and correctly that in a consequence there were no serious problems. Therefore works need to be performed in a certain sequence. Besides it is worth thinking over carefully design and to discuss it with the customer. It is worth remembering that in this business there are also fashionable tendencies and trends. You surely have to be aware of these tendencies. The important role in development of your business, of course, will be played by advertizing. Your potential clients have to learn about your existence, at least. However, about advertizing of a similar kind of activity – production of stained-glass windows – we spoke in last idea. Advertizing in the construction and design press will be best of all to work, of course. The main trump at conversation with the potential client – photos. They can convince the doubting client to make the order. And in general, always you remember that bigger success is achieved at personal contact with the potential customer, than at ordinary advertizing. For these purposes you can employ agents who by means of in advance prepared materials (booklets, slides and other information on you) will visit potential clients. The main objective of the owner of business – complete control over all employees of crew. And not only for builders who traditionally need the increased control. It is necessary to control and check any processes. Such is specifics of this business. Therefore it is better if the owner understands construction and design aspect. Only this way it will be able to provide desirable result. The cost of services demands an individual approach. Therefore for some companies it is not important information for general lighting as the price at each project the. Often for pricing specialists of landscape firms need to come out to the place of work and to estimate the cost of services on the basis of requirements of the customer, a condition of a site, working conditions, the used materials and tools, etc. According to most of operators, data on a ratio of a market share of the foreign and domestic landscape companies in the territory of Russia remain insufficiently open information. So, according to V. Preobrazhensky, the number of the companies working in the sphere of landscaping does not give in to the account. At the same time services in most cases are nonprofessionals. Quite often after the end of construction of the house the same team of builders makes gardening on object. As for the existing prices, their cost very significantly fluctuates depending on amount of works and requirements of the customer. Usually we focus the customer on cost about $1000 for 100 sq.m. But actually fluctuations can be very considerable. Major companies combat among themselves for big orders, for the solid client. So, do not pay close attention to small sites. And for the beginning company is the best format for experience finding. Try to look for clients not really far apart. Ideally it is 2-3 sites in one cottage settlement. And still from the point of view of business development large orders – are more profitable. Even not because there “are more money” but because it is far simpler to organize works on a big site. The landscape architecture is not elementary improvement which becomes in the last turn, hastily, at the expense of the remains of means from construction, and a subtle art, big and peculiar area of architecture. You also have to prove it to the potential clients, suggesting them to use your services. As for the competition, this business for our country rather new, still few are engaged in it. The market is far from saturation. Prospects of growth the widest, the number of potential clients continues to grow quickly, and the firms existing today are not always universal – the complex of services of the majority of them is very limited.

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